Selune's Holy Archer Build - Baldur's Gate 3 (BG3)

In this post, I will go through Selune's Holy Archer Build for Baldur's Gate 3. This setup focuses on radiant damage, applying Radiating Orb, Reverberation,​ and other effects to weaken and debilitate foes. The War Cleric is what gives this the spin on Selune with deity choice and additional buffs.

Selune's Holy Archer

The build idea comes from Sal in the BG3 Discord. This is an Arcane Archer build variation that takes a dip into 1 War Cleric. Overall, this might seem like a small change, but this does offer a few benefits - Divine Favour and War Priest​ effect.

With this ability, you have an easy and guaranteed source of Radiant damage, which then easily applies Radiating Orb​ effect. Not only that, but with additional gear like Boots of Stormy Clamour, you can further weaken foes with Reverberation. Pretty neat? This is not all.

As Arcane Archer, you can further weaken and apply control on the battlefield via the Arcane shots - Arcane Shot: Banishing Arrow, Arcane Shot: Seeking Arrow, etc. If you are able to dedicate some items like Helmet of Arcane Acuity, this makes you an extremely powerful controller through most of the game. Sadly, you do have lower damage compared to other archer builds, but this can be somewhat mitigated if you have an ally with Bhaalist Armour.

So let's jump into the build!

Class Contribution

The core of the build consists of Fighter. Although it may be simple, the reliability of its features is second to none:

11 Arcane Archer Fighter

• Second Wind​ for instant hp restoration when in a tight spot
• Pick one of the fighting styles, specifically Archery,​ for improved ranged attacks.
• The almighty Action Surge​ to gain a full action point for a volley of attacks.
• Improved Extra Attack​ for more attacks per action point
• Arcane Arrows - Arcane Shot: Banishing Arrow, Arcane Shot: Piercing Arrow, etc. Situationally useful arrow attacks to disable foes or inflict damage.
• Missed an attack? Curving Shot​ helps with hitting another foe using a Bonus action.
• Magic Arrow​ allows your shots to overcome various resistances.
• Save yourself from a detrimental spell effect via Indomitable.

1 War Domain Cleric

• Access to additional bonus action attacks via the War Priest​ feature.
• Divine Favour​ for a consistent source of radiant damage to apply Radiating Orb​ effects.
• Some protection in dire moments like Sanctuary.

Leveling Overview

Here is a concise table with all the main picks during your leveling progression. For more detailed reasoning, I go further in the article. Also, do not forget to check the recommended gear, as it is crucial.

Level	Class	Selection
1	Fighter 1	Fighting Style: Archery​
		Abilities: STR - 8, DEX - 17, CON - 14, INT - 16, WIS - 10, CHA - 8
		Skills: Athletics, Intimidation
2	Fighter 2	-
3	Fighter 3	Subclass: Arcane Archer
		Cantrips: Guidance​ or Light​
		Arcane Shot: 3 preferred ones, I recommend - Arcane Shot: Banishing Arrow, Arcane Shot: Piercing Arrow, etc.
4	Fighter 4	Feat: Sharpshooter: All In​ or Ability Improvement - +2 Dex
5	Fighter 5	-
6	Fighter 6	Feat: Sharpshooter: All In​ or Ability Improvement - +2 Dex
7	Cleric 1	Cantrips: any 3
		Subclass: War Domain
		Deity: Selune
		Prepared Spells: Sanctuary​
8	Fighter 7	Arcane Shot: any arrow, I do recommend having Arcane Shot: Seeking Arrow​
9	Fighter 8	Feat: Dual Wielder​ or Ability Improvement - +2 Intelligence.
10	Fighter 9	-
11	Fighter 10	Arcane Shot: any arrow
12	Fighter 11	-

Starting the Game - Level 1

This section covers the creation screen and what would go into the best Races, Abilities, and Skills for the Hexblade build. If you have already started playing, feel free to do a respec at Withers and follow along. This will make it easy to follow the build step by step.

Races

Picking a race provides various benefits - abilities, dialogue options, looks, etc.

Race	Features	Description
Wood Half-Elf	Civil Militia Darkvision​ Fey Ancestry Fleet of Foot - your movement speed is increased by 1.5m.	Although this is a ranged build, the additional movement speed is extremely useful for better positioning of actions like Arcane Shot: Piercing Arrow.
Wood Elf	Elven Weapon Training​ Darkvision​ Fey Ancestry Fleet of Foot - your movement speed is increased by 1.5m.
Zariel Tiefling	Darkvision​ Hellish Resistance​ Thaumaturgy​	One of my favourite races - cool looking, and access to Thaumaturgy​ to help with those Intimidation and Performance dialogue checks. They also come with Branding Smite,​ which has a ranged attack and radiant damage.
Lightfoot Halfling	Halfling Luck​ Brave​ Naturally Stealthy​	One of the best races overall, and gets an advantage on stealth checks, in case you want to get into better positions for some combat encounters.
Githyanki	Martial Prodigy​	Githyanki comes with a wide array of utility actions like Astral Knowledge, Misty Step, etc. These can help both in combat and world exploration.
High Half-Elf	Civil Militia Darkvision​ Fey Ancestry	These subraces are great for getting some bonus cantrips. The highlights would be: Minor Illusion​ - distract NPCs or trick enemies to go to a specific place Friends​ - helps with various charisma checks, but can leave enemies aggressive if cancelled while near them.
High Elf	Elven Weapon Training​ Darkvision​ Fey Ancestry

Class

Overview
Fighter
Features
Second Wind​	You can use this to heal yourself in tight encounters, to get a little bit more of survivability.

Fighting Style

Style	Description
Archery​	This is an important passive feature as it will improve hit chance and make it easier to land shots with Sharpshooter: All In​ being active.

Background

Backgrounds are mostly for role-playing, and you can pick whatever you prefer. If you want to optimize, then it would be good to pick backgrounds that are based on your ability points.

Abilities

Now, let's take a look at the abilities of the Holy Archer build. Correct allocation will allow you to maximize the early gameplay and get good modifier bonuses.

The core mechanic to understand for ability points is that they give "ability modifiers" that apply to various skill checks. For example, Charisma works on Intimidation and persuasion checks. Wisdom on Survival or Animal Handling, and so on.

You get a higher ability modifier on even values - 10, 12, 14, etc. So keeping it on odd may be useless. However, there are various +1/2 modifiers in the game, specifically Auntie Ethel Hair or Feats that help round this up.

Ability	Value	Description
Strength	8	Not relevant ability for the build. Some weapons will benefit from it, but it can then be increased with some outside sources.
Dexterity	17 (15+2) - With Auntie Ethel Hair 16 (14+2) - No Hair	The main attribute of the build, which will improve damage, initiative, and in some cases provide higher armor bonuses.
Constitution	14	This attribute will decide your health pool. Leaving with a sufficient allocation for HP bonuses.
Intelligence	16 (15+1)	The main spellcasting ability of Arcane Archer. It will decide the success of your arrows, so we want it as high as possible. Later, we will use some gear to boost it.
Wisdom	10 - with Auntie Ethel Hair 12 - no hair	Minimum investment to reduce the chance of failing Wisdom saving throws. The 2 points can freely be allocated to Charisma or Strength, if you need.
Charisma	8	Semi-relevant ability if you are the main character. Unfortunately, due to limited points, we leave it untouched.

If you do not get Auntie Ethel Hair, then I would set Constitution to 15 and Wisdom to 8. Later, this can be rounded down to 16 Constitution and 18 Dexterity via the Ability Improvement feat.

Skills and Expertise

Overall, the skills should be impacted by your roleplaying and background decisions. However, you would still want those that will give you the best benefits. My recommendations are to pick those at which you have a high ability modifier. Sadly, as a Fighter, you do not have many options:

• Acrobatics
• Athletics
• Intimidation
• Survival

Leveling Progression - Levels 2-12

Here is the detailed progression for the Holy Archer build to get you started. You can use it as a guideline because early games can be daunting and overwhelming. Later on, once you get a feel for the class, you can start picking your options.

Level 2

By this time, you should have landed in the first area already. The level-up gives some welcome improvements for your Fighter.

Feature	Description
Action Surge​	The iconic action of a fighter is extremely popular for its simplicity and effectiveness. You get additional action with full bonuses from Extra Attack.

Level 3

The main level that unlocks the new features and the Arcane Archer itself.

Subclass

Overview
Arcane Archer
Features
Arcane Arrow	This resource is used to cast arcane arrows like Arcane Shot: Banishing Arrow, Arcane Shot: Piercing Arrow, etc.

Cantrips

There are two options; pick the one that seems the most relevant.

Cantrip	Description
Guidance​	I would say one member of the party needs to have this cantrip as it enables improved rolls for all ability checks. It can also work well with some concentration items like Strange Conduit Ring.
Light​	Extremely helpful cantrip later in Act 2. It can also serve well to apply the effects of Callous Glow Ring.

Arcane Shot

At first, you can pick 3 shots. Overall, try to take ones with different saving throws, so that you could deal with different types of enemies

Shots	Description
Arcane Shot: Banishing Arrow​	One of my favourite arcane shots. Can disable an enemy for 2 turns without any concentration slot usage. This also targets Charisma saving throw, making it excellent against enemies with low attribute values.
Arcane Shot: Shadow Arrow​	I use this as bread and butter arrow to blind enemies, deal decent damage, and give an easy advantage for my other party members on their attacks. A good alternative can be Arcane Shot: Seeking Arrow,​ which has a guaranteed hit but lower damage.
Arcane Shot: Piercing Arrow​	Excellent for when enemies are standing in one line or close together. This applies good damage, but unfortunately does not work with the very important feat Sharpshooter: All In. This will also play a vital role in applying Radiating Orb​ on multiple enemies at the same time.

Level 4

The 4th level unlocks the first feat for the build. This is generally a big improvement as it helps by providing stat improvement or unique effects.

Replace Spell

Can add/remove any of the arrow effects.

Feat

Here you have a few choices, depending on how risky and well-rounded your party is:

Feat	Description
Sharpshooter: All In​	This would be the best pick, especially as you can easily get an advantage with various Arcane Archer effects. Still, there are ways to manage attack rolls for the -5 effect.
Ability Improvement - +2 Dex	The safer pick, which will improve attack rolls, damage, initiative, and armour class depending on the armor.

Level 5

Level 5 plays a pivotal role in most of the builds. Fighter gets 1 simple but very powerful feature:

Feature	Description
Extra Attack​	Additional attack with all the same stats and damage riders.

Replace Spell

Feel free to pick any change if you deem it necessary.

Level 6

Nothing much in this level besides a new feat option.

Replace Spell

Feel free to pick any change if you deem it necessary.

Feat

Pick one of the feats that you did not take in level 4:

Feat	Description
Sharpshooter: All In​	This would be the best pick, especially as you can easily get an advantage with various Arcane Archer effects. Still, there are ways to manage attack rolls for the -5 effect.
Ability Improvement - +2 Dex	If you did not take this before, now is the best time to do that.

Level 7 - War Cleric Lv 1

Class

Overview
Cleric
Features
Spell Slots	These can be used to cast spells and are restored each long rest.
Domain Spells​	Gives access to some additional spells.

Cantrips

There are a few useful ones; however, late in the game, they don't matter much.

Cantrip	Description
Thaumaturgy​	Great for some dialogue checks, giving an easy advantage.
Guidance​	Can be taken if not picked with the Arcane Archer subclass.
Light​	Can be taken if not picked with the Arcane Archer subclass.

Otherwise pick anything

Subclass

Overview
War Domain
Features
War Priest​	The additional charges allow for attacks with bonus action. These also work while in Wild Shape.
Divine Favour​	Gives +1d4 radiant damage rider. This also works in Wild Shape.
Shield of Faith​	Provides additional Armour Class, and the spell works until long rest. This also moves to Wild Shape. I recommend it if you do not plan on using other Concentration spells. For example, you could mix this with Ice Storm​ or Plant Growth.

Deity

The main pick here for the roleplay would be Selune. Of course, you can take any other option if you prefer.

Abilities

I would prioritise Persuasion, the second one can be anything.

Prepare Spells

Spell	Description
Sanctuary​	It can be used to avoid combat in a dire situation.

Level 8 - Fighter Lv 7

This is a significant level as Arcane Archer gets new features:

Feature	Description
Magic Arrow​	Allows you to overcome resistance as the arrows count as magical damage.
Curving Shot​	Excellent feature, that allows to "save a shot" in case it misses and hits another enemy by using a bonus action.

Arcane Shot

There are a few highlights that you can pick if you haven't already:

Shot	Description
Arcane Shot: Seeking Arrow​	In case you did not pick this option previously, having this arrow type is great for killing an enemy that you know you cannot miss.
Arcane Shot: Enfeebling Arrow​	Excellent option for weakening enemies, once you have other debuffs covered.

Level 9 - Fighter Lv 8

The main highlight of this level is the additional feat.

Replace Spell

Feel free to change anything that you might find irrelevant.

Feat

There are a few relevant picks here:

Feat	Description
Dual Wielder​	My recommended pick. Late game gives a large variety of stat-stick weapons to boost the damage output. You can also wear Selûne's Spear of Night with another weapon for a boost to stats.
Ability Improvement - +2 Intelligence	This is a nice way to slightly improve your Spell Save DC, especially if you are not using Helmet of Arcane Acuity.

Level 10 - Fighter Lv 9

A new feature is unlocked, otherwise, there is nothing fancy on this level:

Feature	Description
Indomitable​	A decent passive that helps avoid failed Saving Throws.

Replace Spell

I leave this up to you

Level 11 - Fighter Lv 10

This level gives more Arcane arrow shots, otherwise nothing special.

Arcane Shot

By this point in the game, pick anything that you are interested in trying. Core arrows are already obtained, like psychic damage ones for Resonance Stone or shots targeting different Saving Throws.

Shot	Description
Arcane Shot: Grasping Arrow​	Can be used to target Strength saves, in case enemies have low ability for it. Sadly, the poison damage can be resisted by many enemies.

Level 12 - Fighter Lv 11

Level 11 is a major highlight for any Fighter subclass build, and the main reason for that is:

Feature	Description
Improved Extra Attack​	This is a huge boost to damage as the fighter can now hit three times with the same action. This also gives a third attack for an action point gained via Action Surge.

Replace Spell

Change anything that you might find irrelevant

That's it, the build is done!

Maximizing Ability Scores

Now, as the build progression is covered, there are a few aspects and important decisions you will have to make throughout the game. These will decide your final score for abilities.

Dexterity

The main offensive stat that decides initiative, armour class, and weapon damage:

1. 17 Dexterity - the base from character creation.
2. Act 1 - Auntie Ethel Hair - you will want to get +1 Dexterity if you pick this choice.
3. Feat - Ability Improvement - +2 Dexterity. If you did not get Auntie Ethel Hair, then take +1 Dexterity and put 1 point into Constitution.
4. Act 3 - Mirror of Loss - pick +2 Dexterity.

These will allow you to reach 20-22 natural Dexterity, which results in a +5-6 ability modifier bonus.

Intelligence

High intelligence greatly benefits Arcane Archer and allows it to reach higher arcane shot success chance and overall damage bonuses:

1. 16 Intelligence - the base from character creation.
2. Feat 1 (Optional) - Ability Improvement - +2 Intelligence.

This leads you to 16-18 Intelligence. It's not much. But the Arrow's success chance can be improved with items via Arcane Acuity​ effect - Helmet of Arcane Acuity.

Potions, Elixirs, and Consumables

Let's take a look at what consumables you can use to further empower the build.

Potions

These are general consumables, and most of them are activated for a few turns. Potions are separate from Elixirs and can be active together.

Consumable	Description
Potion of Speed	In case you or your other casters have a Concentration spell slot taken and cannot cast Haste, use this potion. It acts similarly, but the effect is just for 3 turns.
Potion of Animal Speaking	Although not powerful, it is worth stocking up and chugging them once you see an animal.
Any kind of healing potion	If you use Broodmother's Revenge, any of the potions like Potion of Healing, Potion of Superior Healing, etc., will help with getting the bonus damage.
Oil of Accuracy	Gives +2 to attack rolls, which is great for negating the Sharpshooter: All In​ negative effect.
Diluted Oil of Sharpness	Gives +1 to attack rolls, which is great for negating the Sharpshooter: All In​ negative effect.

Elixirs

Unfortunately, only one Elixir can be active at a time. However, the good thing is that they last until a long rest, making them very useful and economical.

Be sure to activate them before combat, as otherwise, you will need to use Bonus Action.

Consumable	Description
Elixir of Hill Giant Strength	Sets strength value to 21 until the Long Rest. This helps with maximizing Titanstring Bow if you are not using Club of Hill Giant Strength. Here is a farming guide for Elixir of Hill Giant Strength.
Elixir of Cloud Giant Strength	Sets strength to 27 for the highest possible damage boost on Titanstring Bow.
Elixir of Bloodlust	Very effective elixir that gives another action point if you kill an enemy. I would say this is the best one to use to maximize your output through the turn.
Elixir of Battlemage's Power	Gain 3 stacks of Arcane Acuity. I would say this should be the most used elixir for higher spell success.
Elixir of Vigilance	For some encounters, you will want to go first. This elixir will ensure that it overcomes even surprise mechanics. However, if you have Alert,​ this becomes redundant.
Elixir of The Colossus	Provides bonus damage of 1d4 and some other good bonuses.
Elixir of Heroism	Boosts attack rolls by 1d4, excellent to negate the Sharpshooter: All In​ effect.

Arrows

The Holy Archer does have a slight problem. It's Arcane shots overlap with various consumable arrows that you find in the game. Early in the game, this is not a problem. For the late game, you will have to evaluate which ones to use, as slaying arrows like Arrow of Humanoid Slaying deal double damage, greatly boosting your possible damage output.

Still, I would prioritize this build more of a control/debilitator build, and use these once you are out of Arcane Shots.

Consumable	Description
Arrow of Many Targets	The core arrow for the latter part of the game. Use it to build Arcane Acuity​ stacks with the first shot. After that, you will have a very high chance of Arcane Shot success
Arrow of Humanoid Slaying	These arrows are very powerful when used against the correct target, as they double the damage. This does conflict with Arcane shots, later in the game. But I do prefer the latter for the control aspect, especially against stronger foes.
Arrow of Aberration Slaying
Arrow of Dragon Slaying
Other same-name arrows...

Illithid Powers

This special mechanic in Baldur's Gate 3 allows you to consume tadpoles and unlock special Illithid Powers.

At first, you can only use the base powers. As you move to Act 3, you will be able to unlock the outer ring powers, also called Elite.

Illithid Power	Type	Description
Favourable Beginnings	Base	Beneficial power to take as it does not have any costs, and provides only benefits on the first hits with attack rolls.
Luck of the Far Realms​	Base	It's an easy way to ensure you land critical hits.
Cull the Weak​	Base	It can help to kill an enemy faster if it is left with a few HP.
Psionic Backlash​	Base	It can help with enemies that cast spells, which can result in disabling or killing an ally.
Illithid Expertise​	Elite	It can be used to maximize the effectiveness of charisma-based skills, especially relevant to the main character.
Black Hole​	Elite	Very powerful spell that can be used to pull enemies together. You can then follow up with area-of-effect spells or attacks, for example, Arcane Shot: Piercing Arrow.
Psionic Dominance​	Elite	It can be used to save yourself from a deadly spell at the cost of a reaction.

Equipment Recommendations

Now I would like to go through some gear recommendations to maximize the Selune Archer Build. Items are especially important as they take the build to the next level thanks to their unique effects.

Act 1

This part of the game is where Arcane Archer shines the most. For this reason, getting good gear and boosting your hit chance will do wonders for your combat performance. The "Radiant" setup will not yet work, so you will be playing just a standard archer.

Slot	Item	Description
Melee (One-Handed)	Club of Hill Giant Strength	Use this together with Titanstring Bow if you skip on Elixir of Hill Giant Strength. This will be a good +4 damage boost on all shots.
	Melf's First Staff	This will probably be a far-fetched fantasy, but if you don't have a caster, this can be used to improve the success chance of landing your Arrow effects.
	Knife of the Undermountain King	A very popular stat stick weapon. I would say this has the lowest priority. It can be dual-wielded with Club of Hill Giant Strength if you decide to skip shields. I do not recommend that in the early-mid game.
Ranged	Titanstring Bow	In terms of pure damage, this bow is the top option for the whole game. Use either Club of Hill Giant Strength or Elixir of Hill Giant Strength to maximize your damage.
	Harold	Special crossbow that can debuff enemies with Bane​ and make it easier to land Arcane Shot effects.
	Bow of the Banshee	This bow can be deadly with Gloves of Baneful Striking for frightening enemies and increasing your damage.
Shield	Adamantine Shield	It provides a substantial defensive boost by reducing critical hit damage. It also applies a reeling effect.
	Absolute's Warboard	Decent shield if you got Absolute's Brand from the priestess in the Goblin camp.
	Safeguard Shield	Gives a bonus to saving throws, easily accessible early in the game.
Head	Diadem of Arcane Synergy	If you can spare this item, it can be a big damage boost based on the Intelligence modifier. It does conflict with multiclass, but more about that in the Act 3 gear section.
	The Shadespell Circlet	Opens up opportunities for easy ways to improve Spell Save DC and the success of Arcane Shots.
	Haste Helm	Improves movement speed, which is great for better positioning to land your shots.
	Grymskull Helm	It can be a useful helmet for its bonuses and access to Hunter's Mark​ for Act 1.
	Warped Headband of Intellect	Semi-useful headwear that could be used till level 8. Wearing it allows you to respec, set Intelligence to 8, and put points elsewhere. However, later on, once you get a third feat, you will want to maximize your intelligence in natural ways.
Cloak	-	Nothing relevant for the build.
Armor	Luminous Armour	Make sure to get this armor. You will not wear it yet, but it will be the core part of the build later on.
	Adamantine Splint Armour	To be fair, I would be indifferent to which armor you pick. But the heavy one does give higher bonuses, and you have proficiencies to wear them.
	Adamantine Scale Mail
	Githyanki Half Plate	The best starter medium armor. You can just take it from Lae'zel
Gloves	Gloves of Belligerent Skies	Be sure to get these gloves. You do not yet need them, but they will be used later once you get War Cleric dip.
	Gloves of Baneful Striking	I recommend at least getting these gloves. They apply Bane​ on targets that you hit, making it easier to land Arcane shots. For Act 1, they are not as mandatory to wear.
	Gloves of Archery	Your ranged attacks deal an additional 2 damage, one of the best options for early game gloves.
	Gloves of Power	Applies Bane​ effect, which does come with a caveat, enemies need ot fail a saving throw, and the effect is not guaranteed. This will help with landing any further Arcane Shots.
Boots	Boots of Stormy Clamour	These boots are very powerful with arcane shots and later with Radiating Orb​ effects. They provide Reverberation​ to weaken foes and even make targets Prone.
	Disintegrating Night Walkers	One of the best boots in the game, giving easy traversal options and avoiding any difficult terrains and their effects.
	Boots of Speed	Simple yet effective boots, allowing you to avoid attacks of opportunity.
Amulet	Broodmother's Revenge	In terms of damage, this is one of the best amulets in the game. You can just drink a Potion of Healing and get its benefit.
	Amulet of Branding	Using a bonus action, you can weaken a foe and deal double damage with your weapon.
	Amulet of Misty Step	Grants Misty Step​ for moving on the battlefield.
Rings	Caustic Band	Adds additional damage to weapon attacks.
	Ring of Protection	The bonus Armour Class is a great boost for survivability.
	Crusher's Ring	Improves movement speed for better positioning.

Act 2 - mid-game

Slot	Item	Description
Melee (One-Handed)	Selûne's Spear of Night	This is a great weapon that you can wear as a stat stick. It has a special action - Moonmote​ that can further enhance radiant damage.
	-	Same as Act 1
	Drakethroat Glaive	Just used for buffing the main weapon; after that, it can be unequipped.
Ranged	Titanstring Bow	Continues to be the best bow for now.
Shield	Ketheric's Shield	The best shield in terms of utility, as it improves Spell Save DC and Arcane Shot success.
	Sentinel Shield	What makes this shield amazing is that by wearing it, you will be going first most of the time during encounters. This is a great way to apply control over key enemies.
Head	Helmet of Arcane Acuity	This is the best helmet for the build. It is highly in demand by other Gish-type builds. I would say the build even depends on it to be effective.
	Hat of Storm Scion's Power	An alternative to Helmet of Arcane Acuity, but you will need to use Drakethroat Glaive with Draconic Elemental Weapon: Thunder​ effect to apply thunder damage rider. This way, you can easily stack Arcane Acuity​ and improve Spell Save DC with your arrows.
	Diadem of Arcane Synergy	Alternative headwear, before Helmet of Arcane Acuity, or if it is taken.
	Marksmanship Hat	Gives an additional attack roll bonus, and works perfectly with ranged weapons if you decide to use them.
Cloak	Cloak of Protection	Improves survivability and Saving Throw success. You want to equip this cloak to maintain that good Armour Class.
Armor	Luminous Armour	The best armor to take is once you get War Cleric with Divine Favour​ and Callous Glow Ring. This will help you to apply Radiating Orb​ easily on all targets.
	Dwarven Splintmail	A solid armor, with high Armour Class, and other relevant bonuses.
	Yuan-ti Scale Mail	The best medium armor in Act 2. With high dexterity, it can have the highest Armour Class of all gear options in this stage of the game.
Gloves	Gloves of Belligerent Skies	Both of these are great gloves, use the first ones if they are accessible, as you will already get plenty Radiating Orb​ effects. Otherwise, use the Luminous Gloves.
	Luminous Gloves
Boots	Boots of Stormy Clamour	The best overall shoes with an easy Reverberation​ option. It can be activated by using the Arcane Shots.
	Evasive Shoes	Gives a bonus to armor class.
	Boots of Striding	As you can get Concentration effect via Guidance, Divine Favour, etc., this can be helpful if you precast it. Otherwise, I would use other boots.
Amulet	Broodmother's Revenge	Continues to be the best amulet, if you were able to obtain it.
	Amulet of the Harpers	Allows casting a Shield​ spell, and can be a lifesaver if attacked heavily for one turn.
Rings	Callous Glow Ring	Gives an easy way to deal additional radiant damage with each shot.
	Ring of Mental Inhibition	Applies Mental Fatigue debuff, weakening enemies and increasing further debuffs or spell success chance.
	Snowburst Ring	You can use Drakethroat Glaive to apply Cold damage to your weapon and create Ice fields with your attacks.
	Caustic Band	Adds additional damage to weapon attacks.

Act 3 - Final Build setup

Here is an important disclaimer and about the build in general, depending on the gear you can access:

If you are not able to use Helmet of Arcane Acuity or Hat of Storm Scion's Power, you will have to opt in for Diadem of Arcane Synergy. However, to use it, you will have to make a slight change to the build. You will need to do a respec and pick the first level as War Cleric and finish with 11 levels of Fighter. This will allow you to use Intelligence as a spellcasting modifier on items instead of a Cleric's Wisdom.

Slot	Item	Description
Melee (One-Handed)	Rhapsody	All of these items are excellent stat sticks. Rhapsody + Dolor Amarus are the best in terms of damage, especially if you could guarantee critical hits with Hold Person​/Hold Monster.
	Dolor Amarus
	Knife of the Undermountain King
	Selûne's Spear of Night	It can be used by an ally to buff everyone. If you use it yourself, it will interfere with Divine Favour due Concentration effect.
Shield	Ketheric's Shield	The best shield for casters, as it gives +1 Spell Save DC, increasing spell success.
	Viconia's Walking Fortress	One of the best shields in the game. Overall, it serves more of a defensive role, giving advantages on Spell Saving Throws.
Ranged	Gontr Mael	The highlight of this build. Truly a light-themed weapon. It offers various effects, but the main highlight is Bolt of Celestial Light,​ giving a radiant damage boost.
	Titanstring Bow	Continues to be the best bow. For Act 3, you can chug Elixir of Cloud Giant Strength for even more bonus damage or continue using Club of Hill Giant Strength.
	The Dead Shot	The lower priority bow, in case you do not have access to the ones above.
Head	Helmet of Arcane Acuity	I would say this is the best headwear for the build if you can afford to use it, and have no other Gish build. The increased Spell Save DC will make it easy to land arrow effects and disable your foes.
	Hat of Storm Scion's Power	An alternative to Helmet of Arcane Acuity, but you will need to use Drakethroat Glaive with Draconic Elemental Weapon: Thunder​ effect to apply thunder damage rider. This way, you can easily stack Arcane Acuity​ and improve Spell Save DC with your arrows.
	Diadem of Arcane Synergy	Second-best headwear, as you get additional damage based on the Intelligence modifier. If you are not using Helmet of Arcane Acuity, I would urge you to equip Gloves of Baneful Striking to maintain the high chance of Arcane arrow success.
Cloak	Cloak of Displacement	It provides an increased chance of avoiding enemy attacks with attack rolls.
Armor	Luminous Armour	The main armor of this build, on which the build relies. It allows for easy application Radiating Orb​ effects with radiant damage.
Gloves	Gloves of Belligerent Skies	Pick either of these gloves as they give an easy way to apply Radiating Orb​ or Reverberation​ effects.
	Luminous Gloves
	Helldusk Gloves	These gloves can be used to get a slight boost to Spell Save DC and bonus fire damage.
Boots	Boots of Stormy Clamour	The Boots of Stormy Clamour would be the best option, which you should aim to use for maximum effectiveness with this build.
	Helldusk Boots
	Boots of Persistence
Amulet	Broodmother's Revenge	In terms of damage, Broodmother's Revenge is the best. Amulet of The Devout is also useful as it improves Spell Save DC and Arcane Arrow success. However, I would prioritize this on Cleric or any other caster.
	Amulet of Greater Health
	Amulet of The Devout
Rings	Callous Glow Ring	Gives an easy way to deal additional radiant damage with each shot.
	Ring of Mental Inhibition	Applies Mental Fatigue debuff, weakening enemies and increasing further debuffs or spell success chance.
	Snowburst Ring	You can use Drakethroat Glaive to apply Cold damage to your weapon and create Ice fields with your attacks.
	Ring of Protection	Improves Armour Class.

Build Mechanics

In this section, I would like to dive deep into how to play the Selune Holy Archer Build. This will help you utilize it to the fullest and correctly use various actions and spells throughout the game.

Important Mechanics and Combos

Let's go through key mechanics and tips on how to use the build effectively.

Use the correct Arcane Shot to debuff enemies

What makes the Arcane Archer special is that, from the low level,s you can deal decent damage and apply control. Usually, control is effective with higher-level spellcasters when they have a high Spell Save DC. Here are the main arcane shots to look out for:

• Arcane Shot: Banishing Arrow​ - targets enemy Charisma Saving Throws, and removes the target from the combat if successful. Use this on bosses or stronger foes that you want to eliminate for a few turns.
• Arcane Shot: Shadow Arrow​ - targets enemy Wisdom Saving Throws. It applies blindness, which gives an easy advantage for all attacks, even your allies.
• Arcane Shot: Piercing Arrow​ - use it on a group of enemies, especially if they have a low Dexterity attribute.
• Arcane Shot: Seeking Arrow​ - can target enemies even if you cannot see them. It also has a guaranteed hit chance, making it perfect for eliminating specific foes.
• Arcane Shot: Enfeebling Arrow​ - the Feeble effect targets the enemy's Constitution Saving Throws. Great for weakening enemies that use physical attacks.

Managing Sharpshooter

One of the main parts of this build is- Sharpshooter: All In, which gives a solid 10 damage boost per hit. However, it comes with a drawback: -5 to attack rolls. This, of course, can be circumvented via various tricks:

• Archery​ fighting style bonuses
• Attacking from stealth
• Oil of Accuracy and Diluted Oil of Sharpness
• Weakening enemies with Arcane Arrows like Arcane Shot: Shadow Arrow.
• High Ground bonuses

I have a full article on increasing attack rolls. That goes into depth on various mechanics that work especially well in the early game, when the -5 attack roll hurts the most. You can also disable its effect. Pull the passives of Sharpshooter: All In​ into your hotbar and disable its effect, if your hit chance is very low.

Problems with damage riders and Arcane Shots

So the major problem with Arcane Shots, that some of them, like Arcane Shot: Seeking Arrow​ or Arcane Shot: Piercing Arrow,​ don't have attack rolls. Currently, the Sharpshooter: All In​ implementation does not work if this mechanic is not present. So these arrows lose 10 dmg per target potential.

Still, they are worthwhile to use. If a target has 10-15 hp and you need to eliminate him, there is no better choice than Arcane Shot: Seeking Arrow​. If there are 3 stacked enemies, Arcane Shot: Piercing Arrow​ is the best option to hit all 3 of them for substantial damage.

Buffing damage with Drakethroat Glaive

One of the stat stick items is Drakethroat Glaive. It can apply elemental damage effects on your chosen weapon. One of the great combos is cold damage with Snowburst Ring. Now your arrows will create Ice puddles that enemies can slip on. This can force them to skip turns or waste their movement speed.

You can also take Lightning damage as it will combo well with Gloves of Belligerent Skies for more Reverberation​ stacks.

Another option is if you cannot use Helmet of Arcane Acuity you can use Hat of Storm Scion's Power together with Drakethroat Glaive and apply Draconic Elemental Weapon: Thunder​ for an easy way to stack Arcane Acuity. This will make it easy to maintain Spell Save DC for your Arcane Shots.

Using Special Arrows vs Arcane Shots

Arcane Archer does shine in the early game, but there is a major contradiction, and this is consumable arrows like  Arrow of Acid, Arrow of Fire, Arrow of Dragon Slaying, etc. The Slaying ones are especially important as they deal double damage to specific enemy types and are one of the strongest damage boosts in the game.

On the other hand, Arcane Arrows like Arcane Shot: Banishing Arrow, Arcane Shot: Enfeebling Arrow, cannot use those arrow effects, but they do apply specific statuses or disabling effects.

My recommendation would be to use the first few attacks to make sure you use the most out of Arcane Arrows and start combat with Arrow of Many Targets. Once key enemies are weakened or disabled, clear or finish them with Slaying arrows - Arrow of Humanoid Slaying, Arrow of Aberration Slaying, etc.

Maximizing Radiant Damage

As this build targets the theme of Holy light, you will want to maximize your Radiant damage. Moreover, it will help with applying Radiating Orb​ effects, which weaken foes:

• Callous Glow Ring
• Divine Favour​ or Moonmote​ from Selûne's Spear of Night
• Bolt of Celestial Light​

So these items and effects will help with Radiant damage, and make sure that you can effectively debuff enemies.

Numerous amounts of debuffs and conditions

So what this build shines in is the total amount of debuffs that it can apply and how it can weaken foes:

• Radiating Orb​ reduces enemy attack rolls, which in turn means that your party member's armour class increases
• Reverberation​ - weakens enemy saving throws and applies Prone​ if the number of stacks reaches 5.
• Banished​ - thanks to Arcane Shot: Banishing Arrow​
• Blinded​ - from Arcane Shot: Shadow Arrow​
• Mental Fatigue​ - if you equip Ring of Mental Inhibition.
• and many more...

This can destroy enemy combat potential and leave them helpless.

Early Game Combat

Let's cover how you should progress through combat levels 1-6.

• The core aspect is to hit enemies that have low Charisma with Arcane Shot: Banishing Arrow​ and those with low Wisdom - Arcane Shot: Shadow Arrow. I would also use Arcane Shot: Banishing Arrow​ multiple times on boss enemies or stronger foes, to remove them from the field until you deal with weaker targets.
• Action Surge​ for more shots.
• Especially on groups of goblins Arcane Shot: Piercing Arrow​ can be deadly.
• Don't forget to use consumable arrows. Targets that are wet can be heavily damaged using Arrow of Lightning, or if you see an enemy on a ledge, use Arrow of Roaring Thunder.
• Second Wind​ is great when you need some healing in an urgent situation.

Mid to Late Game Combat

So this is where the "Holy Archer" Playstyle is fully unlocked, as you can get a stable source of radiant damage.

• I would recommend constantly having Light​ on yourself and on allies as you want to have Callous Glow Ring ring to always proc for radiant damage.
• If possible, prebuff Divine Favour;​ otherwise, cast it once in combat with your bonus action.
• Use Arrow of Many Targets to apply the effects of Helmet of Arcane Acuity. This will help with landing Arcane Shot effects.
• Another option is to use Bolt of Celestial Light​ to buff your next attacks with radiant damage rider
• Follow up with preferred Arcane Arrow effect - Arcane Shot: Banishing Arrow​ to remove target from combat, Arcane Shot: Shadow Arrow​ to blind foes, etc.
• If you need more shots Action Surge​ to the rescue for more attacks.
• Finish off enemies with slaying arrows - Arrow of Monstrosity Slaying, etc.
• I recommend having an ally with Bhaalist Armour this will help to improve your piercing damage significantly

Build Variations

Here are some variations that work similarly and utilize the same classes at their core.

Conclusion

Thank you for reading the Holy Archer Build for Baldur's Gate 3. The build is a variation of Arcane Archer and offers a debilitator and holy fighter archetype flavour. Enjoy weak enemies that can barely do anything in combat.

Cheers!