2025 Arcane Archer from Unearthed Arcana: Bullseye or Misfire?
Transcribed content from our recent YouTube video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BvX8XJ7leKc&t=1s&ab_channel=EternityTTRPG
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Meet the 2025 Arcane Archer—no longer just elves with bows. Now they can wield any ammo‑based weapon, deal scaling magic damage, and manipulate the battlefield like dedicated spellcasters. But does this overhaul truly hit the mark? Let’s find out.
Hey everyone, welcome back to Eternity TTRPG. Today we’re shooting straight at the new Arcane Archer from Unearthed Arcana. Since 2017’s Xanathar’s Guide, this Fighter subclass has been overshadowed by melee‑centric options—but Wizards just buffed it hard in their latest UA Arcane Subclasses playtest.
Time to ask: is this the ranged spotlight the subclass always deserved?
Arcane Archer Lore now grants proficiency in both
Arcana and
Nature, plus either Prestidigitation or Druidcraft—strengthening its elven‑archer ancestry, but broadening its identity.
Previously, Arcane Shot was limited to bows, and could only be used twice per rest.
Now, you can channel effects through any Ammunition‑property weapon (blowguns, slings!), with uses tied to your Intelligence modifier, and feature a scaling “Arcane Shot Die.”
This isn’t just incremental—it's a quantum leap in design. The subclass now scales with you, not sealed off after two shots.
Here’s some other new, critical features to the class:
Ever‑Ready Shot is now at Level 7 (instead of 15), giving Arcane Archers a much earlier safety net to stay magically effective in more fights. With this ability, when you roll initiative and have no uses of Arcane Shot left, you regain one use automatically.
Improved/ Powerful/ and Masterful Shots:
these are tiered upgrades to Arcane Shot that progressively increase your Arcane Shot Die from a d6 (base) to a d8 at level 10, a d10 at level 15, and a d12 at level 18—boosting the damage and effectiveness of every magical shot.
These features didn’t exist in the 2017 version at all—this is a brand-new scaling mechanic to make the subclass’s magical damage grow meaningfully with your level.
These two updates together ensure that each arcane archer level feels meaningful. The earlier and more frequent upgrades basically round out the subclass.”
Just as a quick interjection, it’s worth noting as well that “Arcane Shot” is far more advanced than it was, say back in 3.5edition. Now, you have a variety of arcane shots, including “banishing shot” (which ads psychic damage and forces a Charisma save. On a fail, the target is banished until the end of their next turn). There’s also “seeking shot” (where you choose a creature you've seen in the past minute; the ammo seeks them out, flying around corners and ignoring cover) and a host of others that make your “arcane shots” do a huge number of interesting things both in and out of combat.
When it comes to the upgrades to ever ready shot and masterful shots, Dungeon Mister has praised these changes, saying they’re: "quality of life improvements...[that] take what was a poor subclass, up to being a more decent one on par with the Battle Master.”
Reddit users are also generally optimistic. The overall vibe is that the “New Arcane Archer looks good. Been waiting for that.”
Okay, so the new Arcane Archer is packed with magical power—but like any subclass, it comes with a few strings attached.
Issue #1: Intelligence Matters - Most Fighter builds focus on Strength or Dexterity to hit hard and take hits—but the Arcane Archer needs Intelligence too, because all your magical shots rely on it for saving throw DCs.
If you don’t invest in Intelligence, enemies will resist your effects more often. And in campaigns nowadays where min-maxing is “so important,” where you have to spread out your stats too thin, your stat investments might feel wasted.
Ok, on to Issue #2: Weapon Weirdness - One of the coolest changes is that you can now use any weapon with the Ammunition property—not just bows. That means blowguns, crossbows… even firearms, if your DM allows them.
But here’s the catch:
guns and ammo rules aren’t standard in every campaign. Your DM has to give the green light, and not every table runs with optional gear or rules.
So while the subclass is a powerhouse on paper, it takes a thoughtful build and a cooperative DM to really make it shine. Without those, your arrows might fall a little short.
Final verdict? Overall, the 2025 Arcane Archer nails the bullseye. It’s versatile, scales smoothly, has earlier impact, and remains flavorful—definitely the best version yet.
It definitely has more combative oomph, and less tabletop baggage.
If you want to test it, grab the Unearthed Arcana PDF and share your build ideas below. Don’t forget to like, subscribe, and ring the bell for more tabletop RPG coverage.
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Author - Jacob Tegtman
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