The Elder Scrolls Online

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What about bow as main weapon?

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Shabree
Shabree
Soul Shriven
Hi, is it worth it to play with bow as main weapon? I've read few sentences about playing bow, but most of them are outdated (mostly 2014-2015). Everyone says that bow is weak as main DPS weapon, so I feel kinda disappointed because I really like playing bows. Can you tell me how are bows doing now? I know I can check it myself but im at 13 lvl, and I want to know sometihng about bows at end-game. So you can share your opinion about it with me/other users, cause I dont know if I'll be valuable party member when my main weapon will be bow.
  • soll
    soll
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    Shabree wrote: »
    Hi, is it worth it to play with bow as main weapon?

    No. Unless you like 7k dps and be kicked from vet groups.
    It works only on a back bar. Coming patch not going to change much, even with buff.
    EU PC
    I like to heal
    Triggered Tryhards/ HighRisk
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  • Pallio
    Pallio
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    If they made the base dmg of bow the same at 2hd i.e. 1553 gold upgrade.. then you would still need rediculously hard to get BiS gear.. i.e. vdsa and vma bows etc. That would get you in the 25k dps range.. still less than the kings of dps with 50k etc.
  • Shabree
    Shabree
    Soul Shriven
    Then what should I get as primary weapon on my Khajiit Nightblade to be valuable dps?
  • Fudly_budly
    Fudly_budly
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    Bow..? I did that before I knew better. Bow main weapon is only marginally better than throwing rocks... Well, if players could actually throw rocks.
    Rule #1: RL trumps gaming.
    Rule #2: True immersion is RL.
    Rule #3: RL lag is wonderful.
    Rule #4: People matter. Pixels do not.
  • Danksta
    Danksta
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    Shabree wrote: »
    Then what should I get as primary weapon on my Khajiit Nightblade to be valuable dps?

    For PvE- Dual Wield
    For PvP- Dual Wield or 2H
    BawKinTackWarDs PS4/NA

  • starlizard70ub17_ESO
    starlizard70ub17_ESO
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    Bow is a good weapon on your backbar. For certain bosses it's necessary to stay out of their melee while still doing damage to them. For some mobs it's great to pick off 1 or 2 of them before going in to take out the rest in melee. Bows are great complementary weapons, but I'd never rely on it as a main attack weapon.
    "We have found a cave, but I don't think there are warm fires and friendly faces inside."
  • Shabree
    Shabree
    Soul Shriven
    Danksta wrote: »
    Shabree wrote: »
    Then what should I get as primary weapon on my Khajiit Nightblade to be valuable dps?

    For PvE- Dual Wield
    For PvP- Dual Wield or 2H

    Dual Swords or Dual Daggers?
  • Danksta
    Danksta
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    Shabree wrote: »
    Danksta wrote: »
    Shabree wrote: »
    Then what should I get as primary weapon on my Khajiit Nightblade to be valuable dps?

    For PvE- Dual Wield
    For PvP- Dual Wield or 2H

    Dual Swords or Dual Daggers?

    Personally, I'd go with daggers for extra crit in PvE. It goes well with the extra crit damage that Nightblades get.

    For PvP I'd go with swords or maces. Crit isn't as important in PvP because lots of people use impen on their armor.
    BawKinTackWarDs PS4/NA

  • Lashiing
    Lashiing
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    Shabree wrote: »
    Danksta wrote: »
    Shabree wrote: »
    Then what should I get as primary weapon on my Khajiit Nightblade to be valuable dps?

    For PvE- Dual Wield
    For PvP- Dual Wield or 2H

    Dual Swords or Dual Daggers?

    dagger dagger
    or
    dagger axe

    both must be sharpened, personally i use dagger mace
    PC/NA ― Dancing Jesters

    AD – Khajiit Nightblade – Dps – lucif'r
    AD – Altmer Sorcerer – Dps – Trove Scamp
    AD – Dunmer Dragonknight – Dps – Lashiing
    AD – Altmer Templar – Dps – Six-teen
    DC – Redguard Sorcerer – Dps – Cunnїng Scamp

    vMA • vDSA • vAA HM • vHRC HM • vSO HM • vMoL
  • SodanTok
    SodanTok
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    You can main bow, but it will be very paintful. People will hate you just because you use it, no matter how you perform on it and they will hate you extra more if you perform worse than you should (as in more than they would hate worse performing melee). You will probably never reach DPS to play that endgame content that is designed for 0.1% of people, but you should be able with enough grind and if you find tolerant people, to play the "classic" endgame of pledges and vma.
    soll wrote: »
    Shabree wrote: »
    Hi, is it worth it to play with bow as main weapon?

    No. Unless you like 7k dps and be kicked from vet groups.
    It works only on a back bar. Coming patch not going to change much, even with buff.

    You get 10k just by spammig snipe, and 20k just by spamming snipe and refreshing every dot on time. There is far bigger problem for bow main than having low damage. Its called having no clue, like you exhibit right now
    Edited by SodanTok on January 20, 2017 12:36PM
  • AcadianPaladin
    AcadianPaladin
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    I ran a bow/bow stamsorc. It worked fine for soloing quests and delves but could certainly not be described as impressive. For RP reasons, my char would not touch traditional melee weapons so adding DW daggers (a great path for stamsorcs) was out. As such all that stam that made the bow work required limited choices regarding sorc spells. We did get great help from surge, hurricane, encase, dark conversion (healing), clannfear, storm atronach and the dark magic ultimate - that is, sorc skills that don't depend so much on the size of your magicka pool. The more effective bow skills seem to be poison injection, volley and snipe.
    Edited by AcadianPaladin on January 20, 2017 1:15PM
    PC NA(no Steam), PvE, mostly solo
  • BlackSparrow
    BlackSparrow
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    I've currently got a bow/bow character, and yeah, she is a bit underpowered.

    It's a fine build for solo questing... play it correctly and you can kite just about anything with little trouble. But for group dungeons or pvp? It's not particularly competitive. You'll get kicked a lot.

    That said, it's an interesting build to try. I enjoy my archer a lot... she's fun to play. I love laying down AoE, then bouncing my enemies into it. It's very satisfying. :) And like I said, if you kite correctly, with proper use of slows and snares, you'll be pretty much untouchable.

    Just be aware that your endgame options may be a bit limited, unless you plan to either solo PvE forever or restat. If that's not a problem... sure, give it a try.
    Living vicariously through my characters.

    My Girls:
    "If you were trapped in your house for, say, a year, how would you pass the time?"

    Nephikah the Houseless, dunmer assassin: "I suppose I could use the break. I have a lot of business holdings now that need management."
    Swum-Many-Waters, elderly argonian healer: "I think that I would enjoy writing a memoir."
    Silh'ki, khajiit warrior-chef: "Would this one be able to go outside, to the nearby river? It's hard to fish without water!"
    Peregrine Huntress, bosmer hunter: "Who is forcing me to stay inside, and where can I find them?"
    Lorenyawe, altmer mechanist: "And why would I want to go outside in the first place? Too much to be done in the workshop."
    Lorelai Magpie, breton master thief: "I'd go nuts. Lucky for me, I have a little experience sneaking out!"
    Rasheda the Burning Heart, redguard knight: "I would continue my training to keep my skills sharp."
    Hex-Eye Azabi, khajiit daedric priestess: "I suppose it would be lucky, then, that I built a shrine to Mephala in my backyard."
    Yngva Stormhammer, nord bandit (reformed...ish): "I hate being inside even when I'm not forced to be. GET. ME. OUT."
    Madam Argentia, vampire dunmer aristocrat: "I suppose it would be more of the same. I have a rather... contentious relationship with the sun."
    Mazie gra-Bolga, orc scout: "Uh... I'd have to house train my bear..."
    Felicia the Wanderer, imperial witch-for-hire: "What Lorelai said."
    Calico Jaka-dra, retired khajiit pirate: "This one would like a rest from her grand adventures. Her jewel shop runs out of stock!"
    Shimmerbeam, blind altmer psijic: "Provided that I am confined to Artaeum, I do not think I will want for things to occupy my time."
    Shauna Blackfire, redguard necromancer: "Sounds like paradise. I hate people."
    Kirniel the Undying, cursed bosmer warrior: "I would feel useless, not being able to fight."
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    (Signature idea shamelessly stolen from Abeille.)
  • Curtdogg47
    Curtdogg47
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    Solo and PVP the bow works great. I don't run dungeons to much. Unless a my guild needs an extra person. But they all know my setup. Surprisingly I do ok in vet dungeons.

    I find a combo of bow/2h works really well for me. While I do 99% of my fighting with a bow. I find that having a gap closer and a strong execute skill like killers blade can sometimes mean the difference between finishing someone and them healing and killing you.

    The thing you have to remember is that as an archer you are not a front line fighter. And you are not the Melee god everyone will praise for wipeing a group.

    In a PVP group I don't try to kill just one target. I try to hit as many people as I can so that when the heavy hitting melee players come in it only takes on hit for them to drop people.
    Secondly as an archer you need to look for the healers and take them out as well as other ranged fighters. And when that eye of storm pops you need to drop big snipes or heavy attacks to drop them quickly.
    And third always check your groups flank.

    It's a very different playstyle. And some what more of a support role. Its not a glory role. Most people in your group won't realize that the reason they one hit someone is because your snipe just zapped half the health before they attacked. It's not a play style everyone will enjoy. And like everything it takes time to get good at your role.
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