One D&D Monk Subclass Tier List
Full Subclass Tier List
The subclass rankings are based solely on other available subclasses within the same base class, not necessarily how they would perform in a game or compared to subclasses from other base classes. For a more holistic view on the power level of each subclass, reference the Full Subclass Tier List above.
*All classes with an asterisk (*) are in the 2024 PHB*
S Tier
None
A Tier
Mercy Monk* – Despite being a bit nerfed from 5e, the Mercy Monk still comes out on top. The versatility of dealing damage or healing allies for a relatively low Focus point investment can not be overstated and makes you much more versatile than you normally would be. Especially with the nerf to Stunning Strike and the removal of needing Focus points for your bonus action things (for the most part anyway), having more good ways to spend Focus is extremely welcome.
Shadow Monk* – While I would argue that the Shadow Monk doesn’t particularly excel in any given arena, all of their abilities are just quite good – plain and simple.
B Tier
Elements Monk* – Elemental Attunement is an excellent ability and is arguably one of the best Monk abilities in the entirety of D&D, so it’s definitely nice that you get it first. However, you don’t get an improvement to it until level 11 which is kind of brutal as your level 6 ability definitely leaves a bit to be desired. Still attacking from a distance and being able to turn it into elemental damage is really strong.
C Tier
Open Hand Monk* – Likely the highest DPR out of all the Monks, Open Hand Monk asks you to use Flurry of Blows functionally every turn in order to get the most out of the class. That said, the Open Hand technique is just fine, nothing particularly special, and your other abilities don’t really make up for it. No ability here is bad, but most of them aren’t that exciting either.
D Tier
Kensei Monk – Getting access to better weapons than normal is definitely an underrated feature, but that is unfortunately the only real upside to this subclass. If Sharpen the Blade worked on any weapon, I could see this class being high C or low B tier, but as is, your abilities just don’t stack up well to the other options.
Astral Self Monk – The flavor here is super cool, the function is just rough. The Focus point investments to activate the abilities just aren’t worth it most of the time until you hit level 11 to finally get a damage boost (and technically Deflect Energy although you get that feature two levels later). Not getting your first decent ability until level 11 is quite brutal.
Drunken Master Monk – If you are a Jackie Chan fan, then you can really appreciate the flavor here and Drunken Technique is solid, but that’s about it. The abilities are unfortunately just not very strong overall and while this isn’t F tier, it’s definitely teetering a bit.
F Tier
Sun Soul Monk – The Sword Coast Adventurer’s Guide claims another victim as this subclass is just pretty horrendous. All of the abilities are incredibly weak, which is a shame as this could’ve been a really cool subclass.
