The Ultimate Guide to Dominate Baldur's Gate 3 as a Ranger

The release dates for Baldur’s Gate 3 are approaching, so it's only natural for fans of the franchise to strategize their character builds. Some players may have already planned out every aspect of their character for Baldur's Gate 3's early access. The foundation of these builds revolves around the character class, and for those who prefer ranged combat, the ranger might be a suitable option. While this class excels in taking down enemies from a distance, it also provides various advantages in both combat and role-playing, depending on the player's chosen subclass and favored enemy.

Baldur’s Gate 3 and its previous installments heavily draw from the tabletop RPG Dungeons and Dragons. This latest sequel stays true to its DnD origins by incorporating turn-based combat, a departure from the real-time battles of the first two games. The Ranger class is directly derived from the DnD 5th Edition class of the same name. Therefore, it shares the primary combat stat of Dexterity, as well as weapon and armor proficiencies. Players can further enhance these existing proficiencies or compensate for any weaknesses by selecting their race and subclass.

Baldur’s Gate 3: Ranger Gameplay Features

Rangers possess a strong affinity for nature, making them excellent trackers and scouts according to the game's official flavor texts. While they share similarities with Druids in terms of role-playing, their combat abilities are more akin to rogues. This distinction is evident in the proficiencies, traits, class passives, and favored enemies that Rangers can access. For instance, the Bounty Hunter favored enemy is particularly advantageous for players who focus on stealth tactics, as it provides an investigation proficiency.

By selecting the Urban Tracker trait, Rangers can further enhance their tracking skills, gaining access to disguises and thieves' tools. Once their target is located, an archery class passive ensures that their arrows will strike with precision and force. Similar to Dungeons and Dragons 5e Rangers, at level 3, players can choose a subclass that offers various methods for tracking and eliminating their quarry.

Hunter Subclass Features:

- Colossus Slayer: Inflicts additional damage against targets whose hit points are below their maximum.

- Giant Killer: Provides the player with the opportunity for an extra melee attack whenever they are attacked by a large or larger creature.

Horde Breaker ability allows the ranger to simultaneously target and attack two creatures that are in close proximity to each other.

As part of the Beast Master subclass features, the player has the ability to summon a beast companion (such as a bear, boar, giant spider, raven, or wolf) to assist in both combat and roleplaying situations.

Gloom Stalker Subclass Features:

- Umbral Sight: Enhances the ranger's vision with darkvision, extending up to 60 feet. If the player's race already provides this ability, it can be extended by an additional 30 feet.

- Iron Mind: Provides proficiency in saving throws for Wisdom, Intelligence, or Charisma.

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

At launch, this class might not include an origin character, requiring players to take the custom route for their ranger. Unlike the pre-made origin characters in Baldur's Gate 3, whose race, appearance, background, and equipment are already determined, creating a custom character offers the best option for both role-playing and combat. With customization options spanning from race and appearance to the choice of their starting weapon, players can truly personalize their ranger.

Players have the opportunity to recruit various origins characters for their adventures. For those seeking a strong frontline, Lae’Zel is the ideal choice to shield them against powerful attacks. If stealth and tracking are preferred, the vampire rogue Astarion or the beloved ranger Minsc make excellent companions who can keep up with the player. With the ability to create parties of up to four characters, players can experiment with different companions to find those who can enhance their ranger's stats and excel at dealing long-range damage.

Baldur's Gate 3 is set to launch on August 3, 2023, for PC and September 6, 2023, for PS5.