BG3: Way Of The Four Elements Monk Build [All Levels]

After spending more than 50+ hour's in-game, here is my take on a build for Way of the Four Elements Monk!

Making the Best Way of the Four Elements Monk Build in BG3 can be confusing because Monks are usually associated with a Melee who is good at punching enemies. However, besides punching, this subclass of the Monk gives access to Elemental Spell, giving it both Melee and Long-range options.

Key Takeaways
  • Way of the Four Elements is one of the three subclasses for a Monk in BG3.
  • This subclass gives you access to Elemental Spells, and you can easily crowd-control enemies.
  • This subclass gives both melee and range options for approaching enemies.
  • Your spells consume Ki, so you will need to rest to recover your Ki.

My Way Of The Four Elements Build Overview

BG3 Way of the Four Elements Monk
Way of the Four Elements Monk (image by me)

The table below is a quick overview of the abilities for Best Way of the Four Elements Monk Build:

LevelsAbilities
1Flurry of Blows, Ki, Unarmoured Defense, Martial Arts (Dexterous Attacks, Deft Strikes, Bonus Unarmed Strike)
2Unarmoured Movement, Patient Defence, Step of the Wind (Dash, Disengage)
3Deflect Missile, Harmony of Fire and Water, Disciple of the Elements (Fangs of the Fire Snake, Water Whip, Fist of Unbroken Air)
4Slowfall, Feat: Ability Improvement (18 Dexterity and 16 Wisdom)
5Extra Attack, Stunning Strike (Melee, Unarmed)
6Improved Unarmoured Movement, Ki-Empovered Striker, Disciple of the Elements (Clench of the North Wind)
7Evasion, Stillness of Mind
8Feat: Ability Improvement (Dexterity 20)
9Advanced Unarmoured Movement, Improved Elemental Casting, Disciple of the Elements (Fist of Four Thunders)
10Improved Unarmoured Movement, Purity of Body
11Disciple of the Elements (Ride the Wind)
12Feat: Ability Improvement (Constitution 16)

Before you can start making the Best Way of the Four Elements Monk Build in BG3, select a race that benefits a Monk first. Three race choices greatly benefit a Monk: Wood-Elf, Orc, or Githyanki. Either of these three races is good for a Monk.

Levels 1-2

Now, after selecting a race, the next thing you need to do is select a Background, Skill Proficiencies, and distribute your Ability Points.

  1. For Background, select Urchrin.
  2. I recommend going to select Acrobatics and Perception for skill proficiencies.
  3. At level 2, you get Unarmoure Movement.
  4. You also get to unlock 3 actions:
    1. Patient Defence: makes it difficult for enemies to hit you.
    2. Step of the Wind: Dash doubles your movement speed evermore.
    3. Step of the Wind: Disengage makes it easier to disengage from enemies.
BG3 Actions: Patient Defence, Step of the Wind: Dash, Step of the Wind: Disengage
Actions: Patient Defence, Step of the Wind: Dash, Step of the Wind: Disengage [image by me]
For ability points, distribute them according to the table below:

AttributesStats
Strength
10
Dexterity17
Constituion14
Intelligence10
Wisdom15
Charisma8

Level 3

Finally, at Level 3, you can select your subclass, as the guide’s name suggests. I will be picking the Way of the Four Elements subclass for Monk.

  1. You get the handy ability to reduce damage from ranged attacks at Level 3.
  2. Regaining Ki while not in combat is huge for a Monk.
  3. Finally, you get to select three spells of your choice, and for this, I recommend picking:
    1. Fangs of the Fire Snake: Makes it easier for you to hit enemies from afar while boosting your next melee attack.
    2. Water Whip: You can drag enemies towards you or knock them into Prone State.
    3. Fist of Unbroken Air: Incredibly useful for pushing troublesome enemies away.
BG3 Spells: Fangs of the Fire Snake, Fist of Unbroken Air, Water Whip
Spells: Fangs of the Fire Snake, Fist of Unbroken Air, Water Whip [image by me]

Levels 4-5

Level 4 greatly improves your character as you finally get to pick a Feat for your character, which helps round out your Stats. You also get the Extra Attack ability at Level 5 and some actions.

  1. You get resistance to falling damage.
  2. For Feat, I recommend picking Ability Improvement to round Dexterity to 18 and Wisdom to 16.
  3. Having the ability to make more than once during a single turn for any class is quite helpful.
  4. You also unlock 2 actions at Level 4; both are good at stunning your target.
    1. Stunning Strike (Melee): Make a Melee attack with your weapon to stun the enemy.
    2. Stunning Strike (Unarmed): Make an Unarmed Melee attack to sun the target.
BG3 Actions: Stunning Strike (Melee), Stunning Strike (Unarmed)
Actions: Stunning Strike (Melee), Stunning Strike (Unarmed) [image by me]

Level 6-7

At level 6, your movement increases even more, allowing you to cover more distance. At level 7, you get some really good resistance, which pairs well with the Evasion you also unlock at this level.

  1. You gain abilities at level 6, improving your movement speed and attacking capabilities.
  2. You also get to pick another spell, and I recommend picking Clench of the North Wind.
  3. You unlock even more abilities at Level 7, making it easier to dodge attacks and gaining immunity to Charmed or Frightened.
BG3 Clench of the North Wind
Clench of the North Wind [image by me]

Levels 8-10

You get to pick another feat at Level 8, with Levels 9 and 10 granting you abilities that boost your resistance and movement speed.

  1. For Feat, pick Ability Improvement and max out Dexterity to 20.
  2. At level 9, Difficult Terrain doesn’t affect you, and your jumping distance increases while your spells get increased effects.
  3. I recommend picking Fist of Four Thunders as a spell at level 9.
  4. Your movement speed increases even more, and you gain immunity to poison at level 10.
    BG3 Abilities: Purity of Body, Improved Unarmoured Movement
    Abilities: Purity of Body, Improved Unarmoured Movement [image by me]

Levels 11-12

Finally, around levels 11 and 12, you maximize the potential of your build. You get to pick up your final spell at level 11 and finish the build by picking a Feat at Level 12.

  1. I recommend picking Ride the Wind as your final spell because, with this spell, your movement range is the whole battlefield.
  2. Finally, you complete your build by picking a Feat, and I am picking Ability Improvement to get 16 constitutions because more HP is never wrong.
BG3 Ride the Wind
Ride the Wind [image by me]

My Personal Thoughts on the Build

BG3 My In-game Time
My In-game Time [image by me]
Honestly, this is the Best possible build for Way of the Four Elements Monk in BG3. Because not only can it deal damage, but it’s also good at dealing with a crowd of enemies. You have spells that range from holding enemies to stunning or pushing enemies away. You have an incredible range of movement with the Fly Spell this class offers.

Finally, I recommend you check out our review on BG3 by our expert Huzaifah. I also suggest you check out this subreddit post on Monk, which covers a lot of stuff about the Monk class. I also recommend checking out this video if you’d link another take on a Monk build.

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Ibrahim Akhtar is a guides & features writer at eXputer. He uses his passion for gaming to provide insightful takes in his articles. Ibrahim spends most of his time defending Baldur's Gate from the forces of the Absolute. He has accumulated more than 15 years of gaming experience, having 1000 hours in The Witcher 3 and twice as much on Skyrim V. Ibrahim has previously worked at TopTierList. You can keep up with his Steam account to stay up to date on his latest explorations.

Experience: 1+ Years || Previously Worked for TopTierList || Education: Bachelors in Data Science.

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