Baldur's Gate 3 - The Holy Arrow Remastered (Ranged Paladin Build)

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Published 2024-07-16
Today we're looking back at an old concept of mine, a build that focuses on using smite attacks with a bow. This build is a massive improvement on the original, with it being one of my most powerful to date!

The Holy Arrow Remastered
Fighter 1 or 2/Vengeance Paladin 5 or 6/Swords Bard 5/Rogue 1 (optional)

Feats:
Sharpshooter

Weapons:
bg3.wiki/wiki/The_Joltshooter
or
bg3.wiki/wiki/Giantbreaker
then
bg3.wiki/wiki/Gontr_Mael
or
bg3.wiki/wiki/Fabricated_Arbalest

bg3.wiki/wiki/Knife_of_the_Undermountain_King
bg3.wiki/wiki/Adamantine_Shield

Armour:
bg3.wiki/wiki/Luminous_Armour
bg3.wiki/wiki/Marksmanship_Hat
then
bg3.wiki/wiki/Mask_of_Soul_Perception
bg3.wiki/wiki/Gloves_of_Archery
then
bg3.wiki/wiki/Spellmight_Gloves
bg3.wiki/wiki/Disintegrating_Night_Walkers
or
bg3.wiki/wiki/Boots_of_Stormy_Clamour

Accessories:
bg3.wiki/wiki/Spineshudder_Amulet
bg3.wiki/wiki/Callous_Glow_Ring
bg3.wiki/wiki/Coruscation_Ring

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discord.gg/M8hFV5Pt2h

Mod List:
pastebin.com/9JDhyA9M

All Comments (21)
  • @EclipseFactor
    This is build is incredible. I can't believe how quickly this video came out after I said something on the original build. Every time he mentioned me I couldn't stop smiling.
  • Well, I never realised the Holy Archer needed a remaster because the first one was working so well for me. But wow, this version looks like it will be even more fun now. Will be trying this ASAP. Absolutely crushing it with these revised builds, man.
  • Really cool idea, I love the fantasy of the holy archer, like an avenging angel. This is what I wish the Divine Hunter Paladin was like in Pathfinder, but Smite Evil works differently over there.
  • Finally a Bardadin build that isn't 2 levels of Paladin 10 levels of Bard <3
  • @Azracc
    As always cool build. On nexus there is a small but very cool mod called "Range Smite" for divine smite. Works very well if someone is interested.
  • @MavMaestro
    Love the build, but rather than going mask of soul perception, you could alternatively go storm scion hat, and buff your bow with drakethroat thunder damage, and be getting a consistent big bonus to your branding smite attack rolls
  • I'll have to test again, I know the ranger spell ensnaring strike works with meta-magic (twinned) to hit two targets at once. But im unsure if the same could apply to branding smite, it would allow for twice the smites and the infinite sorcery point loop would mean infinite ranged smites. Ranger-sorc-thief is pretty good for essentially turning sorcery points and spell slots into a lesser version of 'slashing flourish'. So perhaps for staying power, a 8/2/2 split of swords bard/sorcerer/ranger could be affective. Or 5/4/3 Ranger/thief/sorcerer... Since ensnaring strike is a spell, you could combine with both storm sorcerer and thief to fly as a bonus action and be extremely mobile as you could pretty much get to higher ground with ease. You could merely start as a sorcerer levelling into thief and then ranger to be "online" as soon as level 8. Extra attack could be substituted for a quickened ensnaring strike if using a bow like the titanstring bow, and starting as sorcerer means with the haste bow you'll have proficiency on concentration saves, so extra attack means nothing. (and you can use extend metamagic on the act 2 haste bow). Its something to think about. Sorcerer plays good with ranger.
  • @bubercik
    i'd love for you to "remaster" the witcher build. it it fine as it is however it uses the dex gloves and i think some optimisations would ake it a very fun one to play. love the videos!
  • @harley3211
    Archers will never stop being awesome 👌 and this build is peak cool archer!!
  • @Dot-hack
    This is a very cool build that takes away the one thing i never liked about Paladins. The Oath charges. Can't stand them. I get all these cools abilities i cant use because I'm saving my Spell Slots for Oath charges. Bleh. It's the fact I use a spell slot every time i use a Smite. This way the "Smite" is a Concentration spell. Way better IMO. The only different thing I'd do is skip Rogue dip altogether and instead take an early level 1 dip into War Cleric. This way you'll get access to that Holy Archer play style even earlier thanks to Divine Favor and freeing up your racial choice. Also on top of that you'll get 3 War Priest Charges that use a Bonus action to give you more Attacks and sense you'd be a Cleric it'll let you show worship to a specific Deity in Dialogue which makes sense given how you are supposed to be a a Holy Archer. Unless of course you dont want to do that for RP reason then I Rogue is probably the better option. BUT, another cool bonus from picking Cleric is if you choose a Deity to Worship and you mix that Cleric level with a Paladin level you'll actually be tagged as a Paladin of Whatever Deity you choose. For example, "Paladin of Tyr". You'll even get a few dialogue options.
  • Firstly, I want to just say I love the build. I think this is a very clever of making a ranged pseduo-Divine Smite Paladin. Second, I actually by complete accident wound up doing something conceptually similar with my Paladin/Barbarian. I had 18 STR but then put on the Gloves of Dexterity to make my DEX 18. I combined this with the Titanstring Bow to be able to combine my STR and DEX with the bow and could do some surprising damage when I had to use my ranged attacks.
  • @crazywowgoer
    Some honorable mention equipment here would be the Gloves of Belligerent Skies from act 1.5 for more reverberation stacks when dealing thunder/radiant damage.
  • NO WAY i was looking for something just like this and today you post it! YAY!
  • @arokh72
    This feels like the prefect build for my redemption Durge :)
  • Cool build, I always kinda get stuck using Titanstring Bow, but I love this alternative. Also love any build that's using the Spellmight Gloves for smites :) You can kinda sorta "divine smite" on ranged in a bit roundabout way. Use Ring of Mystic Scoundrel on a character that can cast Dissonant Whispers. Throw in the Resonance Stone and 3 levels of Thief and you get a pretty significant damage output. 6 bard 3 thief is the core of the build imo, on top of that you can add whatever.
  • If they ever do patch Vow of Enmity, I hope they change it to the 2024 phb version where you can switch it to another target. It's the only good change to Paladin in that sad excuse for an errata book.
  • @hugenimrod
    Love it! I might swap Rogue for War Cleric though. It gets three extra attacks, three utility cantrips, and two prepared spells. Sanctuary and either Create Water (out of combat you can douse fires that might affect your Plant Growth) or Healing Word, and that lets you add another Bard Spell. I like the Sneak Attack, but I think this a strong alternative. ✌️
  • Slap on the thunderskin cloak and/or ring of spiteful thunder (in place of callous glow ring maybe), and you'll find yourself spreading around the dazed condition, too 😉
  • I loved that build but still waiting the darkness comp build, if you want a hint i think you already have almost all the builds in your channel, the only ones i think are missing is the crow beast master and dark justiciar
  • Vow of enmity : ' I hate myself, therefore i can hit anything ' . Makes sense, right? . 🤣🤣🤣 Definitely a bug, but I'm guilty of using it myself sometimes for the pure absurdity 🤣