Best Ranger Races in D&D 5e
Published on December 12, 2024
Choose your Ranger’s origin with our breakdown of playable races in Dungeons & Dragons 5th edition. Discover which races offer unique advantages and abilities tailored to your roaming warrior.
Bayard Wu - Wizards of the Coast - Ranger Races
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What is this guide?
This guide is meant as a deep dive into the best races for the 5e ranger. For the full overview of the ranger class, check out our ranger class guide.
To allow you to scan through the options quickly, we use the following color rating scheme:
- Red : Isn’t going to contribute to the effectiveness of your character build at all
- Orange : Situationally good, but a below-average option otherwise
- Green : A good option
- Blue : A great option, you should strongly consider this option for your character
- Sky Blue: An amazing option. If you do not take this option your character would not be optimized
Best Races for Rangers
Rangers are natural explorers and protectors of the wilds, weaving together nature’s untamed forces with martial prowess. In Dungeons & Dragons, they adapt to their environment and thrive through their bond with the land and creatures that inhabit it. Whether tracking foes through dense forests, standing firm against borderland’s fiercest threats, or calling upon the spirits of the wild, rangers are ever-vigilant defenders of the natural world.
Rangers are versatile, capable of ranged and melee combat, offering excellent mobility and control. Their connection to nature also grants them spellcasting abilities that complement their physical prowess, allowing them to heal, summon beasts, and manipulate the terrain.
Tips for Choosing Your Ranger’s Race
While any race can adapt to the role of a ranger, certain options align well with the class’s strengths. Races that enhance Dexterity, Wisdom, or Constitution are particularly valuable, as they directly support key abilities such as your attack rolls, survival skills, and overall durability. Additionally, races that offer spells can help you expand your spellcasting repertoire, while races that offer bonuses to stealth or mobility can give you a tactical edge on the battlefield.
Standard Races
Dragonborn:
- Gem: The Breath Weapon can be useful when you're caught in melee range and the flight can help you keep out of reach from most melee creatures. The damage resistance helps with survivability and the telepathic communication can help when sneaking.
- Ravenite: Could work for a STR-based ranger. Vengeful Assault can assist with moving around your hunter's mark.
Dwarf:
+2 CON and Darkvision are nice.
- Hill: +1 to WIS makes this an alright pick.
- Mountain: Can be useful for STR-based rangers, otherwise the ASIs don't match up with ranger's priority.
Elf:
+2 DEX is exactly what you are looking for with a Ranger. Advantage on saving throws against being charmed and immunity to sleep is icing on the cake.
- Aereni High: +2 DEX is exactly what you are looking for with a Ranger. Advantage on saving throws against being charmed and immunity to sleep is icing on the cake.
- Aereni Wood: The perfect race for a ranger. +2 DEX and +1 WIS is exactly what you're looking for and the passive abilities can help with mobility and stealth.
- Eladrin (Variant): +2 DEX from the parent class makes this a decent choice. The free casting of misty step is beneficial for maintaining a ranged distance from enemies.
- Mark of Shadow: +2 DEX is great for a ranger, and so are the various buffs to stealth. The expanded spell list, as well as the free mage hand and invisibility, will go a long way to help with the ranger's utility.
- Pallid: Great ASI array for ranger and the free casting of invisibility is solid utility.
- Shadar-kai: DEX and CON are both great ability scores for rangers. The bonus resistance and the teleportation ability will help with battlefield mobility and survivability.
Gnome:
INT is useless for a ranger.
Half-Elf:
The CHA bonus is largely unproductive for Rangers, but increasing two ability scores by 1 allows you to boost WIS and STR/DEX to create a rather well-rounded character. Advantage on saving throws against being charmed and immunity to being put to sleep is nice. The +2 WIS bonus offered by the Mark of the Detection subrace is very tempting for rangers as it is not offered by many other races. The spells are an added bonus to the Ranger's limited spell list.
Half-Orc:
No WIS or DEX for rangers which is typically where they want to be. However, half-orcs are a great choice for STR-based rangers.
Halfling:
+2 DEX and +1 WIS is the ideal starting array for Rangers. Lucky will help you with your attacks and you can ride your beast master companion into battle as long as it's a medium creature or larger.
Human:
- Mark of Finding: May have significant overlap with the ranger but provides a free daily usage of hunter’s mark.
- Mark of Handling: Will help provide some free nature-based utility spells for your spell slot-starved ranger.
- Mark of Passage: Taking WIS as your free ASI here is perfect for both melee and ranged builds that want to have more movement options.
- Standard: A middle of the road pick because they increase all their ability scores by 1.
- Variant: The variant human is a strong choice for the free feat. Typical rangers can boost their WIS and DEX and still be very happy with the feat.
Tiefling:
Look for subraces with DEX or use the Feral variant.
- Bloodline of Glasya: The Glasya tiefling has an appropriate ASI and offers some stealth options to make you more akin to a rogue.
- Variant – Feral: +2 DEX is exactly what a ranger is looking for, though INT is useless.
- Variant – Winged: Combined with Feral to get +2 DEX you can fly around and should your enemies from a safe distance.
Non-Standard Races
Aarakocra:
Perfect racial bonuses and flight make this an ideal race for a ranger.
- Updated: Tankier builds who wear medium armor and want to be in melee range won't have any use for the Aarakocra's flight, which is it's best ability by far. Ranged builds who are fine wearing light armor and staying at a distance will love the flight at 1st level and may have some use for the natural weapons and spell the race provides.
Aasimar:
No DEX will make this tough for rangers.
Aasimar (2024):
The innate Fly Speed and increased damage offered by Celestial Radiance are absolutely amazing for a Ranger with a Longbow.
Air Genasi:
The additional spells and spell slots will go a way to boost the half-caster rogue's spellcasting effectiveness. The extra movement speed, Darkvision, and damage resistance are all additional benefits.
Astral Elf:
While you're not hurting for ranged options, your high WIS and sacred flame can make for a useful damage alternative when going up against high AC creatures. Misty step can help you get out of melee range if you're focusing on ranged combat, and can help you close in on enemies if you're a melee ranger. If that wasn't enough, free proficiency in Perception and the ability to choose another skill/tool proficiency per long rest can help your ranger excel in all kinds of scenarios.
Auto Gnome:
While auto gnomes may be out for heavy weapon builds, they can make quite an effective ranged or DEX-based rangers. If you want your ranger to be a little more rouge-like, you can stack into DEX, get 18 AC without disadvantage on Stealth checks, add d4 to attack rolls and ability checks, get a proficiency with Thieves' Tools, and round it off with extra healing capabilities and some defensive boosts.
Bugbear:
Nothing here for a ranger.
- Updated: Rangers only get a single Extra Attack, but they usually are DEX-based and use bows, both of which contribute to the effectiveness of Surprise Attack. Gloom Stalkers are probably the best choice as their Dread Ambusher trait allows them to boost their initiative rolls even higher.
Centaur:
Viable for that elusive STR-based melee ranger, but won't be a good choice otherwise.
- Updated: Now that you aren't pigeonholed into STR, centaurs can be decent melee rangers with DEX weapons.
Changeling:
DEX is the only choice for the free ability score increase. The CHA is largely wasted and will just make your Ranger feel like a budget Rogue.
- Updated: This still isn't a great choice for rangers as they will likely not choose to take CHA, rendering the skill proficiencies less effective.
Deep Gnome:
Deep gnomes are fairly conducive to what rangers are all about. Scouting, infiltration, and stealthing, with some resistance to hostile magic make them an alright pick.
Dragonborn (2024):
Breath weapon offers AoE flexibility, while damage resistance supports the Ranger’s survivability. Flight allows the Ranger to easily reposition for ranged attacks or evade enemies. Darkvision is critical for skulking and scouting.
Duergar:
The improved Darkvision can give you the upperhand in dark environments, especially if you're going for a DEX ranger. For melee rangers, you'll love the ability to cast enlarge/reduce for a bit of extra damage on your hits, as well as the damage resistances. Overall, a really solid race for rangers.
Dwarf (2024):
Dwarves offer survivability and great sensory abilities, both of which are appealing to Rangers, especially those who will be delving into subterranean environments.
Earth Genasi:
You already get pass without trace, but the bonus action blade ward can be nice for melee rangers.
Eladrin:
Rangers will certainly appreciate the movement option Fey Step provides and the free proficiency in Perception. Unfortunately, they're a relatively bonus action-heavy class. Hunter's mark, the Drakewarden's drake, Horizon Walker's Planar Warrior, and Monster Slayer's Slayer’s Prey are all multiple-combat abilities that will definitely compete with your free misty step castings. That said, melee rangers will like the ability to freely traverse the battlefield (with additional rider effects) and ranged rangers will appreciate the ability to freely disengage while still being to attack in the same turn.
Elf (2024):
Any of the Elven Lineages offer a great boost to Rangers, so you get to take your pick if you'll be more ambush-oriented (Drow), combat-oriented (High Elf), or exploration-oriented (Wood Elf).
Fairy:
Access to additional spells and flight can make a decent ranger. Unfortunately, you won't be able to reliably use a longbow which can certainly impact your damage output.
Firbolg:
This is a great choice for rangers, because of the racial bonuses. Most rangers prefer DEX to STR as ranged combat is their forte.
- Updated: The updated firbolg will likely still choose WIS, but the improvements to the racial traits makes it even better for a ranger, giving you access to spells and effects rangers otherwise wouldn't have. The spells and effects firbolgs get make rangers much better at stealth and infiltration.
Fire Genasi:
Some nice damage spells that rangers don't normally learn, plus a common damage resistance is enough to make the fire genasi worthwhile. Keep in mind that you can't use extra attacks with flame blade, so it's better to attack with your mundane weapon most of the time.
Genasi:
- Air: The air genasi provides DEX and levitate can be used to shoot enemies safely from the air.
- Earth: STR-based rangers could try the earth genasi, though pass without trace is already available to the class and Earth Walk is also redundant due to access to the freedom of movement spell.
- Water: The water genasi is a consideration for the WIS, but rangers typically prefer DEX.
Giff:
The added force damage is useful for any ranger build, though the Hippo Build feature is only useful for STR-based builds.
Gith:
INT is useless for a ranger.
- Githzerai: WIS is good for spellcasting, but rangers typically need more DEX than WIS. The rest of the traits of the githzerai are quite good, but not really enough to make up for the lack of DEX.
Gnome (2024):
Much better for Dexterity-based Rangers due to the Small size. Gnome Cunning is excellent for resisting mental control, and Forest Gnome’s spells add extra utility in wilderness settings. Darkvision is useful for stealth and maneuverability.
Goblin:
Goblins are a great choice for rangers. The DEX and CON ASI spread is second only to races with DEX and WIS. The goblin’s racial traits all increase the effectiveness of the class.
- Updated: Nimble Escape will be very useful to stay away from your enemies if using a bow, and even melee rangers will make use of it as they aren't as tanky as some other classes. Fury of the Small will stack nicely with Hunter's Mark and other ways to boost damage since rangers don't get many extra attacks.
Goliath:
Rangers are typically bow users, and melee ranger builds would likely prefer finesse weapons.
- Updated: A premium option if going for the difficult to build STR ranger, but even regular DEX-based rangers will enjoy Stone's Endurance as a way to increase durability as rangers don't have much in the way of damage reduction.
Goliath (2024):
Both melee and ranged Rangers can benefit from the options in Giant Ancestry. Melee Rangers will enjoy Fire's Burn and Hill's Tumble to boost their damage, whereas ranged Rangers will love zipping around the battlefield with Cloud's Jaunt or kiting enemies with Frost's Chill.
Hadozee:
Ranged rangers will enjoy the climbing speed and any type of ranger appreciated damage reduction, but there isn't much beyond that.
Halfling (2024):
Luck will help you with your attacks and you can ride your Beast Master companion into battle as long as it's a Medium creature or larger. Plus, you get the ability to use your Medium companions as cover!
Harengon:
Rangers likely won't see a ton of benefits here, beyond the free Perception proficiency and some extra movement from Rabbit Hop.
Hobgoblin:
Rangers need DEX to be effective.
- Updated: The ranger's bread and butter spells like hunter's mark use up your bonus action, so you may not have many opportunities to use Fey Gift. Still, Fortune from the Many is useful to have as a failsafe for saving throws.
Human (2024):
Humans are great for Rangers. Heroic Inspiration ensures crucial attack rolls or saving throws succeed, and the extra skill proficiency allows you to grab Persuasion for an extra boost to your face skills. The extra Origin feat is a significant advantage—Alert, Lucky, and Tough are all excellent choices.
Kalashtar:
Rangers do most of their damage with weapons, so the WIS doesn’t help too much in that regard. STR or DEX is very important for this class.
Kender:
Beyond hunter's mark, most rangers don't have a consistent use for their bonus action. This, combined with their propensity to stay at range and have a stacked WIS modifier, can make Taunt a very effective tool.
Kenku:
Like the monk, DEX and WIS are exactly what the ranger is looking for. With the kenku’s racial traits, the ranger can close the gap between themselves and stealthy rogues.
Kobold:
DEX is an important stat for rangers, and will work well with Pack Tactics. A WIS bonus here would have made this an ideal choice for the ranger.
- Updated: Rangers won't care too much about what Kobold Legacy can offer, and their bonus action is probably better spent on things like hunter's mark rather than Draconic Cry.
Leonin:
Nothing here for a ranged ranger. Melee rangers can make use of the Daunting Roar if they get their CON high enough.
Lineage:
- Dhampir: The dhampir lineage will work best for melee rangers who will be pumping their CON and want to be up close and personal to their targets. Ranged rangers can still make quite good use out of the Spider Climb ability.
- Hexblood: You already have hunter's mark, which makes the free casting of hex a lot less appealing. That said, the utility from disguise self, Darkvision and the Eerie Token effects are quite useful in non-combat scenarios.
Lizardfolk:
A lizardfolk ranger will have a bit of a slow start without DEX to start off, but the added survivability should serve you well until you get some ability score increases under your belt. WIS is nice to see for spellcasting.
Loxodon:
CON and WIS both are useful to a ranger, although most Rangers like to see DEX for their finesse or ranged weapons. With a high DEX score, you will likely wear armor and ignore Natural Armor. As a STR ranger, you can instead dump DEX and use Natural Armor.
Minotaur:
Minotaurs aren’t a bad choice for STR-based rangers, although there are better options out there with WIS bonuses. DEX rangers should look elsewhere.
Orc:
If you’re up for the challenge, rangers can be built as melee STR-based characters. Keep in mind that they will never be as powerful as the DEX variations.
Orc (2024):
Adrenaline Rush boosts your ability to reposition for ranged or melee combat. Combine this with Darkvision for excellent performance in stealth-heavy exploration.
Plasmoid:
Beyond the resistance to poison and acid and against being poisoned, there isn't much here for the ranger.
Satyr:
Extra movement and Magic Resistance can help mitigate only getting a +1 to DEX.
Shadar-kai:
The Blessing of the Raven Queen can be especially valuable to rangers, as it provides both additional movement options they wouldn't normally receive. However, rangers are known for a plethora of uses for their bonus action, like hunter's mark, the Drakewarden's drake, Horizon Walker's Planar Warrior, and Monster Slayer's Slayer's Prey, all of which can compete with the shadar-kai's misty step. Despite this, melee rangers can still benefit from the added mobility and survivability, while ranged rangers can use the free disengage option to maintain their distance while still being able to attack.
Shifter:
- Wildhunt Shifter: The wildhunt shifter offers great ASI and synergistic features that complement a ranger. Unfortunately the wildhunt shifter is just not that interesting or powerful of an option compared to the other subraces.
Simic Hybrid:
DEX is likely the choice here and will make the character stronger overall than WIS. Rangers can struggle with hit points due to their meager hit dice, making the CON bonus very useful. Nimble Climber and Carapace are the likely go-to Animal Enhancements for ranger builds.
Tabaxi:
DEX is an important stat for rangers, but rangers would much rather see WIS or CON as a secondary ability score increase. The added mobility and free skills do compliment rangers, so this is a middle of the road pick.
Thri-kreen:
Thri-kreen are almost purpose built for rangers. The natural armor compares with medium armor initially and can allow for +5 DEX bonus, which rangers typically stack into allowing them to get heavy armor AC while also getting advantage on Stealth checks. On top of this, Darkvision and telepathy are good utility, and the Secondary Arms feature can lead to a solid increase in damage output and combat versatility. You could decide to wield a greatsword in your primary hands and two shortswords in your Secondary Arms. Combined with Two Weapon Fighting and Extra Attack, this can lead to a huge increase in damage output when you factor in hunter's mark. If you don't want to commit to a STR build, you could wield a rapier in one primary hand, a shield in the other, and still get offhand attacks with a shortsword in your Secondary Arms. Ranged builds won't necessarily get a bonus in damage from the Secondary Arms because offhand attacks can only be made with melee weapons, though if you pick up Crossbow Expert, you can wield a light crossbow in one hand, a shield in the other, than bonus action attack with a hand crossbow.
Tiefling (2024):
Infernal Tieflings give Rangers Fire Bolt, a potent damage cantrip, Resistance to Fire damage, and Hellish Rebuke, which is a great reaction for a class that doesn't have a lot of uses for it. Overall, it's a big increase to your offensive capabilities.
Tortle:
A STR-based melee ranger will do really well with a tortle. You can largely ignore DEX because of Natural Armor, and tortles even have a mild boost to WIS for spellcasting.
Triton:
Tritons aren’t a bad choice for STR-based rangers, although there are better options out there with WIS bonuses. DEX rangers should look elsewhere.
Vedalken:
Rangers do most of their damage with weapons, so the WIS doesn’t help too much in that regard. STR or DEX is very important for this class.
Warforged:
There is nothing truly exciting about a warforged ranger, but every racial trait is beneficial.
Water Genasi:
The water genasi's aquatic abilities could be helpful when you're scouting areas with water.
Yuan-ti Pureblood:
Rangers need DEX or WIS to be effective.
Sources Used in This Guide
- : 2014 Player's Handbook
- 2024 PHB: 2024 Player's Handbook
- BR: Basic Rules
- GotG: Bigby Presents: Glory of the Giants
- SotDQ: Dragonlance: Shadow of the Dragon Queen
- ERLW: Eberron: Rising from the Last War
- EEPC: Elemental Evil Player’s Companion
- EGtW: Explorer’s Guide to Wildemount
- FToD: Fizban's Treasury of Dragon
- GGtR: Guildmasters' Guide to Ravnica
- MotM: Monsters of the Multiverse
- MToF: Mordenkainen’s Tome of Foes
- MOoT: Mythic Odyessys of Theros
- PAitM: Planescape: Adventures in the Multiverse
- PHB: Player's Handbook
- SAiS: Spelljammer: Adventures in Space
- SCoC: Strixhaven: A Curriculum of Chaos
- SCAG: Sword Coast Adventurer’s Guide
- TCoE: Tasha’s Cauldron of Everything
- TTP: The Tortle Package
- WBtW: The Wild Beyond The Witchlight
- : Unearthed Arcana
- VRGtR: Van Richten's Guide to Ravenloft
- VGtM: Volo's Guide to Monsters
- XGtE: Xanathar’s Guide to Everything
Other Ranger Guides
- Ranger 5e Overview
- Ranger Subclasses Overview
- Ranger Spells
- Best Feats for Rangers
- Horizon Walker
- Gloom Stalker
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