Summary

  • Half Wood Elves are the best race for the Ranger class in Baldur's Gate 3, with their long-distance movement and extra stealth point.
  • The Outlander background is ideal for Rangers, providing survival and athletic proficiency that matches the class's connection to nature.
  • The Gloomstalker and Beast Master subclasses are the best choices for Rangers, with the former being stealthy and deadly, and the latter allowing a faithful animal companion to fight alongside.

Baldur’s Gate 3 is well known for its storytelling and player freedom, as well as its myriad of classes. Unfortunately, there are a few classes in Baldur's Gate 3 that have drawn the short straw and have become the least popular and are often overlooked. One of these classes is the Ranger, and although it’s an underrated class, it still has its charms.

The Ranger class is perfect for those who are animal lovers, or those who want to be a powerful, stealthy character, or even those who originally wanted to play a Rogue but wanted to keep Baldur’s Gate 3’s Astarion in their party and felt that playing a Rogue would clash with another Rogue ally. With some useful tips and tricks and unwritten rules, this underrated class could become one of the deadliest characters if built correctly.

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Creating A Ranger in Baldur’s Gate 3

A Half Wood Elf is Ideal for The Ranger Class

The first thing a player must do in Baldur's Gate 3, if not playing an origin character, is to choose a race to play, and there are lots of races in Baldur's Gate 3 that work well for a ranger. The Half Wood Elves are considered the best due to their long-distance movement, which makes it quicker for them to move across the battlefield, as well as having an extra point in stealth for free, which makes it ideal for those who want a stealth build. Half Wood Elves can also make use of their Fey Ancestry abilities, which works very well for the Beast Master subclass.

Another race that is ideal for the Ranger class are the Gnomes, due to their high level of dexterity and their stealth abilities. However, the Half Wood Elf is perfect for players who don't want to play Baldur's Gate 3 as a short character like Gnomes, but still want the additional stealth advantages.

Outlander is The Best Background For a Ranger

Although there are many other backgrounds in Baldur's Gate 3 that would fit a Ranger, it can be argued that the Outlander background would suit a Ranger far more than any other class. With Outlanders growing up in the wilderness far away from civilization and having to learn to survive and live off the land, it makes for a perfect match for the Ranger class due to the classes’ connection to nature.

This background provides survival and athletic proficiency, with survival representing the ability to thrive in the wild and track prey, and athletics represents the ability to shove enemies and resist being shoved. Therefore, it has a balance of preventing the player from being knocked over, and detecting treasure and surviving in the wilderness, which is a perfect blend for the Ranger.

The Folk Hero background is perfect for those who want to use the subclass Beast Master as it provides proficiency with animal handling.

Gloomstalker and Beast Master Are The Best Subclasses

When Rangers reach level 3, they will be able to pick one of the three following subclasses, and they all come with unique play styles.

  • Hunter
  • Beast Master
  • Gloomstalker

It can certainly be a challenge to pick the right subclass for a Ranger. Out of the three subclasses, the Gloomstalker and the Beast Master tie for the best subclass. The Gloomstalker is the best for those who want to be a stealthy and deadly ranger, whereas the Beast Master is perfect for rangers that want to make use of having a faithful animal companion fighting by their side.

Although the Gloomstalker is the most powerful subclass, it can be argued that the Beast Master is the best subclass for a tactician playthrough, as it makes any animal companion much stronger than any of the other subclasses, and it also allows beasts to help companions as well as granting them additional moves and abilities as the player levels up.

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Best Practices For a Ranger

Multiclassing As a Ranger

There are many classes that are perfect for the Ranger to multiclass into, but these three are the best, as they help the ranger with various skills that they might lack or provide powerful abilities that work well with Ranger abilities.

  • Bard: Grants the ability Song of Rest at level 2, which allows the part to revitalize without using a short rest. This is a useful ability to have in tactician difficulty.
  • Druid: All the druid subclasses can use the wild shape ability, and combining this with a Beast Master will allow the player to control two powerful animals in combat.
  • Rogue: A Gloomstalker combined with the Assassin subclass can create the Stalker Assassin, and they are extremely deadly and can sometimes kill a foe with one hit.

Ursa the Bear is the Best Animal Companion

Out of all the animal companions a Beast Master can summon, the bear known as Ursa is the most powerful and deadly. The bear perfectly balances out a dexterous ranger with its strength and tank build, it can deal massive amounts of damage to its foes and has a lot of hit points, thus making it a valuable asset in combat. Not only that, but with how powerful the bear becomes at higher levels, it makes the tactician playthrough just a bit easier.

Another reason that makes the bear the best animal companion in Baldur’s Gate 3 is that once it reaches level 11, it gains the ability of Ursine Reinforcements. This ability allows the bear to summon an extra bear for the party that will disappear during the next long rest, although this bear will be slightly less powerful than the ranger’s primary bear. Combining the bear, Ursine Reinforcements, and a Ranger/Druid multiclass can give the player a small bear army.

Role Playing as a Ranger in Baldur’s Gate 3

Always Have Speak With Animals Active

All Rangers can unlock the spell Speak with Animals, and it is highly recommended to make sure that this spell is always active to maximize the experience of Baldur’s Gate 3. Animals can provide the player with interesting and fun conversations and can sometimes lead to hidden quests in Baldur's Gate 3, which are easier to obtain or complete when being able to understand what the animals are saying. Although these animals can be spoken to without the spell active, it does mean that the player will miss out on some entertaining conversations.

Be Friendly to Animals

Animals can be found in all corners of the Sword Coast, and some animals in Baldur’s Gate 3 are easily missable, so it’s best that players keep their eyes peeled for them. Rangers, like Druids, have an affinity with animals and can interact with them more easily than some of the other classes.

There are some animals that need protection and help, and with the Ranger’s skill in perception and investigation, they should always step up to help, especially with the Owlbear and Scratch since they can become permanent members of the camp. If players interact and play fetch with Scratch enough, then he will become a familiar. So, if a Ranger isn’t a Beast Master in Baldur’s Gate 3, it is best to recruit Scratch as a familiar to get a slightly stronger familiar than the other animals that can be summoned using Find Familiar.

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Baldur's Gate 3 Tag Page Cover Art
9 /10

Baldur's Gate 3
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RPG
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Systems
PlayStation-1 Xbox-1 PC-1
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Top Critic Avg: 96 /100 Critics Rec: 97%
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Released
August 3, 2023
ESRB
M for Mature: Blood and Gore, Partial Nudity, Sexual Content, Strong Language, Violence
Developer(s)
Larian Studios
Publisher(s)
Larian Studios
Engine
Divinity 4.0
Multiplayer
Online Co-Op, Local Co-Op
Cross-Platform Play
Full cross-platform play.
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WHERE TO PLAY

DIGITAL
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Franchise
Baldur's Gate
Number of Players
1-4
Split Screen Orientation
Vertical Only
Genre(s)
RPG
How Long To Beat
100+ Hours
Metascore
96
PS Plus Availability
N/A
Local Co-Op Support
1-2 Players