The Ranger is the Strength-based ranged damage dealer for Dragon's Dogma. It wants to pile on the hurt from afar before an enemy gets close enough to retaliate. The Longbow is the bread-and-butter for the Ranger, with the Daggers playing a very distant second fiddle. If you are wanting to play a more in-and-out playstyle, you will want to take a look at the Strider or Assassin instead. But if you enjoy lining up the longshots and dropping foes from afar, look no farther, as the Ranger has all the tools you need.

First and foremost, Rangers want 2 things in life: Strength and Stamina. And fortunately, Rangers feature above-average growth in those two stats for each level up. An Arisen leveled almost-entirely as a Ranger will feature a massive Stamina pool and good Strength to back it up. Arisens who want the absolute most Strength will have to level as an Assassin, as Assassin features slightly more STR per level up than the Ranger.

On the flipside, however, an Arisen leveled entirely as a Ranger or Assassin to min-max Stamina or STR will have dismal Magick and defenses. This can limit your Vocation choices later in the game if you decide to try out other vocations, especially the Magick vocations. Rangers are not entirely glass, as once you are geared in Bitterblack armors you can survive most attacks that aren't dedicated one-shot mechanics. Just don't expect to take multiple attacks at once and walk away from it.

While Rangers are pretty self-sufficient on the stat growths, their selection of Augments is certainly lacking. Of the selection, only Morbidity stands out as a potential winner. The archery related Augments, Trajectory and Precision, are self-defeating. Trajectory might increase maximum range, but arrow damage falls off after a certain distance and Trajectory does not appear to increase this. Precision augment keeps arrows from going off target while moving, but since Rangers move slowly while the bow is drawn it's almost better to just stop long enough to fire before moving (to say naught of the skills that actually prevent movement). To supplement the Ranger's Augment pool, some I've found to be useful include: Vehemence and Clout (increases to STR), Sinew (carry more loot and supplies), Leg Strength (renders you lighter -> means while your inventory is Very Heavy, you walk at Heavy speed), Impact (increases Knockdown from STR skills), Grit (for when you button-mash a bit too much), and the Ranger's own Morbidity (increases the rate of afflicting debilitations with non-magickal means). These are for Offense, defensive options are aplenty. And the Assassin's augment selection of night-time buffs, and Preemption can also bring some interesting effects to the Ranger (whenever Preemption actually works)

As Rangers are based around the Longbow, their Dagger skill set is pretty lackluster when compared to the Strider and Assassin. There are a few gems to be found though.
Note: Skills listed in italics require a skill ring from Bitterblack Island to be equipped to unlock

Dagger Skills:
Hundred Kisses / Thousand Kisses : A slashing frenzy with the daggers that requires you to mash the button repeatedly to continue the onslaught. Stamina is only consumed on the start of the skill, regardless of how long you actually maintain it. This skill can get some good damage in against enemies who are Torpored or knocked down in a near-stationary state, or against enemies with a very long arrival window (like Poisoned Undead slowly climbing out the ground - you can slash them the entire time they are rising up without fear of retaliation).

Instant Reset : A quick stance reset. At first glance, it doesn't sound particularly special. But in practice it starts to show off. With it, you can instantly recover from most knockdowns or staggers, cancel long attack animations to get back to moving, even gather faster by Reseting after you have the item. This is a skill that rewards creativity and practice.

Cutting Wind / Shearing Wind : A quick dash forward with a dagger cut at the end. If you strike an enemy you can mash the button again for an extra dash-and-cut. Damage is nothing particularly special. For Rangers, this is mostly a "move very fast" button.

Dazzle Blast : A brief windup that tosses a firecracker forward. This attack deals very minor damage, but makes small enemies flinch and can inflict debilitations based on your daggers. Just remember to Instant Reset after the firecracker starts popping, or you'll be flinched longer than the enemy is.

Core Skills:
Engrave : After using the Light Attack with Daggers, wait a moment before using Light Attack again and you'll swap to 4 sweeping kicks. These kicks deal Blunt damage (similar to your arrows). Effective at booting those pesky Bats out of the sky. Note that while in Bow mode, using Light Attack while NOT aiming your Bow uses the Dagger light attack.

Quick Loose : Hold the Heavy Attack buttom to aim, then Light Attack to fire. Quick Loose increases the rate of fire for basic attacks with the Longbow.

Forward Roll : The classic i-frame dodge roll. Unique to Dagger vocations, this gives the Ranger a defensive option for when the enemies get within your personal space. This also does not consume Stamina, so you can spam dodge as much as needed.

And here we get to where the Rangers shine: the Longbow skill tree. There's no shortage of options here, and all are unique to the Ranger.
As before, skills in italics require a specific Ranger's Ring or Ranger's Band from Bitterblack Isle to be equipped to unlock.

Tenfold Flurry : The bread-and-butter DPS skill for Rangers. After a brief nock animation, each tap of the trigger fires 10 arrows at once until you sheath your bow, ready a different skill, or run out of Stamina. The damage from this skill comes from the sheer amount of arrows fired: each individual arrow only gets a minor dmg increase (if any), so if you are not punching through an enemy's Defense with each arrow, you are going to be very disappointed. This skill synergizes naturally with special arrows (namely Blast Arrows if you are after the big damage), but note you will deplete your supply very quickly. Repeated use will also drain Stamina swiftly.

Deathly Arrow / Reaper's Arrow : While Tenfold Flurry might be the DPS for Rangers, Deathly Arrow / Reaper's Arrow fills more of a "tank buster" or "sniper shot" role. When used, you enter a stationary state and begin to charge a single super-shot. This attack takes timing, preparation, and a bit of luck. When the charge bar hits full a 2nd (Deathly) or 3rd (Reaper's) time, your character will flash and there will be a 'whoosh' sound effect. FIRE! Holding the shot beyond that effect greatly diminishes the power of the shot, to the point you might as well cancel the shot and try again. This attack is devastating when properly timed and aimed to a weak point, and anything that it doesn't kill outright takes a significant amount of stagger/knockback. It is capable of one-shotting Gorechimeras (aim for the goat), and with good STR and Periapts it can even one-shot a helmet-less Condemned Gorecyclops that is chained (out of combat stance - aim for the eye). While Dire Drakes can shrug off Tenfold Flurries to the heart, Reaper's Arrow will punch through and take multiple hp bar dots off them. Thus, this is one of the "tank buster" skills. Its main flaws are the long windup, the immobility while preparing, and the chance to miss-time the shot.
A well-timed Deathly / Reaper's Arrow will feature a time-slow visual effect right on release and the arrow will have a pale glow to it (the glow can be covered by a weapon enchantment)

Spiral Arrow / Corkscrew Arrow : A niche DPS skill, this skill suffers a bit from target inconsistency. After a brief nock-and-charge animation, you fire a single spinning arrow. This arrow will (or should) drill into its target and hit multiple times. Unfortunately some enemies it will blow right through without the drilling. What this attack does well (and VERY well) is debilitations. A DF'ed rusted longbow + Sleeper Arrows + Morbidity augment = Corkscrew will Torpor, Poison, and Sleep Elder Ogres and Garm with a single shot, or for Garm you can load up a Petrifying Arrow and "technically" one shot a Garm with a well-aimed Corkscrew. Its cast time is also short enough that it is quite easy to get 2-3 Corkscrews drilling in a single enemy at once. Note: This is not the skill you're looking for with Blast Arrows; you only get one blast at the start of the drilling.

Endecad Shot : An AOE version of Tenfold Flurry. After the same nock animation, every click to fire releases 11 Arrows in a broad fan in front of you. In point-blank scenarios you can pump all 11 Arrows into the same target.

Body Binder / Secure Binder : A utility skill, the Binder skills feature the same nock-and-charge animation as Spiral / Corkscrew Arrow. When fired on their own, the shot is nothing special. But if you can position yourself and your enemy well to get them near a wall or something solid, your shot can pin them to the wall for a brief time. The flaws to this skill are the lack of targets small enough to pin to the wall (there's no shortage of walls in Bitterblack Isle) and the fact that Rangers move slowly while the bow is drawn.

Comet Shot : A scope shot for the Longbow. When prepared, the screen zooms in on your target and can be further zoomed in or out. Upon firing or canceling the shot, the screen returns to normal. This skill continuously drains Stamina to maintain the scope effect, and the shot itself consumes considerable Stamina as well. Damage wise, it's in the no-man's-land of being stronger than Quick Loose or a stray arrow from Tenfold or Endecad but not the entire volley (unless Flurry is not surpassing the enemy Defense) while still being weaker than Reaper's Arrow. Its claim to fame is being the sniper shot, the long range scope shot to pick off the minions.

Fearful Din : After a long preparation and nock, you can fire a single arrow that explodes in a shockwave on impact with an enemy or the terrain. This shockwave can stagger and flinch minions in a large AOE blast, but does not seem to inflict damage on its own. If the arrow hits a target, it deals normal levels of damage. Against small enemies like goblins, a normal range shot from Fearful Din will launch them skyward if hit with the arrow before the arrow goes too long of range to have damage falloff.

Invasive Arrow : ...I have to be honest, I've never really used this skill. And while I could just parrot the ingame tooltip for the skill, I've learned enough to know that tooltips are notorious for being wrong, so I'll just have to skip this one.

Great Gamble : Remember when I said Rangers want 2 things in life: STR and Stamina? Well, for every other skill, STR is the deciding factor on your damage with the longbow. Great Gamble, however, flips the script. After a significant charge-up time, you are able to fire a single arrow that completely drains your Stamina and turns every point of Stamina spent into damage. This shot is also steerable after launch and combat enters a near stand-still time flow when the shot is fired by you. This shot is capable of incredible damage, but this damage can falloff considerably (nearly completely) if the target is too far away from you. There's several things to note with Great Gamble:
First off, damage is based on Stamina consumed. So if you fire the shot with around 1/10th of your Stamina remaining, the shot will be quite disappointing. It wants a full Stamina bar to consume for best results. Also, don't Great Gamble while under the influence of Liquid Vim...
Secondly, it consumes all your Stamina. So after the shot hits, you will be in a vulnerable panting animation for a brief time. This can be remedied with curatives, but you'll likely have a few moments of vulnerability after the shot.
Third and finally, the charge-up time is guesstimation around the time to charge up the third tier Reaper's Arrow, might be slightly longer. And similar to Reaper's Arrow, you are stationary during the charge for Great Gamble, so if an enemy closes the distance you best hope you get that shot ready in time to point-blank Gamble to their face.

So now that you've got an idea of the skills and tricks a Ranger brings to the table, some suggestions for the gear that can turn the Ranger up to 11.

Conquerer's Periapt / Tagilus' Miracle : A single use increase to Strength for a limited bit of time. These can be used up to 4 times to stack the effect. Conquerer's only affect yourself, while Tagilus' affects the entire party. While most enemies don't really need the use of Periapts, those looking to one-round-kill Death or speed kill Daimon will likely need the extra oomph from these.

Special Arrows : Unique to the Shortbow and Longbow (sorry Magick Archers), these arrows grant a limited supply of arrows that inflict a specific debilitation on the target hit. These arrows can be used with Tenfold Flurry or Endecad Shot to significantly speed up the application of the debilitation (while also significantly burning through your arrow supply), or used with Spiral Arrow / Corkscrew Arrow to conserve supply and multi-proc the application per arrow. You can also slot in the Augment Morbidity to further enhance the application of these arrows' effects. Some notable arrows in my opinion are the Sleeper Arrows (able to put targets like Elder Ogres and Garm to sleep), Petrifying Arrows (able to Petrify Garm, Eliminators, and Poisoned Undead, which will instantly slay the target after a long delay; and while Petrifying, the target is slowed in a manner similar to Torpor, further rendering them less dangerous), and Silencer Arrows (to shut down caster enemies like the Lich, Dark Bishop, and Dire Wyrms). Oil Arrows also get a mention against some enemies if you are travelling with a Fire enchanted weapon (Sapfire Daggers for your own arsenal) or a Magick user capable of using Fire or tossing you a Fire enchantment.

Blast Arrows : Yes, these arrows are unique enough that they do not belong in the Special Arrows notes. These arrows are HEAVY (.27 weight per arrow, while the next heaviest Debilitation arrow only clocks in at .03 weight per arrow) and expensive, but they are hands-down worth the cost. When equipped, each arrow shot explodes on impact in a fiery blast, inflicting increased damage to anything not resistant to fire and eventually inflicting the Burning debilitation. These arrows also have significant knockdown/stagger, and can contribute to chain-stunning many bosses. When loaded up with Tenfold Flurry and a few Periapts, things tend to get trivialized quickly, assuming you have the inventory weight space to haul around a supply of these heavy hitters (in all senses of the phrase).

Liquid Vim / Mushroom Potage : While really any Stamina restoring curative is in high demand by Rangers, these two stand out. Liquid Vim preserves your Stamina when consumed, enabling you to use Skills with reckless abandon for a set amount of time. Just note that Stamina does not regenerate while you hold a Bow skill ready to use (ex: while shooting Tenfold Flurries repeatedly, Stamina will not regen while the Flurry is nocked and ready to shoot) so if you use Vim at the tail end of your Stamina gauge, the effect might end at a bad time and leave you one or two button clicks away from exhaustion. Mushroom Potage earns its mention due to being the strongest Stamina restoring curative available for bulk purchase (meaning you can buy 999+ at a time from Fournival), and since it's a group curative you can outfit Pawns with Potage and Great Gamble to make them recharge your own Stamina after they fire off the shot.

Well, I don't have much else to add about the Ranger. While there are 999 ways to pick apart any given enemy encounter with the Ranger, my suggestions would be just that: a suggestion. At the end of the day there is no timer or dps check to meet, so while I could say to just load up Tenfold Flurry and pepper the enemy to death, another Ranger might enjoy stuffing an enemy full of Corkscrew Arrows and watching them drill the enemy into submission. If I ever feel bored or motivated enough to do a fresh Bitterblack Isle runthrough, I might take notes and write up a BBI-4-Rangers tactics. But until then, may your aim be sharp and your arrows true.


I've been playing Dragon's Dogma off and on since 2016. It has been a game that is an old faithful that tends to get shelved when a new shiny appears, and gets dusted off when the new shiny loses its luster. I have played Ranger mainly in all my time in Gransys, with some Strider and Assassin mixed in. After around 400 hours in I reset my save file to redo my stat growths from leveling up, as my first Arisen had entirely too many levels as a Magick Archer (and my poor Pawn acutally leveled as a MAGE of all things!)