You can play the ranger in Baldur’s Gate 3 in both melee and ranged combat. This time we will show you the ranger build with the subclass: Beast Master. We will list attribute points, talents, and items for you.
The subclass Beast Master
for the ranger in Baldur’s Gate 3 allows you to summon a beast companion that fights by your side in battle and supports you. This animal companion can take on various forms depending on the player’s choice.
The focus is on coordinating and utilizing the animal companion to overwhelm enemies and support allies. In this build, the ranger focuses on ranged attacks while the animal companion takes on melee, giving you more maneuverability.
Additionally, as a ranger, you can cast some spells that assist you during and outside of combat.
This ranger build is suitable for beginners. It is easy to understand, and you can’t go wrong with it. This build focuses exclusively on the ranger (subclass: Beast Master) without multiclassing. This build is for you if you want to play a simple ranger with a bow and pet.
Best Ranger Build: Attribute Points
Here’s how you can distribute your attribute points:
- Strength: 10
- Dexterity: 16
- Constitution: 14
- Intelligence: 8
- Wisdom: 16
- Charisma: 10
As a ranger, your primary attribute is Dexterity. This attribute affects your efficiency with finesse and ranged weapons—increasing your hit chance and damage.
Moreover, Dexterity also increases your initiative and armor class (AC). Dexterity enhances Dexterity checks such as Acrobatics, Sleight of Hand
, and Stealth checks.
At the same time, Wisdom is also important as it improves your spellcasting (hit chance). As a ranger, you have access to spells that assist you both in combat and outside of it.
How to Level Up the Ranger
Level 1
- Favored Enemy: Choose your favorite
- Favored Terrain: Choose your favorite
Level 2
- Fighting Style: Archery
- Spell: Speak with Animals, Hunter’s Mark
At Level 2, you choose the fighting style Archery
for a classic ranger build, granting you a +2 bonus to your ranged attack rolls—which increases your hit chance.
Additionally, your attack rolls against the target are at advantage. The target’s attack rolls and Dexterity saving throws are at disadvantage.
Hunter’s Mark: This is a concentration spell that allows you to mark your target as prey. This causes you to deal an extra 1-6 damage when you hit with your weapon. If the target dies before the spell ends, you can mark another target—without using another spell slot.
As a spell, you can take Speak with Animals
. This spell allows you to communicate with animals as the name suggests. Although it requires a spell slot, it lasts until your next long rest.
Level 3
- Subclass: Choose Beast Master
- Spell: Entangling Strike (Ranged),
- Class Action: Ranger Companion
Entangling Strike: Your attacks summon thorn vines that may restrain the target. If the target is restrained, it cannot move and takes 1-6 piercing damage per turn. Entangling Strike is a concentration spell that can last up to 10 turns.
At Level 3, you can choose your subclass—in this build: Beast Master. This unlocks the class action Ranger Companion
, allowing you to have an animal companion that accompanies you and fights by your side. Each animal has different abilities that can be useful depending on the situation.
You can choose from the following animals:
- Bear
- Wolf Spider
- Wolf
- Horror Raven
- Wild Boar
Level 4
- Talent: Ability Score Improvement (Dexterity to 18)
Level 5
- Subclass Feature: Companion’s Bond
- Class Feature: Extra Attack
- Spell: Thorn Growth
Starting at Level 5, you will become significantly stronger, as you gain an Extra Attack. Therefore, after an attack with or without a weapon, you can perform an additional attack. Through Companion’s Bond, your proficiency bonus is added to the armor class (more tanky) and damage rolls (more damage) of the animal companion.
Thorn Growth: With Thorn Growth you have a handy spell that turns a patch of ground into hard thorns. This halves the movement rate for those who are in the field.
Creatures that move through the thorns take 2-8 piercing damage for every 1.5 meters they travel. This is a concentration spell.
Level 6
- Favored Enemy: Pick your favorite
- Favored Terrain: Pick your favorite
Level 7
- Subclass Feature: Exceptional Training
- Spell: Pick your favorite, recommendation: Silence
At Level 7, you will receive the subclass feature Exceptional Training
, allowing your animal companion to take the Bonus Action Dash
, Disengage
, and Help
. Especially Help
can be very practical, for instance, to assist allies in getting back up when they are dying and have to make death saving throws.
Level 8
- Talent: Sharpshooter
- Class Feature: Sure Step: Difficult Terrain
With the class feature Difficult Terrain
no longer slows you down. Through Sharpshooter
, your ranged attacks with weapons you are proficient with have a -5 penalty to the attack roll, but they deal an additional 10 damage. Sharpshooter is a passive talent that you can toggle on and off.
Level 9
- Spell: Lightning Arrow
Lightning Arrow is a 3rd-level transformation spell. When Lightning Arrow hits, smaller bolts jump from the target to nearby creatures—Lightning Arrow deals 6-48 damage. The cool thing is: Even if the opponents succeed on their saving throw, they still take half damage.
Level 10
- Favored Enemy: Pick your favorite
- Favored Terrain: Pick your favorite
- Class Action: Camouflage
At Level 10, you get the class action Camouflage
. With Camouflage, you can conceal yourself in the environment to become invisible and receive a +10 bonus on Stealth checks—but you must not move. Additionally, you gain a bonus when attacking from a higher position, and you receive no penalty when attacking from a lower position.
Level 11
- Subclass Feature: Bestial Fury
- Spell: Pick your favorite
With Bestial Fury, your animal companion gains an additional attack per turn.
Level 12
- Talent: Ability Score Improvement (Dexterity to 20)
Best Ranger Build – Which Items Are Worth It?
The following items are worth considering:
- Best medium armor you currently have
- Longbow or heavy crossbow
- Endgame: Gontr Mael (Longbow, Act 3)
- Archery Gloves (Act 1)
- Butcher’s Ring (Act 1)
- Amulet of Mist Step (Act 1)
- Amulet of Greater Healing (Act 3)
- Ring of Risk
- Hat of the Shooter
If this ranger build doesn’t meet your expectations, feel free to vary and adjust a bit. The build presented here is merely one way you can shape your ranger.
With this multiclass build for your ranger, you can “backstab” your enemies: Baldur’s Gate 3: The best multiclass builds and what makes them so good
