Special thanks to Hahnsoo
for putting together this awesome thread on GWOnline.net Original Link I broke it apart into sections so it would be easier to read.
I decided to make a thread that contains everything that I've written before on bows, all in a single thread. That way, I can just refer people to this thread when they ask questions. Without further ado:
"Everything you wanted to know about Bows, but were afraid to ask"
Last updated on September 7th, 2005
A) Overview ========================================== In general, there are 5 different "classes" of bows. Each bow class differs in the following characteristics: * Range * Refire Rate * Arc Size * Appearance * Armor Penetration (special)
The 5 classes of bows are: * Flatbow - includes some Ascalon Bows, Flatbows, and the Ithas Bow * Longbow - includes some Ascalon Bows, Longbows, and Storm Bows * Horn Bow - includes some Ascalon Bows, Horn Bow, Ivory Bows, and Shadow Bows * Composite Bow - includes some Ascalon Bows, Composite Bows, Dead Bows, Recurve Bow, and Eternal Bows * Short Bow - includes some Ascalon Bows, Half Moon Bows, and Short Bows.
Special Note on Ascalon Bows - Ascalon Bows given by the collectors tend to imitate one of the above bow classes. The appearance of the bow remains as a Flatbow/Longbow, but it can be either a Flatbow, a Long bow, a Composite Bow, or a Short bow as far as range, arrow speed, and rate of fire. You'll have to experiment to find out which one it is.
Most bows can be lumped into three categories of ranges: * Short range - Just within the "Aggro circle" on the Radar, around 55'. The only bow classes with this range is the Short Bow and Half Moon. * Medium range - Up to "Casting Range", which is just beyond the "Aggro circle" on the Radar, around 70'. The Horn Bow and Composite Bow classes dwell in this range. * Long range - Up to 1.5 times the distance of the "Aggro Circle" on the Radar, around 85'. The Longbow and Flatbow classes are in this range.
The first shot that you fire from a bow will always be 2.0 seconds in duration. However, after that initial shot, the rate of refire differs between the bow classes. There are generally 3 rates of refire: * Fast - approximately 2.0 seconds between shots. The Short Bow and Flatbow classes have the Fast refire rate. * Medium - approximately 2.5 seconds between shots. The Longbow and Composite Bow classes have the Medium refire rate. * Slow - approximately 2.7 seconds between shots. The Horn Bow class has the slow refire rate.
Arc size determines both Arrow Speed (how fast an arrow takes to hit its target) and accuracy (leeway of the target dodging shots) * High arc - Flatbows have the highest arc out of all of the bow classes. * Normal arc - Horn Bows, Longbows, and Short Bows all have a normal arc. Note that because a Shortbow has such a small range, the Normal Arc doesn't really have much of an appreciable effect on arrow speed. * Low arc - The Composite Bow class has the lowest Arc, and thus has the shortest time to target and fastest arrow speed, making Composite Bows the most accurate bow class.
Called Shot, Favorable Winds, Quick Shot (Elite), and Read the Wind will make the Arc size approximately the same as the Low arc of a Composite Bow.
There's no such thing as the "best bow". Each bow class has strengths and weaknesses. Short bows are great for overall damage, but are lacking in Range. Flatbows can also deal a similar amount of damage, but they are inaccurate at long range. Longbows are slow, but have a long range and normal arc. Composite bows are guaranteed to hit, but are merely average in other stats. Horn Bows do the most damage per single shot, but have the slowest refire rate of all the bows. My advice? Use a long range bow for pulling/luring, a short range bow for close combat, and a composite bow for interrupting.
There are two kinds of upgrades that you can apply to bows: Bow Strings, and Bow Grips. Each upgrade adds something to the name of the bow, and can be applied to any quality of item, from mundane to magical blue to rare purple/gold. You are more likely to find Purple and Gold items that are already upgraded with a bowstring or bow grip. You can only use one Bowstring and one Bow Grip to upgrade your bow. A new Bowstring or Bow Grip will overwrite the old mod, and you will lose the old mod permanently.
Bowstrings add "prefix" upgrades to a bow and include the following: * Ebon - Changes the bow damage from Piercing to Earth * Fiery - Changes the bow damage from Piercing to Fire * Icy - Changes the bow damage from Piercing to Cold * Poisoner's - Lengthens the duration of Poison by 33% * Shocking - Changes the bow damage from Piercing to Lightning * Sundering - has a random (5-10%) chance of having 10% armor penetration * Vampiric - -1 Health Degen, Steal life on hit (1-5 points) * Zealous - -1 Energy Regen, +1 Energy per attack
The only bowstring that doesn't see much use is the Sundering bowstring, due to the small percent chance of actually applying the effect. The elemental bowstrings are popular with Ranger/Elementalists who wish to take advantage of the Conjure lines. Zealous bowstrings are popular with Barrage spammers, as each arrow reclaims one point of energy. With a fast-firing bow and perhaps certain attack speed stances, zealous bows provide a quick method of Energy regeneration, especially for folks who don't use sustained enchantments. Poisoner's bowstrings are always popular among Rangers who use Poison Arrow and Apply Poison. The Vampiric bowstring is useful for a "bow switch", as the -1 Health degen can hurt over longterm use.
Bow Grips add "suffix" upgrades to a bow, and include the following: * Of Defense - adds Armor +4-5 * Of Shelter - adds Armor +4-7 (vs. physical attacks) * Of Warding - adds Armor +4-7 (vs. elemental attacks) * Of Charrslaying - adds Damage +10-20% (vs. Charr) * Of Deathbane - adds Damage +10-20% (vs. Undead) * Of Dwarfslaying - adds Damage +10-20% (vs. Dwarves) * Of Giantslaying - adds Damage +10-20% (vs. Giants) * Of Pruning - adds Damage +10-20% (vs. Plants) * Of Skeletonslaying - adds Damage +10-20% (vs. Skeletons) * Of Tenguslaying - adds Damage +10-20% (vs. Tengu) * Of Trollslaying - adds Damage +10-20% (vs. Troll) * Of Enchanting - Enchantments last 10-20% longer * Of Fortitude - adds Health +20-30 * Of Marksmanship - adds +1 Marksmanship (10-20% chance while using skills)
Fortitude and Defense/Shelter seem to be the most popular Bow Grips. Some Rangers who are also secondary spellcasters tend to prefer the Bow Grip of Enchanting.
Upgrades can often be salvaged from a bow using an Expert Salvage Kit. Expert Salvage Kits have a random chance of extracting either the Bowstring or the Bow Grip.
Which is the better bowgrip, "Of Defense" or "Of Fortitude"? ------------------------------------------------------------ There's an ongoing debate on which bowgrip is better for a Ranger in the long run. The bowgrip of popular choice seems to be a Bowgrip of Fortitude, as seen by the enormously inflated prices for a perfect Health +30 version. However, if you look at the numbers, Bowgrip of Defense with an Armor +5 reduces incoming damage to 91.7% of normal, which means about a 9% benefit. Even if the Fortitude grip is perfect at +30 HP, the benefit from the Fortitude grip amounts to about 5% to 7%, meaning that based on Armor Level alone, the Bowgrip of Defense looks like a better choice.
However, there are several situations in which a Bowgrip of Defense does not give any benefit. For example, Conditions and Hexes that apply Health Degeneration ignore armor, as do most Necromancer and Mesmer damaging spells. Also, Death Penalty applies to your base Health and Energy, while bonuses to Health and Energy remain the same. Thus, while the Bowgrip of Defense Armor bonus remains static, the utility of the Bowgrip of Fortitude actually increases as your Death Penalty goes up, by virtue of the fact that it is not reduced by Death Penalty, giving you a higher overall Health.
Still, it is FAR easier to find a cheap Armor +5 Bowgrip of Defense than it is to find a high level or perfect Bowgrip of Fortitude. Mostly, it boils down to personal preference. The Fortitude bonus always applies, regardless of the kind of damage that you take, but the Defense bonus provides a better long-term benefit.
There are also bowgrips of Shelter and Warding. Having any bowgrip is better than having no bowgrip, but these only protect against physical damage and elemental damage respectively. Neither protect against non-elemental damage like Light, Chaos, or Dark damage from wands and staves (the Bowgrip of Defense does protect against these types), and have the same caveats as stated for the Bowgrip of Defense above.
Certain bonuses cannot be gained from a Bow Upgrade. Instead, they are inherently part of a magical bow (typically Purple or Gold, although occasional blue bows do have these bonuses). The bonuses stack on top of the bonuses from upgrades. An ideal bow will have three magical bonuses: a prefix Bowstring modifier, a suffix bowgrip modifier, and an inherent modifier. Inherent bonuses include: * Damage +10-15% Armor -10 (while attacking) * Damage +10-15% Energy -5 * Damage +10-15% (while enchanted) * Damage +10-15% (while health is above 50%) * Damage +10-20% (while health is below 50%) * Damage +10-20% (while hexed) * Damage +10-15% (while in a stance) * Damage +10-15% (vs. hexed foes)
While the ranges seem rather wide, I've never seen a bonus below 10% or above 20%, other than some of the damage ranges seen on some of the special Collectors Bows. The +20% damage bows are extremely rare... expect to get +15% damage at the most (from a collector's bow), unless you get a lucky drop from a level 28 enemy.
While the best option is to get the most damaging bow with the modifier of choice (usually a +15% Damage mod of some kind), there are several other unique options for those looking for variety or a niche.
As of the Sept. 7 Update, the Henge of Denravi weapon crafter no longer makes an Armor: 10 bow. The Old Ascalon collectors don't seem to give +5 Energy bows, either, although it seems that they have been given a slight boost in damage.
The weapon smith at Droknar's Forge, Sarad, also offers a max damage version of a Longbow with +15% damage while in a stance.
If you preordered your game from Electronics Boutique, then you have access to a unique bow called the Ithas Bow. It does 13-25 damage and adds armor (much like the Henge of Denravi bow), but has two prerequisites of Marksmanship and Expertise of 10 each. It is in the Flatbow class.
There are several bows that only drop in the Temple of the Ages dungeons. These are the Shadow Bow, Eternal Bow, and Storm Bow. They have very neat-looking effects, cosmetically. The Storm Bow in particular sizzles with lightning. Each of these bows have their own stats. It is believed that the Storm Bow acts as a Long Bow, the Shadow Bow acts as a Horn Bow, and the Eternal Bow acts as a Composite/Recurve Bow, but this still has to be tested with multiple bows.
Bows do various ranges of damage based on their quality. Note that a Short Bow and a Longbow can do the exact same amount of damage. The class of bow does not influence the damage rating of the bow. The maximum damage range that a bow can have is 15-28. There are rumors of 16-28 bows out there, but 15-28 is the maximum you can expect.
In order to take advantage of the damage range listed on a bow, one needs to meet the prerequisite amount of Marksmanship required by the bow. Otherwise, the bow will behave as a "starter" bow of the same type, with greatly reduced damage.
Critical Hits always do maximum base damage of the bow. They also give the equivalent of -20 Armor Level reduction, increasing your damage by 41.42%. It is rumored that increasing Marksmanship increases your likelihood of Critical Hits, and that head hits produce more (or always produce) a critical hit, but these are not confirmed.
This is based on the excellent work done by SonOfRah, but it is subject to change.
The basic equation for Bow Damage is as follows: Actual Damage = (Base Damage) x (Bow Bonuses) x (Skill vs. Armor Level)
The Base Damage is picked from the effective damage range of the bow. For a max damage bow, this range is between 15-28. The Skill vs. Armor Level is based on a complex equation, but a couple of general rules apply: * Armor Level of 60 is the "base" armor level. An attack against an AL 60 does 100% of its usual damage, at a Marksmanship skill of 12. * Every 40 points above the "base" armor level halves the damage. Every 40 points below the "base" armor level doubles the damage. For example, Healing Signet causes one to take double damage because it reduces armor level by 40. * Every point of Marksmanship above/below 12 offsets 5 points of Armor Level in both directions. If you have an 11 Marksmanship and you are hitting a target with 60 AL, then it is the equivalent of attacking a person with a 65 AL at 12 Marksmanship. Since 8 points of attribute offsets 40 points of AL, you can expect a Marksmanship of 4 (8 points below 12) to do half damage against an AL of 60.
Bow bonuses are multiplied with this along with the Armor Level calculation. All damage is rounded to the nearest integer.
The bonus damage from skills is generally applied AFTER all armor and damage percentage bonuses from the bow are calculated into the equation. So if your bow skill lists a bonus damage of +10, then +10 damage gets directly added after calculations. This means that armor generally has no effect on the bonus damage done by Bow Attack skills.
The exceptions to this rule are Power Shot and Power Attack, for some reason, as those skills add to the Base Damage of the weapon rather than adding bonus damage after the calculations. This is important to know, because this means that Power Shot damage changes based on the armor level of the target. A highly armored target will take much less damage from a Power Shot, while a lightly armored target will take much more damage from a Power Shot.
Generally, max damage bows drop when you start killing level 18 or higher enemies. Lightning Drakes at the Gates of Kryta or Sanctum Cay, for example, can drop Max Damage bows on occasion. However, your best bet for finding a bow is to kill high level enemies with a Ranger class. Dune Burrowers and Enchanted Bows in the Crystal Desert are a couple of good examples.
Also, several types of unique bows drop in the Temple of the Ages dungeons, typically with maximum damage. Shadow Bows, Storm Bows, and Eternal Bows can be found there.
You can also buy a good bow from people selling at Lion's Arch and Ascalon City usually in District 1. Caveat Emptor. One person's "Godly" bow is the next person's "junk". I wouldn't spend more than 5,000 gold acquiring a max damage bow, as you can always add bow parts to improve an existing bow. Beware of scams to sell Customized weapons to you, as they cannot be used by anyone but the original user. If it says +20% Damage (Customized for "Seller's Name"), stay away from it.
List of Max Damage Ascalon Bows ------------------------------- There are many collectors that offer Max Damage Ascalon bows in the Crystal Desert and the Southern Shiverpeaks. Here are the items that they collect:
Crystal Desert -------------- Arid Sea * Sir Pohl Sandbert trades 5 Dune Burrower Jaws for Ascalon Bow 15-28 (req. 9 Marksmanship), +15% damage while Health is above 50% (Longbow)
Skyward Reach * John Verado trades 5 Topaz Crests for Ascalon Bow 15-28 (req. 9 Marksmanship), +15% damage while Health is above 50% (Composite bow) (just outside of Augury Rock) * Mourn Drakespur trades 5 Dessicated Hydra Claws for Ascalon Bow 15-28 (req. 9 Marksmanship), +15% damage while Health is above 50% (Short bow) (southwest of Destiny's Gorge)
Vulture Drifts * Karl Jakobs trades 5 Massive Jawbones for Ascalon Bow 15-28 (req. 9 Marksmanship), +15% damage while enchanted (Horn bow)
Southern Shiverpeaks -------------------- Lornar's Pass * Nord Stonegrimm trades 5 Frozen Shells for Ascalon Bow 15-28 (req. 9 Marksmanship), +15% damage while Health is above 50% (Longbow)
Mineral Springs * Trego Stonebreaker trades 5 Mountain Troll Tusks for Ascalon Bow 15-28 (req. 9 Marksmanship), +15% damage while Health is above 50% (Short bow) * Bariel Darkroot trades 5 Alpine Seeds for Ascalon Bow 15-28 (req. 9 Marksmanship), +15% damage while Health is above 50% (Composite bow)
Snake Dance * Hoknil the Lesser trades 5 Azure Remains for Ascalon Bow 15-28 (req. 9 Marksmanship) +15% damage while Enchanted (Horn Bow)
Witman's Folly * Mag Ironwall trades 5 Intricate Grawl Necklaces for Ascalon Bow 15-28 (req. 9 Marksmanship), +15% damage while enchanted (Flatbow) (just outside Port Sledge)
Where to find Collector's Items ------------------------------- * Dune Burrower Jaws - Dune Burrowers. Two good places: The beginning of Elona Reach mission, and the Scar, just outside of the Thirsty River exit. You can actually outrange the first couple of Dune Burrowers with a Longbow, thus giving you a "free" kill pretty easily. * Minotaur Horns - Minotaurs. The beginning of the Elona Reach mission is full of Minotaurs. Use Spike Mines and defensive skills to kill them quickly. * Topaz Crests - Sand Drakes. Diviner's Ascent, just out of Elona's Reach, you can beat up Sand Drakes. Fairly easy to solo. * Dessicated Hydra Claws - Hydras. Go to Skyward Reach...too many Hydras there. * Massive Jawbones - Sand Giants. I usually run around in the Southern part of the Arid Sea. Also, the entrance to Vulture Drifts from the Arid Sea has a huge group of them. Also, there are Giants in the beginning of Thirsty River, but those don't generally drop Jawbones often. * Frozen Shells - Frost Wurms. Yeah. Good luck... Find them in Lornar's Pass. * Mountain Troll Tusks - West of Droknar's Forge in Talus Chute, there's a cave FULL of Trolls. * Alpine Seeds - Low level 7-13 Juniper Barks give the appropriate Alpine Seeds, as do high level 24 Pinesouls do. Go into Lornar's Pass from Beacon's Perch and kill the Ice Imps and Pinesouls there. * Azure Remains - Beat up the many Azure Shadows in Snake Dance. * Intricate Grawl Necklaces - There are hordes of Grawl in Witman's Folly, so you should easily get these in one or two passes, even with a full party.
The game provides up to 4 weapon sets that can be switched during combat at any time. Because of this, it is fairly trivial to have multiple bows for various tactical situations. For example, I use a Flatbow in F1 and a Half-Moon in F3. The Flatbow allows me to pull targets at a much longer range, while I use the increased fire rate and arrow speed of the Half-Moon bow at close range. Another trick to use with multiple bows is to assign each bow a different elemental bowstring. Thus, if a creature is resistant to the element of the current bow, you can switch to a more appropriate element.
Another useful trick is having a Vampiric bow on the switch. When you need life, you can swap to the Vampiric bow, and when you don't need life, you won't suffer from the Health degen if you switch out.
Because one can only use one Preparation at a time, it is important to choose which preparation would be best for any given situation and for one's own personal style. Having multiple preparations, while versatile, certainly isn't efficient, and thus one should carefully consider which preparation is optimal.
* Kindle Arrows and Ignite Arrows are similar in scope (adds fire damage). Ignite Arrows does less damage, but applies the damage over an area. Kindle Arrows does more damage and cost less. It is difficult to ponder which one is better, as it is entirely situational. If you think that you are going to get swarmed by large groups of enemies, Ignite Arrows is probably better. If you want to do more damage per hit, go with Kindle Arrows. Both have reasonably long durations (24 seconds). * The two Interrupt preparations, Incindiary Arrows (Elite) and Choking Gas. Both of them have the disadvantage of having short durations, and thus having Practiced Stance (Elite) would be beneficial. Choking Gas only interrupts spellcasters, who are 90% of the targets of interrupts anyway. Both of these are quite effective, but may be redundant with existing interrupt bow attacks, and lack the spontaneity of Distracting Shot. * There are also two Damage over Time preparations, Apply Poison and Melandru's Arrows (Elite). Incindiary Arrows (Elite) also does a brief damage over time, but most people get it more for the interrupt capability. Apply Poison is a staple of many Rangers, simply because it is available much earlier than Poison Arrow, and does a decent amount of damage over time. Melandru's Arrows causes bleeding, but isn't available until much later in the game. Apply Poison has a reasonably long duration, just like the fire line of preparations, but it can also be used to add poison to melee attacks. * Read the Wind, the Markmanship cousin of all of these Wilderness Survival preparations. If you don't want to sink points into Wilderness Survival at all, then Read the Wind is a viable alternative. * Marksman's Wager (Elite) is also a preparation, but you will generally use Marksman's Wager only to reclaim Energy in short bursts. Thus, you will probably not use it as your main preparation. It is more of an "emergency Energy" skill.
Practiced Stance (Elite) is a way to get more bang for your preparation buck. It lowers the casting time of preparations (meh) and lengthens the duration (yay!). It's a stance, which means it's incompatible with the stances that are the staple of Ranger defense, and it's Elite which means it takes up your Elite slot.
In general, most people either choose Kindle/Ignite Arrows or Apply Poison, until they get one of the two late-game Elites, Poison Arrow and Barrage.
Pseudo-preparations ------------------- There are a few more ways that you can increase your damage with Bow attacks.
* Favorable Winds - Favorable Winds is an excellent "enchantment" in the Spirit line of Ranger skills. It lasts a long time, affects a large radius, and adds a significant amount of damage and arrow speed. Remember, this is a spirit, and thus also affects enemy arrows as well as all of your allies' arrows. * Winnowing - Another spirit that can add some physical damage to every hit. Same cavaets apply. * Conjure X - Conjure Flame, Conjure Lightning, and Conjure Frost all can add damage to bow attacks, similar to bow preparations. They cost a reasonable 10 mana and last for a whole minute. * Necromancer Curses - Weaken Armor and Mark of Pain can enhance your damage dealing capability, while Rigor Mortis prevents your shots from being blocked * Judge's Insight - This enchantment spell in the Smiting line has a fairly short duration, but provides a great benefit for your attacks by changing all of your damage to Holy damage and giving you 20% armor penetration, a great edge against Undead. * Fragility - Fragility applies damage to a creature if they gain or lose a status condition. Since one of the strengths of a ranger is applying Status conditions, Fragility combined with, say, Pin Down or Apply Poison can cause a world of hurt for a single targeted enemy.
