Baldur’s Gate 3offers unparalleled freedom in how you create and customize your character builds. Beyond the standardcharacter classesandadvanced multiclassing strategies, the game also allowsplayers to come up with unorthodox methods to make their builds efficient.

One such strategy is equipping powerful weapons in the off-hand while leaving the main hand empty. Monks can especiallyuse this strategy to enhance their builds while still continuing to deal massive amounts of unarmed damage. Here’s how you’re able to use a weapon off-hand while leaving your main arm unequipped.

Karlach preparing to attack in Baldur’s Gate 3

Steps To Equip Weapons In Off-Hand In Baldur’s Gate 3

Why Should Monks Utilize Off-Hand Weapons In Baldur’s Gate 3?

Since monks typically rely on unarmed attacks to deal damage,they tend to lose out on the passive buffs that many weapons offer inBaldur’s Gate 3. However, the above-mentioned strategy provides monks with additional options to diversify and enhance their builds.

Leveraging passive abilities from off-hand weapons allows monks to allocate ability points more strategically. For instance, monks can spread out ability points in wisdom, constitution, and dexterity while leaving strength at the base score of 8. They can then use items like the Club of Hill Giant Strength to set their Strength to 19,enjoying a respectable +4 bonus to strength checks. This strategy also eliminates your dependency on two of the most powerful and rare elixirs for monks:Elixir of Hill Giant StrengthandElixir of Cloud Giant Strength.

Baldur’s Gate 3 Tag Page Cover Art

Tavern Brawler Monksand strength-based throwers can optimize their builds by equipping powerful off-hand weapons to boost strength-based attacks. Meanwhile, investing in Dexterity enhances Armor Class and initiative, ensuring both offense and defense remain strong.

In essence, off-handing certain weaponsprovides you with valuable opportunities to optimize your builds. Whether you’re seeking extra utility, better ability score distribution, or a way to maximize overall build efficiency, this technique can be a game-changer.