Exploring the dark and creepy places in Dungeons & Dragons is a treasured pastime for many adventures. After all, that's where some of the most enticing dungeons await exploration. However, when most people think of rangers, they imagine Elves clad in hooded gear and lurking in the trees — but not all rangers seek the sunlight. Gloom Stalker rangers thrive in the darkness, endeavoring without fear into places like the Underdark and parts of forests that never see the light of day.

Gloom Stalker rangers have a unique set of skills that set them apart and make it much easier for them to take advantage of the darkness to ambush the threats lurking within. Taking that into consideration, it's important to choose wisely during character creation. Focusing on certain aspects like the right race, feats, and spells can create a powerful Gloom Stalker whom even the shadows shy away from.

Updated on March 15th, 2024 by Louis Kemner: This guide about Gloom Stalker ranger builds has been updated with new information and adheres to CBR's current publishing standards.

Gloom Stalker Build Summary

Perks Of A Gloom Stalker Ranger Build

Gloom Stalkers lack many of the flashier abilities of other D&D 5e ranger subclasses. They don't have beast companions, rideable dragons, or flashy maneuvers. Instead, they are professional and lethal killers, with almost every subclass ability helping them excel in combat. The Gloom Stalker is the best ranger subclass in D&D 5e for players who want to carry their weight and more in a fight.

Dread Ambusher is the iconic Gloom Stalker ranger ability in D&D 5e. It provides significant buffs on the first turn of combat. These include higher movement speed and an extra attack that deals an additional d8 damage. This makes the D&D 5e Gloom Stalker one of the best alpha strike builds in the game. Its Initiative buff ensures the Gloom Stalker can go first and slay enemies before they can take a turn.

Umbral Sight is less overtly impressive, but no less vital for a Gloom Stalker build in D&D 5e. Darkvision is essential for many environments, and it lets races who already have it see even further. More significantly, it makes the Gloom Stalker ranger invisible to foes who rely on darkvision to see. This is resource-free invisibility that isn't broken by attacks. Effectively, the Gloom Stalker has advantage on all attacks and cannot be targeted by most spells in the many dark places parties adventure in D&D 5e.

Iron Mind gives proficiency in Wisdom saving throws. Although this is one of the D&D 5e Gloom Stalker ranger's most straightforward abilities, it is far from underwhelming. Wisdom is one of the most vital saving throws, being targeted by many crowd control spells. A Gloom Stalker ranger has proficiency in two of the game's strongest saving throws from seventh level onward.

Stalker's Flurry gives another bonus attack when a Gloom Stalker ranger misses with one on their turn. This isn't as reliable as an extra attack, but still adds significantly to a D&D 5e Gloom Stalker build's damage. It's especially effective with feats that trade accuracy for additional damage.

Shadowy Dodge lets the ranger give enemies disadvantage on attacks with their reaction. It has no resource cost besides this reaction, meaning it can be used every round. It's less game-changing than many other Gloom Stalker ranger abilities in D&D 5e. Nonetheless, it's a significant increase to durability.

Best Stats For A Gloom Stalker Ranger Build

Most rangers prioritize their Dexterity above all else. This approach works especially well for a Gloom Stalker — Umbral Sight encourages them to avoid light sources. Ranged combat allows for flexibility in this regard. Dexterity also lets a D&D 5e Gloom Stalker wear light armor over medium, contributes to valuable skills like Stealth, and makes their Initiative even more impressive.

Wisdom is another significant ability score for the D&D 5e Gloom Stalker ranger. Spellcasting isn't their first priority, but it adds even more versatility to the build's toolkit. Wisdom also powers some of D&D 5e's best skill proficiencies, such as Perception. Gloom Stalkers can dominate combat even more effectively with high Wisdom.

Constitution is less important. A Gloom Stalker ranger in D&D 5e is invisible to many enemies and often prefers to fight at range. They can avoid most attacks while other party members take the damage. Positive Constitution is still a necessity, but it's less important than for many other martial classes.

Most D&D 5e Gloom Stalkers dump Strength in favor of Dexterity. Nonetheless, it can make for an effective, unconventional build. A polearm-wielding Gloom Stalker ranger build can output some of D&D 5e's best melee damage. This also gives its durability-focused features like Shadowy Dodge more importance.

The Best Race & Background For A Gloom Stalker Ranger Build

Gloom Stalker rangers are like many other D&D 5e builds in that variant human and custom lineage are among their best choices. A free feat is hard for any build to compete with. This is especially true for the Gloom Stalker. Their Umbral Sight gives frequent advantage on attacks through invisibility, making high-cost damage feats easier to use from a low level. In addition, Umbral Sight's darkvision counters one of the variant human's few genuine weaknesses.

Bugbear is another top-tier D&D 5e race choice for a Gloom Stalker ranger. This is primarily due to Surprise Attack. Gloom Stalkers already encourage a high-damage first turn with their Dread Ambusher. Surprise Attack adds another 2d6 damage to each strike against enemies who haven't taken a turn, including the additional attack. Other features like Sneaky, Long-Limbed, and Powerful Build are also welcome.

The satyr is an unconventional race in D&D 5e. Its mobility synergizes well with the Gloom Stalker's ranged focus. Notably, its additional movement stacks with the many sources of bonus speed from ranger and Gloom Stalker. It also provides Magic Resistance, bolstering a Gloom Stalker's high saving throws further. All that makes the satyr race a top-tier choice despite its unhelpful skill proficiencies.

D&D players might even consider using the winged races to build a Gloom Stalker ranger, such as aarakocra and owlin. Those two avian races can use their flying speed to get into the perfect position for a snipe attack, and if things go sideways, a winged Gloom Stalker ranger can use that same flight speed to escape, all while avoiding melee attacks. In particular, the owlin faces his proficiency with Stealth skill checks, a great skill proficiency for any D&D character who relies on stealth without needing excessive spellcasting.

Eladrin is a decent option for a Gloom Stalker who wants an emergency escape option if they get mobbed in a pitched battle. Eladrin elves can use their Fey Step ability, a free casting of the Misty Step spell to teleport a short distance away. Rogues may be tougher than wizards and sorcerers, but they still don't like direct combat when using an archery build, so using Fey Step as an eladrin ranger is an appealing option.

Gloom Stalkers have a wide range of physical and mental skills to prioritize with their D&D 5e background. Sailor gives Athletics and Perception, helping keep an eye out for danger and traverse many difficult environments. The Investigator background doubles down on Wisdom with both Perception and Insight as options.

Best 5e Feats For Gloom Stalker Rangers

Crossbow Expert is a vital feat choice for any D&D 5e Gloom Stalker ranger looking to deal the maximum possible damage. Its bonus action attack when wielding a hand crossbow keeps the Gloom Stalker hitting hard even after Dread Ambusher stops applying. This especially goes well with certain ranger spells.

Fey Touched is one of D&D 5e's best feats and one of the few non-damage feats ideal for a Gloom Stalker. They're a D&D 5e ranger subclass that doesn't get Misty Step as a spell. This is a powerful escape ability, particularly if they get cornered in combat and lose their invisibility. A free first-level spell is another useful boon.

Sharpshooter is similarly vital for an optimized Gloom Stalker ranger build's damage in D&D 5e. Umbral Sight's invisibility in many combat situations goes a long way to negating the feat's accuracy penalty. Even when the worst comes to pass, the Stalker's Flurry ability allows for another hard-hitting attack on a miss.

Piercer is a valuable damage increase for ranged weapon attacks. With how many shots a Gloom Stalker ranger build can make, one is likely to roll underwhelming damage. A regular source of advantage also makes critical hits more likely to spike damage even higher. However, Piercer should be saved for characters with odd Dexterity scores to provide further bonuses.

Best Spells For A Gloom Stalker Ranger

The Gloom Stalker spell list lacks the combat focus of its other class abilities in D&D 5e. Instead, it's a grab bag of utility spells with a handful of combat options. These expand the ranger's toolkit significantly, especially as none of them are typically available for the class. Of its combat options, Fear is a situational debuff that may be hampered by low Wisdom. Greater Invisibility is one of D&D 5e's best buffs that fills in when Umbral Sight's invisibility doesn't function.

For base ranger spells, the iconic D&D 5e Hunter's Mark is even better for them than most others. Gloom Stalkers make more frequent attacks than other rangers. Hunter's Mark in their first turn is a significant damage increase that remains valuable throughout the fight. Other combat buffs like Zephyr Strike and Swift Quiver also have their place in combat.

Gloom Stalkers do enough damage with their base abilities and straightforward buffs that they can forgo most combat spells. Instead, as their bonus spell list dictates, they can benefit from utility spells. Detect Magic, Goodberry, Speak with Animals, Enhance Ability, Locate Creature, and more provide good uses for the D&D 5e Gloom Stalker ranger during the adventuring day.

Although not D&D 5e's best support class, a Gloom Stalker ranger build can keep these options in mind. Cure Wounds can mean the difference between life and death for an ally, albeit at the cost of an action. Healing Spirit, Lesser Restoration, and even Revivify can be vital spells to have in moments of crisis.

Multiclassing A 5e Gloom Stalker

The Gloom Stalker ranger in D&D 5e has good abilities throughout its career, but its best are available at a low level. As a result, it can be tempting to multiclass and push its potential even further.

The rogue class is a great multiclass option for Gloom Stalker rangers, especially with an optimized rogue build. Three levels of the D&D 5e Assassin rogue doubles on its alpha strike ability. If the Gloom Stalker can get a surprise attack, aided by its Umbral Sight, then all of its first-round attacks become critical hits. This doubles additional damage from Hunter's Mark, Dread Ambusher, and any racial abilities.

Fighter is another way to bolster a D&D 5e Gloom Stalker's ability to devastate enemies on its first turn. Action Surge makes its first turn in combat even more impressive. Notably, Dread Ambusher's additional attack can trigger twice if the creature takes the Attack action twice with Action Surge. Combining this with both Gloom Stalker and Assassin rogue can make for a devastating turn-one combination that shreds enemies. Since this is a martial class, like rogue, fighter levels will slow down the Gloom Stalker ranger's acquisition of spell slots, but with spells like Zephyr Strike and Hunter's Mark, that shouldn't be too much of an issue. In some fights, a ranger/fighter will only need one casting of Hunter's Mark, then let their physical actions do the rest.

Cleric characters rely on WIS to cast spells, just like rangers, so a cleric/ranger multiclass build is a solid option, including for Gloom Stalker rangers. If the player really wants heavy armor, then a single level in cleric can make that happen, and choosing the Nature Domain subclass for clerics keeps this multiclass combo on theme. Taking a few levels in cleric also increases how many spell slots a Gloom Stalker ranger gets if they intend to be rather spell-heavy. As a fun bonus, multiclassing into cleric provides some new roleplay options, since ranger roleplay on its own is mediocre at best.

The Best Magic Items And Weapons For Gloom Stalkers

Like any class or subclass, the Gloom Stalker requires some powerful magic items to be effective. Gloom Stalker rangers tend to emphasize archery and stealth while using token spellcasting, so they can claim or reject magic items accordingly. Magic-heavy items like a Pearl of Power or a Wand of Magic Missiles can be ignored, while a Gloom Stalker ranger should take anything that amps their damage output. Obvious picks include +1, +2, and +3 longbows to boost their numbers and bypass monsters' resistance to non-magical weapon attacks.

If a Gloom Stalker ranger is the party's scout in the absence of a rogue, then they can claim a Horn of Silent Alarm, a discreet way to warn the party of imminent danger, such as an upcoming boss battle. A Broom of Flying is also a great yet underrated item for Gloom Stalker rangers, allowing them to snipe the enemy while remaining out of reach of melee monsters. Meanwhile, the Cloak of Displacement is excellent for a Gloom Stalker or any character who can't easily afford to take return fire. This item creates an illusionary double of the wearer, imposing disadvantage on any attack made against the wearer. That Cloak won't help against AoE spells and effects, but against ordinary attacks, it's impressive. On offense, the Glimmering Moonbow is a great pick for a dedicated archer like a Gloom Stalker. It deals extra radiant damage, a damage type that very few monsters resist or are immune to.