Best Ranger (Minsc) Build in Baldur's Gate 3: Which Attributes, Traits and Subclass to Choose

Minsc is a companion in Baldur's Gate 3 and one of the most famous heroes of Dungeons & Dragons. He doesn't appear immediately; you'll meet him only in the third act. But that's not all, as he will only join you if you fulfill certain conditions. If the big guy does end up in your party, this guide will show you how to create the best Ranger build.

The three main attributes for any Ranger are ‎Dexterity, ‎Constitution, and Wisdom. The first determines your damage and ‎Armor Class (AC), the second affects your HP, and the third influences saving throws. All of these are crucial for comfortable gameplay. It's also worth noting that a Ranger is primarily a ranged fighter, with your weapons being bows, crossbows, and related gear. However, we recommend not forgetting the importance of AC, as it can be a matter of life and death in the game. Note that the higher your AC, the harder it is for enemies to hit you. To achieve a high AC, you need either heavy armor, a high Dexterity score, or both, provided the armor has no restrictions.

Recommended attributes are shown in the screenshot above.

Note: The screenshot does not depict Minsc because the build author had him die. However, there is no significant difference when building any Ranger.

Choose Ranger Knight as your Favored Enemy at level one to immediately gain the ability to wear heavy armor, which significantly increases AC. For Natural Explorer, select Urban Tracker, which gives you proficiency in Sleight of Hand. This means you no longer need to bring Astarion along to pick locks you encounter.

The first spell is Goodberry, providing a small but useful heal, which can be very helpful at early levels. The second spell is Hail of Thorns, one of the Ranger's more powerful spells. Remember, you'll need a bow to use it.

Since we already have the ability to wear heavy armor, the logical fighting style would be Defense, adding an additional +1 to your AC for wearing armor.

Choosing the spell is simple: take Ensnaring Strike, which is a must-have in the arsenal of any good archer.

For the subclass, definitely go with Gloom Stalker. This is the most powerful subclass for a Ranger, considering the bonuses it provides. For example, +3 to Initiative right away and a small speed bonus at the start of any battle.

Given the Initiative bonus received from the subclass, the trait to choose is Alert. With this, our bonus is now +8, meaning you will almost always (with very few exceptions) go first at the start of combat.

Take Lesser Restoration to maintain a balance between healing and damage-dealing spells in your pool.

For the next Favored Enemy, a good choice is Mage Slayer, which gives proficiency in Religion and the occasionally useful cantrip Sacred Flame.

The game has many objects and items that burn, explode, and deal fire damage, so a logical choice for Natural Explorer is Wasteland Wanderer: Fire, which grants resistance to fire damage.

Silence is an extremely useful spell, effectively taking away the ability of creatures within its radius to cast anything. Therefore, we settle on it.

Here, you should take Tough to double your HP — this is never a bad thing.

The spell we need here is Lightning Arrow, dealing colossal damage upon hitting.

Our Favored Enemy now is the Keeper of the Veil, which grants proficiency in Arcana and the Protection from Evil and Good cantrip.

The choice for Natural Explorer here is also obvious — Wasteland Wanderer: Poison, as poison is the second most common way to deal damage in the game (apart from direct attacks).

At level 11, a good choice would be Conjure Volley, which can deal deadly damage if you have good weapons equipped.

At the final level, we recommend increasing Dexterity to 18 through Ability Score Improvement. This will not only increase your damage but also provide an additional +1 to AC. This will be useful whether you are wearing heavy armor or have decided not to wear it.