The Gloomstalker archetype introduces a new style of Ranger to Baldur‘s Gate 3 early access, specializing in the shadows and excelling when they have the advantage of darkness or surprise on their side.
As experts at ambushing enemies and striking unseen, Gloomstalkers make powerful additions to any adventuring party looking to unleash devastating opening attacks. Backed up by an array of mobility and stealth focused spells and abilities, they can dictate engagements on their own terms, disappearing into the shadows when a fight turns against them only to reappear for another deadly strike.
In this comprehensive guide, we‘ll cover everything you need to know to build, play and master the Gloomstalker Ranger on the toughest difficulties of Baldur‘s Gate 3 EA.
Why Play a Gloomstalker?
Compared to the other Ranger subclasses, the Gloomstalker brings:
- Exceptional burst damage potential, able to nova enemies in the opening round of combat
- Increased mobility through abilities like Misty Step, allowing for hit-and-run tactics
- Specialization in Dexterity, boosting AC, initiative and ranged attacks over spellcasting
- Unique mechanics rewarding surprise rounds and attacking from darkness
- Synergy with Rogue assassin builds allowing extreme one round deletes
Put simply, the Gloomstalker exceeds at positioning themselves for advantage and overwhelming outnumbered targets before they have a chance to react. They are masters at gaining surprise rounds against foes and punishing any lapses in awareness the enemy shows. This aggressive, opportunistic style is great for players who like taking risks and dictating the flow of battle.
Class Features and Abilities
Now let‘s examine the key class features that make the Gloomstalker stand out:
Dread Ambusher
Right at 3rd level, this feature supercharges your opening attacks. It grants you an additional attack on your first turn in combat, along with a special 1d8 extra damage if you attack in the first round.
It also increases your walking speed by 10 feet — enhancing mobility.
Finally, it adds a +5 bonus to initiative rolls, meaning you are more likely to win initiative and take advantage of that devastating first round damage potential. Winning initiative also allows you to set up the battlefield with spells and lure foes into your traps and favored terrain before they can react.
Gloom Stalker Magic
Gloomstalkers gain access to unique spells that facilitate their shadowy ambush style:
- Disguise Self – Allows scouting, infiltration or deception pre-combat
- Rope Trick – Creates an extradimensional space to hide and set up ambushes
- Feign Death – Allows you to evade enemies by playing dead
- Greater Invisibility – The ultimate way to gain surprise and advantage
Used creatively, these spells enable new strategies other Rangers cannot replicate. Disguise Self is excellent for infiltrating enemy camps. Feign Death can get you out of dangerous situations, playing opossum to avoid a total party kill if combat goes south.
Dreadful Strikes
At 11th level, your weapon attacks on your opening turn deal an additional 1d8 damage, stacking with Dread Ambusher for even more burst potential right when combat starts.
Shadowy Dodge
A 14th level defensive ability, Shadowy Dodge offers flexibility. It allows you to impose disadvantage on an attack that hits you. Helps mitigate damage against your lower HP if you are caught outside optimal positioning.
Stalker‘s Flurry
Finally, the capstone at 15th level allows you to make an additional attack if you miss with an attack on the same turn. Great for landing Sneak Attack as a Gloomstalker/Assassin if your initial attack fails to connect.
Perfect Ability Scores
As a Gloomstalker, your primary abilities rankings are:
- Dexterity – fuels ranged attacks, AC, initiative, skills
- Wisdom – boosts Ranger spell attacks and DCs
- Constitution – bigger HP pool since you are on the frontline
- Intelligence – outsmart foes and spot weaknesses
- Strength – lower priority but helps push damage higher
- Charisma – useful for deception but otherwise not essential
Dexterity is the clear favorite here, key to ranged combat prowess. This contrasts with spellcasting oriented Rangers who prioritize Wisdom first. Constitution is essential too since Gloomstalkers lack heavier armor and are often isolated from the main party, requiring larger HP buffers.
Prioritizing Dexterity synergizes well with multiclassing into Rogue, which many top tier Gloomstalker builds incorporate for extreme opening round damage.
Best Race Options
The following races pair well with Gloomstalkers:
Wood Elf is arguably best in class – gets you +2 Dex, 35 ft movement speed, mask self spell and Elf Weapon Training making longswords viable melee options. Their mask self has great synergy with Gloomstalker abilities.
Shadar-Kai Elf is another solid choice – +2 Dex, teleportation bonuses, and resistance to necrotic damage which is common.
Forest Gnome works with the terrain control, scout playstyle as well – +2 Int helps find weaknesses in enemies. Can hide in foliage for ambushes.
Half-Elf is always a great versatile option – two +1 ability boosts help customize your build further. Extra skills and access to Elven Accuracy feat down the line.
For experienced players, Custom Lineage offers extreme focus into your main combat stat, though at the cost of some flavor and roleplaying opportunities.
Optimal Spell Selection
While Gloomstalkers rely more on their weapon attacks than spells compared to other Ranger archetypes, spells still provide utility. Here are some standout options:
- Hunter‘s Mark – THE damage boosting must-have, combining perfectly with Dread Ambusher and Dreadful Strikes
- Goodberry – Keep your HP topped off between combats
- Pass Without Trace – Infiltrate without leaving a trail to set up the perfect ambush spot
- Silence – Shut down enemy spellcasters before devastating them
- Spike Growth – Zone control to limit enemy attacks
- Zephyr Strike – Further boost mobility for hit and run
- Cordon of Arrows – Protection and bonus action attacks
Feat Synergies
The following Feats have great synergy with the Gloomstalker playstyle:
- Elven Accuracy – Reroll 1s on advantage attacks which you specialize in
- Alert – Almost guarantees you first initiative to trigger Dread Ambusher
- Mobile – Enhance hit and run tactics
- Sharpshooter – Massive damage boost for ranged attacks with -5/+10
- Lucky – Smooth randomness by re-rolling failed key attacks
I recommend prioritizing Dexterity boosts first. 20 Dex should come before any Feat considerations. But mixing in Elven Accuracy, Alert or Mobile helps double down on your strengths even further.
Sharpshooter is risk vs reward – harder to land attacks but insane damage potential. Better for veteran players confident in gaining advantage frequently.
Multiclassing Rogue for Assassin Builds
Many optimized endgame Gloomstalker builds leverage Rogue through multiclassing, combining the ambush damage potential of both classes.
The synergy between Dread Ambusher and the Assassin‘s Death Strike ability is extremely potent. Death Strike in particular rewards surprise rounds with automatic critical hits – feeding directly into the Gloomstalker‘s strengths.
The ideal split is 5 levels of Ranger to Extra Attack, then 3 into Rogue for Assassin. This sets up Heavy Sneak Attack damage on those automatic crits. Continue leveling Ranger to 11 next for Dreadful Strikes then return to Rogue.
Flexibility exists however based on your campaign and preferred playstyle. Slowing Ranger progression delays your spells and feats, but Rogue provides Cunning Action disengages – enhancing mobility. Experiment to find your favorite combination of burst damage and utility.
Mastering Gloomstalker Combat Tactics
Now we come to playing a Gloomstalker effectively in the heat of battle. Here are 5 key tactics to practice:
1. Rig the Battlefield Pre-Combat
Make use of your spells, abilities and environment to control the coming battleground. Cast Spike Growth to limit enemy movement. Set up Ball Bearings traps they have to cross, giving you free attacks. Create chokepoints and set yourself up for maximum success before initiative is even rolled.
2. Play to Your Strengths: Darkness and Surprise
At all times try to attack from shadows, hiding, or invisibility gained from allies or Greater Invisibility. Seek out side paths to appear behind enemies unexpectedly. These tactics feed directly into your subclass core mechanics.
3. Prioritize High Value Targets
Gloomstalker burst potential allows bringing down dangerous enemies quickly. Eliminate the enemy spellcasters, healers and rangers first – use Hunter‘s Mark to focus fire glass cannons. This minimizes incoming damage your party has to weather.
4. Use Mobility Spells to Reposition
You want to break line of sight whenever too much heat comes your way. Make liberal use of Zephyr Strike, Misty Step or Cunning Action disengage to re-enter stealth and appear somewhere new. Reset the battle on your terms.
5. Save Defensive Abilities If Ambushed Yourself
Finally, be judicious with emergency buttons like Shadowy Dodge in case enemies ever get the drop on YOU. Having these available reduces likelihood of being caught out and focused down. Play smart, not reckless.
Master these ambush-focused techniques along with skillful dexterity attacks and you‘ll wield the Gloomstalker to its full potential in Baldur‘s Gate 3.
Conclusion
The Gloomstalker Ranger provides Baldur‘s Gate 3 players with an exceptionally hard-hitting subclass focused on exploiting surprise rounds and attacking from the shadows. Backed by abilities tailor made to enable ambushes and devastating opening attacks, the Gloomstalker exceeds at dictating engagements on their own terms and punishing any lack of awareness.
By specializing in Dexterity and initiative enhancing feats, picking mobility spells and leveraging stealth to your advantage, you become an instrument of explosive damage against isolated targets. Multiclass further into Rogue Assassin to maximize critical hits against completely unprepared foes.
Yet a Gloomstalker is more than pure DPS – their expanded spell selection and defensive tricks gives flexibility if a fight turns against you. Ultimately they have the tools to both rigorously control the battlefield pre-fight and adapt to changing combat conditions.
If played well, few enemies will even have a chance to strike back before they perish to your arrows and blades. Do you have the skill to truly master this specialist ambush archetype? The shadows await any daring enough to stalk Baldur‘s Gate under the Gloomstalker‘s cloak of darkness.