We’re drawing ever closer to patch 8 for Baldur’s Gate 3. The milestone update is set to bring along 12 new subclasses, one for each of the game’s main classes – this is on top of a large amount of official subclasses (and plenty of modded ones too). On the topic of modding, we want to divert your attention to the Way of the Four Elements Monk Overhaul mod, a fan-made creation that brings some much-needed balancing to what some consider one of the weakest subclasses in the game.

This mod was created by the user Hackedmojo and was released earlier this month. It is currently only available on the Windows version of the game and was recently updated, on March 23rd, with some further tweaks.

Way of the Four Elements Monk subclass gets a buff in this new mod

The overhaul to the Way of the Four Elements Monk subclass is a substantial one, with a long list of balance changes to read through. The goal of this mod is simple: to make this subclass more viable, and importantly, more fun to play. Hackedmojo says that they were inspired by a mod creator named Syrchalis who has done similar work on Druid.

A lot of the changes to the Way of the Four Elements subclass are all about doing more damage. Hackedmojo notes that their vanilla playthrough of the subclass was disappointing – “some of their attacks were decent, but not enough to justify the expensive ki cost”. This mod also adds new passives and spells for you to play around with.

While the default max level in Baldur’s Gate 3 is 12 (as opposed to D&D’s 20), there are some mods that raise the cap if you want further progression or wish to make the game easier for yourself. This overhaul supports progress all the way to level 20 and should work “in combination with UnlockLevelCurve, 5e Spells, VFX Library and VFX Vault”.

New spells and passives from this mod

• Elemental Expertise – increase the attack rolls and save DC of a chosen element. Elemental Expertise also increases elemental attack damage by 1d4 + Wisdom Modifier (Element) damage.
• Stronmaus’ Guidance – melee spell attack that costs 1 ki point and deals (Unarmed damage) + 2d4 Lightning damage.
• Moondrop Tears – Costs 5 ki points, an action, and a bonus action to use. Deals 2d8 Bludgeoning + 4d8 Cold damage.
• Maximilian’s Earthen Grasp – Deals 4d6 Bludgeoning damage and restrains the target for 5 turns.
• Earth Tremor – Costs a bonus action, deals 1d10 Bludgeoning damage, and turns a 5m radius area into difficult terrain mud
• Cataclysm – Costs 8 ki points, an action, and a bonus action. Cataclysm deals 6d10 Bludgeoning damage in a 9m (30 ft) radius, and all enemies who fail a Constitution saving throw are hamstrung.
• Ki Casting – Enhances ki-based spells at the expense of more ki. For each ki point added, the spell will deal an additional die of elemental damage.
• Disciple of the Elements – Adds proficiency to Nature skill checks to allow for more consistent ki restoration.
• Avatar State – When nearing death, the monk enters what is called the Avatar State, where they receive all the knowledge and talents of past Ancient Masters of the Elements to protect and empower them in a dire situation.

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Charlie Noon

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