You’ve spent dozens of hours trekking through the Shadow-Cursed Lands and navigating the political filth of the Lower City, but your Monk still feels just a little bit... squishy. Or maybe they’re hitting hard, but not "delete a boss in one turn" hard. That changes the second you get your hands on the Gloves of Soul Catching. Honestly, these things are broken. They aren't just a stat stick; they are the definitive end-game reward for anyone running a Way of the Open Hand Monk, and frankly, they make almost every other glove in the game look like gardening mitts.
Getting them is a nightmare. You have to kill a devil in his own home. Hope you’re ready for the House of Hope.
What Makes the Gloves of Soul Catching So Ridiculous?
Most gear in Baldur’s Gate 3 gives you a +1 to hit or maybe a d4 of elemental damage if you're lucky. These gloves? They add a flat 1d10 Force damage to every single unarmed strike. Think about that for a second. A Monk at Level 12 is punching four, five, maybe six times a round if you’ve built into Thief for the extra bonus action. That is an extra 10 to 60 damage per turn just from the gloves.
Force damage is the best damage type in the game. Almost nothing resists it.
But it’s not just the damage that makes the Gloves of Soul Catching a Tier 0 item. It’s the Soul Fist property. Once per turn, when you hit someone with an unarmed attack, you regain 10 hit points. In a game where action economy is king, getting a free "healing word" worth of health every single round without spending a spell slot is massive. It keeps your Monk in the fray long after they should have been downed.
If you don't need the healing? You can choose to gain Advantage on Attack Rolls and Saving Throws until the end of your next turn instead.
This creates a self-sustaining loop of destruction. You punch, you get advantage, which ensures your next flurry of blows hits, which triggers more damage, which keeps your health topped off. It feels like cheating. It really does.
The Constitution Boost Nobody Mentions
We need to talk about the +2 Constitution. It’s a literal stat bump that can go up to 20. If you were sitting at 18 Con, you’re now at 20. That’s more HP and better concentration saves (though as a Monk, you aren't concentrating on much besides maybe Haste from a scroll or item). It’s a rare instance of an item breaking the standard 20-cap barrier if you've used the Mirror of Loss or other buffs correctly.
✨ Don't miss: Your Network Setting are Blocking Party Chat: How to Actually Fix It
How to Actually Get Them Without Dying
You can’t just buy these. No merchant in the High Hall is carrying these in their back pocket. To get the Gloves of Soul Catching, you have to complete the "Save Hope" questline within the House of Hope. This means breaking into Raphael’s domain, stealing his stuff, and then—this is the hard part—actually getting Hope out alive.
Raphael is widely considered one of the toughest fights in the game. 666 HP. Pillars that buff him. A literal Disney-villain musical number playing while he tries to incinerate you.
To secure the gloves, Hope must survive the final encounter. If she dies during the fight against Raphael, you get nothing. Well, you get the satisfaction of killing a devil, but you don't get the gear.
- Tip: Keep Hope in the back. Use her Divine Intervention immediately if things look grim, or save it for the "Opulent Revival" to give your party a full long rest mid-combat.
- Warding Bond: Casting Warding Bond on Hope before the fight starts can help, but be careful, as the caster will take half her damage and Raphael hits like a freight train.
- Banishment: You can actually Banish Hope’s sister or other threats to keep the area clear, but focus everything on the pillars first.
Once Raphael is a pile of ash and the dust settles, Hope will thank you. If she’s still breathing, she hands over the Gloves of Soul Catching. It's the only way. There is no "evil" shortcut here; you have to be the hero for this specific piece of loot.
The "Best in Slot" Argument
Is there anything better? Some people point toward the Helldusk Gloves. Those are great, sure. They give you a 1d6 of fire damage and a +1 to spell attack rolls. They are versatile. But for a Monk? They aren't even in the same league.
The Helldusk Gloves are "all-arounders." The Gloves of Soul Catching are a specialized scalpel designed to turn a Monk into a god.
You also have the Gauntlets of Hill Giant Strength. Those set your Strength to 23. If you didn't use the Tavern Brawler feat with Strength potions, those gauntlets are tempting. However, the smart play is usually to chug an Elixir of Cloud Giant Strength and wear the Soul Catching gloves. That way, you get the 27 Strength from the potion and the d10 Force damage from the gloves.
🔗 Read more: Wordle August 19th: Why This Puzzle Still Trips People Up
It’s the difference between a character that is "good" and a character that can solo the final boss on Honour Mode.
Synergies You Should Be Using
If you’re wearing these, you should almost certainly have the Tavern Brawler feat. It is arguably the most overpowered feat in Baldur’s Gate 3. It adds your Strength modifier twice to your damage and attack rolls.
Pairing Tavern Brawler with the Gloves of Soul Catching creates a mathematical monster.
- The Boots of Uninhibited Kushigo: These add your Wisdom modifier to your unarmed strikes.
- Manifestation of Soul/Body/Mind: This is your Level 6 Monk feature. It adds more psychic, necrotic, or radiant damage.
- The Gloves: Finally, add that 1d10 Force damage.
By the time you reach the end of Act 3, a single punch can easily deal 30-40 damage. When you use Flurry of Blows, you're looking at nearly 100 damage in a single bonus action. It’s disgusting. It’s beautiful.
A Common Misconception: Do They Work for Wild Shape?
This is a point of contention in the community. As of the current patches, the Gloves of Soul Catching do not fully benefit a Druid in Wild Shape. While some "unarmed" bonuses used to carry over, the specific properties of these gloves—specifically the Force damage and the HP regain—are notoriously inconsistent for Druids. If you are playing a Moon Druid, stick to the Armor of the Sporekeeper or other shapeshift-specific gear. These gloves are for the punch-boys.
The Ethical Trade-off
The House of Hope is a point of no return for many players. You’re essentially spitting in the face of one of the most powerful beings in the Hells. But from a gameplay perspective, the risk is 100% worth it.
Most people struggle with the Raphael fight because they try to out-damage him right away. Don’t do that. Use the Globe of Invulnerability. It’s a Level 6 Abjuration spell. If you have a Wizard or Sorcerer, park your Monk and Hope inside that globe. From the safety of the shimmering gold sphere, your Monk can step out, deliver a devastating series of strikes fueled by the Gloves of Soul Catching, and then step back in.
💡 You might also like: Wordle Answers July 29: Why Today’s Word Is Giving Everyone a Headache
Maximizing Your Build for the Final Push
If you really want to see what these gloves can do, you need to multiclass. The standard "Meta" build is 8 levels of Way of the Open Hand Monk and 4 levels of Thief Rogue.
This gives you:
- Two bonus actions (for two Flurry of Blows).
- Three feats (Tavern Brawler, ASI, and maybe Alert).
- Wholeness of Body for an extra bonus action once per long rest.
When you have three bonus actions and your main action, you are attacking many, many times. Each one of those attacks triggers the 1d10 Force damage from the Gloves of Soul Catching.
I’ve seen builds where the Monk does over 300 damage in a single turn without even breaking a sweat. It makes the final battle atop the Netherbrain feel like a foregone conclusion.
Are They Too Late in the Game?
Some players complain that you get these too late. You’re already level 11 or 12. There isn't much game left.
That’s true, but Act 3 is massive. There is the entirety of the Orin and Gortash storylines, the Iron Throne, the Steel Watch Foundry, and countless side quests like the Mystic Carrion. Getting these gloves early in Act 3 (if you're brave enough to head to the House of Hope at level 10) means you get to spend a good 15-20 hours feeling like a literal deity.
Plus, for many, the House of Hope is the "true" final boss. It’s the ultimate test of your build. Winning those gloves is your trophy.
Next Steps for Your Build:
To truly optimize this setup, you need to head to the Devil's Fee in the Lower City and speak to Helsik. You'll need to either pay a hefty sum or persuade her to give you the ritual instructions to open the portal to the House of Hope. Before you go, ensure your party has plenty of Potions of Angelic Slumber and scrolls of Globe of Invulnerability. Once you're inside, your priority is finding the Orphic Hammer and then navigating to the western wing to find Hope. Keep her alive at all costs during the final confrontation with Raphael, or the gloves will be lost for that playthrough. After the fight, equip the gloves and toggle your "Manifestation" passives to ensure you're stacking as many damage types as possible per hit.