Divinity Original Sin: Ranger Build

Introduction

Wanna have a solid Ranger build? Look no further!

Stats

Dex +2 (7/9/11)
Int + 2 (7/9/11)
Per + 1 (6/7/8)

Talents

• Far Out Man – Extra range is huge for a bow-focused build.

• Light Stepper – Great for avoiding traps while scouting and positioning.

• Pet Pal – Mostly for quests and extra dialogue options.

• Stench – Makes enemies less likely to target you early on.

• Sidestep – Nice dodge boost when things get dangerous.

• Glass Cannon – Massive power spike once you know how to position properly.

• Elemental Ranger – Perfect synergy with surfaces and elemental effects.

Progression

Early game (levels 1–4)

• Put 1 point into Scoundrel, Expert Marksman, Water, Fire, Air, Earth, Witchcraft, and Charisma.
  This gives you access to all the key utility, mobility, and elemental skills you need early on.

Mid game (levels 5–10)

• Focus on Bow, Witchcraft, Water, and Expert Marksman, bringing them up to 2 points each.
  This is where your damage and crowd control really start to come online.

Late mid game (levels 11–15)

• Push Water and Expert Marksman up to 4 points once you’re past level 15.
  These scale extremely well and power most of your strongest skills.

Late game (levels 16+)

• Max Bow to 5 for raw damage.

• Bring Witchcraft up to 4 for strong debuffs and utility.

• Finish by maxing Expert Marksman to 5.

Optional / Defensive picks

• Put 1–3 points into Bodybuilding and Willpower as needed to help deal with crowd control and status effects.

Playstyle

It's pretty simple: You are ranged so you stay as far away as possible. And also as high as possible, since having height advantage will net you more stats when attacking. You do this throughout the game.

Early Game

You’ll be relying a lot on elemental arrows, mixed in with whatever spells you can get your hands on, plus regular physical attacks. One really important thing to remember is that elemental arrows never miss, and some of them are incredibly easy to craft. For example, Slowdown Arrows are just an oil barrel and an arrowhead, and they work on almost every enemy you’ll run into. Poison Arrows are just as easy (ooze barrel + arrowhead), and if you shoot them at enemies that are already on fire, they can even trigger explosions.

Early on, put a single point into Earth, Air, Water, Fire, Witchcraft, Expert Marksman, and Scoundrel as soon as you can. Then pick up a few basic skills from each school to give yourself a solid toolbox. From Air, grab Teleportation, Blitz Bolt, and Bitter Cold. From Earth, go with Boulder Bash, Midnight Oil, and Spider. In Fire, Burn My Eyes, Flare, and Wildfire are great picks. For Water, take Regeneration, Rain, and Slow Current.

From Expert Marksman, pick up Splintered Arrow, Ranged Power Stance, and Ricochet. In Scoundrel, grab Walk in Shadows, Winged Feet, and Fast Track. For Witchcraft, Oath of Desecration is all you really need early on.

As soon as you can, craft some +1 Charisma gear and keep it in her backpack for conversations and trading. The recipes are simple:
– Belt: Magical Tooth + Rope
– Necklace: Magical Tooth + Thread
– Rings: Magical Tooth + Ring Kits

Mid Game

Make sure you grab Burn My Eyes from fire magic as soon as you get to town, if you don’t already have it. You’ll need it more and more as the game goes on to spot traps and hidden treasure. The spell lasts for a long time, so there’s really no reason not to keep it up on your ranger at all times. If you’re still missing things, craft some Perception potions as well (eye + empty vial) to help out.

When you start looking at Adept skills, there are a few really strong ones to keep an eye out for. In Water, go for Ice Shard, Mass Slow, Summon Ice Elemental, and Cleansing Water. In Witchcraft, Destroy Summon is great, and Summon Armored Undead Decapitator is a nice upgrade over the Spider since it’s immune to poison. Drain Willpower and Rupture are also solid picks.

For Expert Marksman, try to grab Barrage, Farseer, and Vampiric Arrow, as they add a lot of damage and utility once you have access to them.

End Game

You’ll mostly be fighting from a distance, since this build eventually turns into a full-on glass cannon with a bow and some really strong magic. As for bow vs crossbow, bows generally win out here (there’s a good breakdown on that if you want to dig into the details).

By the later stages of the game, you won’t be relying on elemental arrows nearly as much anymore, and basic physical attacks should be rare, if you use them at all. At that point, your damage mainly comes from skills and spells rather than standard shots.

When you start unlocking Master skills, keep an eye out for Hail Attack in Water, Rain of Arrows and Arrow Spray in Expert Marksman, and Soul Sap in *Witchcraft. These really push the build over the top.

You can also swap out Fast Track for Adrenaline to make the build even more ridiculously overpowered.

FAQ

Why not crossbows?

A: Well, Bows are in general just better. The damage calculation compared to Divinity Original Sin: 2 is just worse for crossbows. See here for comprehensive breakdown to why: http://steamcommunity.com/app/373420/discussions/0/357284767229948204/