The vast wilderness of Faerûn in Baldur’s Gate 3 should be explored safely and by experts. Thank goodness the Ranger is here to help!
You won’t find many other professions as ready to take on the world as this class. However, in order to do so optimally, you must consider your race and starting ability scores. These will set the scene for your Beast Master, Hunter, or Gloom Stalker.
The Ranger is designed to be a hybrid caster and martial character, much like the Paladin. This class swaps the Paladin’s dedication to damage and healing for exceptional utility options which make them good scouts and survival-check enthusiasts. Don’t worry though—they are no slouch in combat and can even heal when needed.
Best races for the Ranger in BG3
If you are looking for a race to make the Ranger shine in BG3, you’ll want the Half-Orc. The Half-Orc’s efficient damage boost in Savage Strikes and survivability in Relentless Endurance combines to make them a huge threat. Since the Ranger has access to Restrained, they can access critical hits quite easily. That being said, many different races can explore the world as a Ranger and work just fine.
Half-Orcs supplement the Ranger’s exceptional utility quite well. Your level one will be a bit boring, but your level two will unlock your character’s potential for critical hit fishing. That Darkvision is quite handy, too! As a stealthy character, being able to see in the dark is a great idea.
That being said, here are a few other races that we like.
- Halflings don’t have much movement speed but roll twice whenever they critically fail. We’d recommend Lightfoot Halflings to roll advantage on Stealth and become the party’s scout with your great Perception!
- The Drow lose out on their solid proficiencies when becoming a Ranger, but Superior Darkvision with full movement speed? That’s no joke! For the Ranger, who is a great scout, that’s an advantage worth digging for.
- Wood Elves and Wood Half-Elves gain high movement speed, which is very handy for a Strength-focused Ranger. Darkvision is always nice, and Fey Ancestry… well, that won’t come up too often, but it’s a nice addition.
- Gnomes bring in advantage on mental saving throws as well as some unique perks. A Deep Gnome, for example, comes in with Superior Darkvision and advantage on Stealth rolls!
Related: How to calculate Passive Perception in DnD 5E
All of that said, thanks to BG3‘s lack of racial ability score reliance, you can really make any race work relatively well. Go wild!
Best ability scores for the Ranger in BG3
There are two major spreads of ability scores for the Ranger in BG3. The first is Strength 10, Dexterity 16, Constitution 16, Intelligence eight, Wisdom 14, and Charisma 10. The other, which you should only choose if you choose Ranger Knight as your Favored Enemy, is Strength 16, Dexterity 10, Constitution 16, Intelligence eight, Wisdom 14, and Charisma 10.
The only difference between these two stat lines is Strength or Dexterity. There’s a pretty clear reason for that: You don’t need the other if you have one.
A Dexterity-based Ranger can utilize Bows or Finesse Weapons to take on targets. Rangers are one of the few classes with the Archery Fighting Style, a titanic plus-two to any ranged attack. Pumping Dexterity is a great idea for the Ranger. However, we do not recommend going to 17! There are no plus-one Dexterity feats that are worth reducing another stat, like Constitution or Wisdom!
Strength-based Rangers can safely ignore Dexterity, thanks to Mage Knight. Once you get Heavy Armor, you no longer need to apply DEX to your AC. So, you can just pump Strength and get your hand on a Greatsword! Or two melee weapons for Dual-Wield damage! Rah!
Rangers are recommended to get 14 Wisdom for their eventual spells. 14 Wisdom is enough that your important save spells, like Ensnaring Strike, have a large enough DC to matter. If you want to go all in on your level two spell pool, you may consider swapping your 16 in Constitution with your 14 in Wisdom. This will slightly reduce your survivability and slightly improve your spellcasting ability. This also works well if you plan on multiclassing into Cleric, a plan that shows you are a braver soul than I!
