Some optimisation for the early game/ set up: auntie Ethel sells (either at the druid's grove or even at her hut as long as you don't advance her quest arch) a monk specific early game staff and has 3 elixirs of giant strength per day in her wares, so 3 times faster than the trader in the underdark and more easily accessible

@garyco766

6 ай бұрын

Was looking for this comment before making it myself. Also, that's a massive waste of barrels that can be used for tougher fights, just finish the Khaga quest in the swamp, then use invis/darkness to steal the idol and immediately go to camp. Also, you need to be nice to Mattis and his accomplice... don't be mean to any of the Tiefling kids.

@InvaderTroy

6 ай бұрын

as soon as you hit level 4 and can take TB corellon’s grace staff is mostly useless since your attack bonus and damage will be significantly better just unarmed. the saving throw bonus is kinda nice so i suppose you could keep it equipped and then remove it when you want to make a main hand attack since it costs no action to unequip a weapon.

@garyco766

6 ай бұрын

@@InvaderTroy The staff is simply to get you to level 4. You can throw it away after that. But low levels in BG3 kinda suck, so any little advantage you can get is good.

@juliangustafsson6191

6 ай бұрын

(I think) most traders refresh their stock each time you level up as well, so you could just pay 100 gold to change class and get as many refreshes as times you level back up

@HiThereFaceHere

4 ай бұрын

Ethel in the Grove has never had any staff for me

Not even joking, I literally just decided today to research this build to play a second run through with friends. Then bam, pally is like i got you fam!

@NataliaNeeSama

6 ай бұрын

Me too! I'm having a lot of fun with Monk in my second playthrough!

@SnarkyRogue

6 ай бұрын

I went looking today and was wondering where part 2 was... Then I realized this vid came out yesterday lol. What a coincidence

@galvendorondo

6 ай бұрын

Being a monk while playing with friends is the funniest part. Especially with first timers. You see people getting excited from getting new weapons and then see their jaws on the floor when you just slap a guy to death in 1 turn.

@RavinerPayne

12 сағат бұрын

I can't help but milticlass and found this to go wonderfully with a druid. Gain magic, make...zombies(?), and not responsible for talking so free to relax on stats.

I missed a couple of these items on my playthrough as a Monk, and while it can affect the run in the moment, the Monk is SO strong, it makes little difference. SUCH a strong, fun build.

if you cross that bridge into the act 1.5 Gith monastery area BEFORE you resolve the goblin camp/Halsin quest when you come back to act 1 you'll find all the teiflings will be slain on the road by the goblins

@MFPallytime

6 ай бұрын

Good tip

@davidbocock7679

6 ай бұрын

can't get the owl bear cub either if you care about that (well it happened in my last play through anyway)

@heyitsmedame

6 ай бұрын

i got the cub on my run, i think depends on long rests or somethin@@davidbocock7679

@skiesofagartha1191

6 ай бұрын

happened to me sadly

I'm doing a variant of this build that is a little more 'all in' on the damage, forgoing the bracers of defense for the charged gloves you can get from the swamp in Act1. Between my monk and my buddy's barbarian, both rocking the Hill Giant potions, we are trivializing Act I, even on Tactician.

Holy shit man i remember you from like 11 years back doing your first playthrough of dark souls its crazy to see how far you have come well done and great build :D

I just found out you do BG3 Tutorials, I'm so happy, used to watch your channel daily when HotS was still a thing, glad I can rejoin you :)

Nice! I had been thinking about doing a monk play through!

Thank you very much for this video, i watched 8 guides,and it is the best video guide for monk on youtube

Thats actually nuts. I appreciate the effort it took to make the vid!

Love your content, Pally!

This was awesome, man, thank you!

Not sure if anyone has mentioned it but Auntie Ethel in the Druid Grove sells Hill Giant Elixir X3 every day and has a perfect weapon for Monk early game.

@axo4383

6 ай бұрын

Yep this is a bad guide. You can even kill Karlach and get the +1 AC Fire Robe from Mizora which you will use until you get the the Monk Robe in Act III.

@patrykszczepanski773

6 ай бұрын

@@axo4383 It's not a bad guide, he clearly said it's a description of his RP path

@axo4383

6 ай бұрын

With the new Raphael Helldusk Armor Glitch which you can get at Act I, breaks Monks even harder because Monks can wear that Legendary 21 AC Armor piece. You can just make a regular Fighter with Str and Tavernbrawler. @@patrykszczepanski773

@ckirk7317

6 ай бұрын

@@axo4383 Keshigo Robe or whatever its called is not bad either if you're doing a solo run. Being able to counter attack through Patient Defense ain't a bad deal for just a bonus action. Especially with Thief3 for Fast Fingers.

@axo4383

6 ай бұрын

@@ckirk7317 Wanna know what is more better for solo? The Helldusk Armor that Raphael drops in Act I. You don't even need Dexterity or Wisdom at that point because it's a heavy armor with 21 AC. Then you can make an Human or Half-Elf to get Shields for whopping 23 AC.

This build is insane... now you've got me wanting to try monk

14:46 Poor Gale. Feed that man a shoe already.

Hell yeah. This got me back into BG3. Like others said, the hag has the strength pots and a staff early doors at the grove. I already feel like I'm playing the strongest melee character I've ever played and I'm only lvl 3.

Awesome Guide, Thank you!

Awesome work as always paly. Now that my wife and I have beaten the game I plan on watching your playthroughs. This is the type of game I wanted no spoilers in the first playthrough.

Random side note, if you keep shadowheart out of the hag fight hidden by the tree at the top of the hill, you can have her hit the hag with guiding bolt after the hag throws the hair down to get the hair and save her victims if the bolt kills her.

haha it was so cool to watch ! I learned a lot ! ^^ thanks :))

14:00 Traders' stocks also reset level up. Considering your party is level 4 at that point, you can respec at Withers each of them, giving 12 restocks. Either steal after each separate level up per character, or donate 400 gold as a level 1 character for maxed out attitude and then buy the elixirs even cheaper. Also, something to keep in mind, at some point (I think I heard starting at level 5) she can also sell fingers of CLOUD giants to brew the elixir that sets Str to 27 instead of 21.

@scottcisco8694

5 ай бұрын

You can also dismiss your party members and get 3 hirelings and their level ups also refresh the inventory.

Awesome. The most helpful yet. thanks

I did not know you could pass time without using camp supplies! I know i came for the monk build but THAT info was the real mvp. lol

That was nice. Ty for your help :)

Your build videos are amazing. I hope you do one showing your party.

good stuff, have to love the monks

Dont forget the gloves you can get really early in the south in the swamps jumping from island to island last island has some tree monsters and flying bombers. But after that theres a chest with gloves that give you spark charges each unarmed attack you make.

To big things, especially combined, you could use Pally: The Tavern Brawler feat adds twice your strength to both damage AND chance to hit. Essentially, you no longer need advantage after you pick it up (so The Risky Ring is 95% of the time not actually helping you). It also makes throwing god tier since it's the same double strength to hit and damage. The item that pairs well with this is the Returning Pike, which you can buy in the courtyard of the goblins camp. It makes you into the best ranged AND mele fighter out there and you don't even need to have it equipped to use it to its full potential 😉 Otherwise, absolutely loved the vid. This was one of my all time viscerally favorite builds and I'm hyped to see others enjoying it too!

@triplethreatgaming8583

6 ай бұрын

Just gets annoying because it equips the pike every time it returns. On my thrower build for Karlach I really wanted to use a different melee weapon for close enemies and throw the pike but since it costs an action to equip a different weapon when the pike returns kinda made that Strat impossible. For this build it would just be a mild inconvenience though

@Eridescent

6 ай бұрын

Advantage gives additional chance to crit, not just to hit.

@garyco766

6 ай бұрын

@@triplethreatgaming8583 Not an issue on a monk though, just remember to unequip. Also, returning weapons don't always return, so remember to pick them up after the fight if it doesn't.

@triplethreatgaming8583

6 ай бұрын

@@garyco766 yea that’s why I said on my thrower build. And they always return. Sometimes they are just slower. Just wait a few seconds before ending your turn

@Ethrael81

6 ай бұрын

There is a certain legendary trident that removes fall damage, has the same returning power as the pike, DOUBLES your jump range, and has an aoe lightning effect. Throwing point blank has never been so op and fun.

Ahh you know we all want a part deuce of this guide! ^^

while stealing the idol with the exploding barrels was funny, it's a lot easier just to have someone cast darkness and steal in the cover of darkness.

Amazing video! Surely I'll be following this guide in my next run: dark urge Gith'zerai monk. For who doesn't know, the Gith'zerai are monk counterparts of the Gith'yanki people, very interesting lore.

@anythingclose

6 ай бұрын

Mod? Or Githyanki and suspension of disbelief?

@t0uchme343

6 ай бұрын

​@@anythingcloseeither way works.

You can speed up the Hill Giant potion buying if you buy them from the hag in the grove before encountering her in the wild. She sells 3 at a time as opposed to 1 at a time the dwarf in the underdark sells them.

with 95% hit chance monk I fcking critical miss A LOOOOOOOT

Yoooo, I haven't seen Monk played yet but it looks sick as hell!!!

I'm half way through my second playthrough and I didn't even realize partial resting was a thing O.o the button is literally right there! wow

If you don't want to juice on elexirs there is a pair of gloves that pump your dex to 18 in the creche. It does take your glove slot so you can't get the extra unarmoured 2 AC but it lets you dump dex for strenght. Eventually there is other gloves that might change the balance but for early game it might cut it!

An Alternative gear set up is you can buy the Gloves of Dex from the trader in the githyanki creche. This allows you to dump dex as a stat and put points into strength instead so you don't have to rely on potions. Trade off is lower AC (I am at 18 right now with the Ring of Protection) and the Graceful Cloth wont work; but you still have 18 str and 18 Dex. So you are still folding enemies like an oragami expert.

You're such a genius dude, I'm 60 hrs in and still haven't finished act 1 😅 I swear I'm just exploring everything looking in every chest and pickpocketing every trader

Auntie Ethel has 3 of these Hill-Giant Strength Potions in her inventory - as long as she resides in the Druid Grove. Also, she sells an interesting staff. Makes a Monk more tankie. My approach is to give Lae'zel 5 level of Ranger (Gloom-Stalker), and THEN 7 level of Monk (Open Hand). The additional Bonus action of Rogue (Thief) is VERY nice - but I guess, overall the Stalker (Ranged) may be even better. One finds some gloves for 18 DEX - and Withers into a Strength-Build at that point. Initially 10STR, 17DEX, 15KON, 08INT, 14WIS and 10CHA - respec around lvl 5 into 18STR, 08DEX, 16KON (TB), 08INT, 14WIS and 10CHA. (I will NOT eat an Aunties Hair in my Play-Through(s)!) I eat delicious... Aunt.... ehm, Apples. Whole. With this Build, wearing Armour is possible. See what you like best. I don't LIKE building Chars around items - but these gloves... well, I make an exception for these suckers. The club of Hill-Giant Strength is also an option, and if you want to stay with using potions, don't respec 18STR, put it into WIS and CHA, maybe even into INT, if you prefer the helmet to the Ogre-Smarts. (An enlightened Ogre is found right next to the Helmet.) This build also works the other way around: First Monk, then Stalker - but the Stalker gives stuff I really like... Disguise Self, Talk to Animals, Initiative and more. Your way of "stealing" the idol is fun - but the deed can be done much easier... with less slaughter. But do as you please :). Very nice video. Thank you for making it.

Please do a part two for Act 3 I just started a monk playthrough and want be hitting like a truck so a part two would help

Using a hireling to cast warding bond, gives you an additional +1 to AC and saving throws, and gives resistance to ALL damage.

U can farm the giant hill potion from auntie Ethel at the Druid grove, 3 each long rest. She will stay the until u defeat the goblin leader or u don't go to her house.

I actually learned something here. That's pleasantly surprising. Thank you for the great content

This build is literally how I build 5e characters for the trrpg (get as much AC as possible and then just go crazy), so this is a must build for me.

Good stuff.

Thank you for this awesome build! Where can i get the cool look of your character? Because your armor and everything looks really nice

When you're levelling during your playthrough I would go monk until lvl 5 and take lvls 6/7 in fighter to get an extra action, then respec at level 9 to get monk 6 and rogue 3. This way you don't get the extra damage types but you *do* get action surge for another strike. The only decent thing you'll miss out on at lvl 6 monk is the extra movement speed, but you can mitigate that with crusher's ring and the boots you get from Thulla in the Underdark Myconid Colony that give the click heels bonus action if you need it. Plus, you get a bit extra hp I think.

Best option is abuse the hags shop in Druid grove before you kill her, she sells 3 for about 250 gold and you can easily stack up 20-40 before you encounter the hag later. It’s more efficient than 2 at a time.

@davidharris3391

6 ай бұрын

100% this. I don't go south of the Blighted Village until I have 10+ Hill Giant Elixirs.

@tylerkane6791

6 ай бұрын

You can get them for 180, or 60 each, if you use Wyll with his higher charisma to make the purchases.

for the idol quest, i had used a mage hand to throw the idol where the druids would see me taking it

Sparkle hands is really good for this type of build and available super early in act 1

Also for the idol you can have it for its buff forever if you want you steal the idol back after you finish the quest from the girl. And as long as you put the idol in your camp storage before you long rest you can keep using it.

When you walk through to the monastery there definitely are act1 quests that get messed up. I won't say more as it's a spoiler to reveal them but there is 1 in particular that you want to do so i would recommend you finish everything you want to finish in act 1

@WolfFireheart

6 ай бұрын

Yeah, listen to the warning that pops up guys!

The hill giant potions is what breaks tavern brawler as you can stat dump Str. Also works for throwing barb builds.

So been following your guide which I think is great however when I got to the creche I found gloves of dexterity on a vendor there so would it be better to use those and respec back into strength to then not need the elixirs? Or am I missing out on damage or something?

when you find the person the laughing monk is looking for, do not accept the curse. Choose to fight him and you get a beefed up version of the original amulet. I'm currently using the regen ring + the blur ring and my openhand monk is absurdly powerful, hard to hit, and functionally immortal. Prior to that, I really rate the Reverberation setup for a monk.

This build is nuts. Very nice, to make even slightly stronger, do this same build, but with the vampire Ascended Asterion. So you get the extra on hit necrotic damage per hit. It equates to like another 40-50 damage per few actions. If you get another party member to use Haste on Astarion at the fight start. And pop the big Hill giant strength pot (there is actually one pot which gives 27 strength, it's not as readily available as the 21 str one, but it's insane op). You can do over 1000 damage in one turn. It's absolutely gross. Not to mention the monk is doing mostly elemental damage so it just hits through everything without any damage mitigation from armored targets etc

Definitely recommend Alternate Monk mod, there are about 10 new subclasses which are really cool

Thank for the video! Is this template good for a solo run? The monk is powerful, but I'am think abot the places where the ennemies are far and difficult to access.

awesome guide, no fucking around just straight to the point.

I believe you get sneak attack to proc on advantage, meaning if the enemy is toppled, you get the bonus sneak attack damage. Its not useless!

@Arumia13

6 ай бұрын

And you can use it as a reaction no? Meaning you should be able to use it with flurry of blows or whatever that attack is called

Heads up about stealing the idol of Slvanus, you can do a questline south of auntie Ethel’s house to find out Kaga is in leave with shadow druids if you confront her you will have a little fight then you can steal the idol without the grove blowing up.

is DEX for monk only for armor/initiative? or is it also for damage? i think unarmed damages dont scale on dex?

Throwing weapons count as unarmed for the tavern brawler fyi. Contents of chests don't ever get damaged when you break them, that is a baldurs gate 2 mechanic that came as a myth into bg3 (/this has been tested with 100 trapped chests)

While in the Grove, Ethel also has Hill Giant elixirs. If I remember right, she has about 3 per long rest available. I just made sure to stop and grab them as I went. If you don't plan to use Gale, consider making him Transmutation. You can craft double potions if you pass a check. I also went for more of a Captain America build, going fighter for Heavy Armor and Shield proficiency. I don't think my build is fully min/max'd, but my armor/cape do damage if people hit me 1d4 fire/acid respectively. Not that I plan to get hit much, but I really like the fook of this armor so I kept it, just got to beginning of Act 3 too. *This allowed me to give a lot of the gear Pally references to Karlach who I have in my party, which is why I went with some difference choices.

@TheStjimmy34

6 ай бұрын

She also has a GREAT staff for Monks for sale.

Yeah theres a way to equip a weapon offhand and there a staff in the Grove that increases unarmed attacks which can be used as a stat stick

You can actually buy 3 giant potion at a time from the old lady vendor in druids Grove instead of 1 at a time 😊

A tip for restocking merchants, they restock every time you lvl so if you respec with withers and only lvl one at a time you get a bunch of restocks for the price of 100gold that way you dont progress time

@mathdroid

6 ай бұрын

and stealing from withers will never aggro him, so basically free

So, 3 lvls of rog for 2 skill expertise and a bonus action is better than the last 3 monk lvls?

Finally a guide that isnt complete garbage. Thanks, really useful

What is the best party composition for the monk? Here in your video I see laezel and the mage gale

Really powerfull !

I kind of run the same, but my gear is this. 3 rogue thief subclass, 3fighter champion subclass, 6 monk open hand subclass. any race will do. Prioritize dex and wisdom. farm for hillgiant strength and also get the tavern brawler feat. level up monk first until level 6 then subclass to the desired class you want to prioritize. Covert Cowl - While obscured, the number you need to roll a Critical Hit while attacking is reduced by 1. This effect can stack. Cloak of Cunning Brume - When the wearer Disengages, they also create a foggy cloud with 2 m / 7 ft radius that lasts for 1 turn. Craterflesh gloves - 1d6 force damage on critical hit Boots of unhibited kushigo - wearer deals additional damage equal to their Wisdom Modifier with unarmed strikes. Surgeon's subjugation amulet - chance to paralyze on critical 1 ring of your choice + Eversight ring helps to make you immune to being blinded. They are only for utility. Find these equipment and how to get them using the bg3 wiki. This monk can deal a lot of damage and this does crits easily lol Steel watchers in honor mode are his punching bags

Great vid! While I do like the unarmed combat style I don't think I'll be doing monk for my first playthrough. I am curious though as mentioned on the even # stat allocations, how does that affect Str being 21 with the elixir? I haven't bought the game yet but am still interested in this.

@ghanoushba5366

6 ай бұрын

The +21 str doesn't mean anything bad, just that it isn't giving any more benefit than +20 str would

Accidentally did a lotta this with a Dragonborn dude in my playthrpugh, he's not done cooking tho cause he's based on Godzilla, so next I gotta get a way of the storm warlock addition to his abilities.

There is many ways to reset the vendors items to get the potions… if you respec any characther, EACH level up for any char resets it… so 4 char in lvl for respec are at least 16 potions on only that vendor… well, all of them reset at every single lvl up… is like 20-30 min set up, but least till act 3 when we the better one…

For the graceful cloth you can just kill her and loot it if she doesn’t have anything else you want. Or buy the gloves then take her out if you want them

My monk currently has the club of hill giant strength in his offhand to add to the strength modifier from tavern brawler; unless I’m totally misunderstanding that mechanic which I could be! Was curious if that’s a viable option and if it’s adding any positive effects to my monk ?

Getting hill giant potions can be done much earlier at Auntie ethel in druid camp where she holds 3. recruit a gith hireling and respec them. each level you will be able to buy (or steal) 3 pots of hillgiant strength. note if you go into the swamp you can no longer use this.

@keoniyadao5441

6 ай бұрын

If you don’t immediately turn her down/fight her at the swamp, she’ll still have them available. She was the last boss I fought in act 1 and, without cheesing the day cycle, went into act 2 with about 30 elixirs. Still had about 10 by act 3 but then I started using cloud giant elixirs.

After Act 2 do you still need to constantly use the giant elixirs because I really don’t want to constantly waste my gold during my honor mode play through.

Just a godly monk walking around 😂

Build is great but I’d say one thing to make it better is starting as the evil guy to get the cloak which makes you invisible after every kill

Would going 4 levels in rogue for the extra feat be helpful?

Dont forget, first kevel of rouge gives you expertise which is hard to get otherwise!!

You can cast fog over the idol area so nobody can see you and steal it then go directly to camp. Once you cast travel back nobody suspects you. Easier but your way looks way more fun 😂

lol I thought he was gonna use an invis potion and steal the idol put hitmaning them got a good laugh

Str based Monk is OP in game really early. Once you hit Lv4 and get the Feat you 1 shot most enemies.

Btw the best fan for get hill giant elixir is auntie Ethel in the refugee camp. She sells 3 at a time every long rest(partial rest possible)

@Michael-id9bw

4 ай бұрын

I've been pickpocketing them off auntie Ethel in the swamp house. Pick them then go to camp right away and reset the day and she has 3 more to pick.

I just switched from cleric to monk and i’ve been so pleased. This adds some extra juice to my build though. Gonna reclass and try this out

Sorry what’s is the transparent aura that covers the monk how do you get that I’ve been trying to figure that out for a while

Still on the fence of which way to go. Respec for Dex main at 18 and Wisdom 18 at level 8. Bracers of defense, robe giving +2 Dex up to 20 with Cat’s Grace and protection cloak +1 AC for 22 AC. Wisdom modifier impacts the magical damage from Open Hand unarmed attack; Necrotic, Psychic or Radiant

What are the other class of your party member bro ? Thanks for your video 😉

A few corrections/tips to improve this already good guide: 1) take monk to 8, then at 9 respec to 3 thief (take these levels first), 6 monk 2) in the creche pick up the diadem of arcane synergy. Your casting stat as a monk (this is why we took monk second above) is Wisdom, so this will let you add your wisdom to damage any time you inflict a condition (your flurry of blows always inflicts a condition, so you should have this up all the time). By the end of act 1 you should have +4 from wis, and by end game +6 with mirror of loss. Entering act 3 you get another set of boots (boots of uninhibited kushigo) to add wisdom AGAIN, so + 12 damage at end game 3) as someone else posted, Auntie Ethel in the grove sells 3 potions of giant strength per rest and a monk specific staff, so you can equip up much earlier. She'll disappear when you go to swamp side of map, so farm it right away

@johnmccorkle1694

6 ай бұрын

Inventory resets also happen at each level up, so If you level up each team member individually (just exit after the first one) and then have the leveled up member speak to Auntie Ethel you will get additional inventory resets, as to build your potion counts faster, or to say get 2 hand crossbows from Dammon quicker.

@garyco766

6 ай бұрын

@jamesdeer3129 Respec means to change the specifications of your character. In act 1, if you find Withers he'll join your camp and allow you to "change your class" for 100 gold. This allows you to completely rebuild your character from scratch except for you race, background, and any permanent buffs you've acquired. My way is more efficient because the first 2 levels of rogue do almost nothing for you, whereas 7 monk gets you evasion and 8 gets you a feat. When you reach 9 you can be 3 rogue/thief, getting you the extra bonus action for flurry of blows, and 6 monk, getting you all the essential monk abilities. The last 3 levels are preference: 9 monk gets you a feat and the explosive flsts thing (I found it of limited use), 8 monk/4 rogue gets you 2 feats, 6 monk/4 rogue/2 fighter gets you a feat, a fighting style, and action surge, but you lose evasion. How many monk levels you have also determine your ki points, which is a factor, but any of those splits will be great.

@garyco766

6 ай бұрын

@@johnmccorkle1694 Yes, I'll respec characters just to farm the best vendors when there is something I need.

@LordAsturgis

6 ай бұрын

Hey. For Tactician, what do you think of 6 Monk, 3 Thief and 3 Champion for the extra Crit? I really don't know what's the safest bet between this and a 1 Paladin and 11 Fighter for Tactician (a 100% physical resist build using Heavy Armor Master and Skinburster) , seeing as I'm afraid it's gonna be too hard and frustrating for me @@garyco766

@Stargetsu

5 ай бұрын

Did you actually test if getting Diadem will let you do more damage than a different helmet build? Like an actual damage comparison? You are the only person that has mentioned this in any monk build. Also what are you giving up by not taking Monk levels first? DId you test this in Honor mode as that mode stops things from stacking like that?

The electric gloves are so good for early game

W build, but what feat would you recommend for the 8th level in monk?

Just a quick note, you can level to monk 9 and then respec to monk 6 + rogue 3

@Ptzou

6 ай бұрын

@jamesdeer3129 rogue skills at 1-2 are not that impressive, you basically do all 3 levels to get fast hand at rouge lv3. If you don’t care for it, just stay with monk and respec after lv9. Not more efficient, but personal preference

A better way to get unlimited hill giant potions is to used the gold glitch with vendors, and then hire a whole team of new hirelings. And each level them up one level at a time because each level resets the shop. So you could theoretically get whatever level you are times 3 hill giant potions per person

I have been unable to use my action attack after toppling an enemy with my bonus action. Is this patched?

Just curious how this would work if you used a durgar dwarf for the free enlarge?

How about rogue 4, Monk 6, War Cleric 2?? That also adds an attack right?

isn't better to get 20 strength so that you can use other elixirs like fire resistance, poison resistance against certain bosses. Or am i missing something here?