D&D 5E (2024) Ranger sub-class that make somewhat decent melee?

[Minigiant]

All Rangers are decent at melee, they just are not good at it.

Rangers are decent at melee. Good with good magic items.

The key to rangers is not their melee damage. It's that they can have high melee damage while maintaining a great ranged attack. Ranger is the best class at being good at melee and range. Especially in 2025 when you have extra slots freed up and the attack arrow spells and magic weapon lack concentration

 

[Kobold Stew]

All of the 2024 PHB options give you something solid enough up to level 11 or so. After that, the benefits tail off.

1. beast master gives you a pet to fight alongside. No real damage bookst, but tactical control and fun.
2. Fey wanderer +1d4 once per turn. This is the weakest for combat, but lots of out of combat flexibility.
3. Gloom Stalker: exactly what you ask for: +2d6 WIS/long rest times, and a bonus to initiative. If you play human you get a free feat that could be used for Magic Initiate Wizard, and that gives you access to Shield or Find Familiar as well as some cantrips.This is your strongest option.
4. Hunter: colossus slayer gives you +1d8 once per turn as long as the creature you hit isn't at full HP.

Combined with Hunter's Mark, you are doing solid melee damage if you want, and it can be built with Wis, Str, or Dex as your primary as long as Dex is at least 14.

 

[Horwath]

All Rangers are decent at melee, they just are not good at it.

I don't think a single class Ranger will ever be good at most levels past level 4 compared to other classes that get extra attack. I think if you want them to be good you need to multiclass them. Dipping Paladin, taking lots of Rogue levels or taking 8 levels of Cleric after getting extra attack can make them good.

best ability of 15th level ranger?

14 levels of anything else.

 

[Minigiant]

best ability of 15th level ranger?

14 levels of anything else.

The Ranger Dilemma

Most people want to be a Ranger but play Rogue with Martial weapons and Medium armor.

 

[TiQuinn]

I played a Horizon Walker (5e) up to level 20 and never felt like I was dragging when it came to melee combat. It really comes down to how bothered you are about Hunter’s Mark taking up your bonus action. For me, I was fine with the second round being when I brought the most damage which would be a combo of Weapon damage + Hunter’s Mark + Planar Warrior. At 9th level, you’re adding in Haste. At 11th, Distant Step has your PC teleporting all around the battle dishing out damage. For me, it was a very satisfying character class to play.

 

[WilliamCQ]

Distant Step has your PC teleporting all around the battle dishing out damage

If you mean after your dispatched the enemy you're dealing with that seems interesting, otherwise my goal is plain meleeing: dishing and taking damage up close.

 

[TiQuinn]

If you mean after your dispatched the enemy you're dealing with that seems interesting, otherwise my goal is plain meleeing: dishing and taking damage up close.

I used Distant Step to take out multiple weaker targets scattered across the map rather than focus all attacks on a single target, but it can also be used to finish off one opponent and then get into another opponent’s face even if you’ve used all of your movement though that would be a bit more situational given it’s a 10 foot range before the attack.

 

[Minigiant]

If you mean after your dispatched the enemy you're dealing with that seems interesting, otherwise my goal is plain meleeing: dishing and taking damage up close.

So far

Only the Hunter and the Winter Walker has both offense and defense in the subclass.

Offense
Hunter: 1d8 once per turn on injured target
WW: 1d4 Cold once per target

Defense
Hunter: Disadvantage on Opportunity Attacks or Consecutive Attacks
WW: 1d10 + Level THP when you cast HM

One is better Offensively one is better Defensively.

But like rangers it really depends on what strategy you plan to use. Or if the DM mixes up enemy tactics

 

[Horwath]

4. Hunter: colossus slayer gives you +1d8 once per turn as long as the creature you hit isn't at full HP.

Combined with Hunter's Mark, you are doing solid melee damage if you want, and it can be built with Wis, Str, or Dex as your primary as long as Dex is at least 14.

with melee hunter, I would go with Cleave mastery weapon, bosses are usually flanked by their minions, just make normal attack vs boss, Cleave mastery against a minion, that will trigger horde breaker for another attack vs boss.

 

[Mephista]

Levels 1-4, a TWFing Ranger is actually considered to be one of the best damage dealers, if not THE best. Levels 5-9? A bit trickier, since so many of the best combat spells for a Ranger are going to be Concentration.

I've seen people put together a Warcaster + Duel Wielding feat mix, then using their spell slots to cast Summon Beast or Conjure Animals, then going to town with four melee attacks. That's going to usually be late-game for most campaigns, but they seem to enjoy it, so no judgement here.

You can also plant a H.M. on a boss, then spend the following turns not worrying about it dropping.