Baldur's Gate 3 min-maxing yields broken monk build, with up to 320 Unarmed damage per turn

With Baldur's Gate 3 being out for a couple of weeks, players have been trying out various exciting builds. The vast variety of possibilities ensures gamers can approach problems in various manners. A Reddit user has conceived a Monk build that dishes out heavy damage to foes, as much as up to 320. Even more surprising is the fact that all of this is Unarmed damage.

This doesn't just make for role-accurate outcomes but also allows players to take on powerful foes easily.

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This Monk build could be one of the most powerful in Baldur's Gate 3

I Think I Broke Unarmed Strike on Monk. 168-320 DMG per turn by u/OrkoTheMage in BaldursGate3

So how exactly was this achieved? The answer is with a bit of multi-classing, specific gear, and a whole lot of Strength. Here are the details:

• 8 levels in Monk (with Way of the Open Fist subclass)
• 3 levels in Rogue (with Thief subclass) that grant an extra Bonus Action
• Feat: Tavern Brawler (selectable at level 4)
• 22 Strength stat

Overall, this allows players to act twice with Attacks plus three Flurry Blows thanks to 3 Bonus Actions in total. Since one Flurry Blow equals two hits, that makes for up to 8 attacks in one turn.

Given each attack can deal anywhere from 20-40 damage, multiply that by 8 to dish out 160-320 damage each turn. This is already staggering amounts of damage without any gear.

It can be further augmented using specific gear like:

• Vest of Soul Rejuvenation: Heals the user by 1-4 HP for Saving Throws against spells while also granting them reactions to opponents' attacks that miss, allowing performing counterattacks.
• Mask of Soul Perception: Grants a +2 bonus to Attack Rolls as well as Initiative and Perception checks. Additionally, users gain access to the Detect Thoughts spell while this item is equipped.
• Gloves of Soul Catching: Unarmed attacks deal 1-10 Force Damage. Additionally, heals the user for 10 HP once per turn on performing an Unarmed attack.

This allows the character to not just be deadly in combat but also enhances their survivability. It looks like developer Larian Studios were not exaggerating when they said Monk is intended to be a one-man army in Baldur's Gate 3.

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Is Monk a popular class in Baldur's Gate 3?

Disappointingly, the answer here is no. As per official stats from the publisher, Monk is the third-least popular class in the game.

It is followed by Druid and Cleric, which are surprising too. Conversely, the top 3 are occupied by Warlock, Sorcerer, and Paladin, where the latter takes the crown for the most popular pick.

Monk's relatively lower popularity could be due to their reliance on unarmed combat. It certainly sounds less appealing compared to powerful magic and melee users who have various exciting skills and spells under their belt to use. As shown by this build, however, Monks can be amazing when molded right.

Baldur's Gate 3 was released on August 3, 2023, after three years in early access and is now available on PC via Steam and GOG. The PlayStation 5 version arrives on September 6, 2023.