The 2024 Player’s Handbook introduced significant updates to combat, feats, and weapon properties. Among the biggest shifts is how these rules affect the balance between ranged and melee rangers. With reworked fighting styles and weapon masteries, the long-time debate between bow and blade feels renewed. Let’s take a closer look at how the new system shapes the ranger’s role in combat.
What Changed in the 2024 Rules?
In the original 2014 rules, ranged rangers enjoyed several advantages. The Archery fighting style provided a flat accuracy bonus, and the Sharpshooter feat offered a powerful way to boost damage at the cost of accuracy. Combined with the Crossbow Expert feat, ranged builds often dominated damage charts while keeping safe distance from the fight. Meanwhile, melee rangers had to invest more resources to match that output.
The 2024 update changed that dynamic. Sharpshooter no longer provides a flat +10 damage option, bringing its power more in line with other feats. At the same time, new weapon properties such as Vex and Nick make light melee weapons far more appealing. Vex grants advantage on the next attack after landing a hit, and Nick allows an off-hand strike as part of the same action. Combined with the improved handling of dual-wielding, melee rangers can now maintain steady, repeatable damage without depending on feats for balance.
Why Melee Damage Feels Stronger
The math behind these changes tells a clear story. With Vex and Nick, melee rangers gain more opportunities to hit per round and to set up advantage for critical hits. At early levels, these effects create a noticeable boost in reliability and average damage per round. Once rangers gain Extra Attack at level five, dual-wielding light weapons can push their total attacks to three or even four in a round, making it easier to apply Hunter’s Mark or similar bonuses multiple times.
Ranged rangers, while still precise and effective, no longer have the massive burst potential of the old Sharpshooter build. Their damage remains consistent but requires careful positioning and the use of cover to stay effective. These builds still excel in open terrain or against flying enemies, but in confined areas like dungeons or forests, melee rangers often perform better thanks to their flexibility and advantage generation.
Ranged Advantages Still Matter
Even with these changes, ranged combat remains tactically valuable. Distance provides safety from opportunity attacks and allows rangers to maintain concentration on key spells such as Spike Growth or Hunter’s Mark. Fighting from range also helps in controlling the battlefield, supporting allies, or staying clear of area effects. A ranged ranger with the Archery fighting style can still deliver reliable accuracy, especially when combined with tactical movement and use of cover.
Finding the Right Playstyle
When deciding between melee and ranged combat, consider what role you want your ranger to play in the party. A melee ranger with light weapons will typically have higher damage consistency and stronger synergy with weapon masteries. A ranged ranger offers safer positioning, battlefield control, and easier access to concentration spells. The right choice depends on your campaign setting, terrain, and the makeup of your adventuring group.
We’ve found that the 2024 changes make rangers more flexible than ever. Both melee and ranged styles feel strong, distinct, and rewarding to play. Whether you’re weaving through close combat with flashing blades or lining up precision shots across the battlefield, the updated ranger is better balanced for every kind of adventurer.
If you want to visualise combat spacing and line of sight more clearly, try using our BattleCloth Maps. Each map is designed with 1-inch grids and detailed environments to make positioning and tactical play simple to manage. Sometimes the difference between a hit or a miss is all about where you stand.
