Way of the Four Elements Subclass Guide and Builds

The Way of the Four Elements is a Monk subclass in Baldur's Gate 3 (BG3). Check out our guide for how to unlock the Way of the Four Elements subclass, its features, as well as the best builds.

Monk Subclasses Monk Class Guide
Way of the Four Elements	Way of the Open Hand	Way of Shadow

Way of the Four Elements Subclass Overview

Way of the Four Elements Basic Information

Subclass Overview
	Way of the Four Elements You focus your ki to bend the elements to your will, using them as an extension of your own body.
Parent Class	Monk
How to Unlock	Reach Level 3
Spellcasting Ability	Wisdom
Starting Subclass Features
・3 Monk Spells ・Gain Harmony of Fire and Water Class Action

Way of the Four Elements is a subclass that can turn the Monk from a pure martial class to a hybrid fighter that's capable of being lethal both on long ranges and melee! Way of the Four Elements is highly recommended if you want a more versatile Monk character.

How to Unlock the Way of the Four Elements Subclass

Available after Reaching Level 3

Way of the Four Elements is one of the Subclasses that the Monk gains after reaching Level 3. Reaching Level 3 may take a couple of time so focusing on doing quests, defeating hostiles, and exploring the map is highly recommended.

Way of the Four Elements Subclass Features

Way of the Four Elements Features
Gain Monk Spells	Harmony of Fire and Water	ー
▼ Level Progression and Features Chart ▼

Gain Monk Spells

The Monk gains access to spell casting. This turns the Monk who is a pure Martial Class into a hybrid class. This also grants the Monk more versatility but the ultimate kicker here is that the spells all rely on the consumption of Ki Points instead of spell slots. This means that the Monk's melee martial skills and the spells that the monk can cast all share the same ki usage pool.

Not all Monk Spells are equal, some Monk Spells deal more damage and more lethal effects than others. However, these spells will also consume more ki point number! The Monk for example, may have 4 Ki points which means the Monk may be able to use Flurry of Blow 4 times! However, if the Monk uses a spell that consumes 2 Ki points, this means that you are potentially left with only 2 Flurry of Blows left or another cast of the same spell. This makes planning out your Ki usage more vital than the rest of the Monk Subclasses due to the shared Ki usage.

Level 3 Unlockable Spells

Spell	Damage	Effect
Blade of Rime	1d10 (Piercing) +2d6(Cold)	Throw a shard of ice that deals Piercing damage and Cold damage. It explodes and deals Cold damage to anyone nearby. It leaves an ice surface.This spell can be cast while you are Silenced.
Chill of the Mountain	1d10 (Cold)	Call forth the cold mountain winds and reduce the target’s movement speed by 3m.
Fangs of the Fire Snake	1d6 (Bludgeoning) + 1d10(Fire)	Hit your foe from afar. Your next melee attacks deal an additional 1-4 Fire damage.
Fist of Four Thunders	2d8 (Thunder)	Release a wave of thunderous force that pushes away all creatures and objects.
Fist of Unbroken Air	3d10 (Bludgeoning)	Push the target back 6m and knock it Prone
Rush of the Gale Spirits	N/A	Summon a strong wind that clears all clouds and pushes creatures back 5m, forcing them Off Balance.
Shaping of the Ice	N/A	Create a climbable ice cube.
Sphere of Elemental Balance	3d8 (Thunder)	Hurl a sphere that deals Thunder damage and possibly creates a surface on impact.
Sweeping Cinder Strike	3d6 (Fire)	Expel fire from your outstretched hands and ignite anything flammable.
Touch of the Storm	1d10 (Thunder)	The target cannot use reactions. This spell has Advantage on creature with metal armor.
Water Whip	3d10 (Water)	Possibly pulls the target towards you or knocks it Prone.

Level 6 Unlockable Spells

Spell	Damage	Effect
Clench of the North Wind	N/A	Hold a humanoid enemy still. They can't move, act, or react. Attacks from within 3m are always Critical Hits.
Embrace of the Inferno	2d6 (Fire)	Expel the fire burning through your veins as 3 flaming rays. Each ray deals damage.
Gong of the Summit	3d8	Damages all nearby creatures and objects. Creatures made of inorganic material such as stone have Disadvantage on their Saving Throw. On Save: Targets still take half damage.

Harmony of Fire and Water

What Arcane Recovery is to Wizards. Harmony of Fire and Water allows the Monk to regain spent Ki Points. However, this can only be used out of combat! Be wary of spending your Ki Points as you'll only be able to recover it further once the battle finishes.

This means that aside from the Monk's Short Rest, you have a third chance to replenish your Ki Points before resorting to a Long Rest which consumes Supplies. This is super valuable since you can even just ignore your Monk Spells and just go pure Melee and just use Harmony of Fire and Water to replenish your martial arts or you can engage three difficult fights and unleash all your lethal skills without hesitation!

This is an ongoing list, we will further update these sections once we gain access to higher level subclasses in the game!

Way of The Four Elements Subclass Progression

Lvl	Features Unlocked
3	・Gain 3 Spell slots ・Harmony of Water and Fire Class Action
6	・Learn 1 Additional Spell

Best Way of the Four Elements Builds

Way of the Four Elements Build Overview

	Recommended Equipment
Helm	Fistbreaker Helm
Armor	The Graceful Cloth
Gloves	Gloves of the Duelist
Boots	Boots of Uninhibited Kushigo
	Recommended Weapons
Melee	-
Ranged	Corellon's Grace
	Recommended Accessories
Amulet	Spell Savant Amulet
Ring 1	Eversight Ring
Ring 2	Ring of Elemental Infusion

Note: This build is subject to change as we're currently testing and searching for better gear in the game!

The items on this build are all scattered throughout all three acts. If you don't have them yet, it's best to buy a +1 equipment of the same type from a merchant until you get them.

Helm

Fistbreaker Helm

Item	Type	Effect
Fistbreaker Helm	Helmet	High Spellcasting: You gain a +1 bonus to Spell Save DC. Seldom Caught Unawares: You gain a +1 bonus to Initiative Rolls.

It is recommended to equip the Fistbreaker Helm for Four Elements Monks in order to get the High Spellcasting ability, which gives you a +1 bonus to Spell Save DC, as well as +1 bonus to Initiative Rolls care of Seldom Caught Unawares.

How to Get Fistbreaker Helm

Armor

The Graceful Cloth

Item	Type	Effect
The Graceful Cloth	Chest Armor	Cat's Grace: You gain Cat's Grace and increase your Dexterity score by 2, to a maximum 20. Nimble As a Cat: You gain a +1 bonus to Dexterity Saving Throws and also increase your Jump distance by 1.5m.

The Graceful Cloth is recommended for Way of the Four Elements Monk as it gives the player an increase to their Dexterity score by 2, alongside Cat's Grace, as well as Nimble as a Cat, which adds a +1 bonus to Dexterity Saving Throws and increases the player's Jump distance by 1.5m.

How to Get The Graceful Cloth

Gloves

Gloves of the Duelist

Equipping the Gloves of the Duelist, having nothing in your free hand gives the player a +2 bonus to melee weapon Attack Rolls. Consider equipping these Gloves if you plan only plan on equipping a weapon to the main hand of your Four Elements Monk for increased damage.

Boots

Boots of Uninhibited Kushigo

Item	Type	Effect
Boots of Uninhibited Kushigo	Boots	Experienced and Deadly: The wearer deals additional damage equal to their Wisdom Modifier with unarmed attacks.

Consider equipping the Boots of Uninhibited Kushigo in order to obtain the ability, Experienced and Deadly, where the wearer deals additional damage equal to their Wisdom Modifier with unarmed attacks.

How to Get Boots of Uninhibited Kushigo

Ranged Weapons

Corellon's Grace

Item	Type	Effect
Corellon's Grace	Quarterstaff	Natural Pugilist: You gain a +1 bonus to Unarmed Attack Rolls. Unhampered Resistance: While the wielder is not wearing armour, they receive a +2 bonus to Saving Throws.

Being an Four Elements Monk, consider equipping Corellon's Grace to receive the ability, Natural Pugilist, which gives the player a +1 bonus to Unarmed Attack Rolls.

How to Get Corellon's Grace

Accessories

Spell Savant Amulet

Item	Type	Effect
Spell Savant Amulet	Amulet	Spell Amplification: You gain an additional Level 2 Spell slot.

Given that the Way of the Four Elements are spellcasting Monks, consider equipping the Spell Savant Amulet to gain an additional Level 2 Spell slot to your ability arsenal.

How to Get Spell Savant Amulet

Eversight Ring

Item	Type	Effect
Eversight Ring	Ring	Blind Immunity: The wearer cannot be blinded.

To get rid of status effects that would get in the way of the Way of the Four Elements Monk's accuracy, it is recommended to equip the Eversight Ring to obtain Blind Immunity from enemy attacks.

How to Get Eversight Ring

Ring of Elemental Infusion

Item	Type	Effect
Ring of Elemental Infusion	Ring	Elemental Infusion: When you deal Acid, Cold, Fire, Lightning, or Thunder damage using a spell or cantrip, that element infuses weapon. Until the end of your next turn, you deal an additional 1d4 damage of that element on your first successful weapon attack.

Following this build, on top of the 3 initial spell slots that the Way of the Four Elements Monk unlocks, consider equipping the Ring of Elemental Infusion in order to deal increased damage for weapon attacks.

That way, Unarmed Strikes have a damage increase thanks to the Monk's abilities, and armed attacks will have increased damage as well.

How to Get Ring of Elemental Infusion

Best Races to Use as a Way of the Four Elements

High Elf

High Elf have the same race features as the Wood Elf. The only difference is that you won't get the speed bonus, but you can get a Cantrip of your choice. The best Cantrips you can choose for Wild Magic Sorcerers are Mage Hand, Minor Illusion, True Strike, or Blade Ward.

• Mage Hand can be used to move objects and investigate unknown areas. It's also invisible when you summon it, so it won't be hard to sneak past strict areas.
• Minor Illusion can help distract enemies inside or outside of combat.
• True Strike increases your chances of hitting your enemies. It's best used before combat so you can use the effect on the same turn.
• Blade Ward is a defensive spell that reduces melee damage taken (Bludgeoning, Piercing, Slashing) by 50%.

High Elf Subrace Guide and Best Classes

Wood Half-Elf

Wood Half-Elf is a recommended race for Way of the Four Elements Monk as its race features allow players to be more versatile with weapon proficiencies, all while keeping their agility in combat, from movement speed to field visibility, making the player's Four Elements Monk more versatile offensively, among other things.

• Civil Militia provides Proficiency with spears, pikes, halberds, and glaives, and Armour Proficiency with Light Armor and Shields.
• Darkvision allows you to see in the dark up to 12m.
• Fleet of Foot increases movement speed by 1.5m.

Wood Half-Elf Subrace Guide and Best Classes

Best Ability Score for Way of the Four Elements

Ability Score Overview

STR	DEX	CON	INT	WIS	CHA
10	17 (+2)	14	8	16 (+1)	8

Dexterity and Wisdom are the primary abilities for Way of the Four Elements Monks. Maxing the two out will get you the highest possible damage you can inflict in battle.

After Dexterity and Wisdom, consider allotting points to Constitution next to have better control over damage received from foes.

You can slightly increase Intelligence and Charisma to help you with their respective skill checks.

Strength can be your dump stat as you primarily won't be fighting enemies head on.

Best Way of the Four Elements Feats

Athlete

Having the Athlete feat allows for the character's Strength or Dexterity to increase by 1 (ideal using it on Dexterity for this class), to a maximum of 20. When you are Prone, standing up uses significantly less movement. Also, Jump distance increases by 50%.

Having this feat for the Way of the Four Elements Monk allows for better agility and character placement in combat.

Athlete Feat Guide and Effects

Two Ability Improvement Feats

One can't go wrong with selecting Ability Improvements as a feat for a character. In the case of the Four Element Monk, consider allotting points to Dexterity or Wisdom for increased damage and better rolls for their respective skill checks.

Ability Improvements Feat Guide and Effects

Baldur's Gate 3 Related Guides

Monk Class Guide

All Monk Subclasses

All Monk Subclasses
Way of the Four Elements	Way of the Open Hand	Way of Shadow