Question For Bow Users

G0DS_DEMON · September 2016

Which trait would be better to use on a bow, sharpened or nirnhoned and why ?? This would be for a stamina build.

mertusta · September 2016

Sharpened for the armor penetration. Old but gold.

leepalmer95 · September 2016

Do you actually use a bow skill or do you slot it for the movement speed?

Some people prefer precise so they can crit heal better

Some like infused on things like the master bow.

ArchMikem · September 2016

My Crit chance is lower on my Bow bar so I made it Precise for that little extra. Though everyone lately has been singing praises for the Sharpened trait.

MaxwellC · September 2016

Precise for PvE content & Sharp for PvP content.

Dagoth_Rac · September 2016

Precise is best when running 12-man Trials with lots of armor debuffs on boss (Night Mothers Gaze, Alkosh, Sunderflame, Major + Minor Fracture, Crusher Enchant, etc.). In solo PvE, 4-man PvE, and PvP, Sharpened is best. Nirnhoned is generally not competitive. It is a flat damage increase of about 147 weapon damage on a legendary CP160 bow. Crit and armor reduction are percentage-based damage increases. The better your gear and build, the more benefit you will get from crit and armor reduction. You can also compare to set bonuses:

Standard crit bonus on a set = 688 critical (about 3.14% crit at CP160)
Crit bonus from Precise trait on a bow = 7% crit
Trait = 2.23x better than a set bonus

Standard penetration bonus on a set = 1935
Penetration bonus from Sharpened trait on a bow = 5160
Trait = 2.66x better than a set bonus

Standard weapon damage bonus on a set = 129
Weapon damage bonus from Nirnhoned Trait on a bow = 147
Trait = 1.14x better than a set bonus