Hello fellow ranger's I am looking to get people's ideas for what is the best melee ranger subclass? I am going to be starting in a new campaign soon and I have decided to play a Ranger for once. I think I have narrowed it down to 3 classes maybe 4 if you count Hunter, but I think they are Gloomstalker, Fey Wanderer & Horizon Walker.
I can't really weigh in on which subclass is best, but I can tell you that the melee ranger I've been playing has been a lot of fun so far.
I've been playing a Horizon Walker Ranger with a 3-level dip into Champion Fighter. I chose to use a greatsword, so I took great weapon fighting and defense as my fighting styles. For feats, I've selected Mobile and Slasher. STR, CON, and WIS are the stats you'll want to focus on.
It takes awhile, but this build gets good when you get Haste and gets great when you get Distant Strike, so I'd recommend it if you think you'll be playing a high-level campaign. If you go for the fighter dip, it'll take til level 12 and 14 for this to kick in.
If you use Haste + Distant Strike together, you can attack two enemies once and a third enemy twice, for a total of four attacks in a single turn. With a 10% chance for a critical hit from the Champion multiclass, you're likely to see one crit per turn. Planar Warrior adds an extra 2d8 on one of those hits as well once you reach 11 Ranger.
If you go this route, I'd recommend starting as a Fighter until you get to level 3 and then moving over to Ranger. Starting as a Fighter gets you proficiency in CON saving throws, which is huge for maintaining your concentration on Haste. The only real drawback I've seen to this build is when you lose concentration on Haste and have to sit out your next turn due to lethargy.
With the Mobile and the new Tireless feature from Tasha's, you get 45 feet of base movement speed, which goes up to 90 feet when Haste is active. Mobile also prevents you from taking opportunity attacks from creatures to attack (whether hit or miss), so it's real easy to run in, attack 2-3 enemies, and run back out so you don't get swarmed.
I've been playing this build as an off-tank style character that draws attention to itself to save the squishier party members. You could probably play it even tankier if you go with a 1-H weapon and a shield, and take the dueling fighting style. Certain magic items have made it really fun too. A Robe of Scintillating colors can let you stun a large group of enemies and still be able to retreat so you don't get mobbed, or slippers of spider climbing can really let you maximize all the movement speed you have (running on to ceilings or running underneath a bridge to avoid enemies). It get can super versatile!
Top stats are Str, Con, and Wis. Don't put your Dex above 14. Your end goal should be breastplate, so anything above 14 is a waste, and you need all the ability points for Str, Con, and Wis. Since its nice to get Dex to 14 just about any race that gives you bonuses in Str, Con, Wis, or Dex are helpful.
Gloom Stalker gets the extra attack first round, and the ability to see and hide in the dark. If you end up taking Resilient you could end up with proficiency in Saves in Con, and Wisdom. So if you like making saving throws its a good jam. (currently playing one). Your mobility is not very good as a Gloom Stalker. Consider the Fey Touched Feat so you can have Misty Step if you go this route. If you play a human take it as your 1st level feat, and take Hunter's Mark as your other spell (now you won't have to spend a spell slot on it). Use the extra ability point in Wisdom to increase point buys on Str, and Con. Also Zephyr Strike for mobility reasons.
My second choice was Horizon Walker, and honestly it was my first choice, but I couldn't justify it for character reasons. The mobility stuff is great in that you can be in different places. The Gloom Stalker can sometimes get stuck in the front line with limited ways to get out. That does not happen with the Horizon Walker.
Fey Wanderer is not my thing, but I get it and it plays nicely with a strength based ranger. Both Fey and Horizon get Misty Step and its such a perfect spell to fix the mobility problems of a melee Ranger.
A couple things to think about that are not subclass related. Figure out the following: Shield, Archer, Two weapon fighting, or Great Weapon. Archer is extremely difficult to pull off with Shield and Great Weapon. I have a shield based Ranger and I ended up burning a level as a Arcana Cleric in part to get Chill Touch (better range than a bow, can do somatic with my shield, and cantrips scale nicely). But l am not saying do that. My Ranger is strange, and the party I am in is weird as well (we didn't have a cleric and the bard wasn't taking cure spells so we need more healing as well).
What about the new beast master option is that considered melee as well? Thank you all for the suggestions. I’m definitely going dual wielding scimitar or short sword. Stats at level 1 are: str 12 dex 16 con 14 int 10 wis 14 cha 8.
The bonus action is actually pretty important in general for the Ranger so if you're dead set on dual wielding scimitars you'll want to watch out for what subclass abilities require the bonus action so you don't run into issues. Here are my thoughts on all subclasses and how it works with a Two weapon fighting build.
Beast Master could work just fine as a melee ranger except it does not work if you want to dual wield scimitars. Two weapon fighting and the new pet feature from Tasha's both need the bonus action to work. I'd avoid this one unless you want to switch to a 2h weapon or a shield build.
Drakewarden (UA) is the same problem as Beast Master. Your pet needs the bonus action to work as does your two weapon fighting. No go on this one.
Fey Wanderer doesn't seem to need the bonus action for anything special. This could work.
Gloomstalker works well. To get the most out of that extra free attack in the first round, it's generally best to have a 2h weapon but dual wielding will be just fine. Stalkers Flurry actually works great with dual wielding. You get that bonus action attack means you have another chance to miss meaning you'd be more likely to put this to use. If you're picking a race without darkvision, I think this is definitely your best pick. If you're going with something that doesn't need it, it's still probably one of the best if not the best option.
Horizon Walker is probably my favorite for a melee ranger EXCEPT it does not work with two weapon fighting. It's main feature at level 3 uses the bonus action every round so it's just not something that will work well.
Hunter works although I'm not a huge fan of this subclass in general.
Monster Slayer requires the bonus action fairly regularly so I would say it's not a great option. It doesn't need the bonus action every turn so it's not as bad as some of the other ones I've mentioned but I think it will require it enough that it's a bad option.
Swarmkeeper doesn't need much out of your bonus action so it's not a bad option. The level 7 feature gives a fly speed which to me screams archer. It'd work with 2 weapons in melee though.
As you can see, a lot of these subclasses already use the bonus action quite regularly which means you're limited if you're going with Dual Scimitars. Two weapon fighting requires the bonus action to be useful so you'll want to stay away from those subclasses. Gloomstalker gets my vote.
Dual wielding doesn't work until you get to level 5, when you get extra attack, you get that 2nd attack you can "dual wield" as the extra attack doesn't specify it has to be the exact same weapon to attack with, so you are free to use your bonus action on whatever you need to, but I do agree with you guys up until level 5 it can be tough to use your bonus action to attack. I thank you all for the wonderful options, I have some ideas to think upon.
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Hello fellow ranger's I am looking to get people's ideas for what is the best melee ranger subclass? I am going to be starting in a new campaign soon and I have decided to play a Ranger for once. I think I have narrowed it down to 3 classes maybe 4 if you count Hunter, but I think they are Gloomstalker, Fey Wanderer & Horizon Walker.
I can't really weigh in on which subclass is best, but I can tell you that the melee ranger I've been playing has been a lot of fun so far.
I've been playing a Horizon Walker Ranger with a 3-level dip into Champion Fighter. I chose to use a greatsword, so I took great weapon fighting and defense as my fighting styles. For feats, I've selected Mobile and Slasher. STR, CON, and WIS are the stats you'll want to focus on.
It takes awhile, but this build gets good when you get Haste and gets great when you get Distant Strike, so I'd recommend it if you think you'll be playing a high-level campaign. If you go for the fighter dip, it'll take til level 12 and 14 for this to kick in.
If you use Haste + Distant Strike together, you can attack two enemies once and a third enemy twice, for a total of four attacks in a single turn. With a 10% chance for a critical hit from the Champion multiclass, you're likely to see one crit per turn. Planar Warrior adds an extra 2d8 on one of those hits as well once you reach 11 Ranger.
If you go this route, I'd recommend starting as a Fighter until you get to level 3 and then moving over to Ranger. Starting as a Fighter gets you proficiency in CON saving throws, which is huge for maintaining your concentration on Haste. The only real drawback I've seen to this build is when you lose concentration on Haste and have to sit out your next turn due to lethargy.
With the Mobile and the new Tireless feature from Tasha's, you get 45 feet of base movement speed, which goes up to 90 feet when Haste is active. Mobile also prevents you from taking opportunity attacks from creatures to attack (whether hit or miss), so it's real easy to run in, attack 2-3 enemies, and run back out so you don't get swarmed.
I've been playing this build as an off-tank style character that draws attention to itself to save the squishier party members. You could probably play it even tankier if you go with a 1-H weapon and a shield, and take the dueling fighting style. Certain magic items have made it really fun too. A Robe of Scintillating colors can let you stun a large group of enemies and still be able to retreat so you don't get mobbed, or slippers of spider climbing can really let you maximize all the movement speed you have (running on to ceilings or running underneath a bridge to avoid enemies). It get can super versatile!
Top stats are Str, Con, and Wis. Don't put your Dex above 14. Your end goal should be breastplate, so anything above 14 is a waste, and you need all the ability points for Str, Con, and Wis. Since its nice to get Dex to 14 just about any race that gives you bonuses in Str, Con, Wis, or Dex are helpful.
Gloom Stalker gets the extra attack first round, and the ability to see and hide in the dark. If you end up taking Resilient you could end up with proficiency in Saves in Con, and Wisdom. So if you like making saving throws its a good jam. (currently playing one). Your mobility is not very good as a Gloom Stalker. Consider the Fey Touched Feat so you can have Misty Step if you go this route. If you play a human take it as your 1st level feat, and take Hunter's Mark as your other spell (now you won't have to spend a spell slot on it). Use the extra ability point in Wisdom to increase point buys on Str, and Con. Also Zephyr Strike for mobility reasons.
My second choice was Horizon Walker, and honestly it was my first choice, but I couldn't justify it for character reasons. The mobility stuff is great in that you can be in different places. The Gloom Stalker can sometimes get stuck in the front line with limited ways to get out. That does not happen with the Horizon Walker.
Fey Wanderer is not my thing, but I get it and it plays nicely with a strength based ranger. Both Fey and Horizon get Misty Step and its such a perfect spell to fix the mobility problems of a melee Ranger.
A couple things to think about that are not subclass related. Figure out the following: Shield, Archer, Two weapon fighting, or Great Weapon. Archer is extremely difficult to pull off with Shield and Great Weapon. I have a shield based Ranger and I ended up burning a level as a Arcana Cleric in part to get Chill Touch (better range than a bow, can do somatic with my shield, and cantrips scale nicely). But l am not saying do that. My Ranger is strange, and the party I am in is weird as well (we didn't have a cleric and the bard wasn't taking cure spells so we need more healing as well).
All of them are really viable in melee.
GS is good with dualwield and has good damage and utility. Its also not as BA hungry.
HW is great for strength builds and has great mobility. You can go Dex with a rapier and a shield or even take a Greatsword with a STRanger build.
Hunter is good and has probably the highest damage output in the end but lacks utility.
Fey wanderer has like HW great mobility and deals good damage plus you can summon more bodies.
So it depends what you want.
Utility go either GS or Feywanderer.
STRanger? HW.
Pure damage? Hunter primarily. All other options are still viable though.
Mobility? FW or HW.
Its up to you in the end and what character you wanna build.d.
What about the new beast master option is that considered melee as well? Thank you all for the suggestions. I’m definitely going dual wielding scimitar or short sword. Stats at level 1 are: str 12 dex 16 con 14 int 10 wis 14 cha 8.
The bonus action is actually pretty important in general for the Ranger so if you're dead set on dual wielding scimitars you'll want to watch out for what subclass abilities require the bonus action so you don't run into issues. Here are my thoughts on all subclasses and how it works with a Two weapon fighting build.
As you can see, a lot of these subclasses already use the bonus action quite regularly which means you're limited if you're going with Dual Scimitars. Two weapon fighting requires the bonus action to be useful so you'll want to stay away from those subclasses. Gloomstalker gets my vote.
Dual wielding doesn't work until you get to level 5, when you get extra attack, you get that 2nd attack you can "dual wield" as the extra attack doesn't specify it has to be the exact same weapon to attack with, so you are free to use your bonus action on whatever you need to, but I do agree with you guys up until level 5 it can be tough to use your bonus action to attack. I thank you all for the wonderful options, I have some ideas to think upon.