Ranger / RogueMulticlass Build Guide — D&D 5e

Ranger 5 is the minimum viable ranger: Extra Attack, a Fighting Style (Archery), spellcasting and an archetype. After that, ranger levels offer half-caster slot progression and exploration features that may or may not matter at your table. Rogue levels, by contrast, give something concrete every single level — a Sneak Attack die, a skill feature, or an archetype trick — and every one of them runs on the Dexterity you already maxed.

Sneak Attack works on any finesse or ranged weapon, and every bow qualifies as ranged. With Extra Attack you get two shots per turn; if the first misses the Sneak Attack, the second can land it. Hunter’s Mark fires on each hit separately, so a marked Sneak Attack turn looks like: weapon die + Sneak Attack dice + Hunter’s Mark on the first hit, then weapon die + Hunter’s Mark on the second. The sustained damage outperforms what the same levels of ranger would have given.

Expertise is the feature that completes the scout fantasy. Ranger has Stealth and Perception proficiency but no way to double them. Two levels of rogue fix that permanently, plus Cunning Action adds bonus-action Hide — the exact action the ranger was spending Vanish (level 14) waiting for. You get Vanish’s benefit nine levels early, and the real Expertise the class never offered.

Ability priority: DEX → WIS → CON — Dexterity is attacks, damage, AC and initiative. Wisdom powers ranger spellcasting and boosts Perception. Constitution holds Hunter’s Mark concentration and keeps you alive on a d10/d8 hybrid hit die.