20 Best Items For Monks

In Baldur’s Gate 3, Monks get a lot of love through magic items. Normally, in fifth edition Dungeons and Dragons, their abilities are decent but fall off somewhat in the middle-high levels that Baldur’s Gate 3 reaches. It’s mostly thanks to Larian’s item crafting that they can keep pace with any other class.

Monks don’t use armor of any kind and will lose abilities by wearing it, limiting you to clothes only. As for weapons, Baldur’s Gate 3 allows for a wider choice since any weapon you’re proficient in, whether by class or by ancestry, counts as a Monk weapon, but the class itself offers little. While it sounds like Monks have slim pickings, don’t worry: what they can use is perfect for their skills.

Updated by Erin Rice on February 21, 2024: This update includes additional entries to the list. It also added some features to make the list easier to navigate.

20 Shifting Corpus Ring

Two Bound Spells

Where To Get This Item:

• Obtainable in Act 2.
• You must kill Flaming Fist Marcus.

Monks have access to very limited spellcasting options. The Way of the Elements subclass is the only one that learns effects similar to spells, and even then, their list gives little in the way of utility. The Shifting Corpus Ring grants the wearer two useful spells, and the Monk is set to benefit since their concentration is often unused.

The first spell you get is Blur, a second-level illusion spell. Any creature that relies on sight to attack will attack you with disadvantage. Since Monks have a respectable armor class, this is a good spell to have. The second spell is Invisibility. Monks have high dexterity, making them a good candidate to sneak around your enemy’s position. Use invisibility to get a surprise round.

19 Amulet Of Greater Health

Massive Boost To Health

Where To Get This Item:

As health goes, Monks sit among the classes with only average growth; five plus your Constitution modifier for every level. For a melee-oriented class, this falls short of what would be comfortable. Monks are agile, sure, but no harder to hit than a fighter in heavy armor. Monks are more of a damage dealer role than a tank, but if you put them up front, they’re going to get hit.

Get the Amulet of Greater Health when you can. It boosts the wearer’s constitution up to 23 and grants a massive boost to your health. You also get advantage on all Constitution saves. This powerful item is locked in the House of Hope.

18 Cacophony

Thunder Strike

Where To Get This Item:

• Obtainable in Act 2
• You can get it from Lady Esther at the Monastery Mountain Pass

During act two, your party is likely in the level range of 5-9. For most of the time, while your Monk is in those levels, their unarmed damage die is a D6. During that time, using a two-handed quarterstaff is superior because the damage die is higher, and weapon enchantments make you more accurate.

Cacophony is an excellent staff for act two. It’s enchanted for the purpose of overcoming resistances, and it deals a little extra thunder damage on each hit. You also get a free casting of Thunderous Smite every short rest.

17 Shelter Of Athkatla

Improved Saving Throws

Where To Get This Item:

• Obtainable in Act 3
• Defeat Lorroakan and loot it from his body.

Sometimes your monk is just unlucky. Bad rolls or other conditions can cause you to fail saving throws you really shouldn’t be failing. That’s dice for you. If you’re having a hard time passing enemy spell saves, then the Shelter of Athkatla is a robe you should find.

Its effect is simple but effective: you gain advantage on all saving throws against spells. The robe also grants a free casting of mirror image, making your Monk harder to hit with regular attacks

16 Helldusk Gloves

Strike The Body

Where To Get This Item:

Saving Hope from Raphael is hard. You might get an unlucky roll and she won’t survive the combat. If that happens, the Gloves of Soul Catching will be lost. If that happens, the Helldusk Gloves are the next best alternative.

They boost your spell save DC, making your Kii maneuvers better, and the gloves imbue your unarmed attacks with a d6 necrotic damage. You can even inflict bleeding with every punch. The Rays of Fire ability is a stronger version of Scorching Ray.

15 Staff Of The Ram

Stunning Strikes

Where To Get This Item:

Monks at later levels have their unarmed attacks empowered to deal a d8 damage, making them on par with most weapons before you add any additional bonuses. While all the unarmed bonuses generally makes unarmed strikes more appealing, if you have multi-classed or have an ability that requires a weapon attack, you’ll still want a weapon to fall back to in those moments.

The Staff of the Ram is an acceptable alternative if you need to use a weapon. Compared to the bonuses you’ll have with unarmed strikes, it’s plus two to attacks and damage isn’t a match, but it does grant one thing Monks will appreciate. When you hit, there is a chance you knock back and stun your target, and you can do this once a round without expending ki.

14 Bow Of Awareness

Boost Initiative

Where To Get This Item:

• Obtainable in Act 3
• It’s purchasable from Roah Moonglow in the Shattered Sanctum

This may seem like a strange item choice, but it makes sense. A Monk’s ranged abilities are pretty weak, but there’s no reason not to equip a ranged weapon; in fact, it’s the opposite. Ranged weapons with passive features still grant their effect while not in use, so you can use them the same way you would a ring or amulet.

Their only option of substance is the Bow of Awareness. While equipped you get a plus one bonus to initiative, ensuring you’ll go early in the turn order. The bonus may be small, but you get a great character by compounding many small buffs.

13 Fistbreaker Helm

Boost Monk Maneuvers

Where To Get This Item:

Monks have few choices when it comes to magic headwear. While you do have a spell save DC for Monk attacks or ki spells, many of the boosts given to spell casters don’t apply as well to Monks. You need a helmet that provides boosts you can actually use, while being classified as clothing.

It grants you a plus one bonus to your spell save DC, so your maneuvers or ki spells are more likely to succeed. Secondly, it provides a one point bonus to initiative. The boosts may be modest, but Monks can make full use of them.

12 Ring Of Truthfulness

Brook No Lies

Where To Get This Item:

Insight is a useful skill during non-combat portions of Baldur’s Gate 3. It’s used to glean additional information from most situations by the senses alone. Many times, Insight is rolled passively, meaning that you can’t really prepare to roll it with spells like Guidance.

The Ring of Truthfulness grants you advantage on those rolls. Thanks to a Monk’s naturally high insight, you’re likely to pass most of these checks when they arise. You can get this ring by feeding the newborn mindflayer early in Act 3.

11 Ring Of Protection

A Rare Boost To AC

Where To Get This Item:

Much like the Cloak of Protection, this ring exists to grant you a small boost to your armor class. Use it to augment the boost granted to you by your unarmored defense. Lucky for Monks, this ring can be acquired very early in the game.

You can find the Ring of Protection in the druid grove. This ring will allow you to boost your armor and saving throws by one each. It’s a simple defense boost that you’ll probably keep for the rest of the game.

10 Cloak Of Protection

Improved Resilience

Where To Get This Item:

• Obtainable in Act 2
• Last Light Inn Quartermaster sells this

As a Monk, your armor proficiencies are clothes and nothing else. Normally that’s bad, but Monks are one of two classes that gain Unarmored Defense. While the boost to your armor class is as high as your Wisdom modifier, you can’t upgrade it as frequently as armor wearing classes can find better armor.

Instead, you can equip items like the Cloak Of Protection. Pick it up as soon as you arrive so you can ensure that you’re able to survive in the Shadow-Cursed Lands for as long as it takes.

9 Vest Of Soul Rejuvenation

Free Counter Attacks

Where To Get This Item:

• Obtainable in Act 3
• You can buy it at Sorcerous Sundries in Baldur’s Gate

The Vest of Soul Rejuvenation is the best article of clothing your Monk can find. It boosts your survivability by restoring one d4 hit points anytime you succeed a saving throw against a spell. Since Monks have excellent Dexterity and Wisdom, their best stats also go toward resisting a large portion of spells in the game.

Its next ability, Greater Kushigo Counter, lets you use a reaction to make an unarmed attack against an enemy that misses you in melee. Since a lot of Monk items boost your unarmed damage, it can add up to quite a lot on a reaction. With a final plus two boost to armor class, this garb is the best it gets.

8 Graceful Cloth

+2 To Dexterity

Where To Get This Item:

• Obtainable in Act 1
• Purchase from Lady Esther

Dexterity is the most important stat to Monks, so having an item that increases that is crucial to playing as one. This item will give you +2 to Dexterity up until you reach 20 (which is the cap without mods or other items).

Additionally, you will gain Cat’s Grace which gives you an Advantage on Dexterity Checks and you will take half falling damage. Another nice perk is that you will get Nimble As A Cat, which will give you a bonus to Dexterity Saving Throws and increases your Jump distance.

7 Garb Of The Land And Sky

Some Bonus Actions Have Bonuses

Where To Get This Item:

• Obtainable in Act 3
• You can buy it in Danthelon’s Dancing Axe

The reason that the Garb of the Land and Sky is so amazing is that it offers bonuses to some of the Monk’s most-used passives and bonus actions. This can change the tide of any battle when you use them.

The piece offers the effect Blade Ward (resistance against all blades) when using Patient Defence. Additionally, you will gain advantages on your Attack Rolls and deal 1d8 Force damage if you use Step of the Wind.

6 Selune’s Spear Of Night

Advantage On Wisdom Saving Throws & Perception Checks

Where To Get This Item:

Selune’s Spear of Night is only available to Shadowheart if she saves the Nightsong while in Act 2. If this happens, you will be able to obtain this legendary weapon. While this weapon will give you an advantage on Wisdom Saving Throws and Perception Checks, that isn’t all.

This spear will also give you the spells Darkvision (see in the dark up to 12 m away), Moonbeam (deals 2d10 Radiant damage to those inside the beam), and Moonmote (decreases your enemy’s movement and gives you extra Radiant damage).

5 Helldusk Armour

Fire Resistance, Heavy Armour Proficiency, & Infernal Retribution

Where To Get This Item:

• Obtainable in Act 3
• Found in the House of Hope

The Helldusk Armor is one of the best armors in the game. There are very few pieces that you could find that could even come close to beating this piece of armor out. What makes it so amazing is that it does so much for the user.

You will have Fire Resistance, cannot be Burned, are automatically Proficient in Heavy Armour, and the piece gives you the passive Infernal Retribution. This means that when you succeed in a Saving Throw, your enemy will receive Burning.

4 Ring Of Free Action

Ignores Difficult Terrain

Where To Get This Item:

• Obtainable in Act 2
• Sold by Araj Oblodra in Moonrise Towers

This ring is another item that is extremely powerful. One of the worst parts about the game is trying to navigate difficult terrain and other surface effects that can truly stop your party in its tracks and put you at a disadvantage.

This ring ensures that the wearer cannot be affected by difficult terrain. Additionally, they cannot be Paralysed or Restrained, making you an unstoppable force if you have this on you at all times.

3 Boots Of Uninhibited Kushigo

Stronger Unarmed Damage

Where To Get This Item:

• Obtainable in Act 3
• Loot them off a Githyanki in the Astral Plane in act 3

As a Monk, a lot of your damage is going to come through your unarmed strikes. While you can make many of them, their lack of enchantment means they won’t get the same boosts that magic weapons will. The Boots of Uninhibited Kushigo are made to fill that gap.

All your unarmed attacks will add your wisdom modifier to their damage rolls while the boots are equipped. Given that wisdom is a Monk’s secondary stat, it should add two, or even three extra points to every punch.

2 Sentient Amulet

Ki Restoration

Where To Get This Item:

• Obtainable in Act 1
• Find this in Grymforge

The Sentient Amulet houses the soul of a mad Monk for much of Baldur’s Gate 3. This item is specifically made for Monks. While it grants a free casting of the Shatter spell, its best feature is Ki Restoration. Once per long rest, you can recover two ki points without taking the usual requisite short rest.

Using the amulet while it has the Monk inside forces your character to make wisdom saving throws or bust out laughing. You can remove this feature in Act Three by resolving the ghostly monk’s quest by fighting him. Restoring your ki mid-fight can help you in long engagements where you need a little boost to finish the fight.

1 Gloves Of Soul Catching

Punch The Soul

Where To Get This Item:

These gloves take your Monk from just good to absolutely an absolute terror. The moment you reach act 3, get these gloves as soon as you’re able. Immediately, your unarmed strikes do an additional d10 of force damage. This pushes your fists past any weapon you could equip.

Next, your unarmed strikes restore 10 hit points once per turn. This is not a once-per-long rest ability; you will just recover health every turn. If you don’t want to heal, you can use the effect instead to give yourself an advantage on attacks and saves for a full turn. If that wasn’t enough, the gloves boost your constitution by two, granting you even more health.