That looks pretty good, any idea how up to date it is?

Just wondering if I should go with Mechanical Acuity and Gryphons while I am farming the good stuff, or if something has replaced those. I can craft anything also except a few 9 trait pieces and typically use Hundings.

Kwik1 wrote: »

That looks pretty good, any idea how up to date it is?

Just wondering if I should go with Mechanical Acuity and Gryphons while I am farming the good stuff, or if something has replaced those. I can craft anything also except a few 9 trait pieces and typically use Hundings.

Avoid xynode as much as possible.

Bow builds are easy. Its literally do what every other build is doing but with bow and ranged spammable (snipe). Get the classic meta DPS sets like relquen or lokke. get tzogvin as solid backup (or whatever becomes meta next patch), getting master bow from DSA to not bother with monster sets is bonus too. Expect around 5-10% less damage than melee builds tho.

All classes make them work, but templars the least and necros the most. Warden is solid but unfortunate choice as they are class itself are very underperforming for past 10 months and for at least 3+ more. Nightblades offer more and Sorcs are quite solid too, even better when next DLC arrives.

SodanTok wrote: »

All classes make them work, but templars the least and necros the most.

What makes necro's stand out for bows?

I was already debating about sorc but are necro's even better? I see a lot of sorc abilities that seem to work well with bow but haven't even considered necro honestly.

Well most people like playing bow/bow because it's ranged, it's to be expected that they'll hit a little weaker.

The best classes for bow/bow, or at least the most fun, are usually the ones with abilities that can be used from range.

All of Necro's damage skills can be used from range, no problem, you don't need to sacrifice anything to play them bow/bow. They happen to be the best damage dealers and are always wanted for major vuln so thats a plus. They have great ranged single target and aoe damage.

Warden for the most part works really well for bow/bow, especially solo play with the Bear and available buffs/debuffs, but you need to be 20m from your target for Shalks to work. Plus side is they feel thematically really nice for a nature type bow/bow build and although Shalks requires 20m, it's probably the best aoe ranged class skill available with Necro close second.

Sorc is getting their own spammable next patch that is attached to your light/heavy attack, so it can be used in melee or ranged, they also have Bound Armaments and Clanfear so they're better than you'd think at first glance, unfortunately Hurricane is pretty much melee range. I'd say this is mid-tier fun level :P

NB has less ranged options compared to Sorc with only Shade/Relentless Focus, to be really effective you need to go into melee range for your Execute/Ultimate that accounts for a large chunk of NB's dps potential.

Templars seem like an absolute bore to play, you only have PoTL and maybe Ritual of Retribution (ground placed magicka aoe, so melee kinda, it's big).

DK.. Just nah. lol

Then there is of course utility skills. All in all, that would be the order I choose for making a bow/bow build based on fun factor mostly. Wardens fall down the totem pole if you're looking at dps potential but shoot up if you're thinking about solo play.

All this is related to ranged play and fun factor, but melee skills can and should be used since in a real trial group, you'll be in melee range anyway, never play ranged alone from your group just because you're using a bow. Your healer can't target or buff you. This factor may shoot up Sorc and NB near the top where I'd list Necro/Warden.

FrancisCrawford wrote: »

One advantage for DK in bow/bow is the cost reduction to poison abilities. This leads to thinking of Snipe as a spammable.

That part of the plan, it turns out, does not work well in tough solo fights. But you do still have Arrow Spray as a nice cost-effective semi-spammable.

But THAT said, on my bow/bow warden I dropped Arrow Spray and just cast Shalks on cooldown. Generally I like bow/bow warden a lot better for soloing and so on than bow/bow DK.

Bow/bow nightblade is fine whereever you have enough trash mobs that Reapers Mark can get a lot of procs. But it's not something I like much for pure boss fights.

I haven't played enough bow/bow Stamcro to know whether it's on a par with bow/bow Stamden. I haven't played Stamplar or Stam Sorc at all.

By the way, I don't understand the comments above about a supposed minimum range for warden Shalks. Warden Birds have a benefit to some range, but Shalks seems to hit just fine irrespective of distance.

You need to be within 20m for Shalks to hit which I'd consider mid-range. 28m is the range for most bow skills and ranged class skills. Like I said, it's not a big deal in most content because you should stack in melee range anyway, but it's something to consider if OP is looking at a pure bow build. That might be a turn off.

The only class that is close to 100% ranged (20-28m) AND has a ton of Stamina damage morphs available is Necro, with Warden as a close second. I actually prefer Warden bow/bow because of the nature theme.

DK has -25% poison cost reduction and extra poison status damage, but sustain doesn't make or break a class, thats something that can be mitigated through sets. DK doesn't feel like it should have anything to do with bow/bows when the entire kit is designed around melee, aside from outliers like FoO or 75% of Stone Fist, it just doesn't look fun to me. To each their own.

That doesn't mean it cant work, anything can work in this game, but it's just not that fun if you're trying to make a ranged bow/bow build, OP will be dissapointed at almost every turn when most skills and passives are melee focussed.

Edit: Correction, 20m not 15m on Warden's Shalks.

I tried my necro using bow and had terrible issues with resources, yet my sorc never runs low...need to try warden yet

Kwik1 wrote: »

I tried my necro using bow and had terrible issues with resources, yet my sorc never runs low...need to try warden yet

same, that and BB not firing or the fact it needs a target so if you move in the slightest you're hosed.....trying Sorc atm, maybe new stam skill will be good?

I personally have acid spray as a spammable for my all my bow/bow builds. It means that my effective range is 20m or less, but it is deadly. Sorc changes on the pts if kept as is will change that for my sorc, got a couple of combos that I want to test for that.

I'm leveling a dk as a bow/bow and it's fantastic compared to my warden (who's at 325CP with gold hundings and spriggans) at lvl 30 it's doing better dps, has better sustain and doesn't have the bear. The poison theme is pretty cool, and it feels neat to dodge in and out of combat to drop the closer range skills and then retreat to use the bow. Might eventually add dw to up the dps, but I like it for questing so far.

@Kwik1

I had a bow/bow pvp build, which also works surprisingly well in pve, just shifting a skill or two around and swapping a set. I based my build on this, though mine is a little different...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_HKSB4GxhJM

That said, note that the Asylum bow has been changed completely, so you cant really use this build in the same way and as a result I completely changed mine into a bow focused build, but its no longer bow/bow.

I like my Stamcro...if I can get resource generation down a little better.

I am using the Stormfist monster set when grouped since it has a nice AoE effect that procs a lot, and I use Slimecraw when soloing.