Is Ranger Beastmaster Any Good in Baldur's Gate 3?

Full Beastmaster Abilities ► bg3.wiki/wiki/Beast_Master
Companion List ► bg3.wiki/wiki/Summon_Companion
Follow me on Twitch! ► / italianspartacus
More Guides ► • Baldur's Gate 3
Become Part of the Community ► / discord
The Beastmaster subclass for Ranger in Baldur's Gate 3 has had a rough life time in D&D 5e, but in this game it's actually very solid! In this video we answer the question of: Is Ranger Beastmaster Any Good in Baldur's Gate 3? We'll be talking about the Ranger Companions, especially the Dire Raven and Dire Wolf Spider as well as some stand out features such as Prey's Scent!
0:00 Intro & Summary
1:17 Beastmaster General Info
3:00 Beastmaster Companions
7:18 Companion Evolution
8:52 Dire Bear
9:29 Dire Boar
10:05 Dire Wolf Spider
11:09 Dire Wolf
11:49 Dire Raven
14:08 Companion Bonus Actions
15:46 Last Beastmaster Levels
17:04 Final Companion Evolution
22:33 How Prey's Scent Works
24:03 Beastmaster Multiclass Options
29:00 Conclusion
-- Help Keep the Channel Alive! ---
Become a Channel Member:
► / @italianspartacus
Nexus Store:
►www.nexus.gg/italianspartacus
Content Suggestions:
► bit.ly/2LhyNJ6
--- Social Media ---
Twitter:
► / italianspart
System Specs:
Motherboard: MSI MPG z690
Processor: Intel i9-12900FK
Graphics Card: EVGA GeForce RTX 3080 8GB FTW Gaming ACX
Memory: Corsair Dominator LED 32GB DDR4-3600 Memory
#bg3 #guide #baldursgate3 #beginners

[@italianspartacus]

For some reason, I called, "Prey Sense," "Prey Sight" in that section, apologies for the mess up guys! I also forgot to showcase that the Spider gets a special jump!!! Full Beastmaster Abilities ► bg3.wiki/wiki/Beast_Master Companion List ► bg3.wiki/wiki/Summon_Companion Follow me on Twitch! ► www.twitch.tv/italianspartacus More Guides ► kzbin.info/aero/PLDLBnN-W_m2n6nk1Y5-snG4PpOuj9b-7g&si=j1T4BfjqOcSClZFS Become Part of the Community ► discord.gg/UuPSgYDKSy

[@EdwardMejia-ss1se]

Hell yea night lords.

[@mickpratt8327]

Yeah, the spiders special jump doesn't stop it from getting hung up 5 screens away from your party.

[@Bluntspammer]

The pathfinding for pets made it feel quite cumbersome. My wolf was always getting stuck on terrain.

[@italianspartacus]

Agreed. I totallt forgot to bring that up and it's why raven is awesome because they just fly around to you

[@zackypoohplays8792]

agreed. I could not get my companions into things that I had to like click to go into like the owl bear cave

[@ponchoandy]

You need to use your pet as a spell. Only summon it before a fight.

[@andygreen7314]

When this happens I just hit my go to camp then leave camp now should be back at your side.

[@whatsuptimmy4166]

I also feel like they fixed this issue in one of the patches. I remember the first week I got really annoyed with the companion always getting stuck but it feels improved now

[@normal6483]

The spider's ability to get infinite webs for free, without any concentration, is pretty much a game changer. If you set up an area before starting, then the enemies can barely even touch you. It also messes up enemy pathfinding - they might Dash through a web and then Jump back to where they started, for example.

[@kitkami]

Also i think there is a pair of webwalker boots you can put on your melee character to make web even more awesome.

[@caspenknight7464]

Yeah, I'm super excited. I'm trying to figure out a poison build focusing on toxins and light spell casting.

[@hrod9393]

Then be a Druid in Spider Shape as well and party with your buddy :D Imagine a whole group of spiders, ugh.

[@MrIrvash]

Web is flammable right ^_^ and if someone is stuck in webs and you just burn em :)?

[@hrod9393]

@@MrIrvash Yes I think, but I think in most instances triggering those things burns up the web. I think only water stays with electricity?

[@Rukdug]

I am so happy at how Larian redesigned Beastmaster. It reminds me of having a hired sidekick character, but as a class feature, and some of them get kind of close to being an animal version of subclassed player class (most obviously Bear, Boar, and Wolf Spider).

[@GoatOfWar]

It's still shit

[@DaveDzz]

4:10 Getting shot with a ranged weapon goes against the target's AC, it's not a dex saving throw, a fireball is an example of what would be a dex saving throw.

[@italianspartacus]

Yup! Made a mistake! The Ranged attack roll is Dex, not the saving throw - took some stupid pills!

[@MusMasi]

@@italianspartacus its a dex saving throw vs the web.

[@DaveDzz]

@@italianspartacus np, the idea behind beastmaster is interesting, but i feel like in practice the pet's damage is way too low for it to be meaningful, still plan on making one soon and testing it out, looks fun at least.

[@warriorfire8103]

Thank you for pointing that out. I like thematic but thematically powerful set ups. I was thinking I want a beast master and sorcer in my group! ❤

[@cccbbbaaa110]

​@@DaveDzzbear knock down people and crow blinds everyone, that's all you need

[@bleh491]

One other cool thing that alot of people miss about web is that it acts as soft ground, so jumping off a high ledge onto a webbed area results in you taking 0 fall dmg. The spider is so good.

[@matthewseevers3565]

You can get boots with infinite feather-fall in the underdark in the arcane tower, located in the mundane chest. They weigh 0.2 and age not at all cumbersome to carry around for the entirety of your play. They are in act 1.

[@poimaster]

​@@matthewseevers3565The webs are more usable midfight, since you aren't going out of your way to equip the boots and cast featherfall on the party. It's cool when you get the boots that make you immune to webs and put them on your beastmaster.

[@itsdabees]

Ah yes, as so many bosses depend on you jumping down chasms to defeat them in this game.

[@SentoukiEX]

@@matthewseevers3565 Until the rest of my party breaks their legs around me?

[@xLionsxxSmithyx]

​@@poimaster you rarely need to be jumping from heights and you can get Featherfall as a ritual spell...

[@noxluxe8674]

My first character (Just arrived in Baldur's Gate last night) is a Lolth-Sworn 5/5 Cleric/Ranger, the idea being a priestess commando who led/accompanied drow raids on the surface and fully integrated the survival and skirmishing tactics on top of her priestly training. The big wolf spider companion lent so much authenticity to the concept, and it's ability to web up half the battlefield in a couple turns made several early encounters almost trivial on Tactician difficulty. With extra attack and two hand crossbows + Sharpshooter she's the DPS of the party, and the spider alone gives her excellent crowd control on top basically for free. Really, really satisfied that I took Beastmaster Ranger for my first run.

[@zero11010]

Don’t worry about the level 11 thing. There is a LOT of game in act 3. You’ll end up maxing out at level 12 shortly after you arrive in act 3 (assuming you’ve hit major locations and quests on the way). It feels like there is enough experience to get you to level 15 or maybe level 16. It’s a very big game.

[@allmight8127]

I'm in act 3 now and iv slowed right down cause I don't want to finish the game. In lower city now

[@kyuven]

A lot of it is because MANY quests are based on what you did earlier in the game, so the devs needed to ensure there was enough quest EXP for someone who skipped chapter 1 and 2 content to hit max level.

[@Callerofcats]

I’m kinda cheezing the xp as I’m getting double xp cheat so I’m about leave act one at lvl 7

[@zero11010]

@@Callerofcats cheats aren’t a thing to feel proud of. You should feel guilty. If I were you I wouldn’t even tell anyone I was doing it. Cheating is like banging a fat chick. Do it once in a while if you feel you really need to. But, never all the time, and never tell people about it. Jesus.

[@bentmercer]

I'm only level 8 at start of act 3, and tried to do everything in prior acts. Not sure how you're maxing at 12 at the start of act 3.

[@ismlamaroof6438]

The bear disarm is amazing. Knock the weapon out of the enemy hands and then use a companion to just pick it up and now they have to punch you.

[@Petemossfunguy]

Hopefully they don't have tavern brawler and high strength.

[@robertsilvermyst7325]

I find it strange that the bear, a solitary animal, gets a second bear, while the wolf, a pack animal, does not get a second wolf. I feel like Larion just wanted a Sif companion.

[@WinterFrostx]

Warning when using Beastmaster, when entering areas with NPCs some of your summons can scare them off. (Dammon in Act 2 in the Last Light's Inn can be scared off into the shadows and die, which locks out your Karlach companion quest)

[@SquatchGaming22]

I wish they would patch that. So annoying having to desummon elementals etc because people are scared of them. Lol

[@GaaraUzumakiGaara]

FUCK, SO THATS WHAT HAPPENED! The quest kept active and I just thought we'd find him on act 3 😢 Poor babygirl

[@shyguyjeffok]

This was fixed, apparently!

[@vicalonso6597]

true, i used to have a big spider and lil spider (familiar) as companions and they always scared people off, so i had to keep them outside settlements. Now i always go with crows and people even love them, specially kids.

[@GodleyBeast]

This was patched for all summons

[@jtfike]

Typically wolf/bear are the supreme options and in some sense they still are but the battles in this game quite often give you difficult terrain or archers on ridiculously difficult heights that aren’t easy to run towards. This makes that raven so deadly good.

[@Gummybearkillerr]

the raven is absolutely god tier iust cuz of “fly” other than that its wolf for overall

[@jasongamer6410]

At level 11, flying with the raven leaves a dark cloud on every landing that blinds all creatures. Pretty impossible to use with other melee builds for attacking the same enemy.

[@duskcrimsonfang4177]

@@jasongamer6410simple work around, use the raven to blind rangers and mages, while melee picks off the others and surrounds the last enemies.

[@kinsan89]

​​@@jasongamer6410holy shit that's powerful

[@RazielTheUnborn]

​@@jasongamer6410There is various ways to see in darkness by it from gear or getting a class feature for it.

[@mynamejeff4883]

You can dash, disengage, and help all the time, but at level 7 you can do them as a bonus action. This means that you can now do an attack or whatever other action available and then also dash or help up a downed ally, give them advantage, or just disengage and fly out of range after the attack as well with your bonus action. It adds to the action economy in a very noticeable and beneficial way. It is like when a rogue gets their cunning abilities and can do a sneak attack and then hide again in the same turn. It is an extra opportunity to make a move to keep things alive in the same turn. Getting extra actions or bonus actions can be one of the most exponential increases in power in D&d. Instead of deciding whether you want to bring an unconscious ally back into the battle or attack, or whether your choice would usually be to get into position for the next attack or to make the attack, you no longer have to decide. You can just do both. Managing your action economy is one of the skills you need to master as fast as you can and this makes you twice as efficient as you were before.

[@Homiloko2]

This is exactly why summons are powerful. Besides acting as meat shields, they also have a separate action pool which is basically free real estate. Even a cantrip like mage hand can be useful for throws (like potions, bombs, etc) if you set it up before the fight starts.

[@slfteach89]

As someone who has been playing Beast Master with the rules from Tasha's Guide, that was my immediate first character with BG3 and they feel similar in a lot of fun ways while also feeling fresh in BG3. Definitely my favorite subclass

[@Swordsnstuff]

That was a lot of help! Rolled a beastmaster for my second playthrough and I've been trying to figure out what's what. Cheers. :D

[@smilingbear7430]

Something about the dire wolf that is often overlooked. That infectious bite plus bane from a cleric on a tough enemy with high con saves can really help put when you got a con save spell you wanna push through. As the game gets tough many enemies have a higher con save, so casting bane then usin the necrotic bite makes the enemies often fail con saves

[@markloeffler85]

This can also stack with the -1 con from the rat familiar's bite.

[@zero11010]

Very good video production. The audio is great. The video quality is good. You’re speaking with confidence and it seems like your thought process is clear.

[@StullOtopen]

Best guide I've seen by far. Simply because you don't focus on min max and specific choices you have to make in game. Also, that voice is so good!

[@snowmexican8558]

This actually answered a bunch of questions I had about the beast master. Thanks

[@italianspartacus]

My pleasure brother!

[@MS-it9vv]

This was a great subclass overview. Good content, keep it coming!

[@0ptimuscrime]

Beast master with wolf spider is very good early game because infinite web is great and goblins get enwebbed easily. The gap between level 3 and level 4 can be a long one for some builds and the webs can help the party a lot. Unfortunately the pathing breaks frequently after the wilderness and enemies just stop getting enwebbed, so it drops off hard.

[@cwaite85]

Yeah the spider pathing needs work.... frustrating to have to keep baby sitting its movements.

[@cameronsabin8950]

The Wolf also has pack tatics which gives advantage when there is an ally within 5ft of target.

[@italianspartacus]

Totally forgot about that!! Great shout

[@sicdyna]

Do the beasts only scale with ranger levels?

[@pink1200]

@@sicdyna yes

[@Skret2]

@@sicdyna Yeas sadly multiclassing is not really an option unless it's a 1lvl dip. You want 11llvl beatmaster for all companion bonuses. So maybe Cleric or Fighter I'd say.

[@jameshaws9986]

I swear if you don't talk to scratch right now I'm gonna flip

[@matthewholmes2332]

Apologies if I missed a clarification somewhere but it isn't correct to say that attack rolls are a dex saving throw. Some special class or weapon abilities do trigger a dex saving throw, but they usually use a normal attack as well. Normal ranged weapon attacks don't trigger a saving throw, they just roll against armor class to hit.

[@italianspartacus]

Yup! Made a mistake! The Ranged attack roll is Dex, not the saving throw - took some stupid pills! :)

[@bobnewkirk7003]

I appreciate the showcase of the beastmaster. I was exploring beastmaster when I was looking into my Necromancer as having an archer with a strong tank pet would set up other summons nicely. However after some testing it feels like the subclass is being taxed for trying to do two things at once. First you need to invest heavily in your pet in order to make it competitive, but then you miss out on multiclass opportunities and the flexibility/power it affords you. You already get Extra attack on Base Ranger, but not being able to roll in modifiers like Sneak attack, Pact of the blade, Rage or Maneuvers really hurts the output of the Ranger itself. Meanwhile the pet doesn't benefit from other classes bonuses (like better summons on necro) so I couldn't find a good multiclass for the build. It is fun to have the strong companion, but with the lack of features at 9th level, and the capstone for the class being pushed all the way back to 11th, the subclass just misses the mark for me.

[@Kenkatsu17]

Having the Raven darkness at level 10 would have been so cool with a 2 level Warlock dip for devil's sight. Shame.

[@shinybugg9156]

The spider's thing isn't an infection, it's an infestation. It's pretty much throwing its babies at enemies.

[@deadlykitten1158]

Just a note, both Druid and Beast Master Ranger are notoriously difficult to Multiclass OUT of because the primary class features are tied so heavily to class levels. Some Multiclassing that works well with beast master are. fighter 4, Druid 1 (shillelagh, let’s you build a max wisdom caster ranger that can still make good use of great weapon master and extra attack) and Cleric 1 (either life domain for a small buff to healing, or my favourite War domain for 3 extra attacks per day)

[@Trixterion]

If you want to make attacks using Wisdom, there are 2 companion related weapons at the end of act 2 which would allow that(the one is trash, while other is a decent +2 weapon that would carry you through the game(if you don't want to use legendary weapons))

[@jan6470]

I played a Beastmaster Ranger as my first character, but my companion always got stuck on terrain without me immediately noticing. Then, in the next combat, i would notice that my companion is missing. Because of that, i started over as circle of the moon druid.

[@1gamerdad287]

I'm loving all your bg3 content. I'm still working through my first play through.

[@Ashley1Black]

Thank you for the guide. I'll try the Beastmaster at some point. I did almost every side quest available, so I reached Act 3 on level 10, and after the first long rest, I leveled up to 11. I spent most of Act 3 on level 12.

[@peterolson2407]

Thanks for making this! 5e beast master is pretty lackluster so I haven’t touched it in BG3 yet

[@bear3384]

Thank you, I am thinking this is going to be my first character just need to rewatch your ranger video. I have been subbed with you since pre launch Bannerlord I love your content

[@michaellavy3269]

I’ve had a lot of success with using the Raven to blind enemies so my other allies can attack with advantage. It’s awesome that there’s no additional saving throw to prevent the blinding (unlike the wolfs ability to knock prone) and this synergizes super well with the sharpshooter/ great weapon master feats. The lvl 5 raven feature provides an alternative way to give allies advantage (Wis saving throw at range instead of melee attack) so it’s super versatile. The ravens superb mobility (18m fly) is also super flexible. It’s definitely my go-to beast

[@troyareyes]

The raven is my clutch! spends every encounter buzzing around the battlefield blinding, cursing, and reviving

[@italianspartacus]

They're so damn good

[@user-hq2lr4cr4r]

I love my BM ranger she was my first choice. The ravin is the best companion, hands down. Anyway, I love your videos and your insights on all of BG3

[@italianspartacus]

Thanks so much for watching!! :)

[@ogolthorp]

Goad on the bear as well as disarm/prone is pretty great.

[@bjorn-falkoandreas9472]

@@italianspartacus Who would win, tho? A raven or one lolthy boi?

[@writingNDG]

Thanks for this video. Started a beast master ranger and have been struggling (level 4). Glad to know the early levels are a slog.

[@italianspartacus]

Yeah man just get to 5!! It'll get better FAST

[@unhingedmanchild]

I'm soloing tactician (went ranger > gloomstalker) and yeah it absolutely was harder between lvl 2-4, and after lv 5 I basically haven't looked back it's been noticeably easier.

[@jotarokujo3603]

This was a great video, I'm about to go see if you've covered other classes because this would be a really enjoyable series.

[@kevinford6372]

Just started my first campaign a couple of days ago so i was trying to keep it simple going classic, barbarian /wizard /cleric /rogue, to wrap my mind around this game. Now you got me wanting to stop and start over with beast master

[@Gorlod]

I hate that everyone freaks out or follows you when they see your companion. Raven only triggers children so that's why I use it the most.

[@darinsingleton3553]

That is very annoying.

[@jsmiller44]

Use it to your advantage while they are following my pet the rouge is picking locks and robbing the place blind because npcs follow you and turn their backs on things

[@DonKarlioni]

I multiclassed with my rogue and had to spec away from BM because of everyone running away. Especially annoying when trying to find the traders!

[@joshuaowens570]

I’m on my first play through of BG3 and this was my starting class. I’m having a lot of fun tearing shit up with the bear. Extremely fun class to play with.

[@BenjiByt3]

As someone who's first DnD character was a beastmaster and felt disappointed and is playing through BG 1 and 2 before 3, this is really nice to know, I might actually try beastmaster again. The evolving summons are so cool. Also different edition of DnD, but after playing BG 1 the idea of a spider companion who can just shoot web sounds so good lol.

[@Nostradevus1]

Careful with trying to maintain concentration as a shapeshifted druid. In BG3, you are able to maintain concentration, but you will not be able to re-target spells (IE call lightning, hunter's mark, etc). The way they coded it in the game it still thinks it's a spell cast they just remove the resource cost.

[@macinboss2159]

I was wrecking with Gloomstalker. Super interested in your take on BM!

[@Blakobness]

Being able to send the raven off to use help as a bonus action is actually pretty strong, that's a free Healing Word essentially, albeit the range comes with exchanging some mobility.

[@skeleton-key]

Great vids on all the different classes man btw 💪

[@italianspartacus]

Glad you like them! :D

[@Huhwhips]

Seems like the wolf/bear abilities and stats are mixed up. You’d think the bear would have the most health and would gain the cleave ability while the wolf would have the ability to summon a second wolf. Just odd thematically

[@RazielTheUnborn]

It's for balancing. High health, high damage would make all other pets not worth using, ever. Wolf has a passive that allies within 5m of it get advantage on an enemy, so your characters are the pack. The general public are quite simple. They won't think of intricate tactics with the pets.

[@Chokoboh]

@@RazielTheUnborn Wolf has the innate problem of fearing Shadowheart tho. Many players will avoid summoning Wolf just because of that reason alone, me included. If you're not the Cleric, Shadowheart is kind of mandatory.

[@nathanfivecoate5848]

​@@ChokobohShadowheart is bae. Even before wolf companion.

[@lusaka1826]

@@Chokobohthe wolf actually doesn’t scare her, only enemy wolves from what I’ve seen. Though imo the wolf is one of the least useful ones. Bear can disarm/prone/provoke. Boar can prone multiple units at a time, slow and rage + can atk more than once which can useful if u have hunters mark active. Though is a bit of a slow starter Raven has 2 great debuffs the blind mainly with high dex so they’re ideally gonna take the first turn w/ your ranger. Spider can setup lots of webs before the actual fight and has heavy cc with cocoon. Wolf is just there to do mediocre damage and have an aoe cone at lvl 11, prone has a low chance to proc and can get stuck everywhere. Every other pet has a good niche whereas wolf is really just there for its mediocre damage. As someone who always has a beast master in every playthrough my tierlist would be S - Raven A - Boar, Spider B - Bear C- Wolf

[@BonnieBoestar]

​@@Chokoboh Even early in the game there's not a single "mandatory" character whatsoever unless you desperately need a rogue for Lockpicking.

[@gambleralex5083]

Beastmaster was cool but vendors shooing and chasing my animal around got really anoying so I respeced to gloomstalker

[@droe2570]

Your raven can dash at level 5 as an action, at lvl 7 as a bonus action, so they can dash to a target then attack.

[@SuziQ499]

Great vid I learned a lot here , I would also point out I don't care about doing tons of damage the class and the way I play have to feel right.

[@CharliMorganMusic]

Been waiting for this one

[@brasssnacks8413]

For all the hours I've put in this game i honestly had no idea. Years of 5e left me blind to this

[@michaelbohnisch4166]

This was definitely eye opening great video.

[@HiddenLink_clips]

LOOOL the dashing with the raven at 13:30 did nothing XD

[@Impulseds]

Also something I noticed (I think it might be a bug) when a ranger companion hits a target with gaping wounds the gaping wounds will add the bonuses of preys scent and an extra attack roll instead of the base 2 damage. When I was killing the NPC who tries to buy a githyanki egg my raven did 13+11 damage in one hit.

[@deadlift9360]

Gloom and Hunter are basicly just buffing ranged play or thief stuff, beastmaster is a different animal (hue hue get it). I remember the beast companions sometimes bugging around, if thats gone they are viable.

[@Warmaker01]

I haven't tried Ranger Beastmaster in the game because I've seen pet type classes tend to gravitate to being "Big Suckage." That said, you going over Dire Raven casting Darkness on its Fly ability location has synergy with a number of Warlock builds out there. There's an Eldritch Invocation called Devil's Sight to see through the dark, both natural and artificial, i.e. Darkness. Warlocks like using Darkness + Devil's Sight to have a protective area where they sit in and not be attacked, while still being able to see through and out of it, and using their own abilities and attacks.

[@jacobyrassilon]

The only problem with the Raven's Darkness is that it will affect your party (and you too) so any time they fly and land it casts the blindess which isn't always the best thing for you or your party in certain situations.

[@znail4675]

@@jacobyrassilon The point is that Warlocks can be immune to the Darkness. You can even get one more demon pet that is also immune if you want. The main problem is that being permanently invulnerable to enemies is rather boring.

[@vicvinegar5709]

Great video, thanks

[@Woofles1227]

20:00 “one black wings” is not the blind upgrade on the dash, it is a new ability that summons 2 ravens similar to the one the bear has.

[@DrewTrox]

The PS5 pre-order came with a nice starting scimitar and dagger for dual wielding. Looking forward to using that raven.

[@haimmaik]

Level 7, doesn't unlock dash, disengage and help, it only allows them to be used as BONUS action instead of normal action (which is op af)... (which also means u can do each twice per turn)

[@BlackPixel_2206]

I totally agree to your statement about tactician difficulty. After reaching act 3 in my first playthrough I understood the mechanics an was a bit disappointed about the game's difficulty, so I began a new game on tactician, and I can tell that I'm rather a roleplayer, than a min-maxer; But even with not much more D&D knowledge above BG3, tactician is playable really fun and smooth. So if you don't have huge problems in understanding the game: Don't fear to toucch tactician difficulty. It doesn't let strong, important fights look like tutorials. ^^

[@peterrautenbach1298]

I switch to tactician halfway through my first playthrough (which Im still on) and it was the correct choice. I played a ton of D&D so the mechanics were not new to me and the fights felt tricky at times. I will say that I started min-maxing my multiclasses because of my experience from D&D somy experience might not be the norm with tactician. The true end game boss on tacician is the need for 80 camp supplies instead of 40. My powerful god fighting adventurers have a hard time scraping enough food together to take a long rest which does force me to swithc characters in and out and actual consider when to rest which is probably a good thing.

[@BlackPixel_2206]

@@peterrautenbach1298 I'm not sure why, but in my tactician playthrough I do care more about long rests really needed or not, but I didn't experience such a scarcity in camp supplies, as you describe. I have some experience with the D&D rules by playing the Pathfinder-videogames, but wasn't anything near a pro in doing so. ^^ But yes: You need more long rests, and they're double as expensive. In tactician the camp supplies are a true mechanic in comparison to normal difficulty.

[@meeqsb3521]

One fun thing about the extra bear is it stays around even if you use other companions so it’s just a free bonus pet

[@asgerkrogh5671]

I got tired of my bard so I respecced them to beastmaster ranger with a single level dip in rogue for expertise in sleight of hand and persuasion.. I'm very happy with it so far

[@2moons72]

I had beastmaster with wolf on my first playthrough. The wolf was amazing at higher levels.

[@ilgiallo0]

My problem with the beast master is that every animal terrorize guards and npc , so questing is not possible , only the bird doesn't affect enemies ... So i couldn't play with the boar in baldur's gate and forgot always to conjure it.. in the end i just change it to hunter class

[@sylentninja1]

Almost forgot the best Major Ursa reference from war bear Golden Compass

[@sirdart6915]

I also play as the beast master ranger and absolutely loving it! Another nice ability is companions or familiars can lure unsuspecting guards from their post so you can eliminate them without others noticing! Also there is no beating out having the additional attacks and hp soakers when in combat!

[@yoshi3025]

My stupid spider kept bugging out so I respecc.

[@italianspartacus]

Try raven! They'll fly to you

[@gannonpatton2858]

Is this an insect pun?

[@0ptimuscrime]

Same ☹️ the path finding just stops working sometimes, and the spider gets stuck on terrain. I just stopped summoning it after the millionth time

[@Cl0ne66]

Spider also bugged for me with its pathing; but bear was better anyway. It’s an awesome tank with a 6th level aid. Chose to use the Heavy Armored favored ability, and Duel Wielder at level 4.

[@logandouglas7342]

Spider is so meta at lvl 3 I took out the phase spider, the minotaurus, and the spectator at lvl 4 when I leveled, slowing and stopping enemies in AOE effects like cloud of daggers so stupidly powerful

[@leonardceres9061]

this is pretty good stuff. I feel like I have learned a few tricks and tidbits of information from this video. That being said, I would still download a mod that boosted my companions movement, because honestly, the biggest problem that slows down combat in this game is movement and getting TO things. for instance, on my paladin and cleric characters I download it a simple little mod that boosted the movement speed of sacred weapons to like 34 m and oh my god what a game changer now they are actually useful the same thing goes with pets or companions. They move like 2 feet and then they’re out of commission. Meanwhile, if you’re playing what else you’re all over the place and by the time your companion gets to you, the fight is already over.

[@ye-roon]

The on black wings ability for the raven summons 2 additional raven companions. Having a cleric/druid cast heroes feast and aid. Some tanky extra targets for enemies to hit. as for multiclass options, 11 beastmaster seems like a pretty good way to go. And if they eventually "fix" double handcrossbow adding dex modifier to offhand shot, 1 level of figher for the 2 weapon fighting style might be a good option. That way you can have archery and two weapon fighting. Otherwise just use a bow. I finished the game with a longbow and tbh it wasnt that difficult by the end. Early levels are the toughest, just like real dnd.

[@joshwhite1562]

Was really hoping theyd have panther as an option for a Drizzt replica.

[@JChaosMaster]

I saw a cool sounding heavy armor dual wielding ranger that can make use of companions to. I love when game has enough depth that most combinations have at least some minimum viability.

[@italianspartacus]

That's me! I did this!! :D

[@heftyjo2893]

I'm using a Ranger/Rogue Thief Beastmaster build for my play through. Mostly just use the Bear to tank and then hand crossbows to pin cushion things with 4 attacks and sneak attacks. Wearing the intelligence headband for perception and insight (also the truth ring that further boosts insight), Mage Breaker for Arcana proficiency, and illithid transformation with thief for deception and persuasion bonuses. So, I get crazy bonuses on nearly all dialogue checks. And then guidance from Shadowheart on top of all that. The insight and arcana knowledge procs like crazy with investigation checks. Then, I whip Scratch out as my familiar when exploring and the two of us are finding all manner of loot and traps laying about. Just find I have oodles of utility throughout all facets of the game.

[@knightfourteen]

This video made me go beast Master Archer for my second BG3 playthrough

[@italianspartacus]

YUSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS!

[@kpny8484]

I played one on my first playthrough, it was a lot of fun.

[@EEEEEEEEEEEEEEE737]

The spider is so good it's literally cast upcasted web action and spell slots free at will

[@infamoussnyc3761]

Love beast master I went s/sh and took the perk to give disadvantage to attacks to allies since pet is always near me and love it buff the pet and its pretty fun to play in group or solo

[@DearyLeary]

Disarm on the bear was so much fun for my first playthrough.

[@simdoughnut659]

I normally go Gloomstalker when playing Ranger simply because it multiclasses better, and I don't have to worry about having a pet that freaks out all the npc's when in town. If they ever fix that particular issue I might consider doing a Drow/Spider Beastmaster play through. I love the ranger class, but the Beastmaster subclass still needs a bit of loving. I also agree the beast companion final form should come at lvl 10 not lvl 11.

[@nathenchurch2663]

I've been playing a Throw Beastmaster I'm still using the returning pike and fling ring it's great. Also, on a fun note played a group of drows where we all were rangers and we all had spiders is was fun. everyone was DWing hand crossbows ....good times

[@skiefyre123]

@5 they can dash disengage etc. at higher lvl you can do it as a bonus.

[@dangeloenglish4284]

Keep in mind, there's a bow later in the game that's scales with Str and Dex. While it doesn't have some of the other cool effects; if you want to be a Str/Dex hybrid, say dual long sword, greatsword, Reach weapon + polearm/sent, you can go light armor 20/22 dex with a plus 6, and equip another peice of gear that gives 23 str (or elixir till then that gives 21 str. If you look at the bow damage, it may not seem as great, but it is Act 1 and now you can have: 1D8 +1 +5/6 Dex +5/6 Str +4 Proficency +1D6 Hunters Mark +1D4 Posion/Fire/Etc +1D8 Special Arrow Assuming max character with max damage. Every bow shot will do 17-42. Companions can proc Advantage for you to keep concentration for hunters. While the other very good bows would be: Dead Shot (stacking with lvl 3 Champion Fighter for weaker beasts), simply stack with other crit items such as dual weild weapons. Vicious Short bow for weaker regular damage but +7 to crit ranged damage. If you have a ton of crit stacking it can be good as a 1D6 +2. Light crossbow of Speed for a bonus action regular attack. Basically.giving you action surge for extra attacks. Don't sleep on ranger.

[@d.u.p.e7806]

The spider is probably one of beast masters best pets, cocoon is a 3 turn stun you can spam each turn its insane

[@rescuehamster1734]

I ended up picking a Ranger when I got bored of the Warlock. I'm absolutely loving it. Maybe my favorite class, if I'm being honest. Though I'm playing as a Gloom Stalker. But always good to learn about the other subclasses. Especially when I get a cuddly pet out of it.

[@Foxador]

I wanted to like Beast Master, but too many NPC's get scared of your pet and it breaks some encounters. Like some scenes or cutscenes that are supposed to play get skipped because the NPC's run away in a panic or rush over to gawk at my pet

[@motivepigeon]

I really want to try a whole team of beatmaster rangers, been intresting to see a claric with a raven, so much utility.

[@jacobyrassilon]

BM was my first play through and I thoroughly enjoyed it, but the animal path finding is not that great for wolf, spider, and sometimes bear. I found myself using the Dire Raven along with find familiar Raven, giving me two controllable companions that could pretty much range the entire battlefield. And whatever you do don't do like I did on multiple occasions, which is to cast Hunter's Mark and then immediately nullify it by casting spike growth, both which are concentration spells, haha. Overall, I loved the Ranger BM class, even though they don't do the dmg that other classes do (the monk, OMG!), they are really fun to play.

[@benreizman467]

Liked and subscribed. You're dope.

[@italianspartacus]

Welcome aboard!!

[@kalverus8511]

absolutely love my strength based dual wielding and heavy armor tanky beast master. Me, Lupus and Scratch front lining is peak.

[@allendimaano2681]

I picked up beastmaster for my first playthrough. Just a fun all rounder class that can do a lot of things. A lvl 7 ranger companion is enough if you want to multiclass into rogue. Lvl 9 for third level spells. I just hit lvl 11 and it is good but not really required. I will try it again on a second playthrough on tactician. My most used spells are ensnaring strike, spike growth, speak animals, enhanced jump. Spider is the best at low levels. Never used bears before level 11. Boar is great for damage and cc. Favorite is dire raven, bad omen is just fun and having a flying companion to push buttons and circumvent several areas is fun. Wolf has an ac of 21 at lvl 11 which is incredible, also he gets a sword like Sif. My main use of bonus action is for misty step from items or increasing accuracy with ritual dagger's blood sacrifice. Feats i took are sharpshooter, athlete and asi. Really well balanced class. I was originally planning a beastmaster and battlemaster multiclass but just ended up going to 11 pure ranger. Never felt the need for action surge. Heavy armor proficiency was easily obtainable with ranger knight. Don't bother getting the poison resistance natural explorer. Ranger can get access to protection from poison with a level 2 spell slot.

[@nswmeeuwes89]

Beastmaster is good in 5e now too, since Tasha's Cauldron of Everything.

[@gyphinix1658]

The funnest part of running beast master is the general chaos created by NPC's reacting to the spider companion. x'D

[@bradveach4832]

Playing monk at the moment but loved beast master during early access. 😊

[@johnnicholas1657]

Playing with my gf split screen. She is beast master and your video is very helpful and clear for her as a native french speaker. Thanks! ❤

[@LeonShuriken]

4:15, shooting an enemy with a range weapon only targets their AC, a dex saving throw only occurs when being attacked by a area of affect spell (AOE) like fireball sacred flame. shooting a enwebbed enemy gets gives YOU advantage to hit their AC, if an enwebbed enemy is targeted by an AOE spell or attack like a bomb, they have disadvantage to dodge out the way because they are enwebbed.

[@jsmiller44]

Here's a tip the spider web is flammable cast it on candles or burning surfaces and its like free grease

[@NoorAgafia]

Thanks for the guide! I tried to make it work twice now but I couldn't. The fighter doesn't need wisdom, 3 attacks, trip+menacing attack + bonus dmg, 4 feats, it's a lot easier. Also the wizard T6 (water) summon is also very tanky and can be summoned again in combat if killed (practically never) unlike the BM pets which require a short rest. I've been a long time BM hunter in wow when I still played it and really want this to work. In my first run, as a dark Shadowheart main, the spear gives immune to blind + shar's darkness/smoke (which you can spam and doesn't require spell slots) - the helmet gives crit against obscured enemies + the Raven which does all of these things as well.... I should've stuck with it.

[@MusMasi]

Web can also transfer the burning effect to anything on the web when its set alight, gets rid of the web though.

[@HuggyBuddyOwO]

A bit note for the "not spoiling the story" I recommend to dissmiss all of your party member, solely because they may or may not change their show-up icon depending on your choices Like wyll on the bottom left

[@jordanrowe3608]

Cry about it more.

[@drbeeant]

​@jordanrowe3608 Calm down Jordan, it's not that deep I promise.

[@HuggyBuddyOwO]

@@jordanrowe3608 I'm giving notes, not complaining. Complaining is what you're doing right now.

[@thegrimm4557]

Ya know... I started several characters (I'll elaborate for those curious folks at the bottom), but after I learned the mechanics of the game, pulling from my experience with games like Kotor, and table top dnd, I find the ranger with druid, fighter, or rogue subclass to be the most versatile. It's a very story driven game and unless you're running some crazy reclassed party and now poor gale is an ursa major summoning thief, I feel like the ranger just belongs in that world, talking to animals, saving druids and rejecting the worms kinda thing. I'm using the stereotypical "wood elf ranger chick" rp aspect for my first FULL playthrough with SH, gale, and I'll swap astarion with the "good elf chick" but he's too useful for now with all his lockpick bonuses lol, anyway... Here's the list of the others i made cuz the story aspect grabbed me: Dark urge female drow necromancer, evil (super fun btw) Dragonborn male oathbreaker paladin, gonna subclass with draconic sorcerer and see how it goes