I have always enjoyed dual wielding, and i am currently using a hexblade swashbuckler.
However, I do want to try a dual wield/TWF ranger build. So I am wondering if you guys have any suggestions, whether is straight up one class or MC (i really like MC)
Guess I am looking for flavor and good dpr.
One consideration i had was kensei/gloom, but the flurry of flows doesn't allow monk weapons so the BA is wasted/reduntant with dual wield.
Rangers do pretty good with multiple attacks thanks to the variety of archtypes that just give you extra dice, but the issue is that you often end up using your bonus actions to do them. On top of that by the time you have properly charged up the combat might be over already. Standard martial multiclasses would apply here though, like fighter, maybe barbarian, or paladin. Ranger is pretty solid on it's own though, especially with the new class variant feature UA giving them some really great bumps in power in a variety of ways.
Rangers do pretty good with multiple attacks thanks to the variety of archtypes that just give you extra dice, but the issue is that you often end up using your bonus actions to do them. On top of that by the time you have properly charged up the combat might be over already. Standard martial multiclasses would apply here though, like fighter, maybe barbarian, or paladin. Ranger is pretty solid on it's own though, especially with the new class variant feature UA giving them some really great bumps in power in a variety of ways.
i mena the plan is to hunters mark and then just do it and twf them. i like the thematic feels of it. i did considered vengeance paladin with some sword of ranger twf.
As MinokeTheWise stated, two-weapon fighting competes with your other bonus action use cases (casting Hunter's Mark, moving Hunter's Mark to a new target, etc...). So I would suggest:
Start at level 1 as a War Domain cleric for Divine Favor.
Take 5 levels of ranger, picking up the Dual Wielder feat.
Take the rest of your levels in cleric, eventually getting Divine Strike.
I'm planning on playing a ranger/rogue multiclass, though it's not an optimized build. The idea is to go hunter and grab horde breaker and extra attack to become the party's swashbuckling skirmisher. I don't plan on doing much single target damage, but instead to clean up smaller enemies while the paladin and fighter do their thing.
Is there even more bonus action competition? Heck yeah. But that's the beauty of it. With my bonus action I can either attack, hunter's mark, or cunning action. There will almost never be a situation where I can't use it. I'm choosing ranger spells that focus more on utility for the party, like longstrider, goodberry, and silence which adds yet another tool to my toolkit.
If you're looking to maximize dpr, gloomstalker compliments assassin really well and...who can resist sneak attack damage?
I am currently playing an HW Ranger, going to spec into rogue (soulknife) at lvl 12. Planar warrior and Zephyr Strike stack pretty nicely to bounce around and combining it with distant strike at later levels I think will be some fun. Especially with sneak attack from rogue.
I am having good success with a Melee Swarmkeeper. Secondary support and frontliner. Built as a Mountain Dwarf, two weapon fighting style brandishing Yklwa in each hand. Hunter’s Mark on first turn+yklwa, +offhand yklwa, gathered swarm. First turn should only allow one yklwa and hunters mark as the BA, subsequent turns are double yklwa. Swarm assist is great on both counts. Working toward 4th level currently, where I plan to take Dual Wielder feat for the AC bump, and stay stealthy with studded leather. May not be perfect but works with the party.
I know the thread is really old but here's my "two sense." (See beastsense)
To dual wield as a ranger focus on steath. Specifically ambushes in order to cast HM out of combat. If the 90ft distance isn't enough for your spells to prevent initiative, pick up some sorcery points via the feat or a multiclass. You can play a wisdom or strength dumping ranger to redirect to charisma if needed. There are plenty of non-wisdom dependent spells for ranger.
Hunter gets you the most attacks by default but swarmkeeper or gloomstalker are really good. Almost all the ranger subclasses can provide a benefit.
Even a beastmaster can harvest poison and have a round 1 nova option that might just end combat during the surprise round.
Hopefully I can launch HM prior to initiative. Already have proficiency in stealth, so that should play well. We also have good spell and ranged support. The DW feat bumps the AC, and a step up to Studded Leather will keep stealth. Alternatively, stealth proficiency could feasibly negate the stealth disadvantage for a heavier armor, but thats to be discussed with the DM. Either way, the role I’m filling is that frontline and melee just flavors right. Also its Tomb of Annihilation so no resurrection possible and i want to stay alive. Armor is a priority lol
5th level Gloomstalker Ranger, 3rd level Rogue Assassin, 2nd Fighter... 2 attacks for action, 2 attacks for action surge, 1 attack for Glook stalker 1st round with d8 additional die, bonus action off hand weapon, sneak attack damage, all surprised attacks are crits(assassin 1st round), off hand attack and hopefully you had Hunters mark up. Nova 1st round and you will still be effective in the following rounds duel weidling and hopefully getting off sneak attacks. Train a dog(animal handling )to flank your enemies and just use dodge. Dog stays alive and doesn't burn your bonus action but helps you sneak attack.
Once you get these levels you can add a 4th level of rgue to get a wuick feet or concentrate on Ranger or fighter the rest of the way.
I have this build with a cross bow expert. I get the same amount of attacks with a hand helpd crossbow. Just added 4th level theif for Sharpshooter and now get to -5/=10 to all these first round attacks. If all 6 attacks hit round one its 60 damage just from sharpshooter.
First, talk to your DM - find out if you can cast hunter’s mark and or zephyr strike out of combat - some will let you and others won’t that makes a big difference in running a TWF ranger. Your two basic spells for a TWF are hunter’s mark (+1d6 per hit) and zephyr strike (no opportunity attacks against you as you move) - both are bonus actions so you want to get them off before initiative if possible. However, unless you are a nova burster (gloomstalker/assassin) having to cast the spell in round one is not the disaster som folks make it out to be. Most combats last 3-5 rounds so you should have 3 or 4 rounds with the bonus action attack. I love all the various high level ( mostly theory crafted) multiclass nova builds - getting everything online takes mo of the campaign and many re , frankly, pretty crappy in the me time with missed ASIs and having to wade through endless grinding with limited abilities in order to get to the level that give you that extra nova damage. let’s face it a single sneak attack die is only adding 3.5 hit points damage on average - not much if your L4-8 and had to miss your L4 ASI to boost your damage stat. Second, remember TWF is melee only really ( ok yes you can go dual hand cross bows but then even with CBE your firing your two shot very other round because while CBE eliminate the reload requirement it doesn’t eliminate the ammunition requirement for a free hand to reload BOTH hand crossbows ( guess what your doing on round 2 by RAW). Taking dual wielding at L4 instead of an ASI makes some sense as the non light weapon gives you the same +1 damage boost as the ASI ( but not the +1 to hit boost) ( if your a Dex based melee your better off taking the ASI for the AC boost ( unless you have the +2 and are in medium armor) as well as the to hit boost). Probably the best starting build for a TWF ranger is variant human ( or any other background that gives a free feat of choice) so you can take the dual wield feat for free at L1 then TWF style a L2 and the ASI at L4 then get 2 attacks at L5 ( for 3 attacks over all)
To me, the spell that really works with two weapon melee fighting is Zephyr Strike. It has that extra damage die/advantage on one hit, sure, but that's not the good part. The good part is being able to get nearly anywhere you want to be on the battlefield and then get the heck out of there on a single turn.
So when that nasty thing pops up in the back - whether it's a wizard or a melee boss - you can get right to it, attack, and then dance back out of melee range, or even behind cover, if there is any. Often you can get to a spot where you can flank so functionally you can get advantage on many more attacks than just the official one. And the best armor is not being attacked at all. Functionally, this means that in practice the character is much more effective in combat than you'd probably expect on paper.
If your character was the only target on the battlefield you'd still be the target, but if you have other party members tanking or harassing it works out great.
It's a little sad that if I use the first round to cast Zephyr Strike that my bonus action is already used, but once extra attack kicks in there's still plenty of swings, and if you are a gloomstalker you get an extra swing from Dread Ambusher in the first round also. No need to be greedy, there's another round coming more likely than not.
I find that I rarely use the full movement it gives me, that mostly what I need is just the ability to move in and out of melee range, and/or to get to a flanking position safely. In practice, this gives me more movement because without it, I'm spending a lot of movement going around.
Hunter's Mark lets you hit the big bad for more damage, but Zephyr Strike lets you hit the big bad with less risk of death or dismemberment. I use both but tend to lean to ZS. Zephyr Strike is usually better if there are a lot of enemies or if I don't think I can take a hit or two from the enemy; Hunter's Mark is better when there are fewer enemies and I'm feeling good about my AC and hit points.
With the Hunter's Mark case, I'm also much more likely to get hit and lose concentration, or to need to use my bonus action to move it when there are multiple enemies. With Zephyr Strike, it often lasts a lot of rounds leaving my bonus action free for that extra swing.
If stealth AND armor is your priority, then do like me: take the "heavy" ranger way by being a Medium Armor Master (feat needed) It's best if your AGI is not too high, 16 or 17, as more will be lost for your AC, and you'll need some STR to wield this heavier armor without being uncumbered.
If stealth AND armor is your priority, then do like me: take the "heavy" ranger way by being a Medium Armor Master (feat needed) It's best if your AGI is not too high, 16 or 17, as more will be lost for your AC, and you'll need some STR to wield this heavier armor without being uncumbered.
Yes, medium armor master lets you add +3 dex bonus instead of just +2 to medium armors. the absolute best solution is to talk to your DM and get them to put Serpent scale mail into their campaign as a treasure for you. Its +1 armor retains your stealth and allows you to use all your dex bonus. For starting or low-level rangers, I recommend getting a breastplate as soon as you can afford it as it's the same AC as scale but retains your stealth.
Yes, but its useless for me as I do am a Dual Wielder being a Medium Armor Master and didn't intend having so much AGI (I intended to be a Longsword+Dagger user, but I ended dual Rapier wielder). And rangers should be the more DIY, not too counting on ownership, rather on skills.
I'm first a Ranger, being able to go the farther even in enemy territory, not a Warrior, so these 2 warrior feats are more a style than a true definition of role (but sure it helps in tanking if needed). I like the unique tanking "heavy" ranger, it goes against the so usual archer ranger-warrior.
Don't take dual wielder feat (Mage Slayer is a good Dex half feat), just take Two Weapon Fighting Style feat and use Scimitar/Shortsword. You will have 3 attacks at level 5 because of the Nick property (which doesn't use your bonus action) and will do more damage with Hunter's mark than if you have four attacks with Dual Wielder and no Hunter's Mark. Hunter's Mark will require you to use your bonus action at least every other turn (unless fighting something really big for your level). Using dual wielder feat will just clog your action economy.
Don't take dual wielder feat (Mage Slayer is a good Dex half feat), just take Two Weapon Fighting Style feat and use Scimitar/Shortsword. You will have 3 attacks at level 5 because of the Nick property (which doesn't use your bonus action) and will do more damage with Hunter's mark than if you have four attacks with Dual Wielder and no Hunter's Mark. Hunter's Mark will require you to use your bonus action at least every other turn (unless fighting something really big for your level). Using dual wielder feat will just clog your action economy.
Exactly. Mage Slayer indeed has become a very good feat and I believe it’s better than DW for a Ranger.
For the sake of comparison, Hunter’s Mark + three attacks has an avg DPR of 22.5. Four attacks using Dual Wielder has an avg DPR of 20.5.
Don't take dual wielder feat (Mage Slayer is a good Dex half feat), just take Two Weapon Fighting Style feat and use Scimitar/Shortsword. You will have 3 attacks at level 5 because of the Nick property (which doesn't use your bonus action) and will do more damage with Hunter's mark than if you have four attacks with Dual Wielder and no Hunter's Mark. Hunter's Mark will require you to use your bonus action at least every other turn (unless fighting something really big for your level). Using dual wielder feat will just clog your action economy.
Exactly. Mage Slayer indeed has become a very good feat and I believe it’s better than DW for a Ranger.
For the sake of comparison, Hunter’s Mark + three attacks has an avg DPR of 22.5. Four attacks using Dual Wielder has an avg DPR of 20.5.
I like Quarterstaff + Shillelagh even better with Ranger's 2 attacks at Level 4 and combined with Colossus Slayer (Hunter's feature):
Round 1: BA cast Hunter's mark; Attack #1: 2 handed quarterstaff + Hunter's Mark; Attack #2: 2 handed quarter staff + HM + Colossus slayer (assuming attack #1 hit) = average damage of 20.5 not including any ability bonus (plus with topple there's a chance that the target prone and the 2nd attack is made with Adv.)
Round 2: BA cast Shillelagh; Attack #1: Shillelagh + HM + CS; Attack #2: Shillelagh + HM = average 22.5 (again, not added any ability bonuses - plus with Shillelagh your spell casting ability is now the bonus for attack and damage, making it MORE likely that topple comes into play and bonus action is still available for something else.)
My level 5 Hunter Ranger with a +4 wisdom bonus and +1 Quarterstaff has a +8 to hit and +5 to damage. He can average 24.5 damage in Round 1 and 32.5 in Round 2. And the Topple has a Con save DC of 15.
"...at worst if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat."
Don't take dual wielder feat (Mage Slayer is a good Dex half feat), just take Two Weapon Fighting Style feat and use Scimitar/Shortsword. You will have 3 attacks at level 5 because of the Nick property (which doesn't use your bonus action) and will do more damage with Hunter's mark than if you have four attacks with Dual Wielder and no Hunter's Mark. Hunter's Mark will require you to use your bonus action at least every other turn (unless fighting something really big for your level). Using dual wielder feat will just clog your action economy.
Exactly. Mage Slayer indeed has become a very good feat and I believe it’s better than DW for a Ranger.
For the sake of comparison, Hunter’s Mark + three attacks has an avg DPR of 22.5. Four attacks using Dual Wielder has an avg DPR of 20.5.
I like Quarterstaff + Shillelagh even better with Ranger's 2 attacks at Level 4 and combined with Colossus Slayer (Hunter's feature):
Round 1: BA cast Hunter's mark; Attack #1: 2 handed quarterstaff + Hunter's Mark; Attack #2: 2 handed quarter staff + HM + Colossus slayer (assuming attack #1 hit) = average damage of 20.5 not including any ability bonus (plus with topple there's a chance that the target prone and the 2nd attack is made with Adv.)
Round 2: BA cast Shillelagh; Attack #1: Shillelagh + HM + CS; Attack #2: Shillelagh + HM = average 22.5 (again, not added any ability bonuses - plus with Shillelagh your spell casting ability is now the bonus for attack and damage, making it MORE likely that topple comes into play and bonus action is still available for something else.)
My level 5 Hunter Ranger with a +4 wisdom bonus and +1 Quarterstaff has a +8 to hit and +5 to damage. He can average 24.5 damage in Round 1 and 32.5 in Round 2. And the Topple has a Con save DC of 15.
This is quite good indeed. I believe you would be more powerful by going Beastmaster. Yeah, Hunters Mark would lose some space and your BA would be permanently taken, but the auto-prone effect of the Land Beast is insane. At level 5 you can afford to use your BA to conjure Shillelagh and give up one of your attacks to command your companion; this can also be used to cast Hunters Mark against a particular enemy you know will endure lots of damage. Second/third round onwards you’ll hit like a truck.
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I have always enjoyed dual wielding, and i am currently using a hexblade swashbuckler.
However, I do want to try a dual wield/TWF ranger build. So I am wondering if you guys have any suggestions, whether is straight up one class or MC (i really like MC)
Guess I am looking for flavor and good dpr.
One consideration i had was kensei/gloom, but the flurry of flows doesn't allow monk weapons so the BA is wasted/reduntant with dual wield.
Rangers do pretty good with multiple attacks thanks to the variety of archtypes that just give you extra dice, but the issue is that you often end up using your bonus actions to do them. On top of that by the time you have properly charged up the combat might be over already. Standard martial multiclasses would apply here though, like fighter, maybe barbarian, or paladin. Ranger is pretty solid on it's own though, especially with the new class variant feature UA giving them some really great bumps in power in a variety of ways.
i mena the plan is to hunters mark and then just do it and twf them. i like the thematic feels of it. i did considered vengeance paladin with some sword of ranger twf.
As MinokeTheWise stated, two-weapon fighting competes with your other bonus action use cases (casting Hunter's Mark, moving Hunter's Mark to a new target, etc...). So I would suggest:
I'm planning on playing a ranger/rogue multiclass, though it's not an optimized build. The idea is to go hunter and grab horde breaker and extra attack to become the party's swashbuckling skirmisher. I don't plan on doing much single target damage, but instead to clean up smaller enemies while the paladin and fighter do their thing.
Is there even more bonus action competition? Heck yeah. But that's the beauty of it. With my bonus action I can either attack, hunter's mark, or cunning action. There will almost never be a situation where I can't use it. I'm choosing ranger spells that focus more on utility for the party, like longstrider, goodberry, and silence which adds yet another tool to my toolkit.
If you're looking to maximize dpr, gloomstalker compliments assassin really well and...who can resist sneak attack damage?
I am currently playing an HW Ranger, going to spec into rogue (soulknife) at lvl 12. Planar warrior and Zephyr Strike stack pretty nicely to bounce around and combining it with distant strike at later levels I think will be some fun. Especially with sneak attack from rogue.
I am having good success with a Melee Swarmkeeper. Secondary support and frontliner. Built as a Mountain Dwarf, two weapon fighting style brandishing Yklwa in each hand. Hunter’s Mark on first turn+yklwa, +offhand yklwa, gathered swarm. First turn should only allow one yklwa and hunters mark as the BA, subsequent turns are double yklwa. Swarm assist is great on both counts. Working toward 4th level currently, where I plan to take Dual Wielder feat for the AC bump, and stay stealthy with studded leather. May not be perfect but works with the party.
I know the thread is really old but here's my "two sense." (See beastsense)
To dual wield as a ranger focus on steath. Specifically ambushes in order to cast HM out of combat. If the 90ft distance isn't enough for your spells to prevent initiative, pick up some sorcery points via the feat or a multiclass. You can play a wisdom or strength dumping ranger to redirect to charisma if needed. There are plenty of non-wisdom dependent spells for ranger.
Hunter gets you the most attacks by default but swarmkeeper or gloomstalker are really good. Almost all the ranger subclasses can provide a benefit.
Even a beastmaster can harvest poison and have a round 1 nova option that might just end combat during the surprise round.
Hopefully I can launch HM prior to initiative. Already have proficiency in stealth, so that should play well. We also have good spell and ranged support. The DW feat bumps the AC, and a step up to Studded Leather will keep stealth. Alternatively, stealth proficiency could feasibly negate the stealth disadvantage for a heavier armor, but thats to be discussed with the DM. Either way, the role I’m filling is that frontline and melee just flavors right. Also its Tomb of Annihilation so no resurrection possible and i want to stay alive. Armor is a priority lol
5th level Gloomstalker Ranger, 3rd level Rogue Assassin, 2nd Fighter... 2 attacks for action, 2 attacks for action surge, 1 attack for Glook stalker 1st round with d8 additional die, bonus action off hand weapon, sneak attack damage, all surprised attacks are crits(assassin 1st round), off hand attack and hopefully you had Hunters mark up. Nova 1st round and you will still be effective in the following rounds duel weidling and hopefully getting off sneak attacks. Train a dog(animal handling )to flank your enemies and just use dodge. Dog stays alive and doesn't burn your bonus action but helps you sneak attack.
Once you get these levels you can add a 4th level of rgue to get a wuick feet or concentrate on Ranger or fighter the rest of the way.
I have this build with a cross bow expert. I get the same amount of attacks with a hand helpd crossbow. Just added 4th level theif for Sharpshooter and now get to -5/=10 to all these first round attacks. If all 6 attacks hit round one its 60 damage just from sharpshooter.
First, talk to your DM - find out if you can cast hunter’s mark and or zephyr strike out of combat - some will let you and others won’t that makes a big difference in running a TWF ranger. Your two basic spells for a TWF are hunter’s mark (+1d6 per hit) and zephyr strike (no opportunity attacks against you as you move) - both are bonus actions so you want to get them off before initiative if possible. However, unless you are a nova burster (gloomstalker/assassin) having to cast the spell in round one is not the disaster som folks make it out to be. Most combats last 3-5 rounds so you should have 3 or 4 rounds with the bonus action attack. I love all the various high level ( mostly theory crafted) multiclass nova builds - getting everything online takes mo of the campaign and many re , frankly, pretty crappy in the me time with missed ASIs and having to wade through endless grinding with limited abilities in order to get to the level that give you that extra nova damage. let’s face it a single sneak attack die is only adding 3.5 hit points damage on average - not much if your L4-8 and had to miss your L4 ASI to boost your damage stat.
Second, remember TWF is melee only really ( ok yes you can go dual hand cross bows but then even with CBE your firing your two shot very other round because while CBE eliminate the reload requirement it doesn’t eliminate the ammunition requirement for a free hand to reload BOTH hand crossbows ( guess what your doing on round 2 by RAW). Taking dual wielding at L4 instead of an ASI makes some sense as the non light weapon gives you the same +1 damage boost as the ASI ( but not the +1 to hit boost) ( if your a Dex based melee your better off taking the ASI for the AC boost ( unless you have the +2 and are in medium armor) as well as the to hit boost). Probably the best starting build for a TWF ranger is variant human ( or any other background that gives a free feat of choice) so you can take the dual wield feat for free at L1 then TWF style a L2 and the ASI at L4 then get 2 attacks at L5 ( for 3 attacks over all)
Wisea$$ DM and Player since 1979.
To me, the spell that really works with two weapon melee fighting is Zephyr Strike. It has that extra damage die/advantage on one hit, sure, but that's not the good part. The good part is being able to get nearly anywhere you want to be on the battlefield and then get the heck out of there on a single turn.
So when that nasty thing pops up in the back - whether it's a wizard or a melee boss - you can get right to it, attack, and then dance back out of melee range, or even behind cover, if there is any. Often you can get to a spot where you can flank so functionally you can get advantage on many more attacks than just the official one. And the best armor is not being attacked at all. Functionally, this means that in practice the character is much more effective in combat than you'd probably expect on paper.
If your character was the only target on the battlefield you'd still be the target, but if you have other party members tanking or harassing it works out great.
It's a little sad that if I use the first round to cast Zephyr Strike that my bonus action is already used, but once extra attack kicks in there's still plenty of swings, and if you are a gloomstalker you get an extra swing from Dread Ambusher in the first round also. No need to be greedy, there's another round coming more likely than not.
I find that I rarely use the full movement it gives me, that mostly what I need is just the ability to move in and out of melee range, and/or to get to a flanking position safely. In practice, this gives me more movement because without it, I'm spending a lot of movement going around.
Hunter's Mark lets you hit the big bad for more damage, but Zephyr Strike lets you hit the big bad with less risk of death or dismemberment. I use both but tend to lean to ZS. Zephyr Strike is usually better if there are a lot of enemies or if I don't think I can take a hit or two from the enemy; Hunter's Mark is better when there are fewer enemies and I'm feeling good about my AC and hit points.
With the Hunter's Mark case, I'm also much more likely to get hit and lose concentration, or to need to use my bonus action to move it when there are multiple enemies. With Zephyr Strike, it often lasts a lot of rounds leaving my bonus action free for that extra swing.
If stealth AND armor is your priority, then do like me: take the "heavy" ranger way by being a Medium Armor Master (feat needed)
It's best if your AGI is not too high, 16 or 17, as more will be lost for your AC,
and you'll need some STR to wield this heavier armor without being uncumbered.
Vifarc Cordelibre, the most unique ranger-tank, the wood-elf heavy-ranger.
This is a bad take.
2014 5E mostly
3.5 maybe.
Yes, medium armor master lets you add +3 dex bonus instead of just +2 to medium armors. the absolute best solution is to talk to your DM and get them to put Serpent scale mail into their campaign as a treasure for you. Its +1 armor retains your stealth and allows you to use all your dex bonus. For starting or low-level rangers, I recommend getting a breastplate as soon as you can afford it as it's the same AC as scale but retains your stealth.
Wisea$$ DM and Player since 1979.
Yes, but its useless for me as I do am a Dual Wielder being a Medium Armor Master and didn't intend having so much AGI (I intended to be a Longsword+Dagger user, but I ended dual Rapier wielder).
And rangers should be the more DIY, not too counting on ownership, rather on skills.
I'm first a Ranger, being able to go the farther even in enemy territory, not a Warrior, so these 2 warrior feats are more a style than a true definition of role (but sure it helps in tanking if needed).
I like the unique tanking "heavy" ranger, it goes against the so usual archer ranger-warrior.
Vifarc Cordelibre, the most unique ranger-tank, the wood-elf heavy-ranger.
Don't take dual wielder feat (Mage Slayer is a good Dex half feat), just take Two Weapon Fighting Style feat and use Scimitar/Shortsword. You will have 3 attacks at level 5 because of the Nick property (which doesn't use your bonus action) and will do more damage with Hunter's mark than if you have four attacks with Dual Wielder and no Hunter's Mark. Hunter's Mark will require you to use your bonus action at least every other turn (unless fighting something really big for your level). Using dual wielder feat will just clog your action economy.
Exactly. Mage Slayer indeed has become a very good feat and I believe it’s better than DW for a Ranger.
For the sake of comparison, Hunter’s Mark + three attacks has an avg DPR of 22.5. Four attacks using Dual Wielder has an avg DPR of 20.5.
I like Quarterstaff + Shillelagh even better with Ranger's 2 attacks at Level 4 and combined with Colossus Slayer (Hunter's feature):
Round 1: BA cast Hunter's mark; Attack #1: 2 handed quarterstaff + Hunter's Mark; Attack #2: 2 handed quarter staff + HM + Colossus slayer (assuming attack #1 hit) = average damage of 20.5 not including any ability bonus (plus with topple there's a chance that the target prone and the 2nd attack is made with Adv.)
Round 2: BA cast Shillelagh; Attack #1: Shillelagh + HM + CS; Attack #2: Shillelagh + HM = average 22.5 (again, not added any ability bonuses - plus with Shillelagh your spell casting ability is now the bonus for attack and damage, making it MORE likely that topple comes into play and bonus action is still available for something else.)
My level 5 Hunter Ranger with a +4 wisdom bonus and +1 Quarterstaff has a +8 to hit and +5 to damage. He can average 24.5 damage in Round 1 and 32.5 in Round 2. And the Topple has a Con save DC of 15.
"...at worst if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat."
This is quite good indeed. I believe you would be more powerful by going Beastmaster. Yeah, Hunters Mark would lose some space and your BA would be permanently taken, but the auto-prone effect of the Land Beast is insane. At level 5 you can afford to use your BA to conjure Shillelagh and give up one of your attacks to command your companion; this can also be used to cast Hunters Mark against a particular enemy you know will endure lots of damage. Second/third round onwards you’ll hit like a truck.