Updated Archer Builds in DnD 2024

by Brandon Gregory

(This guide is for the DnD 2024 rules. DnD 5e archer builds can be found here.)

Sharpshooter may have been weakened in DnD 2024, but archers are still viable and powerful with the right builds. Some classes and subclasses are better archers than others. Here’s a list of the most effective archer builds.

Best DnD 2024 Classes and Subclasses for Archers

Fighter – Battle Master

Battle Master Fighters can use powerful Maneuvers with their weapon attacks, adding damage and doing other things like disarming opponents, boosting accuracy, or pushing opponents back. More than any other archer, the Battle Master feels like a control mage because of the many different effects you can choose from. With the additional damage from Maneuvers and the Fighter’s many attacks, this is among the most damaging archers.

Compared to other archers, Fighters absolutely dominate with raw damage output. The Battle Master adds some control abilities, but the main reason to be a Fighter archer rather than a Ranger or Rogue is to do a lot of damage. The Fighter feature set adds comparably less outside of combat.

Maxing your Dexterity will be a top priority, as that determines your accuracy and power with bows as well as the saving throw DC for your maneuvers. There’s no particular mental stat associated with Battle Masters, so you’re free to boost whichever you want. You can be an investigator or battlefield tactician with high Intelligence, an observant, intuitive sniper who doesn’t miss much, or a field commander who inspires teammates with high Charisma. Fighters get more Ability Score Improvements than any other class, so it’s easy to boost a secondary stat or work a few feats into your build.

For Battle Master Maneuvers, some of the better ones for archers include:

• Disarming Attack - Knock a weapon out of an opponent’s hands or try for something like a Wizard’s spellbook.
• Distracting Strike - Useful for supporting allies in hitting an enemy with a high armor class.
• Menacing Attack - Fear is a powerful effect.
• Precision Attack - Useful if you’re having trouble hitting an enemy.
• Pushing Attack - Enemy standing near a ledge or just outside the range of a Cleric’s Spirit Guardians? Not for long.
• Trip Attack - Knocking an opponent prone slows them if they’re pursuing you, but it also makes it easier for melee attackers to hit them.

Best Ranged Weapons and Weapon Masteries for a Battle Master Fighter

With multiple attacks, you’ll want to avoid anything with the Loading property, which rules out crossbows and guns. With access to martial weapons, there are two solid options available:

• Longbow - This is the highest damage between the two, but not by much (an average of 1 extra point of damage per shot). Longbows have the Slow weapon mastery which can help keep melee foes away from you. Note that longbows are heavy so they won’t work for small player characters.
• Shortbow - Shortbows do slightly less damage (1 damage per shot) but have a few advantages. They have the Vex weapon mastery which makes it easier to hit an opponent after you land a hit on them. They are also not heavy, making them the only choice for small player characters.

Verdict: Either longbows or shortbows will work on a ranged Battle Master Fighter.

Best Backgrounds for a Battle Master Fighter

With no specific affinity for a mental stat, anything that gets a Dexterity boost can work. Here are some good options:

• Charlatan - Great for high-Charisma builds. The Skilled origin feat and Sleight of Hand proficiency can help you fill in as a Rogue, if needed.
• Criminal - Great for high-Intelligence builds. The Alert origin feat isn’t really useful for an archer, but Sleight of Hand, Stealth, and Thieves’ Tools proficiencies bring you pretty close to a Rogue.
• Guide - Works for high-Wisdom builds. The Magic Initiate (Druid) origin feat has some amazing benefits. The Guidance cantrip is always great, but Faerie Fire is an amazing buff for archers.
• Sailor - Works for high-Wisdom builds. Tavern Brawler isn’t all that useful, but it ensures that you’ll never be caught without a weapon. Proficiency in Acrobatics and Perception works well with your stats.
• Scribe - Works for Intelligence or Wisdom builds. Skilled brings you closer to the Rogue’s versatility and Investigation and Perception are both useful skills.
• Wayfarer - Works for Wisdom or Charisma builds. Lucky is an amazing origin feat and Stealth is useful for archers. Insight isn’t particularly useful, but it’s a nice skill to have.

Ranger – Gloom Stalker

Rangers are the iconic archers and Gloom Stalkers bring some tools that make them more effective. No other archer build captures the feel of stalking prey in the darkness, out of sight but not out of mind. Gloom Stalkers are essentially invisible in darkness which can be a significant advantage in combat. They also get a bonus to initiative rolls, so moving into a more strategic position (or retreating into the darkness) is easier.

Compared to Fighters, Rangers have more utility and support features for doing more than just damage. Spells like Ensnaring Strike and Hail of Thorns give your attacks different effects and buff spells like Pass Without Trace and Jump can get your party through some difficult scenarios. Bonus skill proficiencies also help the Ranger outside of combat. Bards are often considered the jacks of all trades, but Rangers might do that job better than Bards.

In 5e/2014 edition, Gloom Stalkers packed a big punch in the first round of combat but didn’t add much power in rounds after that. In DnD 2024, Gloom Stalkers can now use Dreadful Strike in any round, although they’re limited in uses per day. This makes them much more flexible in combat.

Fear and Greater Invisibility are great spell options for an archer. Proficiency in Wisdom saving throws is beneficial for any character. Both of the level 11 features are amazing for archers too.

Maxing Dexterity should be your top priority. Wisdom isn’t strictly necessary for Rangers, but it helps with some Ranger spells and skills.

Best Ranged Weapons and Weapon Masteries for a Gloom Stalker Ranger

With multiple attacks, you’ll want to avoid anything with the Loading property, which rules out crossbows and guns. With access to martial weapons, there are two options available, but one is better than the other:

• Longbow - Longbows have slightly higher damage (an average of 1 point per shot) but this doesn’t make a big difference with only two attacks. Longbows have the Slow weapon mastery which can help keep melee foes away from you, but doesn’t provide a significant benefit to Rangers. Note that longbows are heavy so they won’t work for small player characters.
• Shortbow - Shortbows do slightly less damage (an average of 1 point per shot) but are a better choice overall. They have the Vex weapon mastery which makes it easier to hit an opponent after you land a hit on them. Rangers have fewer attacks than Fighters but get more damage per attack with Hunter’s Mark, so missing an attack is a bigger deal, making Vex a better choice than Slow. Shortbows are also not heavy, making them the only choice for small player characters.

Verdict: Shortbows will probably work better, but longbows are viable for medium-sized species.

Best Backgrounds for a Gloom Stalker Ranger

• Guide - You’ll be taking the Archery fighting style over the Druidic Warrior fighting style, so Magic Initiate (Druid) is the best way to get Druid cantrips. Bonuses to Dexterity and Wisdom are both great and Stealth is essential for Gloom Stalkers.
• Sailor - Dexterity and Wisdom increases work perfectly. Tavern Brawler isn’t all that useful, but proficiency in Acrobatics and Perception work well with your stats.
• Wayfarer - Once again, Dexterity and Wisdom increases are useful. The Lucky origin feat is great on any character. Stealth is essential for Gloom Stalkers and Insight makes use of your high Wisdom.

Ranger – Hunter

Hunters are simple, unpretentious archers, but that doesn’t mean they’re weak. While they don’t get additional spells like the Gloom Stalker, they have several abilities for either dealing more damage or taking less. One change from DnD 5e/2014 is that the subclass features can now be switched out on a short rest rather than chosen on level up, so there’s much more versatility in how you build your character. Hunter Rangers really live up to the class fantasy of a dangerous hunter outsmarting and outmaneuvering their foes.

The base Ranger feature set is much more versatile than the Fighter’s, adding utility, support, and control options. Ranger spells like Ensnaring Strike and Hail of Thorns give you more options with your attacks, but buffs like Pass Without Trace can pull your party out of a tight spot. Between magical utility and additional skill proficiencies, Rangers might be better utility characters than Rogues.

More than any other archer, Hunter Rangers have options for attacking multiple targets. Horde Breaker at level 3 and Superior Hunter’s Prey at level 11 both allow you to damage opponents near other opponents you’re attacking. Defensive abilities at levels 7 and 15 make you much harder to kill than other archers.

Maxing Dexterity should be your top priority. Wisdom isn’t strictly necessary for Rangers, but it helps with some Ranger spells and skills.

Best Ranged Weapons and Weapon Masteries for a Hunter Ranger

With multiple attacks, you’ll want to avoid anything with the Loading property, which rules out crossbows and guns. With access to martial weapons, there are two options available, but one is better than the other:

• Longbow - Longbows have slightly higher damage (an average of 1 point per shot) but this doesn’t make a big difference with only two attacks. Longbows have the Slow weapon mastery which can help keep melee foes away from you, but doesn’t provide a significant benefit to Rangers. Note that longbows are heavy so they won’t work for small player characters.
• Shortbow - Shortbows do slightly less damage (an average of 1 point per shot) but are a better choice overall. They have the Vex weapon mastery which makes it easier to hit an opponent after you land a hit on them. Rangers have fewer attacks than Fighters but get more damage per attack with Hunter’s Mark, so missing an attack is a bigger deal, making Vex a better choice than Slow. Shortbows are also not heavy, making them the only choice for small player characters.

Verdict: Shortbows will probably work better, but longbows are viable for medium-sized species.

Best Backgrounds for a Hunter Ranger

• Guide - You’ll be taking the Archery fighting style over the Druidic Warrior fighting style, so Magic Initiate (Druid) is the best way to get Druid cantrips. Bonuses to Dexterity and Wisdom are both great and Stealth is useful for archers.
• Sailor - Dexterity and Wisdom increases work perfectly. Tavern Brawler isn’t all that useful, but proficiency in Acrobatics and Perception work well with your stats.
• Wayfarer - Once again, Dexterity and Wisdom increases are useful. The Lucky origin feat is great on any character. Stealth is useful for any archer and Insight makes use of your high Wisdom.

Rogue – Assassin

While the Gloom Stalker is a sneaky hunter, the Assassin is a sneaky sniper. Rogues only get one attack per round, but their sneak attack makes it devastating. A bonus to initiative and advantage on enemies that haven’t taken a turn yet gives a big punch in the first round of combat. In DnD 2024, Rogues also get features for things like poisoning their attacks. If hiding and setting up the perfect shot sounds interesting, the Assassin Rogue is the best way to do it.

Compared to Fighters and Rangers, Rogues will do less damage but come with iconic skills and proficiencies for infiltration and espionage. Rangers can easily sneak as well as Rogues, but the Assassin Rogue has more flexibility with its mental stat while the Ranger is tied to Wisdom. Between that and Rogue’s increased skill proficiencies, it’s easy to fill any gaps in a team. Rogues also have several features for not getting hit, offsetting their lower hit points.

The 2014 Assassin had some impressive archery features but its reliance on surprising the enemy made it less reliable. 5e Assassin players were frequently frustrated when they couldn’t set up a surprise attack, either for narrative reasons or because the rest of the party wasn’t geared for it. DnD 2024 thankfully removes that dependency, giving extra damage to any sneak attack that lands in the first round of combat. It’s less damage than the 5e Assassin got, but it’s far easier to trigger it, so you’ll get more damage overall.

Another problem 5e Assassins had was that they didn’t have many combat features after level 3. The DnD 2024 Assassin fixes that by adding combat power to features at levels 13 and 17.

Rogues run on Dexterity and that’s the only stat necessary for this build. You’re free to invest in any mental stat you want. Rogues also get one additional Ability Score Increase than most other classes, so taking a feat or two is easy to work into this build.

Best Ranged Weapons and Weapon Masteries for an Assassin Rogue

With a single attack, crossbows are just as viable as bows. With access to simple weapons and light martial weapons, there are three options available, although there’s a clear winner:

• Light Crossbow - These do slightly more damage (an average of 1 point per shot), but with one attack, this is negligible. Light crossbows have the Slow weapon mastery, which can help keep melee opponents away from you but isn’t as useful as the other option.
• Shortbow - As with light crossbows, the difference in damage doesn’t matter for Rogues. Shortbows have the Vex weapon mastery, which grants advantage on the next attack you make after a successful hit. The Rogue’s sneak attack is easier to trigger when you have advantage, so Vex makes your sneak attacks much more reliable.
• Hand Crossbow - Hand crossbows work with the Crossbow Expert feat if you want to build around that. With the changes to Sharpshooter, though, the only real benefit is having a second hand crossbow in your off hand in case the first one misses. Otherwise, these have the same damage and weapon mastery as shortbows but have less range, making shortbows a better option.

Verdict: Shortbows are the best option for ranged Assassin Rogues.

Best Backgrounds for an Assassin Rogue

Dexterity is essential, so any background that boosts that is a good fit. The Alert origin feat is unnecessary, though, as class features already provide that, so the Criminal background isn’t great.

• Charlatan - Good for Charisma builds, but the Skilled origin feat is unnecessary with the Rogue’s skill proficiencies. The ability scores and skills are a good fit, though.
• Guide - Great for Wisdom builds. Magic Initiate (Druid) adds useful cantrips, but Faerie Fire is an amazing buff for Assassins.
• Wayfarer - At-will advantage is great on a Rogue: advantage is one of the ways they can trigger sneak attack, and they don’t get the Archery fighting style, so boosting accuracy helps a lot.

Best Feats for Archers

Best Origin Feats for Archers

• Lucky - At-will advantage and disadvantage is great on any character, but it’s amazing for characters who can’t miss (like Rogues). Available from the Merchant and Wayfarer backgrounds.
• Magic Initiate (Cleric) - Bless is a good buff that helps you and the party. Useful for high-Wisdom builds. Available from the Acolyte background.
• Magic Initiate (Druid) - Faerie Fire is an amazing buff for archers (and your whole party). Useful for high-Wisdom builds. Available from the Guide background.
• Magic Initiate (Wizard) - Cantrips are always useful, but you can use Find Familiar to summon an owl to give you advantage on attacks. Useful for high-Intelligence builds. Available from the Sage background.

Best General Feats for Archers

• Fey-Touched - Great for Battle Master Fighters, useful for Assassin Rogues, but not very useful for Rangers. Misty Step is a great spell for any archer, but getting Hunter’s Mark brings one of the biggest strengths of Rangers to other classes.
• Sharpshooter - While the 2024 Sharpshooter doesn’t allow for overpowered archer builds the way the 5e feat did, it still eliminates some of the weaknesses of ranged combat. Enemies can’t easily hide behind cover or move out of range to avoid your arrows, but there’s also no penalty for you to attack enemies right next to you, meaning you don’t need a backup melee weapon.
• Skulker - Useful for builds that rely on Stealth, like the Gloom Stalker and Assassin.

About the Author

Brandon Gregory

Brandon Gregory is a web developer and writer in the Kansas City area. He's been playing TTRPGs since 2020 and is involved in the disability-related TTRPG podcast Tales from the Crips. He's into classic movies, mental health, and, of course, DnD. Also, he's in a band. One time, they rocked so hard it killed a man.