The release dates for Baldur’s Gate 3 are on the horizon, so it only makes sense for fans of the franchise to theorycraft their character builds. Some may already have every feature of their character mapped out during Baldur's Gate 3's early access run. At the core of these builds is the character class, and for players who want to engage in ranged combat, the ranger may be a good choice. While this class’ strength lies in its ability to take down enemies from afar, it also offers different advantages in combat and role-playing, depending on the player’s chosen subclass and favored enemy.
Baldur’s Gate 3 and its previous installments are heavily based on the tabletop RPG Dungeons and Dragons. This latest sequel even took its DnD roots to heart by featuring turn-based combat, which is a departure from the real-time battles that the first two games had. The Ranger is based entirely on the DnD 5th Edition class of the same name, so it also shares the same primary combat stat, which is Dexterity, as well as weapon and armor proficiencies. Players can either improve on these existing proficiencies further or cover the class’ blind spots through their choice of race and subclass.
Baldur’s Gate 3: Ranger Gameplay Features
According to the game’s official flavor texts, Rangers have a deep connection with nature, making them the perfect tracker or scout. They're like Druids from Dungeons and Dragons from a role-playing standpoint, but they're more similar to rogues in terms of combat. This is especially apparent in the proficiencies, traits, class passives, and favored enemies they have access to. For example, the Bounty Hunter favored enemy is perfect for players who want to specialize in stalking their foes, as it offers an investigation proficiency.
They can augment their tracking skills further by taking the Urban Tracker trait, which gives them access to disguises and thieves' tools. Upon finding their target, an archery class passive ensures that their arrow will likely hit hard and true. Similar to Dungeons and Dragons 5e Rangers, players can pick a subclass upon reaching level 3, which gives them different ways to track and kill their prey.
- Hunter Subclass Features
- Colossus Slayer: Deals extra damage when the target is below their hit point maximum.
- Giant Killer: Grants a follow-up melee attack every time a large or beyond creature attacks the player.
- Horde Breaker: Lets the ranger target and attack two creatures at once, as long as they’re standing close to each other.
- Beast Master Subclass Features
- Summon Companion: The player gets a beast companion (bear, boar, giant spider, raven, or wolf) that assists in combat and roleplaying situations.
- Gloom Stalker Subclass Features
- Umbral Sight: Gives the ranger darkvision of up to 60 feet, which can increase by 30 feet if the player already has this feature from their race
- Iron Mind: Grants proficiency in Wisdom, Intelligence, or Charisma saving throws
- Gloom Stalker Magic: Lets the player learn an additional spell
- Stalker’s Flurry: Gives the player the ability to turn a miss into another weapon attack.
- Dread Ambusher: Grants bonuses to initiative and bonuses to walking speed and weapon attack during the player’s first turn in combat.
Baldur’s Gate 3: Ranger Roleplaying Features
This class may not come with an origin character at launch, so players will have to go the custom route for their ranger. Origin characters in Baldur’s Gate 3 are pre-made, so their race, looks, background, and even equipment are already chosen for the player. Going custom is the best choice for role-playing and combat anyway, as it lets players personalize their ranger, from their race and looks, down to their starting weapon.
Players can recruit origins characters for all sorts of adventures. They can get Lae’Zel as their frontline, shielding them from powerful attacks. If they want a companion that can keep up with them when it comes to stealth and tracking, the vampire rogue Astarion or the fan-favorite ranger Minsc may be the best choice. Players can create parties of up to four characters, so they can experiment with different companions to see which ones can protect and buff their ranger’s stats, so they can do what they do best: deal damage from afar.
Baldur’s Gate 3 will release on August 3, 2023, for PC and September 6, 2023, for PS5.