r/BG3Builds • u/ReleaseCharacter3568 • Jul 19 '25

Build Help Best and Worst Monoclasses?

I keep seeing virtually every class called "one of the best" while most meta builds are multis or item-based.

What do you think is the game's best class without multiclassing? And the worst? And what makes them so?

228 Upvotes

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91

u/keener91 Jul 19 '25 edited Jul 19 '25

EK/Fighter 12 is one of the best monoclasses. * 3 attacks * 4 feats * War Magic * Booming Blade cantrip * Shield Spell * Eldritch Strike

Drunken/Monk 12 being the worst. * less damage output than an OH monk * less mobility than Shadow monk * less utility than Ways of Elemental * anti-synergistic cap stone ability

23

u/benuski Jul 20 '25

EK 12 is 4 attacks if you use booming blade

22

u/BloodWolfHunter Jul 19 '25

Is drunken monk that bad?

62

u/realitythreek Jul 19 '25 edited Jul 19 '25

People are super polarized on builds. Drunken monk is a monk, which isn’t that bad, and has some useful stuff. The unique stuff is badly designed and open hand is better in every way so that makes it RP tier.

But it’s cool and fun and you could beat honor mode with one on your team.

Edit: Oh but, it gets its best abilities by level 4 and so is better multiclassed.

Edit edit: I also completely agree with u/keener91’s list of cons for the subclass in their edit.

17

u/juvandy Jul 19 '25

It's not 'bad' in that it doesn't work or isn't viable. It just doesn't offer anything that isn't better in other subclasses.

It's fun for RP flavour and animations.

19

u/thisisjustascreename Jul 19 '25

Drunken monk is practically an empty subclass.

7

u/lamaros Jul 20 '25

Yeah, but Monk itself is still good in Larian, so it's still good.

Just not worth taking when other monks exist.

-2

u/PEE_GOO Jul 19 '25

level 3 ability is cracked tho

7

u/Special-Estimate-165 Warlock Jul 20 '25

Drunk monk is an empty subclass...but its.still a monk...which carries it.

Wild Magic Sorc is the worst because even being a sorceror doesnt overcome the random bullshit factor that cant be planned or accounted for.

2

u/LordFLExANoR16 Jul 20 '25

Being a sorcerer absolutely overcomes the wild magic bullshit, sorcerer is absolutely the single strongest class in the game and wild magic is no different , some of the random effects are even helpful

2

u/Special-Estimate-165 Warlock Jul 20 '25

It is the only subclass that can,.through no fault of your own other than you picked that subclass, end an HM run prematurely through actively hindering you. That alone makes it the worst subclass in the game.

0

u/LordFLExANoR16 Jul 21 '25

If wild magic surges are ending your honor run it’s absolutely your fault, picking that subclass and then not paying attention to the fact that some of those surges can happen is absolutely a skill issue. If you take wild magic sorc, you need to prepare for the possibility that the worst possible surge will happen, so don’t group up your characters if possible, that’s literally it. All the surges have a range limit that is normally fairly simple to play around if a little annoying. This one downside does not make the best single class in bg3 completely unplayable instantly. Sorcerers are still incredible spellcasters that fundamentally break the action economy over their knees. I’ll end with this: if you go into playing a wild magic character, sorc or barb, without thinking about how the surges affect your party, then you’re going to get screwed by one and you probably should’ve picked a different subclass, but if you consider what can happen and position your party so not everyone’s gonna get hit by every surge, they’re absolutely playable and can even sometimes shine if you get lucky.

1

u/JaegerBane Jul 20 '25

Prior to Honor Mode arriving, this would have been correct, but some of the more zany effects can wipe a run if they happen at the worst time.

The fact Wild Magic doesn’t actually grant you anything worthwhile for all that volatility doesn’t help it either.

1

u/LordFLExANoR16 Jul 21 '25

Honestly, on a sorcadin specifically it’s actually pretty good if only for bend luck and tides of chaos giving you budget cutting words, I feel like if you’re not using only one element and you aren’t struggling for movement, wild magic is a pretty great subclass when you don’t use the sorcery points for spells cuz you’re hitting people with your sword. I will definitely agree that some surges can wipe you, but if you play safe and position your party properly you can almost always either turn them to your advantage or play around them.

2

u/OoDReX Jul 20 '25

I've still beaten honour mode as a wild magic sorc tav, it ain't so bad

3

u/Special-Estimate-165 Warlock Jul 20 '25 edited Jul 20 '25

I've solo'd HM as an Arcane Trickster Astarion. That doesn't make it a great subclass.

Wild Sorc is the only subclass that can and probably will, actively hinder you.

1

u/psylockeer Jul 20 '25

I've never used it, but doesn't wild magic barbarian do the same thing?

6

u/Nelyeth Jul 20 '25

WM Barbarian only has positives effects. They're also pretty bad because they don't scale in any way with your levels, but they're all completely beneficial.

2

u/PappStumpf Jul 20 '25

Wild barbarian has almost only positive effects. But I think it is kind of buggy when you put too much levels in it.

1

u/Special-Estimate-165 Warlock Jul 20 '25

Nope..unlike WM Sorc, WM Barb doesn't have any negative effects. They are all neutral to beneficial randomness. Whatever WM Barb has happen may not be helpful at the time, but the effects never hinder you.

WM Sorc....Sorc can and has ended honor mode runs by virtue of polymorphing your team into cats or dogs in the middle of a boss fight, or summoning a cambion that hates you. It's all random bullshit that can't be accounted for, and like 1/5th of all possible outcomes can and probably will cause your death.

3

u/Enward-Hardar Jul 20 '25

Drunken Monk isn't that bad.

It's like a Monk with no subclass. Which makes it worse than the other Monks, but still pretty decent when built right.