Larian Studios Forums Baldur's Gate III Baldur's Gate III - Suggestions & Feedback Beastmaster Ranger

Hello everyone!
After playing the EA for quite some time, I've realized that if one is going to choose a ranger character, as of now it better be the hunter archetype, because the beastmaster does feel lackluster to me.
I always loved to play character that somehow side with nature and harness it's power in a good way, rangers and druids can do just that, to my disappointment though, I noticed that the beastmaster, does not bring nothing on the table that can really affect the way we fight our enemies, the interaction with the pet are very scarce.
To vary this I thought, once a player chooses the beastmaster archetype, you could get different varieties of bears,wolves and so on... Based on the race and origins you have chosen for your character.
For example, a Shield Dwarf might spawn an artic wolf summoning one, or a polar bear, but if our race is human or elf than the variant could change.
Alongside this it would be nice, if the animals could grow some bond with you, if for example you spent enough time and fought many battles with the bear, you can actually use some bond points to improve some of his stats, of course nothing too strong but something that gives you the feeling of actually evolving with your furry companion and not just call them out of a black hole and pretend they have always been there.
Now when it comes to fights, I have to say all of the beasts feel underwhelming, the only one that was actually strong maybe too strong was the spider, back at launch, now it got fixed and brought back in line.
The bear is supposed to take damage and assert zone of control over the enemies, you want him to be able to take hits for you and your mates but at the same time retaliate with attack of opportunity if the enemy decides to get out of the it's proximity without disengaging.
This is not possible since the bear's HP are very low, when it should at least equal yours if not be even more resistant, but of course in exchange it can not deal too much damage.
The wolf should be able to have more movement and also hit harder than the bear, with a medium to low healthpool but a good consistent damage, with maybe the ability to induce fear to it's enemies with it's howl, in a restricted radius and of course capped with the short rest requirement or long depending on how strong the ability gets proven to be.
The raven or eagle, could work like a rogue, when in stealth it could deal high critical damage and blind the enemies but with a very small health pool.
The warthog should feel as a ram charging into battle, you should be able to push enemies far away with it's special attack, this way it can become very useful in certain areas, allowing you too push enemies off the ledges, I would give it the second best Health pool, and ability to push enemies.
The spider, could get the same healthpool of the wolf, but be more evasive and provide damage over time thanks to it's venom this way.
As of now trading the satisfying dmg you can get out of the hunter archetype, for the beastmaster feels bad in my opinion, if the beasts would get balanced and given some variety or maybe even a short lore, that would increase it's appeal and usefulness in a party, under the form of interaction with the surroundings, for example find food for the camp supplies or if the road is blocked up ahead, we could use the raven to scout the other side of it, this way we could avoid being ambushed, I think many ideas could be implemented.
It's true that maybe some of these concepts or other ones might already be implemented for future acts down the line, but in this EA so far the class feels lackluster.
Thanks for reading!

I don't know if it's how 5e works but I was also disappointed to discover that rangers summon their pets rather than having to choose one that you have a close bond with and potentially evolves with you in power and abilities. I really like the idea of variant pets for different races but again, I'm not sure how things work in 5e. Perhaps someone can shed some light on this?

Personally, I wish that a ranger could have one specific animal companion that's selected when the Beastmaster level is achieved.

I wish the animal companion, whatever it is, would stay with the ranger all the time, as in it doesn't get summoned or dismissed or anything like that.

And if the animal dies, then I wish the raise dead scrolls would work on it.

Additionally, I wish the singular animal companion that's chosen would gain in strength as the ranger levels up.

Finally, I wish specific animals in the game could be chosen as the animal companion if the ranger bonds well enough with them. An example would be Scratch, for instance.

To me, that would make the perfect Beastmaster Ranger. @Larian, if you're listening, please consider this.

Yes, that would really help the player with immersion!

+1 OP !

1) I agree that a beast master pet should not be summoned. Simply because beast master pets in 5e are not summoned - they are there, constantly. And managing them is a part of your character design. In this particular scenario, I would ask Larian to take a look at Owlcat's pathfinder ranger pets and make something similar.

2) If your beast master pet would die as a ranger, there is literally a mechanic within 5e for this: "If the beast dies, you can obtain a new companion by spending 8 hours magically bonding with a beast that isn’t hostile to you and that meets the requirements." (the requirements being the following: "Choose a beast that is no larger than Medium and that has a challenge rating of 1/4 or lower") - both quotations are from PHB. Of course, I believe that a beast master companion should, like JandK mentioned above, be able to be resurrected in the same ways as regular party members - but there should be an option to tame a new creature if the pet perishes as this is listed as an available option according to the PHB.

3) As I've started playing a lot of PnP DnD, I've realized just why the DnD veterans on the forum (and in general) are a bit salty about rangers - not just in BG3, but core rangers in general. Compared to the alternative sourcebook specs, such as Swarmkeeper (my personal favorite), Fey Wanderer, Gloom Stalker, Horizon Walker and even the brand new Drakewarden, the core ranger specs just falls flat. They do not only deal less damage and have much more situational damage on top of that, but their utility is often much worse as well (especially when translated to a cRPG where food gathering, foraging, night watch and terrain orientation is not required). I am sad that Larian has decided to "dedicate themselves" to the PHB (although they homebrew a bit too much for that statement to be accurate) as that kinda makes ranger just... Bad. This is a known issue among the DnD community since the core ranger specs are considered memes at best.

In general, I am quite certain that BG3 will develop to be an AMAZING game. I just hope that Larian can find a way to make the core ranger useful. It feels really bad playing a spec and knowing that I could have picked at least two other classes (namely fighter and rogue) and I'd literally be able to fill the same role and perform the same, or better.

Anyways! I do hope Larian do reconsider regarding expansions/DLCs as I would love to see some additional sourcebooks being added eventually. Until then, imma grit my teeth and do my best to love my core ranger. <3

A note on this - Every revision of ranger after the original PHB, every UA and revised ranger publication, have all contained an additional clause that allows the ranger to recall the spirit of a killed animal companion and return them to life, with a new body if necessary - using the same rules as the bonding ritual, but including a cost as well.

This is clearly the current intention, since it's been present in every UA and revision since the initial PHB, and I feel it's appropriate to be taken as legitimate here.

Makes sense, tbh! c: Since losing ones pet would be really emotionally taxing for the ranger - IC and OOC - if there was no chance of getting it back.

WHIIIIICH should make it even easier to just give the ranger a permanent pet! >:] Laaarian! Please? \o/

Can we just digress for a moment to discuss the best beast?

I'd like the option to bond with a hound and pick its coloration and patterning from some different options. I know we got Scratch, and he's great for a more mastiff archetype, but what about the sighthound and the shepherd and the bloodhound, or the classic half-wolf? I think there should be a pack of wild hounds in the forest.

Call them the refugees from the blighted village or something, but basically a wild dog pack that is roaming nearby. They could even do a wolfpack dogpack rivalry similar to the gobbos vs the druids hehe, but basically a full pack with some variety. Similar to the way wild horses and such have worked in other games, but something gives more purpose to the talk with animals and tracking type stuff, basically using the dog to offset some of the Ranger nerfs and give some character flair there in the options for which hound to bond with. Then do the same for the cats and birds and bears. Instead of relegating the Ranger to choosing one from a boring generic list make it more like choosing an animal character to bond with that fits inside the game, and having those animals particularly cool. Basically the animal heroes, that sort of stand apart from the more mundane cast of animals. More jungle book supernatural say with its own plot riffs and yarns to spin. Having some gameplay like that more centrally focused on the animal buds in the adjacent starting regions would feel cool for the Ranger as a class. Even though they are somewhat overshadowed by Druids in regard to the animal connection, the Ranger Beastmaster should have companions that somehow make it feel more unique to the class. This could be the vehicle to provide some drama to an animal centered plotline that dovetails on the more humanoid centered drama but just with a bit of a different slant.

I think the PC should for sure be able to restore an animal companion to life. That's a fantasy that I enjoy maintaining. If anyone deserves it, it's the fuzzballs. I'd like to see them focus on the hounds first though because there's so much there to mine. Like using scent as a proxy for stuff that usually gets mystically done up in RPGs as clairvoyance magic, but instead giving a more aesthetic naturalistic vibe. Effectively the Nose Knows instead of the Wizards Eye. That would be cool. I'm always a little disappointed that nobody has figured out how to make playing "as the animal companion" feel somehow different from just a PC with a bite attack and claws.

Like if the camera wasn't so freewheeling already, that would be a cool concept, to have the animal provide a greater field of view. Or especially like with birds, or the smaller animals like ferrets that can climb, like how I imagine halfling POV might be in a cinematic style game, but taken even further to the very tiny. The game just isn't 3d enough really to pull that off I don't think, but if they started with Dogs and Cats and worked from there they might be able to find a way to make that work cooler.

Sure everyone usually is going to take some Lion or Boar or Grizzly bear as soon as they can to maul, but I think the hound companion has a lot of potential for characterization, so they could lean into that as a draw. Be the D&D crpg that really does it up proper. Not just like a slightly smaller wolf with a different stat spread, but do the full visual with the ears and the colors and spots and marking like facial tattoos or whatever in custom PC. Animal style. Like you choose the length of your coat, and the patterning, pick a name and select from 4 different voice bark options hehe.

Just like I hope we can choose our PCs outfit colors, it would be rad to choose our animal colors. Even ravens could be show some variety there, some with cooler blue blacks, some with more muted gray blacks, or brownish blacks, even the rarer versions with a few spots, or the mythic white raven, stuff like that. Just a lot they could do with it, and people who like animals could get into it. But basically they need to infuse it with some epic.

Right now it's pretty much all comic relief, but they could take it somewhere a little dark too, you know like a Rats of NIMH sort of thing, so it feels properly Baldur's Gate enough. Just some rambles, but I'd like to see Beastmasters have more to work with in that department.

Thanks everyone for your opinion on the matter, I think everyone here has suggested important features that could indeed improve the experience of a ranger playthrough.
As already mentioned, I agree with the fact of choosing one specific animal once we reach level 3, and I agree also with the fact of being able to choose his physical traits, something like size, fur color any particular mark, something that affects only the aesthetic part of your companion.
Alongside this an origin option could be added, maybe something along this line:

"Kula" is now your closest companion, a strong bond between you two has grown, he is ready to follow you and have your back at all time no matter the cost, so do you.
Trust and mutual care enforces this bond every day, but tell us, how did you two meet in the first place?
Saved "him or her" from a group of hunters. (+ 2 constitution)
Found "him or her" lost in the outskirts of a city. (+2 Dexterity)
Followed "his or her" bloodtrail, after an exausting fight with another animal and cared for "him or her". (+2 strength)

I know it doesn't have to be exactly like this but I feel this can really create some affection from the player towards his furry companion.
I also like the idea of needing to revive our friend via scroll, but if this is going to be implemented, than they definitely need to buff his stats since with the current shallow health pool they get you will need dozens of scrolls...
I also like the idea of a hound, of something closer to a human rather than a wild beast, of course I would not like to rule out the chance of having a bear though.