Im really curious about how max weight for throwing will be calculated in the final game. Ive seen guesses on the internet but nothing final. I think one of them was like str*3 in kg but that doesnt seem right. If you find out, please let us poor peasants without press access know :)
I am curious as to why you never mention stunning strike with monks, since you mentioned level 6 features, which they gain later. Is that not in the game?
Unarmored Barbarian + Draconic Sorcerer - Just 1 S level (maybe two on playstye/RP), but would that not be a huge +3 bonus to AC due to Draconic Resilience?
Shadow Monk has always been difficult in a table top setting as it requires constant affirmation from the DM about where shadows are and whether you are in dark or dim light. I've always thought it would work better in a video game where these things are already computed and visually distinct. Hopefully it works out in BG3 and is as fun as the concept sounds.
These class comparison videos are extremely helpful and informative. As someone who is holding off and waiting for the official release before playing, this has help clarify what and how i would like to play as. Thank you Fextra!
Wild Magic Barbarians actually have no negative effect associated with their wild surge, so it's a safer choice and is a subclass more leaning into a supportive playstyle over an aggressive/tanky focus as the Berserker or Wildheart (Larian's homebrew Totem).
Wildheart may he the new name for the Totem barbarian in the next edition (currently in playtest). Totems that are stacked in the way they describe it are directly taken from Native American culture and they're seeking to divorce all game mechanics from having a sole cultural touchstone.
@@AwesomeWookieeThat's so dumb 😂😂 Ask any latino if they have a problem with people using their culture in videogames Oh my god you north americans are so funny and silly
I am looking into doing a Monk Fighter multiclass. Cl1: f1, cl2: f1m1, then rush to fighter 4 (for the archtype and feat) then Monk rest of the way. This is. Polearm build, which is why 1st lvl is Fighter (need that proficiency, and Great Weapon Style) then 2nd lvl is Monk which turns your polearm into a monk weapon so you can use Dex for attack and dmg rolls) and unarmed defense need rush Fighter for Battle Master (so I can get Brace, and 2 of Perry, Sweeping Attack or Trip), and 4th lvl so I can take Sentinel as feat. Then progress as Monk to pick up Flurry of Blows and unarmed movement at CL6, At CL8 I'll pick up Observant for the +1 to wis and the passives. And probably pick up the ASI for dex at CL12 for extra AC, Att and dmg, and dex saves. At 12 lvl it gets 3 attacks and Flurry of Blows with Action Surge, AoO when ever someone gets within 10 ft, and when people try to attack people other than me within 10ft, dex for att and dmg rolls 45 ft of movement +8 to AC, Uncanny Dodge, Deflect Missiles, Stunning Strike, Maneuvers, and Monastic Traditions at CL7, and 12 For races, if you go Wood Elf, you get 55 ft of movement at CL12 to really fly around the battlefield. Note: CL stands for Class Level.
Thank you guys so much for this BG3 class introduction series. Definitely helping me decide which class to play. I would have gone in blind, and probably would have played the game like a rogue-like until I learned the classes enough.
@@___Goose There is an amulet that gives you Speak with Dead fairly early on in the game. There are a fair number of scrolls that can give you Speak with Animals that are available at stores and not too expensive.
I remember the days when barbarians not only shunned magic and magic items but would attempt to destroy any magic items. Looking forward to play BG3 using 5e rules. Hats off to the devs being able to put such a complex rule system into a digital platform. Maybe in the future there’ll be a way for a DM to run a game using this type of format?
Iv always been a pathfinder player. there is a bloodrager in there that is half sorcerer and half barbarian. you rage activates your magical bloodline abilities plus normal rage on top of it
They really did melee right in this game. Going melee always felt a bit like a handicap in tabletop. Now it feels like I have just as many stats and abilities to keep track of compared to spellcasters.
Thank goodness for these little tidbits to hold us over to the full release comes out. Thank you for another great video and Monks rule. At least I hope to find out if this is true when the full game comes out.
Actually, if you read the Barbarian's Unarmored Defense feature in EA, it reads as follows: "Your body is as resilient as any armor. While not wearing armor, you add your Constitution Modifier to your Armor Class." Notice how it's worded differently than 5e? I feel like Larian intentionally reworded it so that it could stack with the Monk's Unarmored Defense in an effort to encourage multiclassing. I can't think of any other reason for Larian to have reworded it that way.
@@michaelcords4006same, I wanna try it with the Tavern Brawler feat to throw and punch everything to oblivion. Maybe add in Thief Rogue for an extra Flurry of Blows per turn
Going through early access as a Barb, I had a fantastic time with conversations. The barbarian dialog options are generally hilarious and I had more fun rp-ing the face smash playstyle than any other class I tried. I was able to scream my way into getting a certain horn item without finessing a thing. So my two cents are- don't get too caught up on needing a super charismatic 'face' character. With guidance and inspiration available, you can pretty consistently make it through the truly critical conversations. I'm guessing a majority of people will be going for charisma heavy classes first but don't sleep on the great content potential of the martials!
This is good advice. I remember the same being true of low-intelligence characters in the original fallout games, with silly fun dialogue options you would just miss out on if you had a legitimate face character. It’s easy to get hung up on min-maxing and forget it’s a role playing game. You’re supposed to be a character, so be a fun one and enjoy the ride. Pick certain weaknesses intentionally and work around your strengths to overcome them. It’s kind of boring having a “perfect” answer to every situation.
Unarmored Defense is a fools bargain in BG3, unles you want to Roleplay and don't care you are sub par. You are better off always going with Medium armor. Since Barbarians want Strength for their attacks trying to go for unarmored defense means you need to spread your abilities out among Strength, Dexterity and Constitution. The issue in BG3 is you will never have enough Ability Score Increases to reach a comparable Armour Class with Unarmored Defense compared to Medium armor. With Half-Plate, which is the best medium armor, and that Larian seems to give you as soon as you save Lae'zel, you can reach and AC of 17 as long as you have a Dex of 14. You can do this at level 2. Comparably to get Unarmored Defense at 17 you need either a Dexterity or Constitution ability score at 20, and the other at 14. This is possible in BG3, but it will mean you are not going to max out your Strength score, which is what you want to increase as a Barbarian. Alternatively you can keep your Dexterity at 14, your Constitution at 16 and focus on maxing our Strength while wearing Medium Armor. Most likely by 12th level you will have found magical armor that takes you beyond AC17. And Unarmored Defense's max in BG3 will be AC18, and then you are gimping your physical attacks. Simply put, do NOT go for Unarmored Defense as a Barbarian unless you are roleplaying and don't want to be oprimized. For Monks the rules are different. There you can actually go Unarmored and not lose out on attacks, since Monks get Unarmored defense from Dexterity and Wisdom, both of which are ability scores you want to increase as a Monk, meaning you can go 20 Dex and 18 Wisdom, and get the maximum out of Unarmored Defense. Monks also get penalties from wearing armor, so this is a good bargain.
I just want to say that Barbarian still get Rage bonus damage on "Finesse weapons" in TT. Finesse Weapons simply gives you the option to choose between Dex or Strength for the modifier. Rage says that a weapon that is using Strength as the modifier, gets a damage bonus. So you can use Strength with a Dagger(a weapon that has the Finesse trait) and get the Rage bonus, no problem. As a bonus: On TT, Sneak Attacks from the Rogue states that it only works with Finesse and Ranged weapons. Not that the weapon need to use Dex as the modifier, but the weapon type itself. So you can Multiclass Barb and Rogue and get Sneak attacks with Rage bonus with a dagger. I will be interested to see if this is still valid in BG3.
@@jeepersmcgee3466 A rapier is also a finesse weapon and is d8. A Short Sword might only be d6, but you can dual wield them, getting easy access to a bonus attack early on(on top of strength/rage damage modifiers). A raging barbarian with 3 levels of Rogue can add 2d6 damage on some of their attacks this way. In addition, you can get Expertise in Athletics, allowing you to use your Strength benefits even more. Anyway, the point was that Barbarians are not really restricted in what types of weapons they want to use in melee when going for Strength. It simply depends on what other features you might have access to to make it viable.
Cool trick with barbarian multiclass that i learned a few weeks ago. if you multiclass into a warlock you can cast armor of agathys and then rage. the spell will stay since its a buff and not a concertation spell. with rage you kind of double the amount of temporary hit point and will make the spell proc it dmg more often.
With barbarians, throwing those axes actually worked out pretty well in BG3 - at least in early access. I don’t know if that changed in the final build that you played but in early access those throwing axes can do pretty decent damage especially when I’m raged out, so I never felt like the barbarian didn’t have range options. He had some pretty good ranged options just flinging those axes.
a lot of people dont talk about it but the strength of magical items in bg3 is insane, I dont doubt for a second theres not items that boost natural attacks ( monk or druid) somehow.
@@napalm777 This pretty much. There will be entire builds centered around one or two items that make a build that's sub-optimal, turn into something soul-crushing. My starter is going to be a Way of Open hand 9, Battlemaster 3. The only thing I need to figure out is whether extra attack's will stack here. If they do it might be WotOH 7, BM 5.
@@napalm777Unarmed attacks are their own classification in 5e. This is why druid monks can't use martial arts to make another natural weapon attack. Hopefully they changed it though 🤷♂️
Thank you Cas for these videos, very informative, appreciate the work you do. I will be going for a Ninja Monk type build from the start, will see how that goes.
Super enjoyed this video! It was put together and presented very well. I appreciate the equal focus you gave to each of the three classes! I'm not so sure that I'll be playing a melee class when I begin playing but I'll definitely keep this video in mind if I choose to. :)
I honestly compare monk to rogue, given they're both usually high dex and they tend to be "specialists" when we're strictly talking about fighting. (Rogue has more skill aptitude) Monks can make more attacks per round than a rogue, and rogue seeks to hit that one big sneak attack per round but aside from that, they're both generally evasive classes. They skirmish above their "weight class", having good dex lets them use range and melee fairly effectively, but with the d8 hit die both struggle to go toe to toe in long engagements.
With Rage bonus damage and Reckless Attack working with Dex, a 5 Barbarian/7 Rogue build where you give yourself advantage on your first attack followed by a sneak attack as the second attack seems like it will be really powerful and fun.
berserk/thief is also pretty good you cant frenzy strike twice but you can enraged throw also smooths out round one: Attack-rage-frenzy atttack since you always have 2 bonus actions Or you can walk closer to another enemy after killing one with cunning action dash without sacrificing an frenzy attack And it gives you sneak attack that you always proc so I'll be going 5 barb 7 rogue if I play barb
It's actually pretty good to multiclass your barbarians with rogues. Wreckless attack esures that you get sneak attack and the thief's additionall bonus action works wonders for the berserker
There’s a couple issues with that though. You can’t sneak attack with a Str scaling weapon, so you’ll lose a lot of the bonuses of raging. What’s more, your sneak attack bonus damage scales with rogue level, so every level put into something other than rogue is reducing the benefit of sneak attacking
That’s true about sneak attack dice but just grab a finesse weapon (short sword, scimitar, rapier) and still trigger sneak attack. However you lose out on stuff like great weapon master which is a better payoff imo. The MC could be good if you don’t have a rogue or bard in your party for disarms and lock picking.
I’m not min/maxing. I will take a dwarf dark urge monk and I plan to turn him to the light. I don’t expect an easy run, but I don’t think Larian will force you to max everything to have a satisfying ending.
Hey there! I really like your content and have been watching videos from you for a long time now. you generally keep the content interesting without losing the important details. I want to throw in my thoughts on the way you handle the content for BG3 specifically. im no one special, but i have been playing baldurs gate since the 1st one released, as well as DnD, so i at least have some experience. I think the biggest thing I want to point out is that this game will not be like Diablo 4 - or basically any other game for that matter. there might be a "BEST DMG EVER BUILD" but that isnt what the game is for. if a player focuses soley on how much dmg they are going to do and how fast they can clear a group of enemies, they will miss the fundamental reasons for playing a baldurs gate game: the story. this game will have SOOOOOOOOOOO many options for play stlye. Basically anything you want to do with a character will be possible. PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE do not focus on "what is the best way to play this class." You have a huge audience. And unfortunately for many modern players, all that is focused on is speed. this game is not like that. So please, don't assist in pushing people to playing a class the same as everyone else. Push them to experiment. to try everything! to see what the story provides them and let them learn how to play the way they want. I realize content is content, and people click on the videos that say, "best way to do everything because im too lazy to figure something out on my own" lol. So do what you gotta do. Regardless, I appreciate the thought and energy it took to read this.
Thank you for taking the time to comment! We will probably do a class guide for every class, a "quick rank" for the people who want to tier-list, but our builds as always will be thematic and meant for people to get inspired and explore. We don't usually go for the "meta op max crit delete final boss in 1 second!" style :)
Barbarian Berserker + Rogue Thief. Each turn, while in Frenzy, you can: Enraged Throw (Bonus Action, knocks prone if hits), Attack (or Reckless Attack if target nor prone), Extra Attack (if Barb level 5+), Frenzied Strike (Second Bonus Action). Each of these gets the Strength bonus to damage and +2 from Furry. Alternatively, if you have Great Weapon Master (GWM) Feat: Reckless Attack, Extra Attack (if Barb level 5+), Frenzied Strike (Bonus Action). If killed something or made a crit (26.5% change due to 3 attacks with advantage) Attack again (GWM, Second Bonus Action). If didn't kill anything nor crit, Enraged Throw (Second Bonus Action).
This is amazingly detailed! That list on which subclasses that us speak with animals is so good for my Bardadin "Face" playthrough.... 10/10!! i will recommend these guides!!
Monk with one level of light cleric is very good in tabletop. Warding flare to help with avoiding damage in melee, spells to round out utility, supplement low ki early game, as well as providing shield of faith for plus 2 AC. Cantrips are great as well, especially since unlike tabletop, BG3 will let you apply guidance to basically every skill check.
This is a great point. Guidance was the one reason I thought Cleric/Druid was necessary for my party, but this makes it so I can put something else in that spot. The only thing is that one level means -1 feat since max level is 12.
I find it funny, that these videos should help to decide what class to pick, but for me it does the opposite, usually i'm straightforward picking my style and class, this time, the more i get to know the other classes, the more conflicted i get about my choice xD
@@barcster2003 i usually would and most likely will, but in this game many playstyles would appeal for different reasons that i normally wouldn't choose in other games/genres xD but since i'm planning on playing with my friends i might go with my initial thought anyways to even out the group xD
I actually saw another YTuber say that multiclassing Barbarian with Rogue could be surprisingly effective. Because apparently Barbarians have several tricks to give them Advantage on their enemies, and that is what you need to inflict Sneak Attack damage. I'm also curious about multiclassing Monk with Ranger, as they both benefit from a high wisdom, but mostly to go Shadow Monk to allow the shadow step ability, and couple that with the ranged sniping of Ranger. Blinking from shadow to shadow to avoid combat, and shooting enemies from afar seems like it could be pretty fun.
Its also because of Uncanny Dodge: starting at 5th level, when an attacker that you can see hits you with an attack, you can use your reaction to halve the attack’s damage against you. That means 1/4th dmg for a raging bear heart. Druid is also great, because you can keep raging while shapeshifted and retain its bonuses, stacking with your wild shape.
Yeah, it's even stronger if you take the Thief and Berserker subclasses, since Thief gives you an additional bonus action and Berserker let's you attack as a bonus action. I'll probably go for a 5 Berserker/7 Thief build. That seems like it's going to be a lot of fun and very powerful.
Definitely think getting the tavern brawler feet will be good on a barbarian, especially the frenzy one. I would imagine that throwing objects would be improvised weapons so adding proficiency to your throw could make an interesting build.
Im struggling so hard to pick a character, im playing blind without EA experince. Im between a fey warlock, a druid maybe spore but likely moon, or a eldritch fighter
I had no intention to even try a monk before this video. Now, I am certain I will at least try one. A shadow monk combined with 3-4 levels of thief rogue seems like a good choice to me. An extra bonus action every turn would go a very long way, I think. Edited to add: Do ki points replenish on a short rest or a long rest?
I played a dragonborn Monk a few years back with a tabletop group and it's a lot of fun. Very mobile, lots of fun from a role play perspective. Stunning Strike is a very powerful ability when the dice roll i your favour. And Ki points replenish after a short rest. Consider the Mobile Feat as well.
@@danc1513the dice roll in your favor a lot more if you don't neglect your wisdom. Unfortunately too many advocate doing exactly that. At least at lower levels.
Barbarian (Berserker) is unbeatable in melee with the way Frenzied Strike works. Get yourself 3 levels of Rogue (Thief) on top of that with Fast Hands and you have 4 attacks with a Great Sword, Great Weapon Master and Advantage on all of them at level 8. 2 attacks at level 3 (without Great Weapon Master), 3 attacks at level 5.
So with 3 levels of rogue, you eventually get 4 attacks every turn? 3 levels of fighter you also get 4 attacks in a turn with action surge but thats only once a battle correct? But the fighter levels also get you a self heal, an extra 5% crit chance and great weapon fighting.
@@volney142 You're right, but as you said you get Action Surge only once per fight, IF you do Short Rest after every fight. Rage lasts 10 turns and you can rage several times. Plus you can take 4 more levels, inluding 2 or 3 levels of Fighter if you want. Fast Hands gets you an extra bonus action, which you can use for a second Frenzied Strike. Fast Hands is a little bit op, if you ask me. Also don't forget that a Barbarian/Rogue has much more utlility and mobility than a pure Fighter.
@@capion5014 Ah okay thanks for the info. Yeah I'm gonna be playing coop with a buddy, so going the rogue route might be too strong and take some fun away from my friend if I'm killing everything too fast lol
Every Fighter subclass that is not Battlemaster is underwhelming in this. You take Champion for crit fishing and EK is just weak without a lot of spells they are currently missing. I was hoping Larian would hombrew them to also get half the Superiority Dice that Battlemaster does plus a few maneuvers. It looks like I will need to get a mod that changes the Martial Adept feat to do just that. Thanos Voice: "Fine, I'll do it myself."
I think barbarian/monk is going to be really good. The barb dmg bonus will apply to every flurry and the damage resist will be welcome. Barbarian/fighter will always be good but I think a fighter with 2 levels in barbarian will be better than the reverse combo. I don't think barbarian/paladin will combine that well. They get a very limited amount of spellslots and aside from the smites there's not much you want for barbarian. I imagine paladin will combine much better with charisma based spellcasters, mainly sorcerer and bard. I think a ranger with a couple of levels in paladin will also be strong, as multiclassing won't be limited by ability scores in BG3, and all those spell slots can become smite slots. As for fighter multiclass options a couple of barbarian levels for rage will be good. You have the con proficiency for concentration checks, so you could with great benefit go from fighter to a spellcaster. I think a really good build you should have a look at is Eldritch Knight to 5 or 7, 2 levels of abjuration wizard for arcane ward, and maybe 2 levels of paladin to be able to smite. If the shield spell and absorb elements spell exists in BG3 this is going to be an incredible defensive and offensive option for combat. A 5 fighter 5 cleric might be really potent as well, you cast spirit guardian then action surge and charge into combat with 2 (or maybe even 3 with war cleric) attacks in your opening round. Some rogue levels into assassin for a good opening round, or ranger for more consistent damage. Monk into barbarian might be strong. Some level in ranger for gloom stalker or hunter pairs well with monk, offering more options for infiltration and synergizing well. Hunter's mark might be tempting, but for maximal damage it is a trap option. 3 levels of rogue could be good, for sneak attack, expertise and cunning action. You could multiclass into a wisdom caster, but then you're gaining mainly out of combat options and it won't enhance your combat abilities by much compared to full monk. (Unless you have the option to cast certain spells before combat, this goes for hunter's mark as well).
I wanted to BG3 without knowing much. So I got EA but only played like 1 hour so to get a basic feel and understanding. Monk to me seems very enticing. Thanks for the info!
Ummm you forgot the Druid multiclass for both Barbarian and Monk. Wildshape combined with rage doubles the free hp from your shapes for unkillable levels of tankyness, and Monk ki powers can be performed in Wildshape(in tabletop) also they share a focus on wisdom and dexterity that allows them to synergize well as a gish combination.
@@mickaelcohen7775 Barbarian's rage makes it so you take half damage(effectively doubling your number of hitpoints), combined with the health pool of druid beast forms that doesn't carry over damage to your character's health, and you can transform twice a combat(technically 3 times if you being combat in wildshape after a rest). In bear form that is 34hp, taking half damage, 3 times for effectively 204hp before you even start to take any damage from your character's healthbar!
@@mickaelcohen7775 also you still benefit in wildshape from the Barbarian's other abilities: the +2 damage to melee attacks while raging, extra attack at lvl 5, reckless attack, and extra AC from Unarmored Defense(which also works with the monk/druid multiclass because wildshape doesn't affect your mental stats, so you always get your wisdom bonus to AC, no matter which wildshape you choose)
@@stanislavp1739 wildshape isn't a spell, it's a class ability, so rage and wildshape are not mutually exclusive. You can absolutely enter and maintain rage while in wildshape and vice versa. In BG3, wildshape doesn't have a duration, and can be performed twice per short rest. So if you enter wildshape, then short rest, you now have two additional wildshape charges to the one you are currently using, making 3 animal healthpools total for a single combat encounter.
Guys do we know, when you multiclass monk you get to see his clean animations on your character? Or do we have to pick monk as main class for thouse animations?
@@TheRelen222 hmn thats what i said XD , its implied i know but dumping the spell casting stats means u dont pick spell that use it ( you pick self buffs and magic missile only)
I'm making a Barb 1/ Fighter 3 or 4/ Monk 7 or 8 with Karlach. I'm thinking you can dump Str and Wisdom and put up your Dex and Con. You will get full AC for Barb unarmored Defense and Rage adds +2 to each hit so if you flurry of blows that added onto your attacks and hitting flurry of blows will add +6 damage from rage.
Bers/Thief works pretty well. Since you can do reckless throw/hit twice as you have two second actions. This also improves you mobility since dash can be also cast as a second action.
somewhat popular strategy is taking 3 fighter for the champion as it gives you 19-20 crit range. then 9 barbarian. Go with doube scimitar and with reckless attacks and additional attack you gain. You will be doing 3 attacks with a re-roll. Another popular route is to go barbarian 3 and then totem bear and moon druid for the rest of the way. Well its somewhat akward in say bg3 as the elemental forms are unlocked at lvl 10. could still work. Or go with fighter for 2 levels.
That means extra attack at lvl 8, pretty late. Additional attack from frenzy is a poor substitute for an extra attack at all times, and what's the point of double scimitars? You attack with your main hand using frenzied attack. Anyone can use offhand attack with bonus action.
Hope they've homebrewed the four elements monk to some degree, because outside of the flavor, in the tabletop it's pretty clearly lagging behind all other monks (which aren't the strongest to begin with)
My Karlach will probably stay Barbarian(Wildheart ) with a fighter dip, but I don't know if I'll make it 2 levels or 3. I'd be happy for suggestions. If 3 levels maybe Champion with a glaive/halbard or protection with a hammer and shield.
I know that monk is somewhat difficult to play and may feel too situational but I love the class fantasy and rp so much it will be my first play through. Expansions may raise the level enough to make them more of a cc tank in the future.🤞🏻
Like your BG3 coverage. I will be waiting for the video on party composition! I would also like to see a video on respecing and multi-classing the companion characters. Maybe includee this in party comp video? For instance Shadowheart is known to have a bad build, what are some good ways to salvage it w/ respecing and or multi-classing?
I'll defnetely play a monk first and I try multiclassing it with an barb to have this extra dmg on my attacks. That was a realy good video thanks for that made my evening bevor the lunch tomorrow.
I am pretty new to D & D rule sets, but it kinda sounds like monk is more like rogue then it is to barbarian or fighter. They are a very hit and run right? Barbarian/Fighter/Paladin might have been a more direct video with rogue/Monk/Ranger being the 4th in this arc of videos? Did I miss something?
Fighter is probably the best talker of the three. Barbarian needs to get 14 Dex to get the best AC out of Medium armor. Monks want high Dex and Wisdom, and Constitution will probably be their 14. Meanwhile since Fighters use heavy armor they can dump dexterity, and take 16 in Str and Con, and then do a 14 in charisma. (Unless they are ranged Fighers, in which case you swap Str for Dex, but the rest stays the same.)
I'm wondering if I can actually go unarmed with Monk. I'm a total newbie to DnD, but it seems that everytime someone says "unarmed" it means weapons that don't fit into the martial category (staves, for example). I wonder if using nothing but your fists will be viable.
Monk will likely be a good choice to multiclass in this game simply because of the max level being 12. 7 Levels in Monk, 5 in another class give you plenty of features to play with.
@@KingKimchii Absolutely. In fact I would highly recommend if you are unfamiliar with the game, or D&D in general, play the game without multiclassing first. You can always multiclass on a 2nd runthrough, or if you feel like you are getting the hang of it halfway? Apparently there is the option to respec pretty much everything and try out whatever you like further in to the game. Monk is very strong on it's own, and will still benefit greatly from more levels in that class.
I've always been more of a caster player in the bioware DND games, but the throwing mechanic looks so much fun that it has me seriously considering going barbarian for my first playthrough.
I have played all the classes during early access, and am usually a caster type as well (sorcerer), but I will say, that barbarian was maybe my favourite playthrough in early access, raging, throwing things, smashing things was really fun Haha. And especially using the character in dialogue sequences just made it extra fun as there are some great dialogue options for barbarian. So for what it is worth, imo you won't be disappointed of you go barbarian.
Fantastic video, however at @22:09 I like he's causally talking over the footage while throwing frikin' Beholders into the fight...what the actual hell lol
I'm amazed you didn't list Rogue with Monk for multiclassing. Shadow Monk alongside any of the rogue subclasses (Assassin in particular) is very strong. Casting darkness and the ability to see in it allows your character to teleport into it and always have advantage on all attacks on enemies inside it. While being relatively safe from all but AoE attacks. It's amazeballs!
@maxixXxixam if you dip a few levels into Warlock. You can unlock Devil's Sight permanently and not have to spend Ki on it. And also grab Agathys Armor for some temporary hp and damage return when attacked in melee. As well the ability to either frighten nearby enemies when you critical (very potent with assassin 100% crit on surprise attacks). Or gaining temporary hit point when you kill a target.
Fighter has always been on top of other martials, even barbs, because of one thing... battlemaster. In 5e and especially now in bg3, youre taking 2 on par classes and battlemaster simply adds utitlity and damage dice right on top. Dont forget, action surge isnt an additive feature, its multiplicitive because of extra damage dice of magical weapons.
despite liking battle master, i don’t think a subclass alone should put a class on top. what i think helps fighter be a good class is the part where you can build in ways that are quite varied, yet the class features are always “at peak”
The thing to note about the monk is they are very much more like a battle feild controller so while they are prime get to combat they are a bit more like a rougue in that they are typically more hit and run. His is why tradtionally hey have always been assiocted as a skilled class along those lines...but lation has gone more combat focused giving them very little to do out of combat. I hope there take on the monk works out i am sure it will be an improvment but it may need those levels that the full game does not take you to at launch to really shine with ki use. Love the idea of a simple to use if you know nothing class vid for beginers or those not familar/rusty with 5th edition it will really give people in those brakets a good template for the first playthrough
Yeah, this pretty much settles it. I'll be going for either a ranged Half-Orc Champion, or a (Black) Dragonborn Shadow Arts Monk in my first playthrough. The former might also benefit from a few levels in Rogue. 🤔 Either way, I really love this series, as it helped me greatly with narrowing down my choice as much as possible. 😁 PS: I was wondering though, the Duellist style also applies when you wear a shield? Judging by what you said and by how it is worded in the tooltip, it would seem that way, but I will also say that in terms of fantasy and the way the style's title sounds, I was kind of under the assumption that it only works when you have nothing in your off-hand. This way it would also not have to compete with Protection, for players who want to focus on the "sword and board" way of life. But if it also works with shields, it seems really strong. 🤔
@ Thanks! That makes it a really good choice offensively and defensively alike. 😁 Maybe you can help me with another question as well: If I am going for a ranged Fighter, i.e. a DEX based one, I would also use a DEX based one-handed melee weapon of course. The problem is, that I absolutely abhor rapiers. Are there other strong options, or, alternatively, does using a short sword instead has some benefit? Or would not using a rapier really hamstring me? 🤔
@@yasinachekzai2567Rapier is the biggest damage 1d8 one handed Finesse you’ll find in this game. There are no 2-handed finesse weapons to my knowledge, at least not in DnD 5e as it is today. BG3 might surprise us with a katana but at most I see that being 1d10 2-hand.
@@MatiasGRivera Thank you so much for the intel! In that case I will pray for a katana and use a short sword while I do that, as I don't think I could bring myself to ever use a rapier. 😂
Does a quarter staff count as a monk weapon in terms of using Dex to attack? They are 2 handed, but I always feel if a monk is not going unarmed they should have a staff. One of the few things I liked about Pathfinder: WotR was the staff focused monk class.
Yes, in fact that's THE monk weapon. My first DnD character was a monk who used a quarterstaff from level 1 to 16. There are even ways to expand what counts as a monk weapon, so you can dual wield longswords for instance
I wonder if it’s possible to somewhat make a type of “Saiyan” Build that it’s a mix of monk and barbarian. Mink primarily for fist fighting and barabarian for damage with rage? And then go dark urge to roleplay with it. I’m considering that or just mainly fighter class, I do enjoy heavy weapons and heavy armor. Hmm we’ll see
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Im really curious about how max weight for throwing will be calculated in the final game. Ive seen guesses on the internet but nothing final.
I think one of them was like str*3 in kg but that doesnt seem right. If you find out, please let us poor peasants without press access know :)
I am curious as to why you never mention stunning strike with monks, since you mentioned level 6 features, which they gain later.
Is that not in the game?
Unarmored Barbarian + Draconic Sorcerer - Just 1 S level (maybe two on playstye/RP), but would that not be a huge +3 bonus to AC due to Draconic Resilience?
@@aldoushuxley5953 It's in the game. I've seen it. In the interest of time I didn't mention it.
Outro music?
Im just saying playing a Barbarian who throws his enemies at other enemies is definitely something i wanna play
Aye, I’d like to try a sniper duergar fighter too though, otherwise half orc barbarian is excellent
@diomedes7971 I'm not gonna lie, they need to implement this.
@diomedes7971 Barbarian can do it
@@MrTheKindest we have made him stronger, faster, and dumber but they can do it!
The developers mentioned that a halfling barbarian tag-team can hurl each other at their enemies. 🤣
Shadow Monk has always been difficult in a table top setting as it requires constant affirmation from the DM about where shadows are and whether you are in dark or dim light. I've always thought it would work better in a video game where these things are already computed and visually distinct. Hopefully it works out in BG3 and is as fun as the concept sounds.
Shadow monk is super OP. I'm playing a Drow Shadow monk/Assasin Rogue right now and it is...broken. lol 6monk/6rogue or 6monk/5rogue/1barb
21:46 what an insane combo by the AI
These class comparison videos are extremely helpful and informative. As someone who is holding off and waiting for the official release before playing, this has help clarify what and how i would like to play as. Thank you Fextra!
Wild Magic Barbarians actually have no negative effect associated with their wild surge, so it's a safer choice and is a subclass more leaning into a supportive playstyle over an aggressive/tanky focus as the Berserker or Wildheart (Larian's homebrew Totem).
Wildheart may he the new name for the Totem barbarian in the next edition (currently in playtest). Totems that are stacked in the way they describe it are directly taken from Native American culture and they're seeking to divorce all game mechanics from having a sole cultural touchstone.
@@AwesomeWookiee Makes sense, also makes sense why Larian/Swen didn't want to mention Totem when speaking about Wildheart mechanics.
there's only one wild magic effect with wild magic barbarian that might be negative to allies
@@AwesomeWookieeThat's so dumb 😂😂 Ask any latino if they have a problem with people using their culture in videogames Oh my god you north americans are so funny and silly
@@therealostrich836 Ahí estamos, los gr¡ng0s se piensan que los latinos sois seres débiles que teneis que ser protegidos😂😂
I am looking into doing a Monk Fighter multiclass. Cl1: f1, cl2: f1m1, then rush to fighter 4 (for the archtype and feat) then Monk rest of the way.
This is. Polearm build, which is why 1st lvl is Fighter (need that proficiency, and Great Weapon Style) then 2nd lvl is Monk which turns your polearm into a monk weapon so you can use Dex for attack and dmg rolls) and unarmed defense need rush Fighter for Battle Master (so I can get Brace, and 2 of Perry, Sweeping Attack or Trip), and 4th lvl so I can take Sentinel as feat. Then progress as Monk to pick up Flurry of Blows and unarmed movement at CL6,
At CL8 I'll pick up Observant for the +1 to wis and the passives. And probably pick up the ASI for dex at CL12 for extra AC, Att and dmg, and dex saves.
At 12 lvl it gets 3 attacks and Flurry of Blows with Action Surge, AoO when ever someone gets within 10 ft, and when people try to attack people other than me within 10ft, dex for att and dmg rolls 45 ft of movement +8 to AC, Uncanny Dodge, Deflect Missiles, Stunning Strike, Maneuvers, and Monastic Traditions at CL7, and 12
For races, if you go Wood Elf, you get 55 ft of movement at CL12 to really fly around the battlefield.
Note: CL stands for Class Level.
There's so much here, I don't even know where to start. How good of a tank/damage dealer will he be compared to a barbarian or paladin ?
I've been with you guys since DOS2 you never fail to provide awesome detailed content, thank you very much.
I can’t figure heads or tails out of that game.
I just keep going places, and winning, but I never know what to do.
Thank you guys so much for this BG3 class introduction series. Definitely helping me decide which class to play. I would have gone in blind, and probably would have played the game like a rogue-like until I learned the classes enough.
As a main talking person barbarian IS the best in the game. His dialogue options are just awesome!
Yeah! I was so fuking satisfied when i made a goblin eat shit as a barbarian😂
Also pretty effective if you put even a 12 in Charisma because he gets Advantage on all his Barbarian specific Intimidation options
Can he speak to dead or animals somehow, the roleplay option is the only thing holding me back from picking barb
@@___Goose There is an amulet that gives you Speak with Dead fairly early on in the game. There are a fair number of scrolls that can give you Speak with Animals that are available at stores and not too expensive.
@@jarrodbright5231 is it really that fun and effective to make him the main talking person?
I'm feasting on all the BG3 videos Fextralife and WolfheartFPS are uploading. I am so pumped for this game it's crazy.
I remember the days when barbarians not only shunned magic and magic items but would attempt to destroy any magic items.
Looking forward to play BG3 using 5e rules. Hats off to the devs being able to put such a complex rule system into a digital platform.
Maybe in the future there’ll be a way for a DM to run a game using this type of format?
I remember the days of "Rage Mage" lol where you could boost your spell damage by raging.
Iv always been a pathfinder player. there is a bloodrager in there that is half sorcerer and half barbarian. you rage activates your magical bloodline abilities plus normal rage on top of it
They really did melee right in this game.
Going melee always felt a bit like a handicap in tabletop. Now it feels like I have just as many stats and abilities to keep track of compared to spellcasters.
Thank goodness for these little tidbits to hold us over to the full release comes out.
Thank you for another great video and Monks rule. At least I hope to find out if this is true when the full game comes out.
Actually, if you read the Barbarian's Unarmored Defense feature in EA, it reads as follows:
"Your body is as resilient as any armor. While not wearing armor, you add your Constitution Modifier to your Armor Class."
Notice how it's worded differently than 5e? I feel like Larian intentionally reworded it so that it could stack with the Monk's Unarmored Defense in an effort to encourage multiclassing. I can't think of any other reason for Larian to have reworded it that way.
I was already planning to play a monk barb multiclass for my first playthrough - if what you say comes to fruition, I'm all the more excited!
@@michaelcords4006 lets hope it does
@@michaelcords4006same, I wanna try it with the Tavern Brawler feat to throw and punch everything to oblivion. Maybe add in Thief Rogue for an extra Flurry of Blows per turn
Going through early access as a Barb, I had a fantastic time with conversations. The barbarian dialog options are generally hilarious and I had more fun rp-ing the face smash playstyle than any other class I tried. I was able to scream my way into getting a certain horn item without finessing a thing. So my two cents are- don't get too caught up on needing a super charismatic 'face' character. With guidance and inspiration available, you can pretty consistently make it through the truly critical conversations. I'm guessing a majority of people will be going for charisma heavy classes first but don't sleep on the great content potential of the martials!
This is good advice. I remember the same being true of low-intelligence characters in the original fallout games, with silly fun dialogue options you would just miss out on if you had a legitimate face character.
It’s easy to get hung up on min-maxing and forget it’s a role playing game. You’re supposed to be a character, so be a fun one and enjoy the ride. Pick certain weaknesses intentionally and work around your strengths to overcome them. It’s kind of boring having a “perfect” answer to every situation.
@@billbadson7598 its not
@@ReverseGuy you're not
@@billbadson7598I’d agree if it wasn’t for the fact that you miss out on content if you don’t finesse everything… just saying it is a pain to do
Unarmored Defense is a fools bargain in BG3, unles you want to Roleplay and don't care you are sub par. You are better off always going with Medium armor. Since Barbarians want Strength for their attacks trying to go for unarmored defense means you need to spread your abilities out among Strength, Dexterity and Constitution. The issue in BG3 is you will never have enough Ability Score Increases to reach a comparable Armour Class with Unarmored Defense compared to Medium armor.
With Half-Plate, which is the best medium armor, and that Larian seems to give you as soon as you save Lae'zel, you can reach and AC of 17 as long as you have a Dex of 14. You can do this at level 2.
Comparably to get Unarmored Defense at 17 you need either a Dexterity or Constitution ability score at 20, and the other at 14. This is possible in BG3, but it will mean you are not going to max out your Strength score, which is what you want to increase as a Barbarian.
Alternatively you can keep your Dexterity at 14, your Constitution at 16 and focus on maxing our Strength while wearing Medium Armor.
Most likely by 12th level you will have found magical armor that takes you beyond AC17. And Unarmored Defense's max in BG3 will be AC18, and then you are gimping your physical attacks.
Simply put, do NOT go for Unarmored Defense as a Barbarian unless you are roleplaying and don't want to be oprimized.
For Monks the rules are different. There you can actually go Unarmored and not lose out on attacks, since Monks get Unarmored defense from Dexterity and Wisdom, both of which are ability scores you want to increase as a Monk, meaning you can go 20 Dex and 18 Wisdom, and get the maximum out of Unarmored Defense. Monks also get penalties from wearing armor, so this is a good bargain.
I am o love with battlemaster. The extra attacks are game changer with a bigass weapon.
I just want to say that Barbarian still get Rage bonus damage on "Finesse weapons" in TT. Finesse Weapons simply gives you the option to choose between Dex or Strength for the modifier.
Rage says that a weapon that is using Strength as the modifier, gets a damage bonus. So you can use Strength with a Dagger(a weapon that has the Finesse trait) and get the Rage bonus, no problem.
As a bonus: On TT, Sneak Attacks from the Rogue states that it only works with Finesse and Ranged weapons. Not that the weapon need to use Dex as the modifier, but the weapon type itself. So you can Multiclass Barb and Rogue and get Sneak attacks with Rage bonus with a dagger.
I will be interested to see if this is still valid in BG3.
I've always found that combo interesting, but I'm doubtful it's worth giving up the d12 damage die for a d4
@@jeepersmcgee3466 A rapier is also a finesse weapon and is d8.
A Short Sword might only be d6, but you can dual wield them, getting easy access to a bonus attack early on(on top of strength/rage damage modifiers).
A raging barbarian with 3 levels of Rogue can add 2d6 damage on some of their attacks this way.
In addition, you can get Expertise in Athletics, allowing you to use your Strength benefits even more.
Anyway, the point was that Barbarians are not really restricted in what types of weapons they want to use in melee when going for Strength. It simply depends on what other features you might have access to to make it viable.
Cool trick with barbarian multiclass that i learned a few weeks ago. if you multiclass into a warlock you can cast armor of agathys and then rage. the spell will stay since its a buff and not a concertation spell. with rage you kind of double the amount of temporary hit point and will make the spell proc it dmg more often.
With barbarians, throwing those axes actually worked out pretty well in BG3 - at least in early access. I don’t know if that changed in the final build that you played but in early access those throwing axes can do pretty decent damage especially when I’m raged out, so I never felt like the barbarian didn’t have range options. He had some pretty good ranged options just flinging those axes.
Man if they include some feats or items that allow you to use your claws as unarmed the synergy between druid and monk would be sick
Not at all? Druids already use their claws while wildshifted, and Monk already has unarmed attacks. A feat would add nothing
a lot of people dont talk about it but the strength of magical items in bg3 is insane, I dont doubt for a second theres not items that boost natural attacks ( monk or druid) somehow.
@@napalm777 This pretty much. There will be entire builds centered around one or two items that make a build that's sub-optimal, turn into something soul-crushing. My starter is going to be a Way of Open hand 9, Battlemaster 3. The only thing I need to figure out is whether extra attack's will stack here. If they do it might be WotOH 7, BM 5.
@@JenosIdallian In 5e, Extra Attack sources do not stack with each other. I would expect the same in BG3, but of course we won’t know until we try.
@@napalm777Unarmed attacks are their own classification in 5e. This is why druid monks can't use martial arts to make another natural weapon attack. Hopefully they changed it though 🤷♂️
Thank you Cas for these videos, very informative, appreciate the work you do. I will be going for a Ninja Monk type build from the start, will see how that goes.
Super enjoyed this video! It was put together and presented very well. I appreciate the equal focus you gave to each of the three classes! I'm not so sure that I'll be playing a melee class when I begin playing but I'll definitely keep this video in mind if I choose to. :)
I honestly compare monk to rogue, given they're both usually high dex and they tend to be "specialists" when we're strictly talking about fighting. (Rogue has more skill aptitude)
Monks can make more attacks per round than a rogue, and rogue seeks to hit that one big sneak attack per round but aside from that, they're both generally evasive classes.
They skirmish above their "weight class", having good dex lets them use range and melee fairly effectively, but with the d8 hit die both struggle to go toe to toe in long engagements.
Thanks again Cas! You're the best man keep the gravy train rolling
With Rage bonus damage and Reckless Attack working with Dex, a 5 Barbarian/7 Rogue build where you give yourself advantage on your first attack followed by a sneak attack as the second attack seems like it will be really powerful and fun.
would that work though? wouldnt the first attack break sneak attack?
berserk/thief is also pretty good you cant frenzy strike twice but you can enraged throw
also smooths out round one: Attack-rage-frenzy atttack since you always have 2 bonus actions
Or you can walk closer to another enemy after killing one with cunning action dash without sacrificing an frenzy attack
And it gives you sneak attack that you always proc so I'll be going 5 barb 7 rogue if I play barb
why wouls you not rage first for the extra damage on the first attack?
Custom Character as bard. Bard is kinda OP but that was what I wanted from the start. Not sure about carry yet, heal is obv.
It's actually pretty good to multiclass your barbarians with rogues. Wreckless attack esures that you get sneak attack and the thief's additionall bonus action works wonders for the berserker
There’s a couple issues with that though. You can’t sneak attack with a Str scaling weapon, so you’ll lose a lot of the bonuses of raging. What’s more, your sneak attack bonus damage scales with rogue level, so every level put into something other than rogue is reducing the benefit of sneak attacking
That’s true about sneak attack dice but just grab a finesse weapon (short sword, scimitar, rapier) and still trigger sneak attack. However you lose out on stuff like great weapon master which is a better payoff imo. The MC could be good if you don’t have a rogue or bard in your party for disarms and lock picking.
I’m not min/maxing. I will take a dwarf dark urge monk and I plan to turn him to the light. I don’t expect an easy run, but I don’t think Larian will force you to max everything to have a satisfying ending.
Hey there! I really like your content and have been watching videos from you for a long time now. you generally keep the content interesting without losing the important details. I want to throw in my thoughts on the way you handle the content for BG3 specifically. im no one special, but i have been playing baldurs gate since the 1st one released, as well as DnD, so i at least have some experience. I think the biggest thing I want to point out is that this game will not be like Diablo 4 - or basically any other game for that matter. there might be a "BEST DMG EVER BUILD" but that isnt what the game is for. if a player focuses soley on how much dmg they are going to do and how fast they can clear a group of enemies, they will miss the fundamental reasons for playing a baldurs gate game: the story. this game will have SOOOOOOOOOOO many options for play stlye. Basically anything you want to do with a character will be possible. PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE do not focus on "what is the best way to play this class."
You have a huge audience. And unfortunately for many modern players, all that is focused on is speed. this game is not like that. So please, don't assist in pushing people to playing a class the same as everyone else. Push them to experiment. to try everything! to see what the story provides them and let them learn how to play the way they want.
I realize content is content, and people click on the videos that say, "best way to do everything because im too lazy to figure something out on my own" lol. So do what you gotta do.
Regardless, I appreciate the thought and energy it took to read this.
Thank you for taking the time to comment! We will probably do a class guide for every class, a "quick rank" for the people who want to tier-list, but our builds as always will be thematic and meant for people to get inspired and explore. We don't usually go for the "meta op max crit delete final boss in 1 second!" style :)
Great! Thanks for covering the subclasses. I was waiting for those
Barbarian Berserker + Rogue Thief. Each turn, while in Frenzy, you can:
Enraged Throw (Bonus Action, knocks prone if hits), Attack (or Reckless Attack if target nor prone), Extra Attack (if Barb level 5+), Frenzied Strike (Second Bonus Action). Each of these gets the Strength bonus to damage and +2 from Furry.
Alternatively, if you have Great Weapon Master (GWM) Feat:
Reckless Attack, Extra Attack (if Barb level 5+), Frenzied Strike (Bonus Action). If killed something or made a crit (26.5% change due to 3 attacks with advantage) Attack again (GWM, Second Bonus Action). If didn't kill anything nor crit, Enraged Throw (Second Bonus Action).
I can’t wait to try Monk
Druid/Barb is a great multiclass, if you plan to go Circle of the Moon and use Rage as a Polar Bear in combat.
Would you go Barb or Druid first?
@@stephenherbe7037 Druid. Get level 2 quickly to unlock Wild Shape bonus action, then 2 levels of Barbarian.
Then switch back to Druid until max.
I want to know more about how four elements work in bg3 compared to tabletop. Everyone seems to gloss over it 🙈
Most people probably didn't look since it has a worse rep than it deserves.
This is amazingly detailed! That list on which subclasses that us speak with animals is so good for my Bardadin "Face" playthrough.... 10/10!! i will recommend these guides!!
This was the video I was looking for! Gz
Monk with one level of light cleric is very good in tabletop. Warding flare to help with avoiding damage in melee, spells to round out utility, supplement low ki early game, as well as providing shield of faith for plus 2 AC. Cantrips are great as well, especially since unlike tabletop, BG3 will let you apply guidance to basically every skill check.
This is a great point. Guidance was the one reason I thought Cleric/Druid was necessary for my party, but this makes it so I can put something else in that spot.
The only thing is that one level means -1 feat since max level is 12.
A fantastic multiclass for monk especially the shadow monk is rogue as the shadow step giving you advantage means easy sneak attacks
Multiclassed Barbarian-Monk in Pillars of Eternity II: Deadfire and buffed him with party members in each fight. That guy was insanely OP.
I just had a terrible idea predicated on Wyl rage work with pact of the blade? The thought of a raging vengeful Warlock makes me giddy.
I find it funny, that these videos should help to decide what class to pick, but for me it does the opposite, usually i'm straightforward picking my style and class, this time, the more i get to know the other classes, the more conflicted i get about my choice xD
Maybe this was my secret evil plan!
@@Fextralife 😱😂
Play the thing that most aligns with the playstyle you want.
@@barcster2003 i usually would and most likely will, but in this game many playstyles would appeal for different reasons that i normally wouldn't choose in other games/genres xD but since i'm planning on playing with my friends i might go with my initial thought anyways to even out the group xD
I actually saw another YTuber say that multiclassing Barbarian with Rogue could be surprisingly effective. Because apparently Barbarians have several tricks to give them Advantage on their enemies, and that is what you need to inflict Sneak Attack damage.
I'm also curious about multiclassing Monk with Ranger, as they both benefit from a high wisdom, but mostly to go Shadow Monk to allow the shadow step ability, and couple that with the ranged sniping of Ranger. Blinking from shadow to shadow to avoid combat, and shooting enemies from afar seems like it could be pretty fun.
Its also because of Uncanny Dodge: starting at 5th level, when an attacker that you can see hits you with an attack, you can use your reaction to halve the attack’s damage against you. That means 1/4th dmg for a raging bear heart. Druid is also great, because you can keep raging while shapeshifted and retain its bonuses, stacking with your wild shape.
Yeah, it's even stronger if you take the Thief and Berserker subclasses, since Thief gives you an additional bonus action and Berserker let's you attack as a bonus action. I'll probably go for a 5 Berserker/7 Thief build. That seems like it's going to be a lot of fun and very powerful.
The comparison I’ve been looking forward to the most
could a tempest cleric with four elements monk be a good multiclass? For roleplay looks really fun but idk if will be good on fights or anything else
Bro, tysm for filling this emptiness of waiting for BG3 release🤜🏻🤛🏻but i would better watch ranger/fighter/barbarian comparison
Definitely think getting the tavern brawler feet will be good on a barbarian, especially the frenzy one. I would imagine that throwing objects would be improvised weapons so adding proficiency to your throw could make an interesting build.
Im struggling so hard to pick a character, im playing blind without EA experince. Im between a fey warlock, a druid maybe spore but likely moon, or a eldritch fighter
I want to mix thief with berserker for the extra bonus action and expertise in intimidate. I also want to try gloomstalker assassin shadow monk.
Great info, thanks
Barb can use magic item and scrolls, it`s not a problem. More interesting combination - barb + sussur flower (antimagic dome).
Thanks for the video
I had no intention to even try a monk before this video. Now, I am certain I will at least try one. A shadow monk combined with 3-4 levels of thief rogue seems like a good choice to me. An extra bonus action every turn would go a very long way, I think.
Edited to add: Do ki points replenish on a short rest or a long rest?
short
I played a dragonborn Monk a few years back with a tabletop group and it's a lot of fun. Very mobile, lots of fun from a role play perspective. Stunning Strike is a very powerful ability when the dice roll i your favour. And Ki points replenish after a short rest. Consider the Mobile Feat as well.
@@danc1513the dice roll in your favor a lot more if you don't neglect your wisdom. Unfortunately too many advocate doing exactly that. At least at lower levels.
Barbarian (Berserker) is unbeatable in melee with the way Frenzied Strike works. Get yourself 3 levels of Rogue (Thief) on top of that with Fast Hands and you have 4 attacks with a Great Sword, Great Weapon Master and Advantage on all of them at level 8. 2 attacks at level 3 (without Great Weapon Master), 3 attacks at level 5.
So with 3 levels of rogue, you eventually get 4 attacks every turn? 3 levels of fighter you also get 4 attacks in a turn with action surge but thats only once a battle correct? But the fighter levels also get you a self heal, an extra 5% crit chance and great weapon fighting.
@@volney142 You're right, but as you said you get Action Surge only once per fight, IF you do Short Rest after every fight. Rage lasts 10 turns and you can rage several times. Plus you can take 4 more levels, inluding 2 or 3 levels of Fighter if you want. Fast Hands gets you an extra bonus action, which you can use for a second Frenzied Strike. Fast Hands is a little bit op, if you ask me. Also don't forget that a Barbarian/Rogue has much more utlility and mobility than a pure Fighter.
@@capion5014 Ah okay thanks for the info. Yeah I'm gonna be playing coop with a buddy, so going the rogue route might be too strong and take some fun away from my friend if I'm killing everything too fast lol
Did Larian give you a review/influencer copy so you can update the wiki, or do you have to wait until release like the rest of us?
Every Fighter subclass that is not Battlemaster is underwhelming in this. You take Champion for crit fishing and EK is just weak without a lot of spells they are currently missing. I was hoping Larian would hombrew them to also get half the Superiority Dice that Battlemaster does plus a few maneuvers. It looks like I will need to get a mod that changes the Martial Adept feat to do just that. Thanos Voice: "Fine, I'll do it myself."
Thanks for TLDR xD Was a quick refresher!
I think barbarian/monk is going to be really good. The barb dmg bonus will apply to every flurry and the damage resist will be welcome. Barbarian/fighter will always be good but I think a fighter with 2 levels in barbarian will be better than the reverse combo. I don't think barbarian/paladin will combine that well. They get a very limited amount of spellslots and aside from the smites there's not much you want for barbarian. I imagine paladin will combine much better with charisma based spellcasters, mainly sorcerer and bard. I think a ranger with a couple of levels in paladin will also be strong, as multiclassing won't be limited by ability scores in BG3, and all those spell slots can become smite slots.
As for fighter multiclass options a couple of barbarian levels for rage will be good. You have the con proficiency for concentration checks, so you could with great benefit go from fighter to a spellcaster. I think a really good build you should have a look at is Eldritch Knight to 5 or 7, 2 levels of abjuration wizard for arcane ward, and maybe 2 levels of paladin to be able to smite. If the shield spell and absorb elements spell exists in BG3 this is going to be an incredible defensive and offensive option for combat. A 5 fighter 5 cleric might be really potent as well, you cast spirit guardian then action surge and charge into combat with 2 (or maybe even 3 with war cleric) attacks in your opening round. Some rogue levels into assassin for a good opening round, or ranger for more consistent damage.
Monk into barbarian might be strong. Some level in ranger for gloom stalker or hunter pairs well with monk, offering more options for infiltration and synergizing well. Hunter's mark might be tempting, but for maximal damage it is a trap option. 3 levels of rogue could be good, for sneak attack, expertise and cunning action. You could multiclass into a wisdom caster, but then you're gaining mainly out of combat options and it won't enhance your combat abilities by much compared to full monk. (Unless you have the option to cast certain spells before combat, this goes for hunter's mark as well).
Thanks for the video!!! This means that the Circle of Spores Druid would benefit from a Multiclass of Fighter or Barbarian.
I wanted to BG3 without knowing much. So I got EA but only played like 1 hour so to get a basic feel and understanding. Monk to me seems very enticing. Thanks for the info!
Glad I could help!
Love the information, thank you so much!
Ummm you forgot the Druid multiclass for both Barbarian and Monk. Wildshape combined with rage doubles the free hp from your shapes for unkillable levels of tankyness, and Monk ki powers can be performed in Wildshape(in tabletop) also they share a focus on wisdom and dexterity that allows them to synergize well as a gish combination.
hello, can u explain "doubles the free hp from your shapes" i don't understand plz
@@mickaelcohen7775 Barbarian's rage makes it so you take half damage(effectively doubling your number of hitpoints), combined with the health pool of druid beast forms that doesn't carry over damage to your character's health, and you can transform twice a combat(technically 3 times if you being combat in wildshape after a rest). In bear form that is 34hp, taking half damage, 3 times for effectively 204hp before you even start to take any damage from your character's healthbar!
@@mickaelcohen7775 also you still benefit in wildshape from the Barbarian's other abilities: the +2 damage to melee attacks while raging, extra attack at lvl 5, reckless attack, and extra AC from Unarmored Defense(which also works with the monk/druid multiclass because wildshape doesn't affect your mental stats, so you always get your wisdom bonus to AC, no matter which wildshape you choose)
@@nklinef but you can't cast wildshape after frenzy? or can? Also, I didn't understand how do you get the third wildshape?
@@stanislavp1739 wildshape isn't a spell, it's a class ability, so rage and wildshape are not mutually exclusive. You can absolutely enter and maintain rage while in wildshape and vice versa.
In BG3, wildshape doesn't have a duration, and can be performed twice per short rest. So if you enter wildshape, then short rest, you now have two additional wildshape charges to the one you are currently using, making 3 animal healthpools total for a single combat encounter.
Guys do we know, when you multiclass monk you get to see his clean animations on your character? Or do we have to pick monk as main class for thouse animations?
Bear in mind that the Optimal Eldritch Knight DOES NOT increase Int via stats , if you want high INT than you find and equip an headband of intellect
Sadly you gotta kill Lump and his horn is useful for clearing the goblin camp and fighting the Red caps.
@@stalliontv8788well, I’ve got no use for Lump after using the horn
@@brunoluizferreira99 you can keep recruiting him after each time you use the horn.
Or you can build your Eldritch Knight as a self-buffer, where resists are not an issue.
@@TheRelen222 hmn thats what i said XD , its implied i know but dumping the spell casting stats means u dont pick spell that use it ( you pick self buffs and magic missile only)
I'm making a Barb 1/ Fighter 3 or 4/ Monk 7 or 8 with Karlach. I'm thinking you can dump Str and Wisdom and put up your Dex and Con. You will get full AC for Barb unarmored Defense and Rage adds +2 to each hit so if you flurry of blows that added onto your attacks and hitting flurry of blows will add +6 damage from rage.
Great place for monk I agree. I'll play at least a monk a little bit between multi player games . Thank you❤
Bers/Thief works pretty well. Since you can do reckless throw/hit twice as you have two second actions. This also improves you mobility since dash can be also cast as a second action.
somewhat popular strategy is taking 3 fighter for the champion as it gives you 19-20 crit range. then 9 barbarian. Go with doube scimitar and with reckless attacks and additional attack you gain. You will be doing 3 attacks with a re-roll.
Another popular route is to go barbarian 3 and then totem bear and moon druid for the rest of the way. Well its somewhat akward in say bg3 as the elemental forms are unlocked at lvl 10. could still work. Or go with fighter for 2 levels.
That means extra attack at lvl 8, pretty late. Additional attack from frenzy is a poor substitute for an extra attack at all times, and what's the point of double scimitars? You attack with your main hand using frenzied attack. Anyone can use offhand attack with bonus action.
Hope they've homebrewed the four elements monk to some degree, because outside of the flavor, in the tabletop it's pretty clearly lagging behind all other monks (which aren't the strongest to begin with)
I guessing they have, considering berserker barbarian is not the greatest class in tabletop but in Bg3 its the front runner for barbarian.
My Karlach will probably stay Barbarian(Wildheart ) with a fighter dip, but I don't know if I'll make it 2 levels or 3. I'd be happy for suggestions. If 3 levels maybe Champion with a glaive/halbard or protection with a hammer and shield.
I know that monk is somewhat difficult to play and may feel too situational but I love the class fantasy and rp so much it will be my first play through. Expansions may raise the level enough to make them more of a cc tank in the future.🤞🏻
Yes I wanna play a monk as well for my first playthrough but I am confused so this video helped a bit lol
Like your BG3 coverage. I will be waiting for the video on party composition!
I would also like to see a video on respecing and multi-classing the companion characters. Maybe includee this in party comp video? For instance Shadowheart is known to have a bad build, what are some good ways to salvage it w/ respecing and or multi-classing?
This what I’ve been waiting for… this barb video lol 😏
I'll defnetely play a monk first and I try multiclassing it with an barb to have this extra dmg on my attacks. That was a realy good video thanks for that made my evening bevor the lunch tomorrow.
20:44 Wyll grew horns ?!
Must have made more pacts with Mizora :)
Fighter mage for 10 attacks per round
great set of videos! could we get the rogue monk ranger next?
I am pretty new to D & D rule sets, but it kinda sounds like monk is more like rogue then it is to barbarian or fighter. They are a very hit and run right? Barbarian/Fighter/Paladin might have been a more direct video with rogue/Monk/Ranger being the 4th in this arc of videos? Did I miss something?
Fighter is probably the best talker of the three. Barbarian needs to get 14 Dex to get the best AC out of Medium armor. Monks want high Dex and Wisdom, and Constitution will probably be their 14. Meanwhile since Fighters use heavy armor they can dump dexterity, and take 16 in Str and Con, and then do a 14 in charisma. (Unless they are ranged Fighers, in which case you swap Str for Dex, but the rest stays the same.)
Honestly the charisma based classes are the ones that most people should play as you’ll get more out of the game for it
Great point!!!!
which class are those ?
Been thinking of making a Grog chr from vox machina - where he was lvl 17 barb / lvl 3 fighter.
I'm wondering if I can actually go unarmed with Monk. I'm a total newbie to DnD, but it seems that everytime someone says "unarmed" it means weapons that don't fit into the martial category (staves, for example). I wonder if using nothing but your fists will be viable.
Monks get upgraded damage with unarmed strikes as you gain levels in monk
Monk will likely be a good choice to multiclass in this game simply because of the max level being 12. 7 Levels in Monk, 5 in another class give you plenty of features to play with.
I am a noob with this hole D&D shit, so I have a question. I really wanna play monk. Is it also good if I just put all my points on monk class?
@@KingKimchii Absolutely. In fact I would highly recommend if you are unfamiliar with the game, or D&D in general, play the game without multiclassing first. You can always multiclass on a 2nd runthrough, or if you feel like you are getting the hang of it halfway? Apparently there is the option to respec pretty much everything and try out whatever you like further in to the game. Monk is very strong on it's own, and will still benefit greatly from more levels in that class.
I would like to see more remnant 2 walk-through videos
Awesome guides Fextra! Can’t wait for the ps5 release
I've always been more of a caster player in the bioware DND games, but the throwing mechanic looks so much fun that it has me seriously considering going barbarian for my first playthrough.
I have played all the classes during early access, and am usually a caster type as well (sorcerer), but I will say, that barbarian was maybe my favourite playthrough in early access, raging, throwing things, smashing things was really fun Haha. And especially using the character in dialogue sequences just made it extra fun as there are some great dialogue options for barbarian. So for what it is worth, imo you won't be disappointed of you go barbarian.
@@JacquesduPlessis11 There's a good chance I will! The Dark Urge has also piqued my interest, and it sounds that will suit a barbarian quite well.
Did i just listen to an entire summary of the Monk without hearing a single thing about their strongest class feature, Stunning Strike?
Fantastic video, however at @22:09 I like he's causally talking over the footage while throwing frikin' Beholders into the fight...what the actual hell lol
I'm amazed you didn't list Rogue with Monk for multiclassing. Shadow Monk alongside any of the rogue subclasses (Assassin in particular) is very strong. Casting darkness and the ability to see in it allows your character to teleport into it and always have advantage on all attacks on enemies inside it. While being relatively safe from all but AoE attacks. It's amazeballs!
Thats sounds extremly nice and I would love to try that since iam going to play a monk on my first playthrough thanks for that idea.
@maxixXxixam if you dip a few levels into Warlock. You can unlock Devil's Sight permanently and not have to spend Ki on it. And also grab Agathys Armor for some temporary hp and damage return when attacked in melee. As well the ability to either frighten nearby enemies when you critical (very potent with assassin 100% crit on surprise attacks). Or gaining temporary hit point when you kill a target.
Fighter has always been on top of other martials, even barbs, because of one thing... battlemaster. In 5e and especially now in bg3, youre taking 2 on par classes and battlemaster simply adds utitlity and damage dice right on top. Dont forget, action surge isnt an additive feature, its multiplicitive because of extra damage dice of magical weapons.
despite liking battle master, i don’t think a subclass alone should put a class on top. what i think helps fighter be a good class is the part where you can build in ways that are quite varied, yet the class features are always “at peak”
Battle Master due to how it functions has always been popular and theory crafted to the point of kind of over hyped about how strong it is.
The thing to note about the monk is they are very much more like a battle feild controller so while they are prime get to combat they are a bit more like a rougue in that they are typically more hit and run.
His is why tradtionally hey have always been assiocted as a skilled class along those lines...but lation has gone more combat focused giving them very little to do out of combat.
I hope there take on the monk works out i am sure it will be an improvment but it may need those levels that the full game does not take you to at launch to really shine with ki use.
Love the idea of a simple to use if you know nothing class vid for beginers or those not familar/rusty with 5th edition it will really give people in those brakets a good template for the first playthrough
Ki use is not so bad even at lower levels since they come back on short rest when it comes to the table top stuff.
Yeah, this pretty much settles it. I'll be going for either a ranged Half-Orc Champion, or a (Black) Dragonborn Shadow Arts Monk in my first playthrough. The former might also benefit from a few levels in Rogue. 🤔
Either way, I really love this series, as it helped me greatly with narrowing down my choice as much as possible. 😁
PS: I was wondering though, the Duellist style also applies when you wear a shield? Judging by what you said and by how it is worded in the tooltip, it would seem that way, but I will also say that in terms of fantasy and the way the style's title sounds, I was kind of under the assumption that it only works when you have nothing in your off-hand. This way it would also not have to compete with Protection, for players who want to focus on the "sword and board" way of life. But if it also works with shields, it seems really strong. 🤔
it should work with shields aswell.
@ Thanks! That makes it a really good choice offensively and defensively alike. 😁
Maybe you can help me with another question as well: If I am going for a ranged Fighter, i.e. a DEX based one, I would also use a DEX based one-handed melee weapon of course. The problem is, that I absolutely abhor rapiers. Are there other strong options, or, alternatively, does using a short sword instead has some benefit? Or would not using a rapier really hamstring me? 🤔
@@yasinachekzai2567Rapier is the biggest damage 1d8 one handed Finesse you’ll find in this game. There are no 2-handed finesse weapons to my knowledge, at least not in DnD 5e as it is today. BG3 might surprise us with a katana but at most I see that being 1d10 2-hand.
@@yasinachekzai2567shortswords are 1d6 versus rapier 1d8. The potential 2 damage difference is made up for by Duelist which guarantees that 2 damage.
@@MatiasGRivera Thank you so much for the intel! In that case I will pray for a katana and use a short sword while I do that, as I don't think I could bring myself to ever use a rapier. 😂
how did you manage to get your taskbar bigger (for your spells and actions) i really like that 4 space height :D
Does a quarter staff count as a monk weapon in terms of using Dex to attack? They are 2 handed, but I always feel if a monk is not going unarmed they should have a staff. One of the few things I liked about Pathfinder: WotR was the staff focused monk class.
Yes, in fact that's THE monk weapon. My first DnD character was a monk who used a quarterstaff from level 1 to 16. There are even ways to expand what counts as a monk weapon, so you can dual wield longswords for instance
Monk/Zerker Dark Urge maniac is most likely going to be something interesting to try. I'm thinking Halfling or Dwarf....still on the fence.
I'm eager to try a Monk/rogue. I remember it being fun in DDO.
was my best toon.
Can anyone tell me how he got his action bar big like that? I can't find a way to adjust it in the settings at all.
I wonder if it’s possible to somewhat make a type of “Saiyan” Build that it’s a mix of monk and barbarian. Mink primarily for fist fighting and barabarian for damage with rage? And then go dark urge to roleplay with it. I’m considering that or just mainly fighter class, I do enjoy heavy weapons and heavy armor. Hmm we’ll see