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Guide:Sharpshooter

From bg3.wiki

This is a guide for a build that focuses on dealing Damage TypesPhysical damage from a distance.

Overview

Core components for this build include:

Sharpshooter provides additional damage for a penalty to accuracy. Attacking from the distance helps to mitigate the accuracy penalty (high ground, hiding) while Hand Crossbows allow to use bonus action to make attacks. Which the bonus damage from Sharpshooter this additional attack more than compensates the fact that Hand Crossbows have less basic damage compared to the Heavy Crossbows.

Having minimalistic core this build allows many approaches from the class perspective. The most notable options are:

Attack count

This build benefits greatly from both: doing multiple attacks for each action, having multiple actions per round.
That's why Fighter Fighters, Ranger Rangers and Bard Bards are good class choices - all of them get an Extra Attack Icon.png Extra Attack and can attack twice for the cost of one Action.
There are several ways to get multiple Actions for each turn of the battle with the most notable:

This results in having, on average, 2-3 Actions per turn plus one Bonus action.

Ability Scores

Range weapons use Dexterity Ability Icon.png Dexterity as the primary Ability Score so it should be maxed.
Secondary abilities are up to you. Constitution never hurts. For spell casting Ranger Rangers might want to improve Wisdom while Bard Bards - Charisma.

Races

This build does not rely on any particular Race.
Race Halfling.png Halfling is a good choice because of the Lucky. Their low movement speed is less relevant - as a range striker you don't need to move much around battlefield.
Race Drow.png Drow with Superior Darkvision is nice in the darker settings.
Race Dragonborn.png Dragonborn gets resistance to a damage type - especially useful for Damage Types Fire damage, which is quite frequent in BG3.


For explanation of numbers and percentages of specific builds see the Math section below

Battle Master Icon.pngBattle Master version

This version of the build performs great early and mid-game, while fully outperforming other options in the late game.
Action Surge Icon 64px.png Action Surge and Manoeuvers provide burst, versatility and additional damage.

Get yourself 2 Hand Crossbows Icon.png Hand Crossbows.

Pick an Fighting Style Archery Icon.png Archery Fighting Style.

Select any Manoeuvers you like. Promising options include:

  • Disarm
  • Frighten
  • Manoeuvre
  • Coating
  • Precision

Pick Sharpshooter Icon.png Sharpshooter as your first PassiveFeature Generic.png Feat and toggle the passive on.

As an extra fighter feat pick PassiveFeature Generic.png Ability Improvement to get Dexterity+2 and bring it to 18 or even 20 (depending on your game choices).

Mid-game numbers

Check assumptions in the Math section below.

Fighting Style Archery Icon.png Archery provides a +2 bonus to Attack rolls you make with ranged Weapons - 10% damage increase.

4 x Superiority Die d8 Icon.png Superiority Dice provide 4 x 1d8Damage TypesPiercing damage per short rest. This averages to 2 x 4.5Damage TypesPiercing damage per turn, almost 50% of an Attack - about 10% damage increase.

From an extra feat of PassiveFeature Generic.png Ability Improvement having Dexterity+2 will give +5% chance to hit and +1 damage (about +5% damage) - total of 10% damage increase.

For the turn where

Other class options

Beast Master Icon.pngBeast Master: overall a viable alternative for the Ranger Ranger approach.
This subclass does not bring improvements to the range combat hence putting the option into "Other" section. Still beasts are strong and overall Beast Master version will bring both firepower as well as survivability and flexibility to the party.


Champion Icon.pngChampion: an alternative option for the Fighter Fighter approach.
Main benefit of this version is an improved critical (equivalent to about 5% overall damage increase). For a ranged build a Champion is more interesting than for a melee one - there are a lot of ways to guarantee crits for melee strikers in bg3. Still Battle Master Manoeuvers provide a comparable damage increase together with a ton of utility and flexibility.
Do note that Champion subclass makes more sense for this build if you try to minimise amount of long & short rests.


Class Bard Valor Badge Icon.pngCollege of Valor: an option for a Bard Bard approach.
Brings a full caster in addition to getting 2 attacks (as a ranger or a fighter). Bardic Inspiration Bardic Inspiration brings damage increase comparable to a Battle Master or a Hunter.
The main upside of the Bard Bard approach - ability to utilise Concentration way better. Main downside - bardic inspiration takes a Bonus action to be used, which will make this version of a build doing less damage comparing to some fighter and ranger options.
While having an access to the awesome Bard's spell list is great, with this build you are still usually going to use your Action for attacking with the ranged weapon.


Thief Icon.pngThief rogue should also be a viable choice (that I have not tested yet)