Sharpshooter 5e (Updated for the 2024 Rules)

Published on: May 19, 2025

Unlock the true potential of your ranged attacks with the Sharpshooter feat in D&D 5e! This revamped feat still offers accuracy and flexibility for those looking to dominate the battlefield from a distance, but has seen a major debuff.

Campbell White - Wizards of the Coast - Legolas, Master Archer

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What Is the Sharpshooter Feat in 5e?

Sharpshooter is a feat that allows ranged weapon users to ignore cover, avoid Disadvantage from being within melee range, and make long-range attacks without penalty. This feat was a staple for bow-wielders who want to keep their enemies pinned down from afar, but it’s seen a significant update in the 2024 Player’s Handbook.

+10 to Damage No Longer

The 2024 Player’s Handbook has removed the clause that you can take a -5 penalty to your attack roll for +10 damage. In doing so, they’ve bumped this feat from one of the most desirable feats in the game to one that’s a decent boost for Dexterity-focused ranged damage dealers.

How Does Sharpshooter Work?

The Sharpshooter feat grants three powerful benefits that focus on accuracy and range:

Ability Score Increase: Increase your Dexterity score by 1, to a maximum of 20, which is new in the 2024 version of this feat
Bypass Cover: Your ranged weapon attacks ignore Half Cover and Three-Quarters Cover. This is a solid boon, as cover is one of the most common ways enemies protect themselves from ranged attacks.
Firing in Melee: You no longer suffer Disadvantage when making ranged weapon attacks when enemies are within 5 feet of you. This allows you to keep using your bow or crossbow even when threatened by melee attackers, preventing awkward weapon switching or the need to Disengage.
Long Shots: You can make attacks at long range without suffering Disadvantage. This extends your threat range significantly and allows you to function as a deadly sniper from the backline.

How to Get the Sharpshooter Feat

The Sharpshooter feat can be selected whenever you gain an Ability Score Improvement (ASI) on or after level 4.

Is Sharpshooter Good?

In our 5e Feats Tier List, Sharpshooter was given an A Tier rating, making it an excellent pickup for specific classes.

The 2024 update to Sharpshooter is still a good choice for ranged attackers, though it has shifted away from the controversial -5 attack roll/+10 damage mechanic from 2014 that made it an absurd S tier feat.

While you no longer get the bonus damage option, the ability to ignore cover, avoid melee Disadvantage, and make long-range shots with ease keeps Sharpshooter in the top tier for ranged combat builds. Plus, you now get a boost to Dexterity, which will increase the effectiveness of your ranged weapon attacks as well as their damage.

Which 5e Classes Make the Most of Sharpshooter?

The color code below has been implemented to help you identify, at a glance, how good the Sharpshooter 5e feat is for a specific class/subclass.

Red: Weak, unlikely to contribute to your build

Orange: Situationally good, but below average

Green: A solid choice

Blue: A great option worth considering

Sky Blue: One of the best choices for optimization

Artificer: The ability to ignore cover and Disadvantage from attacking when enemies are within melee distance make this a strong contender if you are building a ranged artificer.

Barbarian: Unless you’re multiclassing, Barbarians don’t typically rely on ranged attacks, making this feat a poor fit.

Bard: A Valor Bard or Swords Bard might use a bow, but their primary focus is still spells, not ranged weapons.

Cleric: Clerics that don't solely rely on spellcasting typically spec into a melee weapon build, rather than a ranged weapon build.

Druid: Druids absolutely don’t need this, as none of their class features are ranged weapon-focused.

Fighter: An absolute must-have for ranged Fighters. Sharpshooter is a go-to pick for any Archery-style Fighter build.

Monk: Way of the Kensei Monks can make use of this feat to turn themselves into deadly snipers with longbows or darts.

Paladin: Paladins don’t get any benefits from dealing ranged damage and would rather be up close and personal.

Ranger: Still a top-tier feat for Rangers. This is a staple feat for any build that wants to engage from a distance.

Rogue: Ensuring Sneak Attack lands is critical for Rogues, which they can't do if they has Disadvantage on their rolls. This feat negates two possible sources of Disadvantage when using ranged weapons, making this a strong pick for ranged Rogues.

Sorcerer: Sorcerers gain nothing from this feat, as they don’t typically ever rely on ranged weapon damage.

Warlock: Warlocks are way more apt to spec into a ranged cantrip build using invocations, making this feat obsolete.

Wizard: Wizards gain nothing from this feat, as they don’t typically ever rely on ranged weapon damage.

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Mike Bernier

Mike Bernier is the lead content writer and founder of Arcane Eye. He is a Adamantine best-selling author of Strixhaven: A Syllabus of Sorcery on DMs Guild and is a contributing author at D&D Beyond. Follow Mike on Twitter.

Sharpshooter 5e (Updated for the 2024 Rules)

What Is the Sharpshooter Feat in 5e?

How Does Sharpshooter Work?

How to Get the Sharpshooter Feat

Is Sharpshooter Good?

Which 5e Classes Make the Most of Sharpshooter?

Related Feats

Elemental Adept Guide 5e

Durable Guide 5e

Dual Wielder Guide 5e

Defensive Duelist Guide 5e

Mike Bernier