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Best Hunter Ranger Races And Backgrounds
Best Hunter Ranger Spells
Best Hunter Ranger Ability Scores And Feats
Best Hunter Ranger Equipment
How To Use A Hunter Ranger - Battle Tips, Strategy, And Analysis
Rangers in Baldur's Gate 3 are teased for being one of the worst classes on paper. Unfortunately for the other classes, the Hunter Ranger has access to one of the strongest attacking feats in the game. Paired with the ability to wield the most overpowered weapon, and you've got a recipe for an unstoppable Volley-machine.
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Setting up for this class is also, thankfully, far less painful than most other classes (especially those pesky spellcaster builds). We've got the full run-down here to help simplify things from the moment you begin at character creation until the day you finally get your hands on the illustrious Gontr Mael.
Best Hunter Ranger Races And Backgrounds
The Hunter Ranger is the bread-and-butter subclass of the Ranger, specializing more in physical range damage than any particular fancy feat or spellcasting like other Ranger classes or multiclasses.
For this build, your race doesn't necessarily matter, but for the added movement range, the best race we canrecommend is the wood elf. Additionally, it has some synergy with the class from a roleplay perspective.
As for Backgrounds, the Urchin is one of the better backgrounds for this build (Stealth and Sleight of Hand). Otherwise, we can recommend:
- Criminal (Deception and Stealth)
- Folk Hero (Animal Handling and Survival)
- Outlander (Athletics and Survival)
Multiclassing As A Hunter Ranger
This build is best operated as a straight build with one level dip into Cleric. This is best taken at either Level Six or Level 12, depending on your needs.
Either way, the Cleric dip should focus on War Cleric, allowing you to use a bonus action to make an additional weapon attack using your bonus action. This is important for making the most out of Volley as well as preserving bonus action spell slots for extended campaigns.
Best Hunter Ranger Spells
Level Spell | Top Spell Choices |
|---|---|
One | |
Two | |
Three | Lightning Arrow, Conjure Barrage |
When you begin as a Ranger, you'll only have access to spells from Level Two Ranger. You won't have access to cantrips, and your spellcasting options will be limited and based off of Wisdom.
Hunter's Mark is an absolute must for this build and setting up damage throughout normal gameplay. Beyond this spell, however, we recommend taking Speak with Animals for its immense usability in standard gameplay.
You will receive a choice of cantrips from your Cleric dip. Whatever you choose, we highly recommend one of these cantrips being Guidance. The rest are up to you. Additionally, your Cleric prepared spell should be Healing Word, allowing you to Bonus Action cast it for Broodmother's Revenge when you cannot heal with the Ring of Regeneration.
For the upper levels, you should take either Spike Growth for a Level Two spell or wait for Plant Growth when you receive Level Three spellcasting.
Either way, Lightning Arrow is a must for fighting enemies like the Steel Watch later or any enemy that may resist your normal method of damage.
Best Hunter Ranger Ability Scores And Feats
Ability | Base Score | Goal Scores | Method Achieved |
|---|---|---|---|
Strength | 10 | 10 | -- |
Dexterity | 16 | 20 | +2 Ability Score Upgrade, +1 Auntie Ethel's Hair, +1 Mirror of Loss |
Constitution | 16 | 16 | -- |
Intelligence | 8 | 8 | -- |
Wisdom | 14 | 14 | -- |
Charisma | 10 | 10 | -- |
Dexterity is the crux of this build, and it should be invested in with fervor. With this as the highest stat, Wisdom comes after thanks to the Wisdom-based spellcasting of the Ranger, and Constitution is for the ability to hold Concentration (like Hunter's Mark) and increase your healthpool (either can be given 14 or 16 on preference).
Strength and Charisma are of very little importance, but keeping them neutral will help prevent negative saving throws. Intelligence is an unnecessary dump stat.
We recommend taking Sharpshooter during your first feat, and the Ability Score Improvement can come later at Ranger Level Eight. If you're struggling to hit things, however, prioritizing the Ability Score Improvement can come first.
Otherwise, the ranger presents a slew of feat options on normal level-ups. Not all of these are important, so we'll cover the ones that are:
- Natural Explorer should focus on the Wasteland Wanderers - Fire and Poison are priorities thanks to their early game prevalence.
- The only Favoured Enemy feat that matters is the first one: Bounty Hunter. Any others are based on taste and rarely useful.
- Fighting style should be Archery.
- Defensive Tactics' best feat is Escape the Horde.
Best Hunter Ranger Equipment
Equipment Type | Equipment Piece | Act Available | Effect | Method Obtained |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Helm/Hat | Circlet of Hunting | 2 | Gain +1d4 to attack rolls made on creatures marked with Hunter's Mark, True Strike, Guiding Bolt, or Faire Fire. | Bought from Araj Oblodra at Moonrise Towers. |
Mask of Soul Perception | 3 | +2 to Attack Rolls, Initiative Rolls, and Perception skill checks. Gain one use of Detect Thoughts. | In a chest on the second floor of the Devil's Fee near the House of Hope portal. | |
Armor | Graceful Cloth | 2 | Increases Dexterity score by +2 (up to 20) and gives +1 bonus to Dexterity Saving Throws. Jump distance increased by 1.5m. | Sold by Lady Esther on the way to Rosymorn Monastery. |
Bhaalist Armor (optional; evil route) | 3 | Gain +2 to Initiative and make enemies within 6m Vulnerable to Piercing damage. | Accept the Murder Tribunal's invitation and become an Unholy Assassin. | |
Armor of Persistence (good route) | 3 | Gain Blade Ward and Resistance for free. Static 20AC and negate 2 damage of any type. | Sold by Dammon in the Lower City at his forge. | |
Gauntlets | Gloves of Archery | 1 | Deal +2 damage with ranged attacks. | Sold by Grat the Trader at the Goblin Camp. |
Flawed Helldusk Gloves | 2 | Inflict an extra 1d4 Fire damage on weapon strikes and receive a +1 bonus to Strength Saving Throws. | Give Infernal Iron to Dammon at Last Light Inn. You can replace this item instead with Dark Justiciar Gauntlets, found in Gauntlet of Shar on top of crates near Yurgir or by killing the Nightsong) for 1d4 Necrotic damage instead. | |
Helldusk Gauntlets | 3 | Receive a +1 bonus to Strength Saving Throws, Spell Attack Rolls, and Spell Save DC. Inflict an extra 1d6 Fire damage with a weapon attack or 1d6 Necrotic damage with an unarmed strike, potentially causing Bleeding. Acquire a complimentary casting of Rays of Fire. | Obtained from the secret vault in the House of Hope. | |
Boots | Disintegrating Nightwalkers (optional) | 1 | Gain free cast of Misty Step and cannot slip. Wearer cannot be Enwebbed, Ensnared, or Entangled. | |
Drop by defeating Nere in Grymforge. | ||||
Helldusk Boots | 3 | Immune to forced displacement and unaffected by challenging terrain. Can opt to automatically succeed on a failed Saving Throw using a reaction. Possesses the ability to freely teleport within line of sight, inflicting Fire damage upon arrival. | Looted from the chest in Gortash's room. | |
Cape | Deathstalker Mantle (Dark Urge) | 1 | After killing an enemy, become Invisible for 2 turns. | Reward for killing Alfira as the Dark Urge after meeting her and Long Resting once. |
Shade-Slayer Cloak | 3 | Lower requirement for Critical Hit down by 1. | Sold by Sticky Dondo at Guildhall. | |
Ring #1 | Strange Conduit Ring | 2 | Deal 1d4 Psychic damage with attacks while concentrating on a spell. | Inside a chest near Vlaakith's portal in the Inquisitor's Chamber of the Creche in Rosymorn Monastery. |
| | ||||
Ring #2 | Ring of Regeneration | 3 | Heals wearer at the start of each turn for 1d4. | Sold by Lorroakan's Projection or by Rolan (if killed Lorroakan) at Sorcerous Sundries. |
Amulet | Broodmother's Revenge | 1 | After being healed, coat weapon with poison, dealing 1d6 Poison damage on your next attack. | Drop looted from Kagha after killing her during the Shadow-Druid questline. |
Amulet of Greater Health (optional alternative) | 3 | Increase Constitution to 23 and gain advantage on Constitution (by extension, Concentration) | Found in the House of Hope in the Archives with the Orphic Hammer. | |
Melee Hand Weapon | Speedy Reply | 1 | Gain Momentum for two turns after striking with this weapon. | Found on a dead body on the Risen Road before reaching the Tyr outpost. |
Duelist's Prerogative | 3 | Reduces Critical Hit minimum to 19. Gain an additional reaction each turn. When hitting with a melee attack, deal 1d4 Necrotic. | Reward for completing the Hag Survivors questline and saving Vanra. | |
Off-Hand Weapon | Phalar Aluve | 1 | Allows use of Shriek / Melody. | Found in a stone near the Selunite Outpost in the Underdark. |
Bloodthirst | 3 | Lower Critical hit damage by 1 and gain True Strike when an enemy melee attack misses. AC +1. | Loot drop from Orin after her defeat. | |
Ranged Weapon | Bow of the Banshee | 1 | Possibly inflict Frightened on struck enemy and deal 1d4 extra damage on frightened enemies. | Sold by Corsair Greymoon at Grymforge if chose not to fight Gekh Coal on the boat in. |
Gontr Mael | 3 | Gives free 5 turn Haste with no downsides, a cast of Guiding Bolt with each attack, and Bolt of Celestial Light special ability. | Loot reward for defeating the Steel Watcher Titan at the Steel Watch Foundry. | |
The weapons of the Hunter Ranger should primarily focus on increasing outgoing damage and hit chance. As you'll be backlining as ranged support for most of the game, focusing on AC is mostly unnecessary.
Additionally, we've focused on increasing the types of damage on a weapon and lowering the required Critical Hit cap to do as much damage as possible. With the optimized build above, you can deal Critical Damage on a 17 or higher, giving a 15 percent chance on any hit).
Important gloves to keep in mind are the Bonespike Gloves, looted from Strangler Luke at the Temple of Bhaal. He must be killed before the Farslayer is defeated to find these gloves. They allow weapons to ignore resistances to weapon attacks, important for fights like Ansur's. They should be swapped with the Helldusk Gloves for fights where Slashing, Piercing, and Bludgeoning damage are resisted.
The Gontr Mael bow is the most important item of this build and likely one of the last you'll find. However, it's so overpowered that it cannot be avoided.
With five turns of free Haste at your disposal and the additional bonuses of the Bolt of Celestial Light, you won't be able to pass it up. In the meantime, however, the Bow of the Banshee is a nice way to pass the time.
How To Use A Hunter Ranger - Battle Tips, Strategy, And Analysis
An endgame Ranger should have stats similar to this:
Ability Scores | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Strength | Dexterity | Constitution | Intelligence | Wisdom | Charisma |
10 (0) | 20 (+5) | 14 (+2) | 8 (-1) | 14 (+2) | 10 (0) |
Health | 99 | ||||
AC | 17-19 | ||||
Spell Save DC | 15 | ||||
Top 5 Prepared Spells | Hunter's Mark, Speak with Animals, Ensnaring Strike, Spike Growth, Silence, Lightning Arrow | ||||
Feats | Sharpshooter, Archery (Fighting Style), Escape the Horde, Bounty Hunter, Wasteland Wanderer (All), Colossus Slayer, War Priest | ||||
The point of this Hunter Ranger build in the endgame is to primarily rely on Volley (Ranger 11 feat). By building buff stacks, increasing weapon attacks, increasing overall output damage, and lowering Critical Hit thresholds, this build primarily focuses on dealing as much damage as possible over several strikes.
It is not intended for front-line use, but it is capable of hitting and retreating where the situation calls for it. Spike Growth and Plant Growth can also mitigate enemies approaching your personal bubble.
For increased ability to run away, we recommend investing into the Illithid tadpole tree and taking Force Tunnel.
To get the most out of this build, you'll begin any round by casting Celestial Haste. Either the ranger or a supporting healer (preferable) heals as soon as possible, coating the weapon of the ranger.
Attack with Bolt of Celestial Light first. Then, follow-up with rounds of Volleys one after the other each turn of combat until all enemies are defeated.
It is unlikely that any group of enemies with this build struck with repeated Volleys will live to see more than two rounds of combat with the god-like ranger you've just built.
NEXT: Baldur's Gate 3: Best Tempest Domain Cleric Build
