Divinity: Original Sin 2's complexity can be daunting at first, and not everything is explained in detail. The good news is that a lot of early decisions can be taken back—you'll have a chance to respec later in the game—but just getting through the first few fights can be rough, even on Classic mode. To settle your nerves, we've compiled a few tips to help ensure you're set to adventure by the time you leave Fort Joy. (Speaking of, here's our walkthrough of all the ways in and out of Fort Joy, if you need extra guidance.)
Minor spoilers ahead for the first several hours, of course. These tips were last updated on September 29.
Pick an origin character
Original Sin 2’s robust character creator lets you cook up all manner of heroes and weirdos, but for the richest experience you’ll absolutely want to choose one of the origin characters. They are just as customisable as any other character you might make, but come with an origin story, extra voice acting and their own personal quests. The ones you don’t choose then become companions who can join you.
That said, don't fret too much if you prefer to play as a character of your own. You can initiate dialogue with non-party NPCs using any of your party members, meaning you'll have chances to experience some of their unique dialogue options if you want. It isn't quite the same, but you'll be able to follow their stories either way, and you'll pick up new character tags throughout your adventures that give your custom character a bit of unique personality.
Get a healer in your party
When you recruit new party members, you have the option to assign them different class presets than their defaults. If your character doesn't have any healing abilities, it's a good idea to request that one of them take the role of Cleric. Money is tight in the early game, so relying on potions to heal will make it tough to afford new armor and weapons.
Original Sin 2's class system is very flexible, so don't worry if you'd prefer your chosen healer be something else down the line. As a Cleric they'll get points in Hydrosophist and Necromancer, both of which support lots of cool, non-healing related spells. And you can completely change their specialization down the line and, say, build them into a rogue if you want.
How to earn money and gear up
First of all, click on everything. You never know who or what is important in Original Sin 2 at first glance. Every NPC could be a potential quest-giver, holder of important knowledge, or maybe they just have some hilarious jokes they’re waiting to rattle off. And a random piece of tat you find on the beach or in an otherwise empty barrel could be the key to solving a mystery, or maybe it’s just worth a few quid to the right buyer (but think carefully before selling items that might be quest-related). If it isn't red, you can snag it without being attacked for stealing. Essentially, you’ll want to treat it like an adventure game.
Also, remember to complete your quests. Even a simple thing, like talking down a few thugs, can result in earning experience, gold, and items—but you have to go talk to the quest giver to get your reward. Check your journal to see if you have any outstanding quests to complete.
All that said, money is going to be tight for a while. Quality armor and weapons are hard to come by in the early game. To help a little, check to see who in your party has the highest Bartering level, and make sure they cozy up to traders and get on their good side—even saving 20 gold here and there is worth it.
You can trade with many NPCs even if they don't offer
If an NPC is marked as a 'trader,' you won't always be able to get to the trade screen through dialogue. Even if you're on good terms and you've spent gold with them before, they'll sometimes get stuck repeating one line of dialogue, or just stop offering, which can be frustrating if you haven't yet noticed the easy-to-miss button on the upper left side of the dialogue box (see the screenshot above). Click it to open the trade screen.
Save money on lockpicks, get a skeleton
If you’re not going to play as Fane, the Undead origin character, then you should at least bring him as a companion. He’s excellent company, being the source of a lot of biting sarcasm and camp, pantomime menace, and his boney digits are unexpectedly handy. Fane, and indeed any Undead character, is a walking skeleton key, able to use their fingers to unlock doors and chests, as long as they have the appropriate skill level.
Get the Pet Pal talent
If you’ve got the Pet Pal talent (or someone in your party does) you can talk to animals, and it’s not just for laughs—animals frequently offer advice, spill secrets and occasionally give out quests. These conversations are also the source of many great character moments. Anyone can get the Pet Pal talent, and you can also choose it during character creation. If you recruit The Red Prince, he has it by default.
Protect the black cat
Speaking of animals, early on you’ll find yourself followed by a black cat. He can’t be harmed in combat, but if you walk past the guards in front of the gate to Fort Joy Prison, east of the camp, one of the archers will murder the innocent kitty. Keep him alive, however, and when you escape the camp, he’ll join the party as a summon, allowing you to switch places with him in battle.
Make liberal use of quicksave
Divinity: Original Sin 2 is hard. Even on the default Classic Mode, battles are brutal, and in the first act you’ll often find your squishy party a bit underprepared. Resurrection scrolls are also incredibly pricey, though you can occasionally loot them. This isn’t helped by an autosave feature that kicks in when a battle begins, not before, so you won’t be able to prepare any better. So whenever you think you’re about to duke it out, hit that quicksave button.
It's also a good idea to quicksave before entering a new area, or initiating any major quest dialogue. Unless you're going for a one life, no take-backsies game (in which case we salute you), you'll find that what you say and do can have big consequences that you may want to take back.
Retreating is fine
Alternatively, and especially if you're avoiding save scumming, you can always flee. Once a character is out of range of the enemy, you can click flee, and they’ll respawn at the nearest waypoint. In the middle of a battle, it can be tricky to get far enough away from foes, so it’s worth investing in tricks that make escape easier. Teleportation, flight and the Tactical Retreat ability are all boons when you just need to get the hell out of there.
Environmental effects are handy and deadly
Fights are often won by the group best able to manipulate the environment with magic and elemental weapons. Cast rain on a group of enemies, and then a spell that applies chill, and you might end up with frozen enemies and slippery surfaces. These environmental effects make great traps—and also obstacles—but they can help you as well as hindering enemies. A Necromancer, for instance, can make it rain blood and then cast a healing spell that soaks up all of the puddles to increase their vitality.
And don't forget: undead characters heal from poison. Be careful not to accidentally do them any favors (unless it's Fane) by leaving poison puddles around. You can use healing abilities on them to do damage, too.
Grab a bedroll as soon as possible
While healing potions and spells are important when you’re in a fight, the best way to heal outside of battle is by taking a quick nap. That’s only possible if there’s a bed nearby, however, and you won’t find many of them out in the wilderness. That’s why it’s so important to pick up the first bedroll you encounter. You’ll be able to take it with you everywhere, and clicking on it heals every character almost instantly. You'll find one in the first beach area near the entrance to Fort Joy, on top of a ruined wall. There's a shovel there, too. You should grab the shovel.
Divinity 2 Walkthrough Pc
Don’t forget to rotate the camera
It seems so obvious, but it’s easy to forget that you can rotate the camera to get a clearer picture of the area you’re marching through. Often, the angle can hide entrances, caves, chests and secret paths that become clear when you change your perspective. I spent about 30 minutes looking for a cave, only to discover that I’d passed it a dozen times, but until I changed the camera, I only saw the hill behind it. It's not a bad idea to have a character with high Wits, either, as they'll call out secrets when they see them.
Divinity: Original Sin 2 is so expansive and elaborate that even with this list, there’s going to be a lot for you to learn, but the most important lesson is just to experiment. That might mean using the teleportation spell creatively to loot corpses that are out of reach, for instance. If it seems like you can do something, there's a good chance you can, so you may as well try.
Divinity Original Sin 2 is a fantastic RPG experience, but like any game, it can be improved upon with the right mod or mods. Luckily, the amazing modding community is on the case and doing just that. Here are the best Divinity Original Sin 2 mods you can’t play without!
Best Divinity Original Sin 2 Mods
Heleane Class Mods
Even with the many classes available to play in the base game, hardcore players of Divinity Original Sin 2 may find themselves in need of a few new options for more variety in their replays. For this, they can turn to the class mod or mods available from Heleane.
Providing characters with full re-skins and new abilities, these mods allow players to take on the role of Vampires and Succubi, each with their own unique spins on absorption and draining abilities from other classes. Dive into each battle like a wraith in a horror film, sucking the life out of enemies and darting to and fro with special mobility skills meant to allow you to become as shadow.
Best Divinity Original Sin 2 Mods
Greed
Sometimes, the simplest mods can provide the best boons. Case in point: the Greed mod, which offers more variety in loot drops for Divinity Original Sin 2 players who choose to use it. Not only does this increase the drop rate of more powerful and useful weapons, but it increases the rate of discovering something new across every field of equipment and items.
Gone will be the days of grinding without end for a new item, replaced by a few hours of fighting against enemies for a new blade or amulet that gives your character the edge in future battles. It does take a bit of the chance out of the game, but with the time you’ll have for other quests and characters, it’ll be a worthy sacrifice.
Best Divinity Original Sin 2 Mods
Vanity
Let’s be frank: While some Divinity Original Sin 2 players could care less about how their character and their equipment looks, many more will actively hamper their abilities to maintain a certain look or aesthetic. This can be resolved, however, with the Vanity mod, an enhancement which alters the appearance of mixed armor pieces to match and look more natural.
No longer will your character look like a ramshackle mess of mettle, leather and glowing magical bits; instead, it’ll all flow together into an outfit worthy of a chosen hero of the gods. Better still, the mod will apply to any new equipment gained and equipped as well, making it so that your character will never look unfashionable again.
Best Divinity Original Sin 2 Mods
Free Pet Pal Talent
Another simple but sweet mod, the Free Pet Pal mod offers Divinity Original Sin 2 players the Pet Pal talent free of charge, allowing them to chat and converse with furry companions right from the get-go. No longer will you have to wander the lands of this 100-plus hour adventure, able only to talk with humans, elves and other races.
Instead, you can take to the high roads and converse with dogs, cats and bears alike, assisting them in everything from obtaining a tasty treat to tracking down a lost mate who wandered off into the wilds for an unknown reason. It’s a simple way of opening up the game and providing more quest content to take part in, and with this mod, everyone can be sure they won’t miss out on it.
Best Divinity Original Sin 2 Mods
Fast Run Speed
Divinity Original Sin 2 is a big game; not just in the content it offers, but in the actual size of the world it contains and how long it takes to trek and schlep across it. Dozens upon dozens of hours can be spent traversing the overworld alone, adding to the already sizable amount of time players will spend playing the game. With the help of the Fast Run Speed mod though, this becomes a far less prescient problem.
Increasing any character’s running speed by 25 percent, you’ll be shocked at how much time you save getting to where you need to go, zipping across the overworld and through environments to get to the action of the game as soon as possible. It should be noted, though, that this mod does not apply to combat, where your character’s speed will return to normal.
That’s it! Those are the best Divinity Original Sin 2 mods. What are some of your favorite mods to play Divinity Original Sin 2 with? Let us know in the comments below, and check out some of our guides for the best ways to make your way through the game.
The second character and the only Undead that can join your team (provided that you didn't select this character as yours). He can be found on a small field located east from the beach. In this chapter, you can find information about the character itself, classes that are available to him (along with their descriptions) as well as a recommended class if you want to choose Fane as your main character or a companion.
Recommended classes for Fane
Fane works great as:
- Inquisitor - since this character is invulnerable to Bleeding and Poison effects, he is well-suited for fighting in the first line. The best class for that is Inquisitor which gives him access to Blood Sucker and Mosquito Swarm abilities - the first allows Fane to heal himself by absorbing a nearby pool of blood (which is created by him when he attacks an enemy) and the second ability heals him while hurting Fane's enemy.
- Rogue, Shadowblade, Wayfarer or Ranger - all of these classes focus on dealing damage at a cost of health which means that they can be quickly killed by an enemy. Play Dead ability is invaluable here - if there are any troubles you can activate it which makes an enemy lose their interest in Fane and then you can continue fighting in the next turn.
Basic information
Name | Description |
Gender | Male |
Race | Human Undead |
Tags | Undead, Human, Male, Mystic, Scholar, Fane |
Talents | Undead - this character is invulnerable to Bleeding and Poison (damage received from Poison heal that character), however, regular healing effects deal them damage. Ingenious - a character receives +2 to Initiative and +5% to critical hit chance. |
Unique trait | Thanks to Mask of the Shapeshifter he can change his race into Elf, Human, Dwarf or Lizard. He can also picklocking without lockpicks. |
Comments - Tags are used during conversations with other NPCs which give access to unique dialog lines.
Special abilities
Icon | Name | Description |
Play Dead | This ability is available to all Undead. It allows a character to play dead - all enemies automatically lose interest in that character and if this was the only character that participated in a fight then this ability ends a battle. This effect lasts 3 turns or until you perform another action. | |
Time Warp | This ability is available only to Fane. He can inflict an effect on an allied unit that gives them an additional turn - when AP of that character are depleted they receive a new turn and a complete set of AP. |
Classes available for Fane
Fane has access to 14 classes which are described in the table below. In case of a class that is for a player (if you want your main character to be Fane) you can freely modify his starting abilities and attributes. However, if you choose a class for him as your companion then you can't change anything.
Class | Starting bonuses | Starting abilities and talents | Starting weapons |
Battlemage | +1 Strength +1 Intelligence +1 Constitution +1 Aerotheurge +1 Warfare +1 Persuasion | Blinding Radiance Battering Ram Shocking Touch Comeback KidTalent - if a character's health drops to 0, they will be revived with 20% of their maximum health points. This effect can be activated only once per battle - if a character was revived with a scroll then this talent can be activated again. | 2x Sharp Stone on a Stick <br>(a single-handed axe, 4-5 physical damage) |
Cleric | +1 Strength +1 Intelligence +1 Constitution +1 Hydrosophist +1 Necromancer +1 Bartering | Decaying Touch Restoration Blood Sucker HotheadTalent - when a character has 100% of health, they get +10% bonus to critical hit chance and +20% to Accuracy. | Claw Hammer (a single-handed club, 4-5 physical damage) Makeshift Shield (a shield, 6 magic armor and 8 physical armor) |
Conjurer | +1 Intelligence +2 Constitution +1 Summoning +1 Loremaster +1 Leadership | Conjure Incarnate Dimensional Bolt Elemental Totem Pet PalTalent - allows this character to speak with animals. | Makeshift Wand (a wand, 2-3 damage from a random element) |
Enchanter | +2 Intelligence +1 Constitution +1 Hydrosophist +1 Aerotheurge +1 Loremaster | Electric Discharge Hail Strike Rain Far Out ManTalent - increases range of scrolls and spells by 2 meters. | Improvised Staff (a staff, 5-7 damage from a random element) |
Fighter | +1 Strength +2 Constitution +1 Warfare +1 Geomancer +1 Bartering | Battle Stomp Bouncing Shield Fortify OpportunistTalent - allows a character to perform additional attack when an enemy passes them by. | Knife On a Stick (a single-handed sword, 4-5 physical damage) Makeshift Shield (a shield, 6 magic armor and 8 physical armor) |
Inquisitor | +1 Strength +1 Intelligence +1 Constitution +1 Warfare +1 Necromancer +1 Telekinesis | Blood Sucker Battering Ram Mosquito Swarm ExecutionerTalent - gives a character 2 AP after performing an attack that kills an enemy. The effect can be activated once per turn. | Makeshift Club (a two-handed club, 6-7 physical damage) |
Knight | +2 Strength +1 Constitution +1 Warfare +1 Two-Handed +1 Bartering | Battle Stomp Battering Ram Crippling Blow OpportunistTalent - allows a character to perform additional attack when an enemy passes them by. | Cracked Twohander <br>(a two-handed sword, 6-7 physical damage) |
Metamorph | +2 Strength +2 Finesse +1 Two-Handed +1 Polymorph +1 Persuasion | Tentacle Lash Chicken Claw Bull Horns OpportunistTalent - allows a character to perform additional attack when an enemy passes them by. | Wooden Pitchfork (a spear, 6-7 physical damage) |
Ranger | +2 Finesse +1 Wits +1 Huntsman +1 Pyrokinetic +1 Lucky Charm | Ricochet Peace of Mind Elemental Arrowheads Arrow RecoveryTalent - gives a character 33% chance to recover a special arrow after using it. | Twig With a String (a bow, 5-6 physical damage) |
Rogue | +2 Finesse +1 Constitution +1 Scoundrel +1 Sneaking +1 Dual Wielding | Throwing Knife Backlash Adrenaline The PawnTalent - gives a character 1 additional AP point per turn. This point can be spent on movement and it's granted at the beginning of each turn. | 2x Shiv (a dagger, 3-4 physical damage) |
Shadowblade | +2 Finesse +2 Wits +1 Scoundrel +1 Polymorph +1 Thievery | Chameleon Cloak Backlash Chicken Claw Guerilla Talent - increases character's damage by 40% while they are Sneaking. Doesn't work while using effects that cast Invisibility. | Shiv (a dagger, 3-4 physical damage) |
Wayfarer | +2 Finesse +1 Intelligence +1 Huntsman +1 Geomancer +1 Bartering In fact, when they are posed together, they don’t look that different from something you would see from Episode IV. Star wars incinerator trooper. All three figures in this set look great when posed together. | Pin Down Fossil Strike Elemental Arrowheads Talent Pet Pal - allows this character to speak with animals. | Toy Crossbow (a crossbow, 6-7 physical damage) |
Witch | +1 Finesse +1 Intelligence +1 Constitution +1 Scoundrel +1 Necromancer +1 Persuasion | Raise Bloated Corpse Chloroform Mosquito Swarm Talent Leech - heals a character when they stand in pool of blood. | Shiv (a dagger, 3-4 physical damage) |
Wizard | +2 Intelligence +1 Constitution +1 Pyrokinetic +1 Geomancer +1 Loremaster | Searing Daggers Fossil Strike Ignition Talent Far Out Man - increases range of scrolls and spells by 2 meters. | Makeshift Wand (a wand, 2-3 damage from a random element) |
Last updated on October 21st, 2018
Divinity: Original Sin 2 is in full swing, and one of the major issues players are having with the game is Builds. What Build do I use? What’s a good Build for a Warrior? Ranger? Mage? etc. Since the game is extremely difficult this has come much more into focus than one would expect. In this Build Guide were going to cover the hybrid: Ranger. Let’s jump into this Build and see just how it works.
Ranger – Archer/Summoner Build
The Ranger is a hybrid Build that focuses on ranged damage with a Bow or Crossbow and Summoning some form of “Pet”. The reason it is advised that you use a ranged character when Summoning is because Summoning tends to take up the bulk of your character’s AP per turn, which doesn’t leave much for Movement. Taking a ranged approach will allow you to both summon and attack in the same turn. Note: you can also make a magical version of this Build called a Druid, which I will get into in another Build Guide. For the purposes of the Ranger, Ifan ben-Mezd works the best as he comes with a pet Wolf, which works great with this Build because Summoning will increase its effectiveness. However, players can really use any Race or Origin for this Build if they wish.
The stats of a level 14 Ranger (mid game) that is about 50/50 into Ranged and Summoning. Your character sheet will look lower than a pure Archer, but you have a summon that will also shell out a good bit of damage.
Ranger Attributes and Equipment
Ranger’s are going to focus on Finesse and Wits as their primary Attributes with a bit of Constitution. Finesse will increase your damage with Bows and Crossbows. Wits will increase your Critical Chance and Initiative. Constitution will help keep you alive. There is not an Attribute that increases the damage of “Pets” so there is no need to focus on that here. I would distribute points on a 2:1:1 ratio here.
Finesse is your go to for damage, with Wits following up for Critical and Initiative. There is not Attribute that improves Summoning, so you are free to determine what sort of Summoner you will play.
As a Ranger you’ll be using Armour that requires Finesse, which gives a balance of Magic and Physical Armour. That’s great for this type of play because you won’t have really any way to buff your Armour unless you place points into other Abilities. Because you’ll have rather high Wits, you should get to go close to first in combat often, which will allow you to use Skills to position yourself high and away from melee enemies, making your only real danger other archers and casters.
When it comes to Weapons you’ll want either a Bow or Crossbow. The difference between the two, is that Crossbows deal more damage at the same level, but reduces Movement by 1. Since you won’t be moving much, a Crossbow is recommended here, but be sure to take whatever does the most damage from what is available.
You can see the damage difference on Bow and Crossbow here. Both level 13 rare. Crossbows will always do slightly more damage, but they will always reduce Movement.
Ranger Abilities and Talents
One of the hardest parts about making a Build in Divinity: Original Sin 2 is getting your Abilities distribution correct. It’s easy to get spread too thin, and often people make the mistake of not spreading points around enough. The bonuses you gain from Abilities in this game are somewhat different than the original, so it’s easy to see why people can get confused. Let’s take a look at what Abilities and Talents you need for a Ranger.
For a Ranger Build you will be focusing on Ranged and Summoning. You’ll want to get both Ranged and Summoning to 10, Huntsman at 3 and then dump any leftover points into Warfare to increase your physical damage. However, I do recommend placing one point into Warfare early on, so that you can take the Executioner Talent. The order in which you place points into Ranged and Summoning will really depend on how you like to play. Do you want to deal more damage with your Crossbow with sort of a pet as and after thought? Do you want to split the points evenly? Or do you want a really powerful pet while you use your Crossbow to not be completely useless? It’s all really up to you, and you can always respec if you don’t like the decision you have made after Act 1. If you’re not sure, I’d recommend splitting them until you get a feel for it.
As far as Talents go I’d recommend the following:
Far Out Man – This will increase the range of your attacks by 2 meters (basic attacks included). Since you won’t be moving a lot, being able to hit from as far away as possible is excellent.
Elemental Ranger – This Talent will add 40% damage to your attacks of the element that your target is standing in. This is additional damage, on top of your normal damage.
Executioner – Archers have some the best long range damage in the game, and as a result they frequently get kills. Taking this Talent will give you 2 more AP if you get a kill, however, it doesn’t trigger more than once per turn.
Arrow Recovery – Gives you a 33% chance to recover special arrows you fire at enemies. You won’t be using these as much as the first game, and that’s why it is prioritized less here. Still more useful than most Talents for a Ranger though.
Pet Pal – What kind of Ranger would you be without being able to converse with animals? If chose Ifan ben-Mezd during Character Creation, then you will come with this Talent already.
Hothead – An excellent way to increase your Critical Chance and Accuracy, which are both important to a Ranger. Since you will have high Initiative, you should be able to get some good use out of this Talent.
Ranger Skills
Now that you’ve decided which Talents and Abilities you want, you’ll need to identify just which Skills work best with this kind of setup. Rangers are one of the more simple Builds to play, and you can really use just about any Skills from Huntsman or Summoning you want, but we’ll cover the important ones here. Since Builds evolve over the course of the game, I’m going to put the Skills in order from earliest obtainable to latest, because you won’t be able to get them all right way.
Huntsman Skills
First Aid – This skill is just frankly wicked good. Heals you or a party member and removes many different Status Effects. All Rangers should have this skill, regardless of what sort they play.
Ricochet – Not the greatest Huntsman skill, but you should learn it early in order to have some attack other than just your basic one. Consider unslotting it later in the game when you have more access to Skills.
Tactical Retreat – This is another must have skill for any Ranger, as it will allow you to move much further than you possibly could for 1 AP. Use this skill to get up high, get bonus damage from elevation and get out of harm’s way.
Sky Shot – This skill is good for getting extra damage when you can’t be elevated. It’s got a quick cooldown, and it only costs 2 AP. You might find this skill less useful later on when you find you are more tactical than at the beginning.
Ballistic Shot – Better than Sky Shot because you can be elevated and still get extra damage from this skill. Get up high using Tactical Retreat and then launch this for massive damage.
Marksman’s Fang – Great for penetrating Armour and hitting multiple targets. Even better when used in conjunction with Ifan’s Soul Wolf, because it’s special attack Vicious Bite pierces Armour as well.
Arrow Spray – This skill deals amazing damage if you are close enough to hit your target with all 16 arrows and will essentially deal 6.5x the damage of a basic attack. A great boss killer!
Summoning Skills
Conjure Incarnate – This is your go-to summon for the better part of the game. Can be infused with elements to change damage types and Skills. Get this one early and always cast at the beginning of combat.
Farsight Infusion – Grants your Incarnate Magic Armour and a ranged attack. A great skill to use if you’re facing a lot of mage type enemies, or if the battlefield is a shit show and your Incarnate can’t really move without dying.
Power Infusion – Grants your Incarnate Physical Armour and an AoE as well as a knockdown. Just a great all around skill, that can help you take one turn away from the opponent.
Soul Mate – This skill clears many Status Effects and creates a connection that gives half of your healing and Armour restoration to the target. This is a great way to help keep your pet alive.
Dominate Mind – Control target enemy for 2 turns. This is resisted by Magic Armour, which isn’t the greatest for this sort of Build. However, this skill is too good not to slot, as you can always cast on targets damaged by your Mage.
Final Tips
Consider adding some points into Necromancer and taking the talent Living Armour if you find yourself using Soul Mate often. This will ensure you get the most from this skill and having a few points into Necromancer is always good for any character anyway. This will also provide you access to the summons of the Necromancer line as well, though you shouldn’t need them.
The only way to buff damage of summoned characters, besides putting points into Summoning, is by increasing the actual Attributes of the summoned character with buffs. Encourage can give your “Pets” around a 10% damage increase, which isn’t a lot, but Encourage hits multiple targets so it’s very useful. Make sure at least one member in your party has this skill.
Since Rangers often need to spend a lot of AP on the first turn to get out their summons and get into position, consider putting 1 point into Scoundrel to get the Adrenaline skill. This will give you 2 extra AP to get what you need done at the cost of some AP next turn. Also, if you don’t want to pick Ifan ben-Mezd, I strongly suggest picking an Elf for the Flesh Sacrifice skill, which will also give you 1 additional AP to get you going. Flesh Sacrifice also has great synergy with Elemental Arrowheads, as you will gain a physical damage bonus from the blood you will create, so be sure to slot this if you play as an Elf.
You can get the skill Summon Cat Familiar if the Black Cat chooses your character, and you help it escape Fort Joy. You can get Summon Condor from Featherfall in Stonegarden (Act 2). You will need Pet Pal and some Persuasion in order to get this skill. You can get the skill Summon Dragonling much later in the game in the Dream Portal in Arx if you have The Red Prince in your party. None of these are required for this Build, but if you’d like to try out some different summons, these are some you could choose from. Note: you can only have one active summons at a time per character.
Lastly, if you don’t mind putting a point into Pyrokinetic, Haste is a really good skill for a Ranger. You can either use it on yourself or on your “Pet”, but the Movement won’t do you a lot of good. Your Incarnate, Wolf, Condor or what have you can make good use of it though getting where they need to go without spending much AP. It also only costs 1 AP, which isn’t much.
Check out our other Build Guides and good luck Sourcerers, Rivellon is counting on you!