A weird fusion of Fighter, Druid, and Rogue, the Ranger brings various skills to the table. It might not be the best social class in Baldur’s Gate 3, but who cares about persuasion when you can plug your target full of arrows? The same jack-of-all-trades quality that makes Rangers fun can also make them hard to build. Fortunately, the trick to creating a great Ranger build is the same with other classes. Concentrate on being brilliant at a few things rather than okay at everything; the result is one of the best Ranger class builds in the game.
The Best Ranger Class Build In Baldur’s Gate 3
Want spellcasting? How about stealth? Maybe a bit of martial prowess on the side? This Ranger build offers all of these without even needing to multi-class. Larian Studios has made it possible to run whatever kind of Ranger the player wants. This build concentrates on the class’s martial potential while complimenting that with sneaking and spellcasting.
Race Choices
Anyone familiar with Dungeons and Dragons or even The Lord of the Rings can probably guess the best Race picks for Ranger. Human is a solid option, but this build goes with Elf Instead. The Wood Elf subrace couldn’t be a better fit for the class. The Fleet of Foot racial trait boosts the player’s base movement speed, making everything the Ranger does a bit easier. Stealth Proficiency also lets the character add their Proficiency Bonus to Stealth Checks. For a class that spends a good bit of its time skulking around, that’s a big deal.
Best Favored Enemy and Natural Explorer Environment
Rangers possess two unique class abilities: Favored Enemy and Natural Explorer. The first gives the player advantages to help them fight certain types of enemies. Thanks to their combat utility, Bounty Hunter and Mage Breaker may be the best picks for this type of build, but it’s hard to go wrong with any of these choices. Likewise, Find Familiar is an excellent choice for Natural Explorer since it gives the player more combat flexibility. For players that don’t care to have yet more companions to worry about, Wasteland Wanderer: Fire is a good defensive alternative.
Background, Skills, and Other Features
Outlander and Folk Hero are ideal backgrounds when creating the best Ranger class build. This build assumes the use of Outlander. The former has the edge since Athletics and Survival are an excellent match for Ranger’s woodland wanderer vibe, but there’s nothing wrong with the latter. With the character’s Background settled, it’s time to think about Attributes. Thankfully, the standard distribution for Attribute points works nicely here:
- Strength: 12
- Dexterity: 17
- Constitution: 13
- Intelligence: 8
- Wisdom: 15
- Charisma: 10
Ranger isn’t an out-right spellcasting build, but the player does have spellcasting options later. The Ranger doesn’t need magic, capable of achieving solid DPS through stealth attacks or even straight-up battles. That said, magic does add versatility that will make life easier, especially if your other casters get downed, and it falls to the Ranger to fill their role.
Build Class Progression
With every passing level, the player will have more difficult choices about building their character. Though the choices made during character creation are the most important for creating the best Ranger class build, those that come later still require attention. The following Feats, class features, and other traits will help develop this Ranger build to its full potential.
- Level 2:
- Fighting Style: Archery
- Level 3:
- Ranger Subclass: Gloom Stalker
- Level 4:
- Feat: Sharpshooter
- Level 6:
- Favored Enemy of choice
- Natural Explorer environment of choice
- Level 8:
- Feat: Mobile
- Level 10:
- Favored Enemy of choice
- Natural Explorer environment of choice
- Level 12:
- Feat: Savage Attacker
As for the best spells to choose at each spell level, consider taking the following:
- Level 1: Ensnaring Strike, Hail of Thorns, and Hunter’s Mark
- Level 2: Spike Growth, Bark Skin, and Misty Step
- Level 3: Lightning Arrow, Plant Growth, and Conjure Barrage
Equipment
This Ranger build works best with Light armor and a Longbow or equivalent ranged weapon. This combination allows the Ranger to stay mobile, weaving in and out of close-range combat as necessary. The already high mobility of this build can be further enhanced with enchanted gear like the Haste Helm, putting the Ranger in position for stealth attacks with a good one-handed melee weapon. The need to juggle stealth, DPS, and magic means the Ranger isn’t the easiest class, but with this build, it can be one of the most effective in Baldur’s Gate 3.
