Bows in Salt and Sanctuary are one of the many Weapon types a player can choose from. They are used for ranged attacks and consume arrows upon firing. You can equip up to two kinds of ammo at once. Since bows require two hands to use, their best use is for picking off enemies where they can't reach you.
Bow users can block attacks (though not well) and can even parry, but cannot riposte against stunned enemies.
Bows
| Name & Icon | Attack | Dex Scale | Wis Scale | Special | Wgt | Class |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Self Bow |
8.0 | D | - | - | 3 | 0 |
 Vilehawk Bow |
10.0 | D | - | - | 8 | 1 |
 Bloodwood Bow |
10.0 | C | - | - | 7 | 2 |
 Aegis Greatbow |
12.0 | C | - | - | 9 | 3 |
 Recurve Bow |
10.0 | B | - | - | 8 | 4 |
 Gravewalker Greatbow |
9.0 / 9.0 | D | B | Holy | 24 | 5 |
Bows are not bad....It's just that even on a dex build, they tend to be vastly outclassed by guns in term of damage. That said, bows have the longest range in the game, and you can spam faster than guns. They're not bad at kiting enemies, so there's that. I mean if you really wanna go full try-hard bow build, buy the best arrows, and have the max scaling you can get. I personally felt the only bow worth the damage is the gravewalker greatbow with high faith and high dex. This one has actually decent damage especially when buffed with more holy dmg...but it's obscenely heavy in comparison to all the other bows. Bottom line is, they're a bit boring, not very strong but is still a decent range option.
- Anonymous
I'm using a bow-based build for co-op right now to handicap myself so my friend doesn't feel insignificant (previously I was a mage and he was barely able to participate)
- Anonymous
I have been struggling through the game with bows... Actually, it's not too bad so far in the early game. Takes a lot of hits compared to a Shrouded Bulwark build, but you can use the range and wear no armor for some super fast rolling.
The Three seems like the best starting creed for a Dex build because they have the Shock and Fire buff items, and it's easy to get the first 4 items from the Leader. I didn't see much point in going into Stone Roots, you can buy Poison Arrows already.
So far, I'm putting as many points as possible into Dex for very little return, but I think without Dex I'd be better off throwing potatoes. What seems to work for me is getting all 3 Dex upgrades per node before moving on so you aren't wasting a lot of levels on Endurance and Willpower trying to reach the far corners of the skill tree.
You'll probably have an easier time with a Dex based melee secondary, like a Dagger or Tachi or Whip.
Flaming arrows are usually not worth the x3 cost of regular arrows, but if you have no buffs they are OK vs fire-weak enemies. Basically only find them useful for Poison Cytoplasms early game.
Aegis Greatbow seems to be the best. All Components are available in the Dome, has the highest base attack for buffing (not sure how Gravewalker bow works with buffs), and compared to the Recurve at 50 Dex, you only lose a fraction of a point of damage. If not using buffs, use the Recurve because lighter.
Tarnished Coronet is available pretty quick and looks like it increases damage by about 10%, but you won't see the increase in your stats until you equip it.
Relentless Ring appears to have no effect with bows and rolling. I'm getting same number of shots and rolls to deplete stamina.
The real question is "why play an archer over a barrage mage?" My mage does ridiculous damage from the same distances, it's easier to aim barrage spells, you have other options with incantations, lots of items to help you do more damage for longer... The only advantage is never running out of focus. Even other builds can be more survivable AND do more damage. I have a Paladin that's mostly Endurance who can tank anything with her shield, then do 300 damage with her buffed Obsidian Pillar when she has an opening with one swing.
- Anonymous
It is very difficult to aim. Is there a way to lock-on to enemies?
Bows are severly underrated in Classic, but I guess that goes for DEX builds in general because people keep comparing everything to the options that melt bosses in 3 seconds. In these comparisons players will always talk about how STR weapons perform when buff stacking, but for some reason they'll simultaneously ignore that buff stacking is amazing for DEX weapons too, despite the lower base damages, because well... buff stacking in Classic was just that ******* good.
But hey, don't take my word at face value, instead try it for yourself. Grab the early bow, buy arrows, use the early buffs you find, aim for the Aegis, join Splendor and invest some WIS to start building towards Divine Blessed Weapon.
When you combine Golden Wine + Divine Blessed Weapon it feels like you're hitting your enemies with miniature trucks: most normal mobs die in a few arrow hits before they can close the distance, and the fact bows are so spammable means they also trivialize the vast majority of the boss fights. Seriously, I just run from one corner of the arena to the other and most bosses are a non-issue.
Have a backup DEX weapon on your secondary loadout and you're set.
They may not have the damage potential of something like Flint&Steel (which can kill Disemboweled Husk in like 4 shots when properly built), but they can still hit surprisingly hard for the range they have.
So I seriously disagree that they needed to be buffed in Enhanced to the point of doubling the damage in some of the bows: in my opinion the bad rep they got is more due to the average player not knowing how to use them properly and comparing them with broken weapons that oneshot things right of the bat.
My only gripe is that I wish there was a way to get the Gravewalker's one earlier on, instead of being practically relegated to NG+.
0
+10
-1