Death from Above! Archer Builds in DnD 5e

Illustration of a half-elf woman in a cowboy hat aiming a longbow

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

Want to build an archer as your Dungeons & Dragons 5e character? Here are significant builds to look at.

Contents

Best Classes and Subclasses for Archers
Best Feats for Archers
Best Magic Items for Archers

Best Classes and Subclasses for Archers

Many characters can hold a bow, but few really shine. Picking the right class and subclass can go a long way to making an archer that’s mechanically effective and satisfying to play.

Artificer - Battlesmith

Artificers aren’t known for their high damage output, but they’re an interesting take on an archer. Their Repeating Shot infusion provides some of the benefits of the Crossbow Master feat, allowing you to make multiple attacks with a crossbow without spending an action to reload and essentially turning any crossbow into a +1 crossbow. Medium-sized races can use a heavy crossbow. Battlesmiths also get a Steel Defender—a little automaton that helps them in battle—that they can control with a bonus action, giving them another layer of defense from the front line.

The unique thing about the Battlesmith is that it can use Intelligence to calculate weapon attack rolls and damage, rather than Dexterity or Strength, so this is the only archer on this list for whom light armor is not the best choice. Artificers are also half-casters and get some useful spells.

The unique features of the Battlesmith Artificer allow you to build an archer with Intelligence as your highest stat. Because you don’t need Dexterity, medium armor is a better choice than light armor, meaning you only need 14 Dexterity to get the highest defense. (Battlesmith Artificers do not gain access to heavy armor.) Martial weapon proficiency opens up heavy crossbows, but small races have problems with heavy weapons. Battlesmiths typically use their bonus actions to control their Steel Defenders, so Crossbow Expert builds are suboptimal. For race, anything that gets a bonus to Intelligence is good.

Party Roles

Cleric – Trickery Domain

The Trickery Cleric is not the strongest archer—in fact, it’s probably the weakest on this list—but it brings a lot more to the table with trickery and support magic. At level 8, they get the ability to add poison to their weapon attacks, but they can also create illusory clones of themselves, make the party more sneaky, and do plenty of other magical tricks. Trickery Clerics do not have martial weapon proficiency, so they’re limited to either light crossbows or shortbows. Also, since you won’t be right on the front lines, you give up a lot of damage from Spirit Guardians (a cleric staple). But this is your best option if you want a trickster character that can still use a bow.

Clerics are full spellcasters and use Wisdom as their spellcasting stat. Trickery Clerics have access to light and medium armor and simple weapons, so a high-Dexterity build is viable, but it limits your weapon choice to light crossbows or shortbows. If you’re playing with set stat increases for races, picking a race with bonuses to Wisdom and Dexterity will help; if you’re playing with customizable stats, most races will work as a Trickery Cleric, but picking a race with additional weapon proficiencies (like elves, who get longbow proficiency) might help.

Party Roles

Cleric – War Domain

The War Domain is a more combat-focused Cleric with strong magical abilities. Clerics get access to powerful support and attack spells, and War Clerics can also strike with superhuman precision (or similarly bless your allies), which pairs nicely with the Sharpshooter feat. With one attack per turn and martial weapon proficiency, War Clerics are good candidates to use heavy crossbows. You can also add a few extra attacks per day (as separate actions, so you don’t get caught loading your crossbow), add damage to all of your weapon attacks, and eventually gain resistance to all non-magical physical damage—something usually reserved for Barbarians.

Clerics are full spellcasters and use Wisdom as their spellcasting stat. War Clerics get additional proficiencies in light, medium, and heavy armor and simple and martial weapons. Archers require a Dexterity build, so your best bet is still light armor, but martial weapons proficiency opens up the possibility of longbows or heavy crossbows. Heavy crossbows are a great fit because of the high damage die, but you don’t get any of the pitfalls that typically come with them as you only make one shot per turn. If you plan to use a longbow or heavy crossbow, both are heavy weapons, and small races will have problems.

Party Roles

Fighter – Arcane Archer

Fighters get more attacks than anyone, and Arcane Archers can add powerful magic to some of their attacks, ranging from explosions to seeking arrows that follow their opponents. Because the arcane shots are so powerful, you don’t get many uses of them, but they get replenished on short rest, so it’s not hard to have one or two uses for most fights. Notable options include Grasping Arrow, which can incapacitate a foe, Exploding Arrow, which is great for groups of foes bunched together, and Seeking Arrow, which will travel around corners and up stairs to find your foe if you know where they are. A level 7 ability allows you to reroll misses to try to hit another target, so the Sharpshooter feat is basically required once you gain that feature. This build also pairs well with taking two levels of Wizard for the War Magic subclass, giving you Arcane Shield, a bonus to initiative based on Intelligence, and some cantrips and 1st-level spell options.

The primary complaint about Arcane Archers is that they only get two uses of arcane shot at a time. I’ve heard from people who have played the class who have said it’s actually not that bad, as the arcane shots are typically quite powerful, but some groups homebrew a solution to give the Arcane Archer more uses of arcane shot. A popular one is changing the number from 2 to your proficiency bonus, which naturally grows with you as you level up.

Fighters typically focus on either Dexterity (using light armor) or Strength (using heavy armor), so for this build, your highest stat will be Dexterity and you will wear light armor. Most arcane shots will force opponents to make saving throws based on your Intelligence stat, so Arcane Archers also need high Intelligence. If you do multiclass into Wizard, one 1st-level spell you should take is Find Familiar. Holding an owl familiar can give you advantage on attacks and can also be used to scout for a hiding enemy that you can take down with a Seeking Arrow. Any race that gets a boost to Dexterity is great, as Fighters already gain proficiency in all weapons and armor, and a boost to Intelligence is also great.

Party Roles

Fighter – Battle Master

The Battle Master is similar to the Arcane Archer, but instead of powerful magic shots, you get trick shots that can knock an opponent over, knock the weapon out of their hands, shoot with increased accuracy, or other beneficial effects. These aren’t as powerful as the arcane shots, but you’ll get to use them more often. One Battle Master maneuver gives you advantage on an attack, which pairs nicely with the Sharpshooter feat. If battlefield control sounds fun, this class excels at it. Many who have played Battle Masters say that, of all the martial subclasses, this is the one that feels most like a spellcaster, even though it uses no magic.

Fighters typically focus on either Dexterity (using light armor) or Strength (using heavy armor), so for this build, your highest stat would be Dexterity and you would wear light armor. There’s no particular mental stat associated with Battle Masters, so which one you boost is entirely up to you. Some people lean into the battlefield tactician role with high Intelligence, while some might go for more of a perceptive sniper who doesn’t miss much with a high Wisdom stat, and others might opt for a high Charisma for a field commander. Any race that gets a boost to Dexterity is great, as Fighters already gain proficiency in all weapons and armor.

Party Roles

Fighter – Samurai

Samurai can grant themselves advantage on all attacks for a round. This ability can be helpful with hard-to-hit opponents but synergizes well with the Sharpshooter feat, which allows you to take a penalty to your attack roll for a damage boost. If you’re an elf, you can also take the Elven Accuracy feat, which allows you to roll three times instead of twice with advantage and take the highest of all three. (Fighters get more stat increases than any other classes, so it’s easier to get feats than it would be for other classes.) You don’t get trick shots like the Arcane Archer or Battle Master, but this combo allows you to rack up some wild damage.

A Samurai ability improves social skills based on Wisdom, so having Wisdom as one of your higher stats (after Dexterity and possibly Constitution) is a good call and leans into the wise, disciplined warrior who doesn’t miss much. Fighters already gain proficiency in all weapons and armor, so you will not need to seek proficiencies through your class. With Dexterity as your highest stat, you’ll want to stick with light armor. Any race that gives a bonus to Dexterity will work, but a bonus to Wisdom is nice.

Party Roles

Striker

Monk – Way of the Kensei

Monks aren’t typically known for ranged attacks, but the Kensei makes a great archer with some optional Monk rules added in Tasha’s Cauldron of Everything. With Ki-Fueled Attack, Monks can make an additional weapon attack as a bonus action, bringing the number of attacks Kensei archers have up to 3. Focused Aim allows Monks to spend ki points to increase an attack roll. Kensei also gain the ability to add damage to weapon attacks, boost the attack and damage rolls on their weapons, and eventually just straight-up re-roll misses. Couple all this with the Monk’s natural mobility and ability to catch arrows and throw them back and you have a fun build.

Monks need multiple attributes, so all of your high stat rolls and ASIs will be locked up in increasing your Dexterity and Wisdom (and possibly Constitution, since Monks get fewer hit points per level than Rangers and Fighters). Although the Kensei subclass grants proficiency to any Kensei weapons you select, you need a race that gives you proficiency in longbows (like elves) to use one before you get to level 3. You can use shortbows, but with few bonuses to your damage, you’ll want as powerful a weapon as possible. Kensei weapons do, however, open up some unique ranged options, as low-damage weapons will scale with your martial arts die. So a character with a sling or darts as their primary weapon becomes much more viable. With the Crusher feat, you can make a sling attack and knock your opponent back 5 feet, making for an interesting tactic.

With Monks being so stat-dependent, races that give bonuses to Dexterity and Wisdom (or possibly Constitution) are preferred. Wood elves are a great fit mechanically and gain proficiency with longbows. Ghostwise or Stout Halflings can work, but as small races, they have trouble with heavy weapons like longbows. If you’re using the optional rules in Tasha’s for custom stat increases per race, many other races become viable.

Party Roles

Ranger – Gloom Stalker

Rangers are the iconic archers, and Gloom Stalkers are deadly. Striking from the shadows and specializing in surprise attacks, Gloom Stalkers pack a powerful punch in the first round of combat and are essentially invisible in the darkness. More than any other subclass, Gloom Stalkers are significantly more powerful in the dark. Couple this with some Ranger magic and tracking skills and you have a dangerous archer.

As an archer Ranger, Dexterity will be your highest stat. Rangers often have a high Wisdom score to improve the saving throw of their spells, but a high Wisdom is vital for Gloom Stalkers, who also get a bonus to initiative based on their Wisdom. Much of their power comes in the first round of combat, so getting the jump on enemies is important. With the Gloom Stalker’s affinity for darkness, darkvision helps. With all of those needs, wood elves make fantastic Gloom Stalkers, but other races can work as well.

Party Roles

Ranger – Hunter

Hunters are probably the simplest Ranger subclass, with most of their abilities allowing you to do more damage or take less. Compared to other Ranger archetypes, they get fewer spells but more damage and defense capabilities. It captures the feel of a rugged, badass hunter stalking its prey through the woods. Hunters are simple, unpretentious archers that do good damage to single targets or groups. Ranger magic still gives some battlefield control and utility options, so Hunters are more than point-and-shoot archers.

A lot of what makes a good Gloom Stalker applies here. Your highest stat should be Dexterity. If you want to use some of the Ranger’s control spells, a higher Wisdom score helps, but you can build a perfectly viable Ranger with a lower Wisdom by focusing on spells that don’t require a saving throw. Constitution is always important. Just about any race can make a good Hunter, but races that get a bonus to Dexterity are top picks.

Party Roles

Rogue – Assassin

Rogues use Sneak Attack to boost their damage. Rather than getting a ton of shots in like a Fighter, Rogues get one shot per turn, but it’s devastating. Stealth is important for many classes but is essential for Rogues. Assassins play into this even more by giving significant bonuses to surprise attacks. If the idea of waiting in the shadows and taking down enemies one by one without any of them catching on appeals to you, this might be the class for it. Assassins are the ultimate sniper class, getting as close to one-shot kills as a character in D&D can get. On the downside, they don’t have a lot of abilities that help with combat after the first round, so proceed with caution.

Dexterity is essential for Rogues and should be your highest stat. Past that, Assassins don’t have any particular affinity for any of the mental stats, so it’s up to you which to boost. You can go for a calculating tactician with high Intelligence, a patient and observant stalker with high Wisdom, or a deceptive infiltrator with high Charisma. Constitution is important, but Rogues should stay out of sight, and Assassins doubly so, so your main goal is not to get into melee at all. Any race that gets a boost to Dexterity will be good, but with only one stat required, any race can make a good Assassin. Darkvision can be useful.

Party Roles

Rogue – Scout

Like other Rogues, Scouts focus on single powerful shots and staying out of danger, but the Scout subclass gives some additional tools to accomplish that. Scouts can eventually use boost Sneak Attack twice per turn, which means extreme damage if both sneak attacks land. To stay out of danger, they get increased movement speed and a disengage ability to leap back if they get caught in melee. They also gain expertise in nature-themed skills: Nature and Survival.

As a Rogue, Dexterity should be your highest stat. Scouts don’t necessarily need any mental stat above others, but Wisdom is a good fit for Perception and Survival. Scout is a subclass that just thematically screams Elf, but any race can work here. Harengon isn’t a great choice because of the overlap in racial abilities and class abilities.

Party Roles

Honorable Mentions

Bard – College of Whispers – Can use their inspiration die offensively for Psychic Blades, much like a Rogue’s sneak attack.
Fighter – Champion – The Champion has features that are generally useful to all fighting styles, but making this class powerful requires synergy with critical hits, such as extra damage or advantage on attacks. To make a Champion archer work, you need the Piercer feat (to roll an additional damage die on critical hits) and a Heavy Crossbow (for a larger damage die). To make the crossbow work for multiple attacks, you’ll also need the Crossbow Expert feat. Two feats is a tall order for a build, but with the Fighter getting more ASIs than any other class, it’s doable. If you want to play a badass with a huge crossbow, this can fit.
Ranger – Any other subclass – Just about any Ranger can make a good archer.
Rogue – Arcane Trickster – Plenty of magical tricks at your disposal, and you get sneak attack to use with your archery. If you liked the idea of the Trickery Cleric but wanted a more combat-focused build, this might fit the bill.

Not-Quite-Archers

If you want to shoot things from afar and are open to some builds that don’t use a bow, look at the Artificer – Artillerist, Monk – Way of the Sun Soul, or any Warlock subclass. Or you could always build a sling character or a dart or knife thrower.

Best Feats for Archers

The right feats can turn an archer character from good to great. Here are some of the most beneficial feats in 5e for archers.

Sharpshooter

The number 1 feat for high-damage archers is Sharpshooter. This feat allows you to take a -5 to your attack roll for a +10 bonus to damage. The catch is that you don’t have to decide whether to use this feature until after you roll (but before you know if it hits). It also greatly increases the range of ranged weapons like bows. If your attack rolls are generally high or you have a reliable way of getting advantage on attacks, you can get some truly wild damage with this feat.

Be aware that the Sharpshooter feat is so powerful it may unbalance or trivialize encounters. It’s a power-gamer feat that’s so amazing that a well-optimized Sharpshooter build may outpace other characters at the table.

Crossbow Expert

Crossbow Expert removes the reloading property of crossbows, allowing you to fire more than once per turn, and removes the penalty for shooting an enemy within 5 feet of you. Most importantly, it allows you to fire a hand crossbow as a bonus action. Hand crossbows aren’t particularly damaging weapons, only having a d4 damage die. So why choose this feat? If you have Sharpshooter, you can add +10 to that one bonus attack. On top of all that, hand crossbows are one-handed weapons, so you can use a shield. The Sharpshooter/Crossbow Expert combination has a reputation for being a bit of a cheap move, but it is undeniably powerful.

Fighting Initiate

If you don’t already have the Archery fighting style, get the Archery fighting style.

Skulker

Skulker is a good feat for sneaky archers like the Rogue Assassin. It allows you to hide when lightly obscured. Lightly obscured can mean anything from dim light (like a shadow) to snow or rain, so it greatly expands your opportunities for hiding. Additionally, if you fire a shot and miss, the enemy knows something is out there, but it doesn’t give away your location. Lastly, dim light doesn’t impose disadvantage on your Perception checks. Remember, even if you have darkvision, darkness is still dim light and imposes disadvantage on Perception checks. These will make life easier for sneaky archers; however, bear in mind that Wood Elves already get some of these features.

Magic Initiate: Wizard

Cantrips are always useful, but the real use of this feat is getting access to the Find Familiar spell. Choosing an owl familiar provides a reliable way to get advantage on attacks. Owls have a feature called flyby, where they can fly away from an opponent without provoking opportunity attacks. So you can get your owl familiar to fly up and harass an enemy (technically, taking the Help action), giving you advantage on your next attack.

Fey Touched

Misty Step is a useful spell for any archer, but getting access to the Hex spell can really boost your damage. It’s a concentration spell, but ranged characters won’t have much trouble keeping their concentration. Hex becomes more deadly as a character gets more attacks, so it’s much more powerful for a Fighter than a Rogue. Note that Hex provides most of the same benefits as Hunter’s Mark, so there’s no need for a Ranger to take this.

Mobile

Extra movement can be useful, as your range is likely to be greater than most of the opponents you face, but the real benefit of this feat is that hitting an opponent with a melee attack prevents them from making opportunity attacks against you, allowing you to disengage from as many enemies as you have attacks without giving up damage that turn.

Elven Accuracy

When you get advantage on an attack, roll three dice instead of two and take the highest. If you have a reliable way of getting advantage on attacks, this can greatly increase your accuracy. It also pairs perfectly with Sharpshooter to offset the opportunity cost of taking a penalty to attack rolls. Note that you have to be an elf.

Poisoner

Poisoner is often overlooked, but it’s free damage if you’re not using your bonus action. Some enemies are immune to poison damage, but many will still be affected. (Check out this guide on making a poisoner character.)

Best Magic Items for Archers

Magic items can be integral in a character build or a fun bit of character development. Either way, here are some magic items that are especially useful to Archers.

+1/+2/+3 Weapon (Uncommon/Rare/Very Rare)

Though lacking in flavor, it’s hard to beat the math on these. Armor class can’t be boosted that much, and an increased chance to hit benefits every build on this list. The additional damage is always helpful. And the fact that these don’t take up a coveted attunement slot makes them even more attractive.

Weapon of Warning (Uncommon)

A Weapon of Warning is a great early-game weapon, but the benefits can be useful even for high-level characters. A bonus to initiative is always welcome but is especially important for Gloom Stalkers and Arcane Archers. Preventing surprise attacks can protect you from sneaky DMs but also gives enemy Rogues one less way to land a sneak attack.

Bracers of Archery (Uncommon)

The Bracers of Archery grant a flat damage boost to every shot from a bow. This effect is more impactful for characters that make a lot of attacks (hello, Fighters) but can strengthen any character. At higher levels, better magic items may win out over this one when competing for limited attunement slots, but this is an easy choice for low- to mid-tier characters.

Manual of Quickness of Action (Very Rare)

The goal for any archer (except the Battlesmith) will be 20 Dexterity—unless you can get one of these, in which case the goal becomes 22 Dexterity. With few ways to boost Dexterity above 20, this is one of the best items you can give most archers.

+1/+2/+3 Ammunition (Uncommon/Rare/Very Rare)

These are single-use, making them considerably less useful than a magic bow, but they have a few benefits. One is that the damage can be stacked, giving a bonus of up to +6, which is, frankly, insane. The second note is for DMs. Magic ammunition is a great way to give characters a temporary bonus for a single tough encounter. You may regret giving them that +3 longbow, but giving them a few +3 arrows can make for an epic moment in a big boss fight.

Ammunition of Walloping (Common)

Though not overly powerful, these can be useful for knocking flying enemies out of the air. Their low rarity level should make them pretty easy to come by.

Cape of the Mountebank (Rare)

Archers can quickly get in trouble when trapped in melee, and teleportation is a great panic button for when that happens, especially against a powerful foe that you don’t want to take an opportunity attack from. It can also help you get up to high places where you can shoot foes without worrying about them swinging a sword at you.

Broom of Flying (Uncommon)

Though often overlooked, flight is a huge benefit to ranged attackers, and this is one of the easiest ways to get it. The Broom of Flying and other flying magic items are so powerful that some DMs ban magic items like this at their tables, so check with your DM beforehand.

Slippers of Spider Climbing (Uncommon)

If flight is too powerful, walking up walls is the next best thing. Slippers of Spider Climbing can help ranged attackers and have some fun utility options.

Boots of Springing and Striding (Uncommon)

If walking up walls is too powerful, jumping further might still be enough to give you a significant benefit. You can jump up to harder-to-reach places to get out of harm’s way.

Quiver of Ehlonna (Uncommon)

The Quiver of Ehlonna is the best way for archers to stow all their gear. No matter how much gear is in the quiver, it only weighs 2 pounds. This helps any archer but gets much more valuable for archers that dump strength and can’t carry much weight.

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.