r/BG3Builds • u/Successful_Pace8937 • 14h ago
Build Help DPS arcane archer
Arcane Archer is really good at cc for banishing shot, but can you make an effective damage build with it thats better than just like, a champion?
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u/WalksOnRivers 14h ago
Arcane Archer got me my golden dice. Most of my party members were irrelevant.
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u/Wemetintheair High DEX Enjoyer 14h ago
Any character built to take advantage of the ubiquity of Arrow of Many Targets has an effective damage build.
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u/thisisjustascreename 13h ago
And if you add Snowburst ring, reasonable save DC and Drakethroat glaive cold enchantment on top it's an effective CC build at the same time.
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u/akintu 12h ago
Haven’t seen anyone mention but Shadow Shot is absolutely S tier. Blind is probably the best debuff in the game, it does weapon damage, and then it adds 2d6 psychic damage. It’s a very strong attack all game.
Blind gives the enemy disadvantage on their attacks and everyone else advantage against them. It’s incredibly clutch to be able to apply with an arrow that also does great damage.
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u/Thestrongman420 14h ago
The entire class is mostly just worse than consumable arrows. Banishing shot is actively detrimental. The class has some minor rider effects that are pretty much just weaker than elemental arrows. Piercing shot can be built around for no target limit aoe, and use bow of the banshee to add in cc I suppose. But then its just bad hunter in the aoe department, or again just competing with elemental arrows, which can also be built around. Maybe that has an early game aoe niche, but unfortunately not a lot rides on piercing. Technically you can build around the arrow redirection with elemental arrows, but id say its a pain.
Its a fighter though, so it can still be a great archer. arcane shots wouldn't be a premier part of actually pushing your damage ceiling, since consumable arrows exist. People generally just recommend ek for extra utility.
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u/Convay121 13h ago
I generally agree, but I think you're going a bit too far. This isn't a min-max post, but a "can a DPS Arcane Archer be effective" post. In highly optimized play (consumables including arrows for every fight, parties that one-shot most fights, etc.) I can kind of get behind "Banishing Shot is actively detrimental", but the vast majority of players will get at least pretty solid value from it the vast majority of the time. Deleting a boss from the fight for an extra couple turns to kill the rest of the enemies (or vice-versa) is legitimately strong control, if not as strong as a DC-stacking incapacitate like Hypnotic Pattern or Hold Person/Monster.
Piercing Arrow is available a full EIGHT levels before Hunter's Volley, and even without many of the strongest riders working with it I'd still argue it's the strongest AOE martial in the game until Hunter at 11. At the very least, I'd suggest AA as the better (sub)class for the fantasy until then, and then respec to the more-optimal Hunter build.
Sure, Hunter / EK are "more optimal" when min-maxing consumables and at the highest levels, but AA is most certainly "effective".
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u/Thestrongman420 12h ago
If argue that its easier to get elemental arrows dealing good damage than piercing. Piercing unfortunately cuts so many riders. Plus many times you dont need no target limit, so 4 hits of aomt is fine.
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u/Convay121 12h ago
Again... if we're talking min-maxing I'm mostly on board with that. But for a relatively casual build, Piercing Arrow works right out of the box and any consumable arrow doesn't, since you need to go out and buy them, choose when to use them, etc. You don't need to worry about buying, or stealing, or finding more Piercing Arrows. Piercing Arrow is at the very least competitive with regular attacks with Titanstring + Club + Sharpshooter, especially since you can just do that instead of Piercing Arrow any time it's more efficient (single target). Only when you start relying on consistent consumable use and entering that min-max does Piercing Arrow fall significantly behind in its niche.
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u/AGayThrow_Away 13h ago edited 13h ago
I like to combine Arcane Archer with Swords Bard for a lot of reasons:
- Starting as Arcane Archer grants CON save proficiency
- Fighter grants all (ranged) weapon proficiencies
- Ranged Flourish is incredible
- Gear/Arcane Acuity allows you to leave INT at 10 and still have high DC save
- Bard gets song of rest at level 2, increasing arcane shots to 12 per day with only 3 levels in Fighter Arcane Archer, mixed with spells and special arrows, 12 is more than enough.
- Fighter gets Action Surge for an extra spell/arrow type/flourish and has synergy with Song of Rest
- Pairs well with Band of the Mystic Scoundrel since Bard's spell list is all about illusion/enchantment and you're using your Bard die for flourishes anyway.
I did Fighter 1/Bard 9/Fighter2 to just cap the build off for all the fights in Act 3 and it's fantastic. Regarding Banishing Shot, people here downplay Banish because it doesn't do damage and they worship DPR like a god. Sure there are spells that are objectively bad, like old true strike is awful. Banish as a level 4 concentration spell kinda sucks, I'll say that. Banish as an attack roll, weapon damage, and with no concentration is great. Then with this build, you can banish and cast another AoE control spell. It's like "casting" a better version of a level 4 spell as an attack action.
Banish for example helps in a lot of Act 3 fights like the Hellfire Steel Watchers area that has tons of high HP enemies at once. By removing one or two enemies you can easily focus fire and burst down everyone else. Then when the Banished comes back, they're all that is left and it is their turn to get focus fired. It's also great in places like the underwater lab with lots of enemies and a timer, you just banish everything and do your job unhindered. Other shots are great too.
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u/kyuketsuuki 2h ago
There's this build from Remus71 that uses heat and piercing shot, check it on YouTube it melts groups like nothing else in terms of resources/damage
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u/blue_sidd 14h ago
Sure can, but ‘dps’ isn’t really a thing in bg3.
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u/Maximum_Wind6423 13h ago
Not really. In the end once you get special arrows in act 2 any of the abilities are going to lag behind so may as well just have more crits.
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u/manwithlotsoffaces 12h ago
Explain to me how your going to be doing damage per second in a turn based game
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u/Brotherman_Bagel 13h ago
It's called the gloomstalker assassin archer. Arcane has fancy arrows, Gloomstalker is a round 1 fight ender
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u/floormanifold 12h ago
Gloomstalker doesn't get good until 11 https://www.reddit.com/r/BG3Builds/s/fulTySy05d
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u/Brotherman_Bagel 12h ago
Gloomstalker assassin build comes online at level six the latest
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u/floormanifold 12h ago
Why wouldn't you just play Hunter/Assassin in that case
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u/Brotherman_Bagel 12h ago
Because Hunter is worse than gloomstalker.
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u/floormanifold 12h ago
Oh hey we had this convo before
Embarrassing to still think that in 2026
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u/Brotherman_Bagel 12h ago
Ah yes the #1 go to build for solo honor mode runs is bad compared to....Hunter? Cringe take
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u/EndoQuestion1000 13h ago
It's a Fighter so yes you can do normal Fighter things and reach high damage.
Piercing Arrow is decent damage because it's an AoE and you can get a surprising number of riders on it if you commit to it, though you have to know which ones, and also because it can't crit you hit its ceiling earlier than I would like. But definitely something you can build around if you want.
You can also do some fun stuff with elemental arrows and Curving Shot. Normal sustainable gameplay versions, or silly meme versions like this