Baldur's Gate 3: Best Arcane Archer Fighter Class Build

Baldur's Gate 3 just got its final update, which brought with it a host of new subclasses. One of these new options is the Arcane Archer subclass for Fighters, which allows you to add a magical kick to your arrows. Before Patch 8 came out, I hadn't tried a full archer build, so I was excited to test one out with this new subclass.

In addition to the Arcane Archer, Baldur's Gate 3's Patch 8 added 11 other new subclasses. This included my personal favorite from D&D, the Swashbuckler Rogue, and some fun options like the Way of the Drunken Master Monk. The update also added cross-play, so it's never been a better time to try testing out new builds with your friends. As for the Arcane Archer, testing it out the last few days led me to find a build that works pretty well.

Arcane Archer Fighter In BG3 Explained

Arcane Archers Shoot Magic Arrows With Varying Effects

An Arcane Archer in Baldur's Gate 3 prepping an Arcane Shot

Baldur's Gate 3's Arcane Archer is a fighter subclass focused on archery. Although any fighter can take the Archery fighting style, Arcane Archers also gain access to magical Arcane Arrows with various effects, as well as some handy tricks that buff your archery skills. The full list of Arcane Archer skills and Arcane Shots can be seen below:

Arcane Archer Skill	Level Unlocked	Effect
Arcane Archer Lore	3	Gain Arcana and Nature proficiency.
Gain a Cantrip	3	Choose the Guidance, Light, or True Strike cantrip.
Arcane Arrows	3, 7, 10	At level three you get four Arcane Arrow charges that are replenished after short and long rests. You also learn three Arcane Shots. At level seven, you have seven total Arcane Arrows and learn a new Arcane Shot. At level ten, you have ten total Arcane Arrows and learn a new Arcane Shot.
Arcane Shot: Banishing Arrow	3, 7, or 10	The target rolls a Charisma Save. If it fails, it is Banished to the Feywild for two turns.
Arcane Shot: Beguiling Arrow	3, 7, or 10	Deals an extra 2d6 Psychic Damage. The target rolls a Wisdom Save. If it fails, it is charmed.
Arcane Shot: Bursting Arrow	3, 7, or 10	Deals an additional 2d6 Force Damage in a five-meter radius.
Arcane Shot: Enfeebling Arrow	3, 7, or 10	Deals an additional 2d6 Necrotic Damage The target rolls a Constitution Save. If it fails, the target becomes Feeble.
Arcane Shot: Grasping Arrow	3, 7, or 10	Deals an additional 2d6 Poison Damage. The target rolls a Constitution Save. If it fails, its movement is reduced by three meters and it takes 2d6 Slashing Damage when moving.
Arcane Shot: Piercing Arrow	3, 7, or 10	Deals weapon damage plus 1d6 in a line. The targets roll a Dexterity Save. If they succeed, they take half the damage.
Arcane Shot: Seeking Arrow	3, 7, or 10	This arrow is guaranteed to hit and deals an additional 1d6 Force Damage. The target rolls a Dexterity Save. If it fails, they are inflicted with Faerie Fire.
Arcane Shot: Shadow Arrow	3, 7, or 10	Deals an additional 2d6 Psychic Damage. The target rolls a Wisdom Save. If it fails, it is Blinded for two turns.
Curving Shot	7	When you miss with any magical ranged attack, you can use a Bonus Action to have the same attack target the next closest enemy.
Magic Arrow	7	All your ranged attacks are considered magical.

Most of an Arcane Archer's focus is on their different Arcane Arrows, though skills like Curving Shot and Magical Arrow come in handy too. When it comes to building this type of character, your type of arrow choices will be something you need to consider, as you can only swap one out each level. This means you'll want to do your best to make good choices each time so you aren't wasting any of your potential.

Best Build For Arcane Archer Fighter In Baldur's Gate 3

Arcane Archer Builds Should Have High Dexterity And Intelligence

For this build, I am only focusing on a full Arcane Archer. I'm not covering potential multiclass options. Since you'll be primarily using bows, you'll want to start out with a good Dexterity score when doing your point buy. Intelligence is your secondary ability, as it's what's used for your Spell Save DC on your Arcane Arrows. As for race, I tend to go Wood Half-Elf for the speed bonus. My recommended starting and ending Ability Scores can be seen below:

Ability Score	Starting	Ending
Strength	8	8
Dexterity	17	20
Constitution	10	11
Intelligence	16	18
Wisdom	14	14
Charisma	8	8

When it comes to choosing Arcane Shots, I start out with Shadow, Grasping, and Bursting. Shadow is a good way to shut down mages, who often deal a lot of damage in fights, or can summon new enemies and cause you to be at a disadvantage in terms of action economy. Bursting is another good one for maintaining a better action economy than your enemies, as it can take out multiple weak foes at once. Grasping is good for crowd control, which is helpful when you're playing a squishier character. As you level up, I'd also take Enfeebling and Seeking.

I take the Sharpshooter feat instead of doing all four Ability Score improvements. It gets rid of High Ground penalties while shooting. You can also choose to take a -5 penalty to your attack roll to deal an additional 10 damage.

As for gear, I like items that can help me stay mobile for positioning and getting shots. Disintegrating Night Walkers are boots that ignore a lot of crowd control elements, and also allow you to use Misty Step. Late game, Helldusk Armour is another great choice, as it has high AC and allows you to use Fly. As for a weapon, I particularly like the longbow Gontr Mael, as you can use it to give yourself Haste, and occasionally inflicts Guiding Bolt, giving you and your allies advantage on your next attack against that target.

An elf, githyanki, and dragonborn monk in Baldur's Gate 3.

You're Missing The Best Feature Of Baldur's Gate 3's New Monk Subclass

Baldur’s Gate 3 got 12 new subclasses in its final update, including the Way of the Drunken Master monk. But its best feature is a little low-key.

Posts

I enjoy playing an Arcane Archer because it allows me to be part support, part DPS. Your Arcane Arrows can be just as effective at crowd control as they are dispatching enemies, and once you get multiple attacks you can have very effective turns. This is easily one of my favorite new Baldur's Gate 3 subclasses, and I'm excited to continue experimenting with it.

zo/span>lentz