Divinity: Original Sin 2 is in full swing, and one of the major issues players are having with the game isBuilds. WhatBuilddo I use? What’s a goodBuildfor a Warrior? Ranger? Mage? etc. Since the game is extremely difficult this has come much more into focus than one would expect. In thisBuild Guidewere going to cover the hybrid:Ranger. Let’s jump into thisBuildand see just how it works.
Ranger - Archer/Summoner Build
TheRangeris a hybridBuildthat focuses on ranged damage with aBoworCrossbowandSummoningsome form of “Pet”. The reason it is advised that you use a ranged character whenSummoningis becauseSummoningtends to take up the bulk of your character’s AP per turn, which doesn’t leave much forMovement. Taking a ranged approach will allow you to both summon and attack in the same turn. Note: you can also make a magical version of thisBuildcalled aDruid, which I will get into in anotherBuild Guide. For the purposes of theRanger,Ifan ben-Mezdworks the best as he comes with a petWolf, which works great with thisBuildbecauseSummoningwill increase its effectiveness. However, players can really use anyRaceorOriginfor thisBuildif they wish.
Ranger Attributes and Equipment
Ranger’sare going to focus onFinesseandWitsas their primaryAttributeswith a bit ofConstitution.Finessewill increase your damage withBowsandCrossbows, andWitswill increase yourCritical ChanceandInitiative. There is not anAttributethat increases the damage of “Pets” so there is no need to focus on that here. I would distribute points on a 2:1: ratio here.
As aRangeryou’ll be usingArmourthat requiresFinesse, which gives a balance ofMagicandPhysical Armour. That’s great for this type of play because you won’t have really any way to buff yourArmourunless you place points into otherAbilities. Because you’ll have rather highWits, you should get to go close to first in combat often, which will allow you to useSkillsto position yourself high and away from melee enemies, making your only real danger other archers and casters.
When it comes toWeaponsyou’ll want either aBoworCrossbow. The difference between the two, is thatCrossbowsdeal more damage at the same level, but reducesMovementby 1. Since you won’t be moving much, aCrossbowis recommended here, but be sure to take whatever does the most damage from what is available.
Ranger Abilities and Talents
One of the hardest parts about making aBuildinDivinity: Original Sin 2is getting yourAbilitiesdistribution correct. It’s easy to get spread too thin, and often people make the mistake of not spreading points around enough. The bonuses you gain fromAbilitiesin this game are somewhat different than the original, so it’s easy to see why people can get confused. Let’s take a look at whatAbilitiesandTalentsyou need for aRanger.
For aRanger Buildyou will be focusing onWarfareandSummoning. You’ll want to get bothWarfareandSummoningto 10,Huntsmanat 3 and then dump any leftover points intoRangedto increase your physical damage. The order in which you place points intoWarfareandSummoningwill really depend on how you like to play. Do you want to deal more damage with yourCrossbowwith sort of a pet as and after thought? Do you want to split the points evenly? Or do you want a really powerful pet while you use yourCrossbowto not be completely useless? It’s all really up to you, and you can always respec if you don’t like the decision you have made after Act 1. If you’re not sure, I’d recommend splitting them until you get a feel for it.
As far asTalentsgo I’d recommend the following:
Far Out Man- This will increase the range of your attacks by 2 meters (basic attacks included). Since you won’t be moving a lot, being able to hit from as far away as possible is excellent.
Elemental Ranger- ThisTalentwill add 40% damage to your attacks of the element that your target is standing in. This is additional damage, on top of your normal damage.
Executioner- Archers have some the best long range damage in the game, and as a result they frequently get kills. Taking thisTalentwill give you 2 more AP if you get a kill, however, it doesn’t trigger more than once per turn.
Arrow Recovery- Gives you a 33% chance to recover special arrows you fire at enemies. You won’t be using these as much as the first game, and that’s why it is prioritized less here. Still more useful than mostTalentsfor aRangerthough.
Pet Pal- What kind ofRangerwould you be without being able to converse with animals? If choseIfan ben-MezdduringCharacter Creation, then you will come with thisTalentalready.
Hothead- An excellent way to increase yourCritical ChanceandAccuracy, which are both important to aRanger. Since you will have highInitiative, you should be able to get some good use out of thisTalent.
Ranger Skills
Now that you’ve decided whichTalentsandAbilitiesyou want, you’ll need to identify just whichSkillswork best with this kind of setup.Rangersare one of the more simpleBuildsto play, and you can really use just about anySkillsfromHuntsmanorSummoningyou want, but we’ll cover the important ones here. SinceBuildsevolve over the course of the game, I’m going to put theSkillsin order from earliest obtainable to latest, because you won’t be able to get them all right way.
Huntsman Skills
First Aid- This skill is just frankly wicked good. Heals you or a party member and removes many differentStatus Effects. AllRangersshould have this skill, regardless of what sort they play.
Ricochet- Not the greatestHuntsmanskill, but you should learn it early in order to have some attack other than just your basic one. Consider unslotting it later in the game when you have more access toSkills.
Tactical Retreat- This is another must have skill for anyRanger, as it will allow you to move much further than you possibly could for 1 AP. Use this skill to get up high, get bonus damage from elevation and get out of harm’s way.
Sky Shot- This skill is good for getting extra damage when you can’t be elevated. It’s got a quick cooldown, and it only costs 2 AP. You might find this skill less useful later on when you find you are more tactical than at the beginning.
Ballistic Shot- Better thanSky Shotbecause you can be elevated and still get extra damage from this skill. Get up high usingTactical Retreatand then launch this for massive damage.
Marksman’s Fang- Great for penetratingArmourand hitting multiple targets. Even better when used in conjunction withIfan’s Soul Wolf, because it’s special attackVicious BitepiercesArmouras well.
Arrow Spray- This skill deals amazing damage if you are close enough to hit your target with all 16 arrows and will essentially deal 6.5x the damage of a basic attack. A great boss killer!
Summoning Skills
Conjure Incarnate- This is your go-to summon for the better part of the game. Can be infused with elements to change damage types andSkills. Get this one early and always cast at the beginning of combat.
Farsight Infusion- Grants your IncarnateMagic Armourand a ranged attack. A great skill to use if you’re facing a lot of mage type enemies, or if the battlefield is a shit show and your Incarnate can’t really move without dying.
Power Infusion- Grants your IncarnatePhysical Armourand an AoE as well as a knockdown. Just a great all around skill, that can help you take one turn away from the opponent.
Soul Mate- This skill clears manyStatus Effectsand creates a connection that gives half of your healing andArmourrestoration to the target. This is a great way to help keep your pet alive.
Dominate Mind- Control target enemy for 2 turns. This is resisted byMagic Armour, which isn’t the greatest for this sort ofBuild. However, this skill is too good not to slot, as you can always cast on targets damaged by your Mage.
Final Tips
Consider adding some points intoNecromancerand taking the talentLiving Armourif you find yourself usingSoul Mateoften. This will ensure you get the most from this skill and having a few points intoNecromanceris always good for any character anyway. This will also provide you access to the summons of theNecromancerline as well, though you shouldn’t need them.
The only way to buff damage of summoned characters, besides putting points intoSummoning, is by increasing the actualAttributesof the summoned character with buffs.Encouragecan give your “Pets” around a 10% damage increase, which isn’t a lot, butEncouragehits multiple targets so it’s very useful. ensure at least one member in your party has this skill.
SinceRangersoften need to spend a lot of AP on the first turn to get out their summons and get into position, consider putting 1 point intoScoundrelto get theAdrenalineskill. This will give you 2 extra AP to get what you need done at the cost of some AP next turn. Also, if you don’t want to pickIfan ben-Mezd, I strongly suggest picking anElffor theFlesh Sacrificeskill, which will also give you 1 additional AP to get you going.Flesh Sacrificealso has great synergy withElemental Arrowheads, as you will gain a physical damage bonus from the blood you will create, so be sure to slot this if you play as anElf.
You can get the skillSummon Cat Familiarif theBlack Catchooses your character, and you help it escapeFort Joy. You can getSummon CondorfromFeatherfallinStonegarden(Act 2). You will needPet Paland somePersuasionin order to get this skill. You can get the skillSummon Dragonlingmuch later in the game in theDream PortalinArxif you haveThe Red Princein your party. None of these are required for thisBuild, but if you’d like to try out some different summons, these are some you could choose from. Note: you can only have one active summons at a time per character.
Lastly, if you don’t mind putting a point intoPyrokinetic,Hasteis a really good skill for aRanger. You can either use it on yourself or on your “Pet”, but theMovementwon’t do you a lot of good. Your Incarnate, Wolf, Condor or what have you can make good use of it though getting where they need to go without spending much AP. It also only costs 1 AP, which isn’t much.
Check out our otherBuild Guidesand good luck Sourcerers, Rivellon is counting on you!
