Baldur's Gate 3 best Ranger build
The best subclass, equipment, skills and spells for Ranger in BG3.
A powerful Baldur's Gate 3 Ranger build is a must-have for any would-be explorer, bounty hunter, or mysterious stranger hanging around in the corner of taverns. Baldur's Gate 3 lets you be all three - but it'll be hard to be any variety of Ranger without a refined build.
To help you out, we've written up a brief guide detailing our take on the best Baldur's Gate 3 Ranger build so you can shoot arrows and wear a cool looking cloak with the rest of 'em. This includes the equipment you'll want, the skills and spells you should use, the best subclass, and ability score priority.
Baldur's Gate 3 best Ranger build
The ranger is a versitile class, where specific choices in character creation and beyond allows you to build them as specialized killing machines, good at all manner of combat but especially fantastic in a select few situations. In our build, we try and keep things general, but there's plenty of room to mix things up if you want to deviate a tad.
- Ranger best race
- Ranger ability score priority
- Ranger proficiencies and background
- Ranger best subclass
- Ranger best equipment
- Ranger best feats and features
Ranger best race
The best race for Ranger players in Baldur's Gate 3 is the Wood Elf.
It all comes down to that extra bit of movement speed, which is dead handy for a Ranger who will often been navigating combat quickly in order to position in the optional location. Also, a proficiency in Stealth allows you to occasionally kick off comabt with a massive blow from stealth. Not something you'll always use, but good to have in pocket.
Honestly, the Wood Elf doesn't have much competition as BG3's best Ranger type, but any race with improved movement capabilities can be used effectively. Githyanki get free access to enhanced Jump and Misty Step at levels 3 and 5, respectively, so if you're willing to wait just a little longer to enjoy the benefits, they're a strong alternative.
Ranger best ability score spread
Your ability score priority should be Dexterity, Wisdom, Constitution, everything else.
When first creating your character, we recommend the following initial stats:
- Strength - 12
- Dexterity - 17
- Constitution - 13
- Intelligence - 8
- Wisdom - 15
- Charisma - 10
As you level up, you'll gain ability score increases at level 4, 8, and 12.
You should invest your points into Dexterity up until 20, then Constitution.
Ranger proficiencies and background
Given that the Ranger is basically Robin Hood, the Folk Hero or Outlander backgrounds are the best choice for this build.
Not only do both backgrounds work well thematically, but the in-built proficiency in Survival gained in either case is incredibly useful for this Wisdom-heavy build. The Folk Hero's Animal Handling and the Outlander's Athletics both come in handy too, so it's really your choice which background you think suits your build best.
When distributing your remaining proficiencies, Stealth is a must. Sleight of Hand can also be really useful for Rangers, as can Insight.
Ranger best subclass
For our Ranger build, we recommend taking the Gloom Stalker subclass.
While the Beast Master subclass holds a lot of appeal for those who desire animal companionship, the Gloom Stalker's ability to become one with the darkness is just too good to pass up for this stealth-focused build. With enhanced Darkvision and the ability to become invisible unlocking at Level 3, the Gloom Stalker gets hefty bonuses to initiative, movement range, and damage when attacking from the shadows.
Ranger best equipment
For a dextrous Ranger build, Medium Armor works best, given that you'll likely be switching between ranged and close-up combat quite often. For the same reason, equip both a ranged and a finesse weapon — a hand crossbow and a short sword or dagger are a practical combination that work well thematically.
If you can find yourself a pair of the very rare Disintegrating Night Walkers boots, these are the #1 wishlist equipment item for Rangers. They make you immune to most status effects and hazards that effect your character's legs and feet (e.g. ensnared, entangled, enwebbed, grease/ice), and grant you one use of Misty Step per long rest while wearing them.
Ranger best feats and features
Rangers get to choose Favored Enemies and Nautral Explorer Environments at Levels 1, 6, and 10. To begin with, we highly recommend selecting Mage Breaker for the former, since the imrpoved proficiency in Arcana brings with it the True Strike spell, which grants advantage upon your next attack roll after casting. Choosing Wasteland Wanderer: Fire for the latter improves your resistance to fire damage, which is a great advantage against some of the most damaging attacks in the game, especially when you meet them early on. When choosing your fighting style at Level 2, pick Archery to make the most of those ranged sneak attacks.
When selecting your feats, Sharpshooter is an obvious choice for a build with so much focus on ranged weapons. Lucky grants advantage on attack rolls, ability checks, and saving throws, and can even force an enemy to reroll their attack against you, acting as a last line of defense if the Ranger's legendary Dexterity should ever let them down. Finally, Tough gives you an extremely valuable +2 HP for every level, which never goes amiss for a character who's all about hurling themself into combat at every opportunity.
That concludes our Baldur's Gate 3 Ranger class guide! For similar guides, check out our pieces on the best Baldur's Gate 3 Rogue build and best Baldur's Gate 3 Bard build.