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Bows are generally not the best weapon in games like Elden Ring, since there is more of a focus on melee combat. Bows are slow, it’s easy to miss, they require ammunition, and their damage generally leaves a lot to be desired. To add to this list of negatives, in Elden Ring many bows are not compatible with the Ashes of War; which upgrade equipment. That being stated, these weapons have their uses, and players will come across situations where a bow is the most efficient weapon for dispatching enemies. What are the best bows in Elden Ring?
Updated May 26, 2022 by Jeff Drake: In the time since this article was published new bows have been discovered in Elden Ring. The original article’s limit of ten is insufficient considering how many bows are in this game. So, in an effort to make this list a bit more comprehensive five additional bows have been added in this update.
Bows, in general, have still not been made anywhere near as powerful as the melee weapons; especially toward the end of a playthrough. This will hopefully be addressed in future updates and can be fixed with better scaling and the ability to be infused with Ashes of War.
15 Serpent Bow
This is not only an excellent bow, but it’s possibly the most stylish bow in Elden Ring. The bow resembles two snakes wrapped around each other. The Serpent Bow has some properties that are unique among the bows - at least the ones found so far. Its primary ability is to add 15 poison damage build-up to every arrow.
The poison damage is great for causing continuous damage to stronger foes while the player evades their attacks and gets ready for another attack. This bow scales with Dexterity and cannot be infused with the Ashes of War.
14 Erdtree Bow
This is probably the best bow for a Faith build. That being stated, it would be nicer if this bow scaled with Faith a little better. The Erdtree Bow splits its damage between Physical (40) and Holy damage (50). This damage split can be good or bad depending on the target; however, the Erdtree Bow’s total damage is higher than most of the other bows in the same class.
This bow has the Mighty Shot ability, and cannot be infused with the Ashes of War. The Erdtree Bow can be found on the second floor of the Erdtree Sanctuary in Leyndell.
13 Black Bow
The Black Bow is a great choice due to it staying viable throughout the game. This bow operates as a light bow, but does the damage of a longbow. This allows the player to perform actions like jump-firing - firing an arrow during a jump and then firing another upon landing.
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Since the Black Bow acts as a light bow it also has the Barrage ability instead of Mighty Shot. Barrage is generally better, as it does more damage than Mighty Shot (in general). Like most bows, the Black Bow cannot be infused with the Ashes of War. Many players consider this to be the best bow in the game, and it’s easy to see why.
12 Horn Bow
This bow has quickly become a favorite among players. For starters, this is one of the few bows that can be infused with the Ashes of War. This makes the Horn Bow more versatile than most of the other bows on this list. The Horn Bow also does more base damage than any of the other longbows.
The Horn Bow splits its damage between Physical (65) and Magic (30) damage. Like the Erdtree Bow, this can be good or bad depending on the target. The Horn Bow, using the Rain of Arrows infusion and Dwelling arrows, can inflict significant damage on a group of enemies.
11 Full Moon Crossbow
The Full Moon Crossbow is a great option for a spellcaster in need of a ranged weapon; not that spellcasters are in need such things. This bow scales with Intelligence, and cannot be infused with Ashes of War; though, the best feature of the Full Moon Crossbow is its ability to enhance magic bolts.
Another, undocumented, bonus to using this crossbow is that it helps the player save their Focus Points (FP) until they’re really needed. This weapon allows for very effective and versatile builds; despite the in-game description labeling this crossbow “unique,” it can be dual-wielded. The only real drawback to the Full Moon Bow is that it has the Kick ability.
10 Lion Greatbow
Although the Lion Greatbow occupies the last spot on this list, it is still an excellent ranged weapon. Excluding ballistae, this greatbow does more base damage (120) than all the bow weapons except the Greatbow and Golem Greatbow. The Lion Greatbow also has fantastic range, which is an important factor to consider in Elden Ring.
Most bow weapons have one of three skills. The Lion Greatbow has a unique weapon skill – Radahn’s Rain. This ability allows the player to fire an arrow into the sky and have a rain of arrows come down around their character. However, this ability takes too long to perform and leaves the player vulnerable to attack. Radahn’s Rain does at least do enough damage to kill, or significantly wound, many of the lesser enemies.
9 Erdtree Greatbow
The secret to obtaining this greatbow is only just now beginning to get out among Elden Ring players. It involves using a bow to drop large pots on the moving chariot trap in the Tomb of Knowledge. The Erdtree Greatbow stands out among the bows by splitting its damage between physical damage (60) and Holy damage (65). As a greatbow, this weapon also has excellent range.
The Holy damage can be a double-edged sword; as some enemies are resistant to this type of damage. Another drawback to using the Erdtree Greatbow is that Ashes of War upgrades are not compatible.
8 Crepus’ Black-Key Crossbow
Crossbows need a little work in Elden Ring. They’re certainly better than they were in the Dark Souls games, but they still need a little balancing. The deal with crossbows in games, traditionally, is they offer a trade-off to players; they are slower to reload but more accurate and damaging than bows. In Elden Ring, crossbows do quite a bit less damage than bows – even many light bows have higher damage ratings.
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The Crepus’ Black-key Crossbow has the best range of the crossbows in Elden Ring. This will let the player snipe from a little further away. This weapon cannot be upgraded with Ashes of War.
7 Composite Bow
The Composite Bow is becoming a favorite among players. It doesn’t do a lot of damage (65); however, it can be fired fairly quickly. This bow can be obtained early into a game from a merchant near Bellum Church in Liurnia of the Lakes. The Composite Bow can be infused with Ashes of War.
This weapon has the Mighty Shot weapon skill. The Mighty Shot skill does a lot more damage than a standard shot but requires the player to draw the bow back fully before firing. This is the only light bow with the Mighty Shot skill. Since the Composite Bow is faster than most other bows, it allows the player to fire Mighty Shots faster than the larger bows that typically get this skill.
6 Red Branch Shortbow
In terms of base stats, the Red Branch Shortbow and the Composite Bow are identical. They both deal the same amount of damage (65), they both have the same range (29), and they both have the same Strength and Dexterity scaling. The only major difference between the two is their weapon skills.
Instead of getting Mighty Shot, like the Composite Bow, the Red Branch Shortbow has the Barrage skill. This skill allows a weapon to fire much faster than normal. In general, this skill isn’t as desirable as Mighty Shot, although Barrage does have one advantage. A barrage of arrows has a much better chance of inflicting a status ailment on an enemy than a single shot.
5 Greatbow
Many players use ranged weapons in Elden Ring to weaken enemies a little before switching to a melee option to kill the target. With the Greatbow, a player often doesn’t need to resort to melee at all. The Greatbow does a tremendous amount of damage (125) per shot, and it has outstanding range. In fact, the Greatbow’s damage is comparable to the heavier melee weapons. The Strength scaling for the Greatbow is also slightly better than most other bows.
The Greatbow has the Through and Through skill, which gives arrows the ability to penetrate and hit enemies behind the target. Enemies have a tendency to pursue the player character in a single-file line. It’s also not difficult to find narrow areas through which a player can make the enemies pass.
4 Pulley Bow
The Pulley Bow is arguably the best bow in Elden Ring, at least so far. This weapon has the best range (55) of the bows or crossbows currently available in Elden Ring. Having a long-range is perhaps the most important attribute for this type of weapon. A longer range allows for not only more shots before an enemy can close the distance to the tarnished, but it also lets the player pick off enemies without alerting any other enemies lurking nearby.
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This bow inflicts a lot of damage (77) for a non-greatbow. Mighty Shot is this weapon’s skill, and it works well with the Pulley Bow’s extended range. This weapon can be improved with Ashes of War.
3 Jar Cannon
The Jar Cannon is an actual cannon – like one that would be found on a pirate ship in the 19th century. This means two things; it deals an incredible amount of damage per shot (192), and it’s painfully slow to recharge. Fortunately, the Jar Cannon does so much damage that whatever enemies are still standing, excluding bosses, will certainly be left at death’s door.
As a ballista, the Jar Cannon has the Kick skill. This skill gives the wielder a kick attack that pushes enemies back and causes them to lower their guard. This seems weak, but it’s perfect for setting up the target to receive maximum damage.
2 Hand Ballista
The Hand Ballista is the other weapon currently available in the Ballista class. Although it’s called a “Hand” Ballista, it is nearly as large as the Jar Cannon. This weapon does less damage (135) than the Jar Cannon, but it reloads faster and is a little more stable while firing. Both weapons have the same range. The advantage of the Hand Ballista’s faster reload time outweighs the Jar Cannon’s higher damage.
With the right talismans, the Hand Ballista can drop almost any non-boss with one shot. It has the Kick skill; which, again, seems underpowered but is perfect for enemies that get too close.
1 Pulley Crossbow
This weapon has a complex system of gears and pulleys that allow it to fire a burst of bolts with a single trigger pull. Since this is a crossbow, the damage (65) isn’t that high, but the ability to fire multiple shots with one pull of the trigger negates this negative aspect. The Pulley Crossbow doesn’t have the best range; however, players will want to use this ranged option at a closer distance than the other weapons on this list to ensure all the bolts hit.
The problem with this weapon is that the player can quickly exhaust their supply of bolts. On the other hand, this weapon basically has two skills – Barrage (via the inherent burst firing capability) and Kick. Like the Red Branch Shortbow, this weapon is great at inflicting status ailments on a target.
Elden Ring is available on PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, and PC.
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