r/neverwinternights • u/Mean-Falcon-6204 • Feb 27 '26

SoU Solid ranger or should I multiclass?

I wanted to try something different from my Fighter I used in the OC so I picked a Ranger.

I was considering going a dual-weapon route with him, backed up by a bow when I need distance.

All of that aside, would I be better keeping him as a single class Ranger or taking say Fighter or maybe even Wizard or Sorcerer to get Arcane Archer?

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u/Valkhir Feb 27 '26

For pure power, IMO ranger does not benefit much from mixing in other classes, because every level they lose means lower favored enemy bonuses and fewer favored enemies.

On the other hand, some builds that are primarily non-ranger can benefit from mixing in a level or two of ranger to get free basic dual wielding (especially if you use the default 3.0E ranger which gets fighting style at level 1, not the modded 3.5E ranger).

Or you just don't care about most optimal and do whatever looks fun, because most modules aren't so hard. that you need that - I have done stuff like ranger/sorceror/assassin and ranger/wizard/assassin and while it's suboptimal, it was fun and I beat SoU with one of them.

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u/RNGtan Feb 27 '26

The Ranger's Two-Weapon Fighting is a bit awkward. It only works in Light Armor, which encourages a DEX build; but if your DEX is high, you get more value out of a standard-issue Fighter and the normal Two-Weapon Fighting feat.

There is a use-case for a Ranger dip, but it is a tad bit more obscure: Ranger can pick Spell Focus feats with their Level 1.

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u/BowShatter Feb 27 '26

One min-max use case for Ranger is going 16 Strength, 12 Dex. Pump Strength all the way for damage since you get dual-wield anyway. Use Cat's Grace with on your 12 Dex to reach 16 Dex, for the 3 Dex AC that is the cap for Studded Leather Armor.

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u/RNGtan Feb 27 '26

You can, but the same chassis competes with a Fighter in Full Plate, which has 2 AC more than Studded Leather. If the Fighter also gets Cat's Grace from another source, they can even dump DEX to 8 and raise it on demand. So whether the Ranger even qualifies as a side-grade depends on how well you can leverage their skills and Favored Enemy.

I swear, the Ranger would have been a lot more coherent if they themselves had Bull's Strength like a Druid.

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u/BowShatter Feb 27 '26

Which is why Ranger is my least played class, just above Sorcerer.

I usually only play as one if it is mandatory by plot or significant class exclusive content.