Baldurs Gate 3: Arcane Archer Fighter

How to play as an Arcane Archer in Baldur's Gate 3? On this guide page, we have prepared various tips about the new Fighter subclass. You will learn the most important traits of an Arcane Archer, how to develop your character, and which Arcane Shots to choose, as well as what the recommended gameplay strategy is.

• Who is the Arcane Archer subclass for?
• Most important features of this subclass
• Which Arcane Shots are the best?
• How to play as an Arcane Archer?

Who is the Arcane Archer subclass for?

1. The Arcane Archer is a Fighter subclass. You can choose it at level 3.
2. As the name suggests, Arcane Archer is a subclass focused on ranged combat. It allows you to enchant arrows, giving bonus effects to ranged attacks.
3. While playing as an Arcane Archer, you need Dexterity (most ranged weapons rely on it) and Intelligence (it affects the effectiveness of enchanted arrows bonuses).

Most important features of this subclass

1. Right after choosing a subclass at level 3, you will receive several features. Arcane Shots, which are a unique subclass mechanic, are the most important here. You will receive four Arcane Arrows that regenerate after a short or long rest. By spending Arcane Arrows, you can use Arcane Shots, which are special ranged attacks with unique effects. We have listed all available Arcane Shots below. At level 3, you can learn three of the available Arcane Shots.
2. Level 3 is also when you'll gain proficiency in the Arcana and Nature skills. You can also choose one of the three available cantrips (Guidance, Light, True Strike). Guidance is definitely the best choice here (+1k4 to all Ability checks is an extremely useful effect).
3. At level 7, you will get two Bonus features, Curving Shot and Magic Arrow. Curving Shot activates when you miss a ranged attack. By using a bonus action, you can redirect this attack to the nearest enemy. Thanks to the Magic Arrow, your ranged attacks ignore resistance to non-magical damage. You can also learn a bonus Arcane Shot, thanks to which your number of Arcane Arrows will increase to 7.
4. At level 10, you will learn a bonus Arcane Shot and the number of Arcane Arrows will increase to 10.

Which Arcane Shots are the best?

You can choose between 8 Arcane Shots. At level 10, the maximum number of shots you can learn is 5. With each new level, you can replace a selected Arcane Shot with a new one. These are the available Arcane Shots:

1. Banishing Arrow - the hit target can be banished for two turns. They disappear from the map, cannot use actions, bonus actions or reactions. Thanks to this effect, you can temporarily get rid of a powerful enemy.
2. Beguiling Arrow - the hit target receives +2d6 Psychic damage and may become Charmed. A Charmed enemy cannot attack the team member who enchanted them. This effect might be useful only under rather specific circumstances.
3. Bursting Arrow - an arrow will explode upon landing, dealing +2d6 Force damage within a radius of 5 meters. This effect is useful especially against groups of enemies.
4. Enfeebling Arrow - the hit target receives +2d6 Necrotic damage and may become Feeble. The damage dealt by Feeble enemies is reduced by 50% if they use Strength-based attacks. It's a situational effect, useful only against specific enemies.
5. Grasping Arrow - the hit target receives +2d6 Poison damage, and their movement range is reduced by three meters. If the target moves during the next turn, it will receive an additional 2d6 Slashing damage. It's a useful effect that forces the enemy to stay in place or take high damage.
6. Seeking Arrow - the hit target receives an additional 1d6 Force damage and may receive the Faerie Fire effect. This arrow always hits the target. It's a very useful effect, especially when you can't afford a missed shot.
7. Shadow Arrow - the hit target receives +2d6 Psychic damage and may become Blinded. Blinded enemies have difficulty attacking, their attack range and spells are drastically reduced, and you also have an Advantage when attacking them. It's a very useful effect that facilitates the elimination of dangerous enemies.
8. Piercing Arrow - you shoot an arrow in a wide, straight line. All targets standing in the line of fire must perform a Dexterity saving throw or receive an additional 1d6 damage. It's a moderately useful skill, with a lower range than Bursting Arrow.

How to play as an Arcane Archer?

1. Arcane Archer is a very powerful subclass in the early stages of the game. It deals very high ranged damage, occasionally also applying useful effects. However, the damage of Arcane Shots doesn't scale as you level up, so in the later acts of the campaign, an Arcane Archer is bound to lose a lot of their strength. However, they remain competent thanks to their ability to apply debuffs, especially Banished and Blinded.
2. At the beginning of the campaign, you will probably focus either on area damage (Bursting or Piercing Arrow) or dealing high damage to individual enemies (Grasping or Seeking Arrow). However, do not underestimate the ability to apply debuffs. Banishing Arrow is a powerful defensive tool, while Shadow Arrow is an offensive one. A Banished opponent is unable to harm you for several turns, while a Blinded one is almost defenseless and vulnerable to your attacks.
3. In the later stages of the game, focus on applying these debuffs. Most of your offensive options will have lost their strength by then, although they will remain moderately useful. Also, remember to use the one-time shots found in the game world.

See also

1. Game guide
2. Description of the Fighter class
3. Best Fighter build

Baldur's Gate 3

August 3, 2023

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