This guide is part of the D&D 2024 Feat Guides hub, ranking feat picks for the Monk.
Monk feat priorities center on two weaknesses the class has to manage itself: a poor Wisdom save until Diamond Soul arrives at level 14, and a turn structure built entirely around unarmed strikes rather than weapons. The 2024 feat system splits options across four categories (Origin, chosen through your background, General, Fighting Style, and Epic Boon), and a Monk should spend most of its feat slots patching those two gaps rather than reaching for weapon-focused picks.
This guide ranks Monk feat options, flags the ones that do not fit the class, and lays out a level-by-level progression.
Monk Feat Priorities
- Alert from your background: Criminal or Guard grants it at level 1, and it lets Stunning Strike land before enemies act.
- Resilient (Wisdom): patches a Monk's biggest save weakness before Disciplined Survivor comes online at level 14.
- Speedy for mobility: the extra Speed and safer movement through threatened squares support the hit-and-run playstyle a Monk is built around.
- Crusher for a control-focused build: unarmed strikes are bludgeoning by default, and Crusher's push effect rewards that.
- Treat Polearm Master as a weapon-build choice: a quarterstaff or spear qualifies, but its Bonus Action attack competes with the Monk's own options.
Hot Take: A Monk's best feat is often the one that leaves its Bonus Action alone. The class already spends that action on Martial Arts and Focus Point features, so a weapon feat needs a clear payoff before it earns the slot.
Top Feats for Monk
● Alert (Origin Feat)
Granted by the Criminal or Guard background. Adds your Proficiency Bonus to Initiative and lets you swap your Initiative with a willing ally. Acting early helps a Monk position, protect allies, or use Stunning Strike before an enemy acts, but the feat comes from your background, not an ASI level. See the Origin Feats guide for the full background-to-feat table.
● Resilient (Wisdom)
Adds +1 to an ability score lacking save proficiency and grants proficiency in that save. Pick Wisdom. Monks have no innate Wisdom save proficiency until Disciplined Survivor at level 14, which makes them vulnerable to crowd-control effects that a mobile front-line character cannot afford to eat. Full breakdown in the General Feats guide.
● Speedy
+10 Speed, Dash costs no extra movement to cross difficult terrain, and Opportunity Attacks against you have Disadvantage. No bonus-action Dash trigger in 2024: the value is the flat Speed increase plus the reduced risk of moving through a crowd. A Monk already runs high base speed, and this adds defensive mobility without spending Focus Points.
● Crusher
+1 Strength or Constitution, push a creature 5 feet on a Bludgeoning hit, and a critical hit against a creature grants Advantage on attack rolls against that creature until the start of your next turn, for anyone, not just nearby allies, including your own follow-up attacks. Unarmed strikes deal Bludgeoning damage by default, so Crusher fits a Monk's attack type.
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Start Building● Healer (Origin Feat)
Granted by the Hermit background. Adds Battle Medic (spend a Healer's Kit use to let a nearby ally spend a Hit Die and add your Proficiency Bonus to the healing) and Healing Rerolls, a solid flavor fit for the monastery-isolation background story many Monk builds lean into.
● Skulker
Blindsight out to 10 feet, Advantage on a Stealth check made as part of the Hide action, and missing with a ranged attack while hidden does not reveal your position. A strong fit specifically for a Warrior of Shadow Monk leaning into stealth-based openings.
● Boon of Irresistible Offense (Epic Boon, level 19)
The Monk class recommends this Epic Boon. It increases Strength or Dexterity, lets your Bludgeoning, Piercing, and Slashing damage ignore resistance, and adds a major damage spike on a natural 20. It supports the Monk's repeated unarmed strikes without adding another Bonus Action demand. Full detail in the Epic Boons guide.
Feats to Avoid
Great Weapon Master / Sharpshooter: A normal Monk weapon plan does not use Heavy weapons or ranged weapon attacks. Polearm Master is different: a quarterstaff or spear qualifies, but take it only when you are deliberately building around that weapon and its Bonus Action tradeoff.
Heavy Armor Master / Heavily Armored: Monks rely on Unarmored Defense, which usually outperforms armor at the Dexterity/Wisdom range most Monk builds run. These feats add nothing you would use.
War Caster: A base Monk has no spells to concentrate on. It becomes relevant only when multiclassing adds concentration spells.
Example Feat Progression
Character creation: Choose a background for its Origin Feat. Criminal or Guard (Alert) is the strongest mechanical fit; Hermit (Healer) fits the monastery flavor.
Level 4: Resilient (Wisdom). Patching the save weakness matters before you are taking regular hits from spellcasters.
Level 8: Speedy, for reliable hit-and-run mobility on top of your class speed bonus.
Level 12: Crusher, if you want more out of your unarmed strikes, or a second defensive feat if your table runs heavy control-caster enemies.
Level 19: Boon of Irresistible Offense. It is the Monk class's recommended Epic Boon and improves repeated physical-damage attacks.
FAQ
What is the best feat for a Monk in D&D 2024? Choose Alert for initiative, Resilient (Wisdom) for save coverage, Speedy for movement, or Crusher for unarmed-strike control.
Is Mobile still a feat? No, Speedy is its closest 2024 replacement.
Is Alert good for a Monk? Yes, one of the best Origin Feat fits in the game for the class, but it comes from the Criminal or Guard background, not an ASI level.
Best background for a Monk? Criminal or Guard for Alert; Hermit for Healer and monastery flavor.
Does a Monk need War Caster? No, not in a single-class build.
For the full class breakdown, see the D&D 2024 Monk Guide.
