Larian Studios Forums Baldur's Gate III Baldur's Gate III - Suggestions & Feedback Patch 8: Please make a few changes to Drunken Master Monk

Hello,

Let's talk about the Drunken Master! It has amazing visuals, but (sadly) is the only new subclass that falls short in terms of combat design. You would think that the subclass revolves around the "Drunk" status effect and equipment like "Drunken Cloth" or "Punch-Drunk Bastard", but unfortunately being drunk or getting enemies drunk has no real benefits.

Problem 1 - Items that interact with the "Drunk" status effect:

If you play with items like the "Drunken Cloth" or "Amulet of the Drunkard" you want to be drunk all the time. However, this will waste the ki regeneration of your lvl3 passive "Cheeky Tipple". Additionally, the "Punch-Drunk Bastard doesn't qualify to become a monk weapon, forcing you to play a STR-based monk.

Problem 2 - Generally, the "Drunk" status effect does nothing:

Getting enemies drunk with the Drunken Master's signature ability "Intoxicating Strike" doesn't really do anything interesting, because the "Drunk" status effect doesn't affect their saving throws, but only their ability checks. You would also think that the "Life of the Party" passive is the big payoff for getting enemies drunk, but that expectation isn't further from the truth (see Problem 3).

Problem 3 - The "Life of the Party" passive is mostly useless:

"Life of the Party" should be one of the signature passives that defines the Drunken Master. Yet, it is mostly useless, because monks will certainly choose the "Tavern Brawler" feat that makes it virtually impossible to miss attacks. On top of that you lose "Life of the Party" when you attack with "Sobering Realisation", punishing you for playing the subclass correctly instead of rewarding you.

Problem 4 - The "Redirect Attack" passive is a worse "Greater Kushigo Counter" (from item: "West of Soul Rejuvenation"):

The "West of Soul Rejuvenation" is one of the most exciting chase items for monks in Act 3, but basically makes the Drunken Master's "Redirect Attack" redundant. And since there are barely any alternatives to the "West of Sould Rejuvenation" ("Drunken Cloth" being just bad) it further reduces excitement for the subclass.

Unfortunately, these problems make the Drunken Master very unsatisfying to play. Benefitting from being drunk or getting people drunk could have been a unique and fun playstyle. As it stands, however, there is no exciting feedback-loop or reward for using your abilities correctly. It's such a shame, because the visuals of the Drunken Master are some of the best!

I know that BG3 development is coming to an end, but maybe you could revisit the subclass and make a few fixes that bring it on the right track.

Thank you!