Dungeons & Dragons: All Ranger Subclasses, Ranked From Most Powerful To Lowest

Rangers are known as one of the weakest classes in D&D 5e, but the ranger sub-classes introduced over the years have given players strong options.

Dungeons and Dragons has a lot going for it in 2023. Popular RPG company Wizards of the Coast is preparing to release five new D&D sourcebooks this year, including The Book of Many Things, which will focus specifically on subclasses and spells, according to ComicBook.com.

Many Players All looking for a new ranger sub-job. A fan-favorite class for generations past, the base ranger class in the game's current Fifth Edition Player's Handbook is notoriously underpowered. However, certain subclasses added to 5e over the years made the Rangers even more powerful.

9/9 Beast Master

As daunting as it sounds, the Beastmaster subclass leaves a lot to be desired in terms of raw power. Beast Masters allows players to bond with animals of their choice that have a challenge rating of 1/4 or less, meaning that while there are plenty of options, none are powerful enough to have a real impact and will work to overcome their obvious weaknesses .

In addition to failing to summon more power than a level 1 ranger, the Beastmaster subclass focuses on improving the combat abilities of animals, but rarely becomes powerful enough to actually help the player in combat. A sort of A cool concept in theory that isn't very impressive in reality, Beastmasters are the weakest ranger subclass in D&D.

8/9 Ranger Hunter

Often considered the most basic and one-dimensional ranger subclass in top-tier tabletop RPGs, the Hunter is an early archetypal character with limited combat skills and primarily used in combat, providing decent damage and adequate defense. The Hunter Ranger subclass is simple and effective, ideal for novices, but won't give players the massive power they've been looking for for a long time.

The best part of the Hunter Ranger subclass is the flexible customization, allowing players to tailor the character to their exact specifications. But other than the freedom to do so, Hunters don't have the powerful ability to target apexes and support characters. Arguably, Hunter is a solid default option best suited for beginners and early game.

7/9 Rangers Of The North

With equal parts scouting, tracking and fighting, northern rangers are well suited to use their freezing weather skills and powers to lead groups across the harshest terrains. Their strength comes from excellent close-quarters combat skills, which are further enhanced by their archery abilities and longsword feel.

As fighter and tracker Can handle notable DPS as well as use their natural surroundings to carry a group through frigid weather, Northern Rangers possess multiple advantages that Hunters simply don't, giving them an edge over the subclass. Alas, the effectiveness of northern rangers tends to be limited to northern regions and colder weather, limiting their overall power.

6/9 Monster Slayer

A slight upgrade to the rather benign Hunter Ranger subclass, Monster Slayers have additional spells to calculate enemy strengths and weaknesses via Hunter's Sense, and a bonus skill called Slayer's Prey, which stacks bonus damage skills on top of Hunter's Mark . While these abilities are useful, this subclass is nowhere near as customizable as the default Hunter Ranger subclass.

In addition to the lack of customization and minor upgrades (which also includes a weaker version of Counterspell), Monster Slaters can only use the ability once per short rest period, limiting their overall power. Still, the subclass isn't a bad choice for those who want to play a Geralt of Riva-type character slaying evil entities.

5/9 Swarmkeeper

Beastmasters can control individual animals in the wild, while Swamkeepers add Unleash their powers by controlling multiple smaller animals and entities simultaneously, giving teams collective strength in numbers that are difficult to defeat in battle. Whether it's insects, elves, birds, and more, Swarmkeepers can call upon the spirits of nature to aid them in their battles in many beneficial ways.

A fun and effective Ranger subclass for beginners playing one of the greatest action RPGs of all time for the first time, Swarmkeepers offers new players plenty of options, such as choosing from sprite sheets. With their ability to cast spells, Swarmkeepers are ideal for supporting tactical combat, but tend to relegate primary characters to secondary roles. Therefore, it is important to use subclasses in very specific scenarios.

4/9 Fey Wanderer

Now entering the upper echelons of the Ranger subclass, the Goblin Wanderer immediately stands out from the crowd with his enormous spellcasting abilities. With spells like Beguiling Twist, Charm Person, and Dimension Door, Fey Wanders inflicts massive psychic damage by channeling enchantment and hallucination magic that can be used both in combat and out of combat.

The Fey Wanderers are also first-rate fighters, thanks to their excellent archery skills, ability to accurately throw weapons, and most notably, the awesome Otherworldly Glamor skill, This allows rangers to combine their Wisdom modifiers with their Charisma-focused skills of choice. For balanced combat and spellcasting Rangers, Fey Wanderers is hard to beat in the acclaimed party-based RPG.

3/9 Drakewarden

In many ways, everything that is lacking in the Beast Prince class can be made up for with the almighty Drakewarden Rangers by simply swapping out the Beasts for mystical Dragons. As an absolute tank that can deal massive damage and continue to lead teams into battle, Drakewardens gain enormous strength from their defensive abilities, supporting dragons and rangers in the process rather than one or the other (a la Swarm Keepers) .

In addition to having a stronger all-around stat line than Beastmasters, Drakewardens are by far the most powerful companions in D&D due to their versatile melee skills, dragon immunity, solid armor ratings, excellent mobility, and the ability to work with Rangers .

2/9 Horizon Walker

Leaving most of their competition in the dust, Horizon Walkers are a subclass of Rangers that combine punishing offensive and defensive power like no other. Much of their power comes from their teleportation abilities, combined with their two-weapon fighting attacks, making them nearly impossible to defeat in combat.

Horizon Walkers are ideal for deadly, lightning-fast attacks that can deal up to 2d8 damage rating late in the beloved medieval fantasy RPG, Horizon Walkers are also capable of flat magic like Etherealness Jump on the battlefield. Horizon Walkers are an excellent utility subclass with great power and versatility, becoming more indestructible as the game progresses while channeling Haste and Distant Strike teleport upgrades.

1/9 Gloom Stalker

Nearly all serious D&D players agree that Gloom Stalkers are the most powerful ranger subclass the game has to offer. The rogue-style stealth subclass is known for lurking undetected in dark dungeons and cavernous battlefields, and striking with deadly force, making it ideal for the sneakiest of players who prefer to surprise their enemies with surprise attacks. Darkvision and Dread Ambusher abilities ensure Gloom Stalkers can see their enemies while hiding.

Gloom Stalkers In addition to offering the highest damage rate of any Ranger subclass, thanks to the endless stealth bonus granted to them, Gloom Stalkers also cast brutal spells such as rope tricks and greater invisibility, these powerful Skills make it easy to see why the Ranger subclass reigns supreme. Gloom Stalkers can even fight back Attacking enemies with certain bonus rolls on their body makes them the most powerful D&D Rangers.