The Way of the Drunken Master Monk subclass from Baldur's Gate 3 Patch 8 might be the most surprising class of them all, just for all the wrong reasons. Compared to every other subclass released in Patch 8, the Drunk Monk ranks among the lowest in of excitement and viability. It isn't only that the other subclasses are more fun to play, but the Way of the Drunken Master class becomes very limited in of gear and combat choices. It's a bit surprising considering how OP Monk subclasses are, and I guess my expectations were a little too high.

One major problem for a Way of the Drunken Master build is that there are only a few items in the game that actually function around and/or benefit from alcohol effects and being drunk, and they aren't available until the endgame. This makes playing as a Drunk Monk a bit of a slog up until you reach Act 3, and it's a little disappointing that this subclass didn't include better actions or features to compensate for the lack of useful items early in the game.

Way Of The Drunken Master In BG3 Suffers From Lack Of Decent Gear

There Are Only Three Items For A Drunk Monk Build In Baldur's Gate 3

The biggest issue that makes the Way of the Drunken Master subclass so underwhelming compared to classes like the Bladesinging Wizard subclass in BG3 is that there are a very limited number of decent weapons, armor, gloves, etc., that can be put to optimal use. There are three main items that the Drunk Monk can incorporate into a build: the Amulet of the Drunkard, Drunken Cloth, and the Punch-Drunk Bastard Greatclub.

Monks are proficient with simple weapons, so the Punch-Drunk Bastard does not require a class-dip for proficiency because it is considered a simple weapon.

Unfortunately, all three of these items are not available until late in the game, with the Greatclub found at the back of The Waning Moon in late in Act 2, and the other two items found in Act 3. When you get all three items, the build is powerful, but there's basically no flexibility with which weapons, armor, or amulet you want to use. While it can be tweaked in minor ways, a full Drunken Master build is very limited in of good gear, and the subclass is probably going to end up being more useful as a multiclass dip option.

Drunken Master Balances The Overall Monk Subclasses

Every Sublcass In BG3 Can't Be OP

While there are likely going to be community mods that tweak and improve the Way of the Drunken Master subclass, the vanilla version of it is underwhelming when compared to the other Monk subclasses. Monks are generally revered as having some of the most overpowered subclass options, especially with the Way of the Open Hand. Monks also have the most class-specific gear of all the classes, with a ton of gloves, robes, and tons of other items that are useful for a range of playstyles.

The limited number of item options for the Drunken Master subclass seems to be finding the Monk class's Ki and balancing the scales. Fewer item options might be a direct result of the excess of different Monk items, which the Drunken Master can still use, of course. Unfortunately, when it comes to choosing a Monk subclass, I'm not too interested in playing as a Drunken Monk outside of seeing what it initially had to offer, and I can't imagine it being a top choice for a new playthrough.

Overall, the Way of the Drunken Master is a hilarious, albeit underwhelming, subclass from Patch 8. The subclass is worth giving a try simply to see what it has to offer, but until you reach the endgame, it's a little tedious and doesn't quite scratch the itch that the other Monk subclass options do. I'll be keeping my eyes peeled for Way of the Drunken Master mod improvements in the coming months, but until then, I'm more interested in some of the other new subclasses from Baldur's Gate 3 Patch 8.