Best Pillars of Eternity 2 Ranger Subclass & Multiclass
This Pillars of Eternity 2 Ranger class guide will teach players which are the best subclass and multiclass options for Pillars of Eternity 2 Rangers.
If you’re playing Pillars of Eternity 2 (POE2) as a Ranger, you’ll want to know what the best subclass and multiclass options are, or else you’ll be stuck on the character select screen for hours.
This guide has you covered by letting you know which Pillars of Eternity 2 Ranger subclasses and multiclass combinations are generally considered the best.
Pillars of Eternity 2 Subclass & Multiclass Guides:
Monk – Fighter – Rogue – Ranger – Barbarian – Chanter – Cipher – Druid – Paladin – Priest – Wizard
- Related Content:
Pillars of Eternity 2: Best Classes Tier List in PoE2
Pillars of Eternity 2: Definitive Companions Tier List
Pillars of Eternity 2: Best Berath’s Blessings
Table of Contents
Pillars of Eternity 2 Ranger Subclass Options
Pure Ranger
Pure Ranger is a decent option but it’s generally upgraded by most of the subclasses.
The main complaint most people have about the Ranger class is that it’s susceptible to the bonded grief debuff, which severely reduces the Ranger’s effectiveness (-2 Might, -2 Resolve and -10 Accuracy).
You’re afflicted with bonded grief whenever the pet dies, which is constantly, so this is bad news.
Ghost Heart
Ghost Heart is generally considered to be the best Ranger subclass in Pillars of Eternity 2 because it’s not susceptible to bonded grief.
Also, its “penalty” is actually another positive; the pet becomes a summon skill rather than a constant companion.
With that, you can just set the AI up to summon the pet at every opportunity or, conversely, never use the pet at all (it’s not worthless but it’s not extremely helpful either).
Sharpshooter
Sharpshooter is a pretty mediocre subclass that gains increased critical chance at the cost of attack speed. It gains more than it loses, so it’s slightly better than the base Ranger class, but it’s not altogether very different at all.
Stalker
Stalker is a very bad subclass that inflicts bonded grief if you and your pet are over 7m away from one another in exchange for some minor defensive bonuses.
This means you either need to use a melee Ranger (terrible idea) or have the pet sit next to the Ranger on passive mode, never attacking anything (also a terrible idea).
Melee Ranger might be a nice, niche build except for the fact that basically all of the Ranger’s abilities are geared toward ranged damage. Do not pick this subclass. It is bad.
Arcane Archer
Arcane Archer is sort of an interesting subclass and turns the Ranger halfway into a Ranger/Mage multiclass. It gives you several ‘Imbue’ skills, which are basically arrow ability versions of a variety of Mage abilities.
However, they’re considered ranged weapon attacks and benefit from passives that affect ranged weapon attacks, like Driving Flight. They’re a little glitchy (they don’t scale properly with penetration).
The abilities you gain are actually fairly strong and interesting. The cost is that you have -5 accuracy with any damage that’s non-magical.
If you use one of the elemental weapons (Frostseeker, Essence Interruptor, Thundercrack Pistol, Dragon’s Dowry), you won’t get flagged with the penalty and it’s no penalty at all.
Overall it’s an interesting subclass and it’s probably a little better than the base Pillars of Eternity 2 Ranger kit.
Best Pillars of Eternity 2 Ranger Multiclass Options
Rogue
Rogue provides a ton of passive benefits that greatly increase the damage output of the Pillars of Eternity 2 Ranger, as well as several useful active skills, especially the escape skills. As for which subclass, each of the subclasses are beneficial in their own way, depending on which Ranger kit you’ve selected.
Assassin pairs well with Ghost Heart or Sharpshooter as you can stealth in between reloads and bust out hefty crits. Trickster pairs well with Arcane Archer by adding even more Mage skills to the Ranger’s arsenal.
Even Debonaire can be useful, especially if you have a Cipher on your team. Streetfighter partners great with any ranged class because the Blunderbuss modal inflicts Flanked, so the Streetfighter perk (which is incredible) is always active.
Helwalker
No matter which version of the Pillars of Eternity 2 Ranger you pick, you’ll benefit from subclassing as a Helwalker in order to gain tons of extra damage potential.
The best way to take advantage of this is to use Scepters with the modal passive that causes self-damage, which can be used as a source of wound generation.
Ascendant
Cipher partners exceptionally well with Ranger since they fight at range and are able to build up a lot of focus quickly. Ascendant tends to be the choice to make due to its powerful soul whip.
Conclusion – Pillars of Eternity 2 Ranger Build
In Pillars of Eternity 2 Ranger is a powerful class that becomes exceptionally more powerful because of the availability of very strong ranged weapons.
When it comes to the Pillars of Eternity 2 Ranger subclass, Ghost Heart and Sharpshooter are the most straightforward and generally considered to grant the best bonuses, but Arcane Archer is fun as well.
Rangers do well with multiclassing, especially with Rogue or Helwalker Monk.
That about covers it when it comes to the best Pillars of Eternity 2 Ranger Subclass and Multiclass options. Check out the games section for more game guides and other game-related content, and click here for more articles related to Pillars of Eternity 2.
