This guide focuses on the best Ranger build in Baldur’s Gate 3, the Gloom Stalker subclass, and includes all components to build a powerful character.
This build has been updated for the Patch 7 version of Baldur’s Gate 3.
Everything About the Gloom Stalker Ranger Build
The Gloom Stalker Ranger build is unique for its extra attack on turn one. This build is the best for surprising enemies and getting an early kill. The Gloom Stalker subclass gains increased focus on stealth, darkness, and ambushing enemies. However, you retain the Ranger’s strength, which is weapon and armour proficiency, extra attack, and even spell casting.
The strength of the Gloom Stalker Ranger build is the best turn-one class in the game. However, the downsides are that you don’t have heavy armor proficiency at the start and require consumable arrows for maximum damage. Moreover, at the beginning of the game, the Rogue will have more utility with stealth and lockpicking. But, with an extra attack and spellcasting, the Ranger is a better combat version of the Rogue.
Gloom Stalker Ranger Class Features & Mechanics
The following list of features and mechanics for Baldur’s Gate 3 Ranger Gloom Stalker Build:
- Primary Ability: Dexterity
- Saving Throws: Strength and Dexterity
- Subclass: Gloom Stalker
- Weapon Proficiencies: Simple Weapons, Martial Weapons
- Armour Proficiency: Light armour, Medium armour, and Shield
- Preferred Armor: Medium
- Preferred Weapon: Longbow
- Extra Attack: Can make an additional free attack after making an unarmed or weapon attack. This can be acquired at level 5.
- Spell Casting: The Ranger gets some limited spells to cast but can combine that with consequential ranged damage.
- Umbral Shroud: Wrap yourself in shadows to become Invisible if you are obscured.
- Dread Ambusher: gain a +3 bonus to initiative. On the first combat turn, your movement speed increases by 3m, and you can make an attack that deals an additional 1d8 damage.
Ranger Spell Mechanics
- Cantrips: are like spells, but you can cast them infinitely, and they don’t take your spell slots.
- Spell Slots: At each level, you gain access to more usage of spells and high-tier spells but only have a finite number of spells until a long rest.
- Concentration: is a spell mechanic that requires you to maintain concentration otherwise, the spell effect ends.
The Best Baldur’s Gate 3 Ranger Gloom Stalker Build allows you to excel in ranged combat, control the battlefield, and adapt to various situations. It offers a versatile and exciting playstyle that can be highly rewarding, particularly for players who enjoy strategic combat and wilderness exploration.
Character Creation
Best Race Choice for Gloom Stalker Ranger
Wood Half-Elf is the best race choice for the Gloom Stalker Ranger because you gain the highest movement, stealth proficiency, Fey Ancestry, and Darkvision. Wood Half-Elf gives you a well-balanced race that aids in movement and protection against crowd control effects. However, the second best racial choice is Githyanki due to increased movement abilities, skill proficiency, and free Misty Step spell at level 5.
Wood Half-Elf | Githyanki |
---|---|
Highest Movement | Astral Knowledge |
Stealth Proficiency | Misty Step |
Fey Ancestry | Martial Prodigy |
Darkvision (12m) | Enhanced Leap |
The Ranger’s racial choice will not influence ability score, but everyone should get a +2 and +1 to spend regardless. This frees your race choice up to not completely hinder yourself based on ability score, but race features. Each of these races offers unique advantages that can enhance your combat prowess, survivability, or utility. Additionally, consider the roleplaying opportunities and character concepts that resonate with you.
Gloom Stalker Ranger Subclass
The Gloom Stalker Subclass is strong because you are likely the first to start combat and have stealth and invisibility to aid you. The build is focusing on high damage, mobility, and survivability. In Baldur’s Gate 3, the Ranger class offers various subclasses, each with its unique abilities and strengths. At level three, you can make your decision on which to pick. Here’s a brief description of the ranger’s subclasses and their strengths:
- Hunter: a simple subclass that focuses on dealing damage to enemies and targeting specific enemy types.
- Beastmaster: allows the use of beast companions while maintaining the class identity of a ranger.
- Gloom Stalker: focused on stealth, burst damage, and high initiative.
Baldur’s Gate 3 Gloom Stalker Ranger Features & Progression
- Dread Ambusher (Level 3): You gain a +3 bonus to Initiative. On the first turn of combat, your Movement Speed increases by 3m, and you can make an additional attack that deals an additional 1d8 damage.
- Dread Ambusher: Hide (Level 3): Hide from enemies by succeeding Stealth checks. Stick to the dark and avoid enemy sightlines. Attacking or casting a spell will reveal your location.
- Umbral Shroud (Level 3): Use an Action to wrap yourself in shadows to become Invisible if you are obscured.
- Superior Darkvision (Level 3): You can see up to 24 meters.
- Misty Step Spell (Level 5): Surrounded by silver mist, you teleport to an unoccupied space you can see.
- Iron Mind (Level 7): You gain Proficiency in Wisdom and Intelligence Saving Throws.
- Fear Spell (Level 9): Project an image so frightening it makes targets drop everything and become Fearful. They will be easier to hit and cannot move. If the target ends their turn where they can’t see you, they can make another Saving Throw to shake off their fear. Affected targets become Fearful for 2 turns and Disarmed for 1 turn.
- Stalker’s Flurry (Level 11): When you miss a weapon attack, you can make another one for free.
Recommended Backgrounds
The best Background for a Gloom Stalker Ranger is Urchin because you gain Sleight of Hand and Stealth proficiency, both Dexterity skills. In Baldur’s Gate 3, the choice of background can provide additional skills, proficiencies, and role-playing opportunities for your character. Additional choices are:
- Urchin: Proficiency in Sleight of Hand (dexterity) and Stealth (dexterity). After surviving a poor and bleak childhood, you know how to make the most out of very little.
- Folk Hero: Proficiency in Animal Handing (wisdom) and Survival (wisdom). You’re the champion of the common people, challenging tyrants and monsters to protect the helpless. Folk Hero companions in BG3 are Minsc and Wyll.
- Soldier: Proficiency in Athletics (strength) and Intimidation (charisma). You are trained in battlefield tactics and combat, having served in a militia, mercenary company, or officer corps. Soldier companions in BG3 are Jaheira and Lae’zel.
Best Gloom Stalker Ranger Ability Scores
The best ability score for the Best Baldur’s Gate 3 Ranger Gloom Stalker Build is an ability score is one that prioritizes Dexterity, Wisdom, and Constitution.
Ability Score | Points Goal |
---|---|
Strength | 10 |
Dexterity | 16 |
Constitution | 16 |
Intelligence | 8 |
Wisdom | 14 |
Charisma | 10 |
The best Gloom Stalker Ranger’s ability score is 16 Dexterity with 16 Constitution and 14 Wisdom. This ability score setup ensures you can do good damage, cast spells effectively, and have a high health pool. After you choose the class, subclass, race, and background, the game will automatically distribute your abilities in the character creation abilities tab. You will need to reprioritize the stats for the chart for the Best Ranger build. Simply use the plus-minus in the character creator and make sure you have the suggested race, or the numbers will be off.
You can increase your ability score via a quest in Act 1, Act 2, and Act 3. Make sure to check out our Permanent bonus guide on how you can boost your ability score through quests.
Recommended Skills for Ranger Gloom Stalker Build
Animal Handling, Perception, and Survival are the best skills for the Ranger Gloom Stalker in Baldur’s Gate 3 because they complement your class abilities and enhance your effectiveness in various situations. In Baldur’s Gate 3, skills represent the abilities and proficiencies of your character that allow them to perform various actions and interact with the game world. Skills are associated with specific attributes and are used to determine the success or effectiveness of certain actions or abilities. Skills can be edited during character creation or with companions, during respec or reroll screen.
Here are the best skills for Ranger Gloom Stalker in Baldur’s Gate 3:
- Animal Handling: is a Wisdom skill that helps with animal dialogue.
- Perception: Wisdom skill that spots hidden containers, mechanisms, traps, and creatures.
- Survival: Wisdom skill that aids in hunting in the wilderness.
Illithid Powers
Illithid Powers are unlocked later in the game when you learn more about the Mind Flayers and Tadpoles. You can gain jars of Mind Flayer Parasite Specimens, and consume them to gain one point. If you decide to advance this skill line, these are the choices we suggest.
Here are the best Illithid Powers for the Gloom Stalker Ranger Build:
- Luck of the Far Realms: When you make a successful Attack Roll against a foe, you can change that hit into a Critical Hit.
- Cull of the Weak: When you bring a creature down to fewer hit points than your number of evolved Illithid powers, it dies and all nearby creatures take 1-4 Psychic damage.
- Psionic Backlash: When an enemy within 9m casts a spell, you can use your reaction to inflict ld4 Psychic damage to the caster per the spell’s level.
- Blackhole: Area-based suck-in that slows targets.
- Repulsor: Massive area knockback that can hit friendlies.
- Charm: Channel the dark allure of the tadpole to Charm an enemy that attacks you, preventing them from attacking you until their next turn. This is the priority power you want to obtain because you can force enemies to attack something else.
Ranger Spell Slots
Here’s a chart that shows the levels and spell slots the Ranger Unlocks:
Ranger Level | 1st | 2nd | 3rd |
---|---|---|---|
Level 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Level 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
Level 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
Level 4 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
Level 5 | 4 | 2 | 0 |
Level 6 | 4 | 2 | 0 |
Level 7 | 4 | 3 | 0 |
Level 8 | 4 | 3 | 0 |
Level 9 | 4 | 3 | 2 |
Level 10 | 4 | 3 | 2 |
Level 11 | 4 | 3 | 3 |
Level 12 | 4 | 3 | 3 |
Best Gloom Stalker Ranger Level Progression
Level 1
Follow our character creator to pick all correct background, race, skills, and ability score distributions focusing on Dexterity and Constitution. At level one, not much happens with your class and you pick a subclass at level 3. Below are the recommendations for level 1 Gloom Stalker:
- Favoured Enemy: Bounty Hunter: Creatures you hit with Ensnaring Strike (either Ranged or Melee) have a Disadvantage on their Saving Throw. This will make Ensnaring Strike more useful.
- Beast Tamer as your Natural Explorer: You can cast a Find Familiar conjuration spell. This critter can be used to distract enemies, fight in combat and find holes outside of combat to explore.
You can take alternatives to the above. The Bounty Hunter is helpful for damage, however, the Ranger Knight class feature gives heavy armour proficiency. Consider that if you wish to wear heavy armour, mainly for the look, not performance. Next, Beast Tamer is helpful early in the game, however, resistance to Fire or Cold can be helpful later in the game. Consider both of these options depending if you are playing on a higher difficulty.
Gloom Stalker Ranger Gameplay & Priorities
During the early phase of BG3, the Ranger should look to equip a Longbow and Medium Armour. The easiest way to get a good set of armour and weapons is from Lae’zel companion. She has the Githyanki Half Plate with 15 Armour Class (AC) and medium armour. If you don’t intend to use her, take the armour and the heavy crossbow. Rangers have great mobility but not a lot of defense, so bows are vital until you reach higher levels and access movement-enhancing armor. Moreover, look to acquire Elixir of Bloodlust and Oil of Accuracy. You can combine these two for massive damage increases and your Ranger will feel very powerful immediately.
Your overall priority with the Gloom Stalker Ranger build is the following:
- Complete Prologue
- Recruit Companions
- Reached Hollowed City/Druid Grove
- Sell, Stock up, complete quest
- Unlock Withers, respec to proper ability score
- Progress to level 5
- Reach Underdark and Grymforge
- Acquire Titanstring Bow or Bow of Banshee, play range damage
Following these steps ensures a strong foundation, especially if you plan on playing solo or on Honour Mode difficulty.
Level 2
At level two you get access to a Fighting Style and two spells. Below are our recommendations.
Archery Fighter Style: gives you a +2 bonus to attack rolls you make with ranged weapons. This fits our ranged damage build perfectly. You will want to Take Archery to get a +2 to-hit chance when using Bows and Crossbows.
Hunter’s Mark: Mark a creature as your quarry to deal an additional 1d6 Slashing Damage whenever you hit it with a weapon attack. If the target dies before the spell ends, you can mark a new creature without expanding a Spell Slot. This can be cast with a bonus action rather than an action.
Cure Wounds: a simple melee-based heal that can be used on yourself or others. I prefer this over Goodberries because someone has to consume it versus a heal automatically applied to them.
Other spells at this point cost actions and bonus actions or concentration which we will use for Hunter’s Mark.
Level 3
At level three you unlock a subclass, and we select Gloom Stalker. You will then need to pick one spell to add to your arsenal and a Hunter-specific focus.
Here are the following abilities and features unlocked at level 3 via the Gloom Stalker Ranger subclass:
- Dread Ambusher: gain a +3 bonus to initiative. On the first combat turn, your movement speed increases by 3m, and you can make an attack that deals an additional 1d8 damage.
- Superior Darkvision: can see up to 24m in the dark.
- Umbral Shroud: Wrap yourself in shadows to become Invisible if you are obscured.
- Dread Ambusher: Hide: use a bonus action to hide from enemies though attacking or casting breaks this.
- Umbral Shroud: Become invisible for 10 turns, ends if you attack or cast another spell.
- Disguise Self spell: change your character’s appearance.
You have so much unlocked at this level. The biggest is using Dread Ambusher and Umbral Shroud to conceal yourself. Use this offensively and defensively to take advantage of pre-fight and during. Your goal with this build is to proc surprise status effect attacking from stealth FIRST, then eliminating the primary target.
Ensnaring Strike (ranged); this spell is a “lockdown” ability when you are getting pressured. It uses an action and bonus action so it’s VERY costly along with requiring concentration. This is a panic button when you are going to get pressured by a one-shot melee build. Swap to Hail of Thorns if you want a non-concentration spell.
Prepared Spells: Find Familiar, Cure Wounds, Hunter’s Mark, Ensnaring Strike (Range)
Level 4
At level four, you get to pick a “feat” or increase of ability score and you can replace a spell. The most damaged setup with range setup is a feat called Sharpshooter.
- Shapershooter Feat: This ignores High Ground rules, essentially allowing you to maintain higher damage. Similar to Great Weapon Master for melee builds, you will also get a +10 to damage, but -5 to attack roll.
This essentially means less chance to hit, but a greater chance of damage. Spells like Bless will help augment the lower percentage, but expect massive damage!
Gameplay at this level remains starting from stealth, opening up as the attacker, using Hunter’s Mark and your main bow attack. You can use Ensnaring Strike when needed a crowd control CC that is helpful.
Level 5
At level five you get an Extra Attack, allowing you to strike twice, one additional level 1 spell slot, and another level 2 spell slot. We suggest picking up Spiked Growth.
- Spiked Growth is the spell you should select. This spell has an 18m range, a radius of 6 meters, and requires concentration. A creature walking on the spikes takes 2d4 Piercing damage for every 1.5m it moves. The spikes are difficult terrain, halving a creature’s Movement Speed. Your primary means of survival is battlefield mobility and ensnaring opponents and this decent-size area skill is a great option.
- Misty Step: you get a free spell Misty Step which is important for mobility both in and out of combat. Use this as a bonus action when you need to escape or close the distance.
Gameplay at this level becomes about applying Hunter’s Mark with your bonus action and then striking for two turns due to Extra Attack. You can also use various elemental arrows for stuns, damage overtimes, and more. Cast additional spells when you need to prevent a target from reaching you.
Prepared Spells: Find Familiar, Cure Wounds, Hunter’s Mark, Ensnaring Strike (Range), Spiked Growth, Misty Step.
Multiclassing Ranger
After level 5, the Ranger’s combat performance diminishes substantially. If you are playing on a higher difficulty, specifically Honour Mode, consider multiclassing starting at level 5. The reason is Extra Attack is the main feature and combat power of the Ranger. Beyond this, power diminishes, unlike traditional spellcasters which get access to higher level spells. Our Solo Ranger build here, is optimized for pure combat performance. You can follow that template for a more serious build, that will be more complex, but combat performat. If you aren’t struggling with combat, consider continuing with the build below.
Level 6
At level 6 you receive Favoured Enemy and Natural Explorer. These aren’t that important, and mainly add skill proficiency or a cantrip you are most likely not to use. One adds heavy armor, which won’t be an effective build combination but might look good for screenshots. You also get Natural Explorer which helps with resistance. The most lethal to you is cold because it can knock you prone giving a stun.
- Favoured Enemy: Ranger Knight: Gain history and heavy armour proficiency.
- Natural Explorer: Wasteland Wanderer: Cold – gain cold resistance.
You can also replace a spell if you made a bad pick originally but should remain the same at this point.
Gameplay and spells remain the same at this level.
Prepared Spells: Find Familiar, Cure Wounds, Hunter’s Mark, Ensnaring Strike (Range), Spiked Growth, Misty Step.
Ending Act 1 with the Gloom Stalker Ranger
Around Level 6 you should be close to finishing Act 1 content. Be sure to visit shop traders and stock up on camp and alchemy supplies. Additionally, make sure you’ve collected the best Act 1 items. There are also permanent bonuses you want to find in Act 1. Lastly, Grymforge has powerful armor and weapons (Adamantine) that can aid you well into Act 3. Consider taking the time to craft a couple of items there before transitioning to Act 2, where you won’t be able to return.
Level 7
Level 7 you will gain another level 2 spell slot. These spells aren’t that effective at this level. Pass Without Trace is good for stealth groups, Protection from Poison is helpful when poison is an issue and Silence can be a great crowd control spell but it requires concentration. Thus, we recommend going with Lesser Restoration.
- Lesser Restoration: cure a creature from disease, poison, paralysis, or blindness.
- Iron Mind: gain proficiency in Wisdom and Intelligence Saving Throws.
Prepared Spells: Find Familiar, Cure Wounds, Hunter’s Mark, Ensnaring Strike (Range), Spiked Growth, Lesser Restoration.
Level 8
At level 8 you will get a feat and Land’s Stride.
- Land’s Stride: helps move through difficult terrain and no longer slows you down.
- Feat: Take the Ability Improvement and put +2 into Dexterity getting you to 18 with the Sharpshooter feat.
The gameplay remains unchanged, use multi-attack, hunter’s mark and cast spells to crowd control targets.
Prepared Spells: Find Familiar, Cure Wounds, Hunter’s Mark, Ensnaring Strike (Range), Spiked Growth, Lesser Restoration.
Level 9
At level 9 the Ranger Gloom Stalker unlocks two level 3 spells and a subclass spell Fear.
- Fear Spell (Subclass feature): Project an image so frightening it makes targets drop everything and become Fearful. They will be easier to hit and cannot move. This isn’t that useful of a skill unless you are trying to either run away or lock down a group in an area. It requests an action and concentration and there is typically a better way to manipulate targets including scrolls of Confusion or Banishment.
- Lighting Arrow: 4d8+2d8 lighting damage with a bonus action in melee range. The damage is very high with this spell though it’s in melee range. However, you can use this as a bonus action and keep your action. Use first, then your Roaring Thunder arrow to knock back enemies.
- Stoneskin (replace Lesser Restoration): Turn a creature’s flesh hard as stone. It gains Resistance (half the damage) of all non-magical Bludgeoning, Piercing, and Slashing damage that lasts until long rest and requires concentration. The benefit of this spell is it lasts until a long rest. Meaning, that as soon as you finish a long rest, you can cast this though you won’t be able to use Hunter’s Mark. This is ideal when you 100% know you are going into a high-damage situation and need survival. The later game will have very difficult fights and since you can pre-buff this is a great spell.
At this level, you have more buffs, damage in melee range, and a way to control targets and keep them in place. The downside so far is, that many skills require concentration and you can only have one active. Experiment with each situation for more damage or survivability.
Level 10
Level Ten Brings useful utility Class Action, Hide in Plain Sight, and two Hunter Gloom Stalker Features:
- Hide in Plain Sight (Class Feature): Camouflage yourself with your environment to become Invisible and gain a +10 bonus to Stealth Checks until Long Rest.
- Ends early if you move, attack, cast another spell, take an action, or take damage.
- Favoured Enemy: Mage Breaker: You have a history of battling spellcasters. You gain proficiency in Arcana and can cast True Strike. This is somewhat useful for getting True Strike cantrip. We most likely won’t use this, so you can flex it out for skill proficiency of your choice.
- Natural Explorer: Urban Tracker: An expert at navigating the wild within the city, you gain Proficiency in Sleight of Hand. We are using this to gain skill proficiency in Sleight of Hand which helps the class utility and not using a Rogue.
You can use the Hide in Plain Sight action before combat and unload during turn one, or use it for out-of-combat sneaking and stealing.
Level 11
At level 11 the Gloom Stalker Ranger will unlock one spell and one subclass feature.
- Stalker’s Flurry (Subclass Feature): You are swift enough to turn a miss into a new strike. When you miss a weapon attack, you can make another weapon attack for free.
- This is a truly amazing passive feature that helps our damage with attacks.
- Conjure Barrage: 2d8 slashing damage in 9m into a destructive, widespread volley. On Save: Targets still take half damage. This attack is a conal, not a radius.
- It’s helpful because we lack any type of area damage, and it doesn’t require concentration. The downside is, that you need to be close but you can combo this with Lighting Arrow because it’s a bonus action spell. If enemies get close you have a great counter for big damage in one turn.
Level 12
At level 12 the Gloom Stalker gets a feat. Go with +2 Ability Improvement to Dexterity to reach 20. At this level, you will have a lot of damage, spells, utility and even crowd control. The max level in Baldur’s Gate 3 is 12 and you will feel very powerful at this level and should be a blast to play.
Best Companions for Gloom Stalker Ranger Build
The best companion for a Ranger Build in Baldur’s Gate 3 is Lae’zeal because she’s a melee-focused damage dealer. She will engage enemies and take the pressure off your ranged-focused build, allowing you to free-cast spells and ranged attacks. Having a heavy focus on melee will keep you in the distance while applying pressure, snaring, and debuffing the opposition.
- Lae’zeal (Fighter): damage, crowd control, and in-your-face aggression.
- Shadowheart (Cleric): buffs, healing, and control.
- Gale (Wizard): area damage, crowd control, and range damage.
When putting your party together, consider companions for not only their combat prowess but also their outside abilities and skills that can influence storytelling, dialogue, and exploration. A balanced party will fit the traditional RPG ‘holy trinity’: Tank, Healer, and DPS. Ideally, in Baldur’s Gate 3, you are going to want one tank, one healer, one melee DPS, and one range DPS. Some classes/subclasses can cover both roles, so feel free to experiment and find out what works best for you.
Best Gear for Baldur’s Gate 3 Gloom Stalker Ranger Build
Beginner: Act 1
Here’s the best beginner gear for Gloom Stalker Ranger Build in Baldur’s Gate 3:
Gear Slot | Best Gear Item | Effect |
---|---|---|
Head | Shadow of Menzoberranzan | Invisibility skill |
Cape | – | |
Chest | Adamantine Scale Mail | 16 AC & Crit Immunity |
Gloves | Gloves of Archery | +2 Ranged Damage |
Boots | Disintegrating Night Walkers | Free Misty Step |
Necklace | Moondrop Pendant | No Opportunity Attacks |
Ring | Caustic Band | +2 Acid Damage |
Ring | Fetish of Callarduran Smoothhands | Free Invisibility Spell |
Weapon 1 Main Hand | Club of Hill Giant Strength | 19 Strength |
Weapon 2 Off-Hand | Adamantine Shield | +2 AC |
Weapon 2 Ranger | Titanstring Bow | Add STR modifier |
Below is the best Act 1 Armor, Weapons, and Equipment for Gloom Stalker Ranger in BG3:
- Shadow of Menzoberranzan: Looted from the Pale Corpse in the Myconid Colony, Underdark (Alternative Haste Helm).
- Adamantine Scale Mail: Crafted in Adamantine Forge (Alternatives Hide +2 Armour, or Githyanki Half Plate).
- Gloves of Archery: Sold by Grat the in the Goblin Camp (Alternatives Gloves of Dexterity, Gloves of Missile Snaring, or Gloves of Hail of Thorns).
- Disintegrating Night Walkers: Looted or stolen from Nere in Grymforge (Alternatives Boots of Striding, or Boots of Genial Striding).
- Moondrop Pendant: Sealed chest inside the Owlbear Nest (Alternatives Amulet of Branding, Amulet of Misty Step, or Amulet of Restoration).
- Caustic Band: Buy it from Derryth in the Myconid colony, Underdark (Alternative The Sparkswall).
- Fetish of Callarduran Smoothhands: Looted from dead gnomes in Grymforge X: -610 Y: 408 (Alternative Strange Conduit Ring, Ring of Absolute Force).
- Club of Hill Giant Strength: Found in Arcane Tower under Stool top level (Alternatives Hunter’s Dagger, or Knife of the Undermountain King).
- Adamantine Shield: Crafted in the Adamantine Forge (Alternatives Glowing Shield, or Wood Woad Shield).
- Titanstring Bow: Brem in Zhentarim Hideout Act 1 (Alternatives Bow of Banshee, Spellthief, or Joltshooter).
Advanced: Acts 3
The following table presents the best advanced and end-game gear for Gloom Stalker Ranger Build in Baldur’s Gate 3:
Gear Slot | Best Gear Item | Effect |
---|---|---|
Head | Helm of Balduran | Cannot be Stunned |
Cape | Cloak of Protection | +1 AC and Saving Throws |
Chest | Helldusk Armour | 21 AC |
Gloves | Legacy of the Masters | +2 Attack Roll |
Boots | Helldusk Boots | Cannot be Moved |
Necklace | Surgeon’s Subjugation Amulet | Stun on Crit |
Ring | Killer’s Sweetheart | Auto Critical |
Ring | Ring of Regeneration | Self-healing |
Weapon 1 Bow | Blood of Lathander | Automatic Revive |
Weapon 2 Mace | Viconia’s Walking Fortress | +3 AC |
Weapon 2 Shield | Gontr Mael | Best Bow |
Below is the best Act 3 Armor, Weapons, and Equipment for Gloom Stalker Ranger in BG3:
- Helm of Balduran: Found in Dragon’s Sanctum X: 636 Y: -964 Act 3 (alternatives Helldusk Helmet, Sarevok’s Horned Helmet, Mask of Soul Perception, or Circlet of Hunting).
- Cloak of Protection: Sold by Talli Quartermaster at Last Light Inn Act 2 (alternative Shade-Slayer Cloak).
- Helldusk Armour: Looted from fighting Raphael House of Hope (alternative Armour of Agility, Dark Justiciar Half-Plate, or Flame Enamelled Armour).
- Legacy of the Masters: Sold by Dammon in Lower City, Forge of the Nine (alternatives Gloves of Soul Catching, Helldusk Gloves, or Gloves of Dexterity).
- Helldusk Boots: Wyrm’s Rock Fortress X: -32 Y: 219 Act 3 (alternative Disintegration Night Walkers).
- Surgeon’s Subjugation Amulet: Looted from Malus Thorm at the House of Healing in Act 2. (alternative: Amulet of Greater Health, or Periapt of Wound Closure).
- Killer’s Sweetheart: Found in Self-Same Trial inside the Gauntlet of Shar. (alternative Risky Ring).
- Ring of Regeneration: Found in Lorroakan’s Projection store (alternative Shifting Corpus Ring, or Ring of Free Action).
- Blood of Lathander: Act 1 and 2 Quest.
- Viconia’s Walking Fortress: Looted from Viconia DeVir, Act 3 (Alternative Shield of Devotion).
- Gontr Mael: Looted from the Steel Watcher Titan in Steel Watch Foundry (alternative The Dead Shot).
Best Consumable Items and Potions for Gloom Stalker Ranger
Consumables are items that can be used once and then destroyed. They are typically used to restore health or other resources. Some common types of consumables include potions, scrolls, food, drinks, and arrows.
The following list represents the best individual use consumable items that will aid in our Best Baldur’s Gate 3 Ranger Gloom Stalker Build:
- Elixir of Bloodlust: Once per turn when you kill a foe, you gain HP 5 temporary hit points and an additional action.
- Potion of Speed: Gain extra action, +2 AC, Advantage on Dexterity Saving Throws, and double movement speed.
- Drow Poison: Weapon poison that adds Constitution Saving Throw or becomes Poisoned and falls Asleep.
- Potion of Flying: Drink to gain a flying speed of 60ft for one hour.
- Elixir of Heroism: Gain 10 temp HP and become Blessed until a long rest.
- Potion of Greater Healing: 4d4 + 4 hit points restored.
- Oil of Accuracy: Coat Weapon. Bonus of +2 in Attack Rolls.
- Elixir of Vigilance: Drink to gain a +5 bonus to Initiative and you can’t be Surprised.
Ammunition
The best Ammunition for the Best Baldur’s Gate 3 Ranger Gloom Stalker Build is listed below:
- Arrow of Ice: Deals weapon damage + 2d4 Cold and creates ice surface for 2 turns in a 2m radius.
- Arrow of Roaring Thunder: deals weapon damage, knocks back 5 meters if failed strength throw.
- Arrow of Many Targets: Deals weapon damage and an additional half of that damage to three other targets in range.
- Arrow of Dragon/Aberration/Humanoid: Deals weapon damage, and double damage against Dragon, Aberration, or Humanoid.
- Arrow of Salving: Cures a target of poisoned, paralyzed, and blinded conditions.
- Arrow of Transposition: teleports the shooter wherever this arrow is fired.
Gloom Stalker Ranger Gameplay Tips and Tricks
- Mobility: Rangers are very mobile, so use this to your advantage in combat. Use high movement offensively and defensively to position for better attacks and to get out of danger.
- Stealth: is a very useful skill for rangers, as it allows you to sneak up on enemies and get the drop on them. This can be especially useful in boss fights, as it can allow you to deal a lot of damage before the enemy even knows you’re there.
- Spell Timing: Rangers have a variety of spells that can be very useful in combat. Use them wisely to buff your allies, debuff your enemies, and deal damage but know they are limited and should be used when needed most.
- Prepare: Baldur’s Gate 3 is a very challenging game, so it’s important to be prepared for anything. Make sure to recharge spells with long rest, always have potions, elemental arrows, and speed potions ready.
- Environment: Use the environment to your advantage. If you’re overwhelmed, Dash to create more movement, line of sight of the enemy, and get in stealth. This will allow you to lose aggro and hopefully open with a damage ability or heal.
- Exploit vulnerabilities: Rangers have access to a variety of ammunition types. Use different arrows to exploit enemy weaknesses. For example, fire arrows can be effective against enemies vulnerable to fire damage, while acid arrows can be useful against foes with high armor.
Remember, this build guide serves as a foundation, and you can always adapt it to suit your preferences and the needs of your campaign. Enjoy playing as a formidable Gloom Stalker Ranger!
Gloom Stalker Ranger Changes in Patch 7 of Baldur’s Gate 3
The Gloom Stalker subclass and Ranger class received zero changes to combat and gameplay. The overall focus of Patch 7 was adding mods and new endings with more honour mode boss actions. The game now features a modding toolkit and an in-game mod manager, allowing players to create and install mods directly within the game. This update is intended to hand over creative control to the community, enabling players to produce unique content and continue the story in new ways. This best Gloom Stalker Ranger Build Guide remains unchanged, mainly in Baldur’s Gate 3 Patch 7.
Best Baldur’s Gate 3 Ranger Gloom Stalker Build Guide Summary
Subclass Gloom Stalker
Armor: Medium
Weapons: Longbow
Background – Urchin
- Strength 10
- Dexterity 16
- Constitution 16
- Intelligence 8
- Wisdom 14
- Charisma 10
Level Progression
- Level 1 – Favoured Enemy: Bounty Hunter
- Level 2 – Archery Fighting Style
- Level 3 – Gloom Stalker Subclass
- Level 4 – Sharpshooter Feat
- Level 5 – Extra Attack
- Level 6 – Favoured Enemy: Ranger Knight
- Level 7 – Iron Mind
- Level 8 – Feat +2 Dexterity
- Level 9 – Fear Spell
- Level 10 – Favoured Enemy: Mage Breaker
- Level 11 – Stalker’s Flurry
- Level 12 – Feat +2 Dexterity
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