Do you want to play with a fast-paced martial artist like Bruce Lee, landing multiple punches so fast that every moment is a blink-and-miss? Monks are martial artists, and with the proper build, players can fuel their martial arts fantasies. For this, players need to invest in Way of the Open Hand Monk build in Baldur’s Gate 3.
Although there are other builds for Monks as well, this guide will solely focus on the pure melee, DPS monk, that relies on unarmed fisticuffs with the help of Way of the Open Hand subclass.
Starting Abilities and Skills for Way of the Open Hand Monk in Baldur’s Gate 3
Although player choices can vary depending on how they wish to approach the game, all we can give is a general idea to make the build work properly in the game. My best recommendations for the initial starting selections during character creation for Way of Open Hand Monk in BG3 are:
| Class | Monk | – |
| Sub-Class | Way of Open Hand | – |
| Race | Githyanki | This provides you proficiency with medium armor and martial weapons. You also get Misty step spell and Jump abilities. |
| Ability Points Distribution | STR 12, DEX 17, CON 14, INT 8, WIS 14, CHA 10 | Dexterity and Wisdom are our main ability modifiers here for maximum damage output. |
| Skills | Athletics, Acrobatics, Stealth, Insight | – |
Best Background
Since backgrounds in BG3 do play a powerful role in how your character plays out, making a correct choice is quite important. The best background we can pick for this build is the Outlander background. Outlander background gives our monk high proficiency in Athletics as well as Survival.
You can also opt for the Urchin background for the Monk Way of Open Hand build. The Urchin background is better for players who want to make their character proficient in Stealth and Sleight of Hand. The Urchin background also favors high-dexterity characters.
Best Feats for Way of the Open Hand Monk build in Baldur’s Gate 3
Since you can select only 1 feat every 4 levels, and as the level cap is 12, this means players can pick only 3 feats for themselves. Whatever feats you pick are quite important, and you need to decide what to pick that best suits your build. Below is my recommendation of the best feats for Way of the Open Hand Monk in Baldur’s Gate 3.
| Level | Feat | Description |
| 4 | Ability Improvement | Invest both ability points in Dexterity ability to increase damage output. |
| 8 | Lightly/Moderately Armored | Increases proficiency with both light and medium armors. Your Dexterity and Strength abilities also increase by 1 each. |
| 12 | Lucky | You gain 3 luck points for every saving throw. |
Best Actions for Way of the Open Hand Monk
As the Way of Open Hand Build, we want to maximize our melee damage output in every way possible. This means not only dealing high damage but also disabling your enemy in every way possible.
| Level | Actions | Description |
| 3 | Flurry of Blows: Topple/Stagger/Push. | These might seem redundant, but all these offer different benefits. These class actions allow players to knock their enemies prone, stagger them for a turn, and push them back 5 meters. As such, players can dictate the flow of battle however they want. |
| 6 | Wholeness of Body. Manifestation of Mind. | Wholeness of Body allows players to regen HP and Ki as they fight, and these effects last for three turns. Manifestation of Mind adds Psychic damage to all your unarmed attacks. The added damage can range from 3-6. |
| 9 | Ki Restoration Punch. | This ability allows your character to resonate with an enemy for 10 turns after landing an unarmed attack. The best part is that this can also be used as a Bonus Action instead of a full action. |
| 11 | Tranquility. | Render the monk unable to be targeted after a long rest unless the monk attacks first. |
Best Armor and Weapons
Helm: Assassin of Bhaal Cowl – Allows you to see 3m in darkness and see through Invisibility spells.
Back: Fleshmelter Cloak – Any enemy that deals melee damage takes 1-4 Acid damage per hit.
Armor: Vest of Soul Rejuvenation – Regen 1-4 HP on a saving throw against any spell attack.
Hands: Gloves of Soul Catching – Unarmed attacks deal 1-10 Force damage. You also regen 10 HP on an unarmed attack once per turn.
Amulet: Surgeon’s Subjugation Amulet – After a Long Rest, a critical attack can Paralyze the enemy for 2 turns.
Melee weapon: Selune’s Spear of Night – See in Dark up to 12m, and gain benefit on all Wisdom saving throws.
Ring 1: Ring of Blink – Use Blink Spell.
Ring 2: Killer’s Sweetheart – Upon killing an enemy, the next attack is guaranteed critical.
Baldur’s Gate 3 Way of the Open Hand Monk Build level progression
For the most part, the level progression system for Way of the Open Hand Monk in BG3 remains the same as other Monk subclasses. Regardless of the route you take, you will automatically unlock certain class features like Ki Points.
However, there are certain level progression systems that are exclusive to the Way of the Open Hand subclass in Baldur’s Gate 3. We will be mentioning those systems below and what you unlock at each level that is exclusive to this subclass build.
| Level | Unlocks | Description |
| 2 | Patient defense bonus action. | Grants you an advantage on DEX saving throws while the enemy attacking you gets a disadvantage. |
| 3 | Flurry of Blows: Topple/Stagger/Push subclass action. | A buff to Flurry of Blows that allows players to push, stagger, and get their enemies prone. |
| 4 | The first Feat unlocks. | Ability Improvement to increase your Dexterity to 19. |
| 5 | Extra Attack class feature. Stunning Strike sub-class action. | You get an additional strike in the same turn. The Stunning Strike allows you to stun your enemies unless they pass a constitution saving throw. |
| 6 | Manifestation of Body/Mind/Soul. Wholeness of Body. | Manifestation skills offer different damage powerups to your attacks, allowing you to deal Necrotic, Psychic and Radiant damage to all your attacks respectively. Wholeness of Body allows players to regen HP and Ki passively for three turns. |
| 8 | The second Feat unlocks. | Light/Moderately armored to gain armor proficiency and max your Dexterity at 20. |
| 9 | Ki Restoration Punch. | Allows players to restore Ki on unarmed attacks. You also resonate with your enemy for 10 turns, and deal 3d6 Force damage to the enemy you are resonating with. |
| 11 | Tranquility. | Allows monk to be unable to be targeted after a long rest unless the monk attacks first. |
| 12 | The final Feat unlocks. | Lucky to get 3 lucky points for every successful saving throw. |
Is Way of Open Hand Monk any good in BG3?
Way of Open Hand Monks are extremely agile and deliver a flurry of blows in a matter of seconds. They can deal massive DPS with both unarmed strikes and special weapons. Open Hand monks excel at crowd control and stunning enemies. They are good with Armor and have high survivability as compared to other Monk sub-classes.
However, unlike the Way of Shadow Monks, they lack stealth and can only take on their enemies openly. They can’t use healing spells, which means you need a specialized healer in your party to keep rolling.
