PvE solo or group or PvP solo or group, overland, dungeons, BGs or Cyrodiil? Bow is definitely viable now, but the build will vary based on what you’re trying to accomplish

You have excellent timing. Bows were just buffed this week and are now a solid choice for most damage builds, about equivalent to dual wielding daggers. Bows can be used front bar, back bar or both.

The only major drawback I've noticed is that you don't have good access to Major Evasion (reducing incoming AoE damage by 20%) like Daggers do with Blade Cloak. I think this is fair decision though, for a ranged build to be more squishy than a melee build, particularly when it comes to standing in red circles.

WrathOfInnos wrote: »

You have excellent timing. Bows were just buffed this week and are now a solid choice for most damage builds, about equivalent to dual wielding daggers. Bows can be used front bar, back bar or both.

The only major drawback I've noticed is that you don't have good access to Major Evasion (reducing incoming AoE damage by 20%) like Daggers do with Blade Cloak. I think this is fair decision though, for a ranged build to be more squishy than a melee build, particularly when it comes to standing in red circles.

Is there a class that compliments bow usage the best? I was thinking nightblade might but honestly have no clue who might do well with it.

gamer559 wrote: »

WrathOfInnos wrote: »

You have excellent timing. Bows were just buffed this week and are now a solid choice for most damage builds, about equivalent to dual wielding daggers. Bows can be used front bar, back bar or both.

The only major drawback I've noticed is that you don't have good access to Major Evasion (reducing incoming AoE damage by 20%) like Daggers do with Blade Cloak. I think this is fair decision though, for a ranged build to be more squishy than a melee build, particularly when it comes to standing in red circles.

Is there a class that compliments bow usage the best? I was thinking nightblade might but honestly have no clue who might do well with it.

Each class has their own unique flavor and feel, and some are better suited than others.

Sorcerers tend to feel great, and now with buffed bound armaments and as a poster mentioned above, crystal weapons, you can feel like an arcane style archer. Pairing overload heavies in can also be hellacious aoe dps, while lights are a great addition to your ranged arsenal. Remember to pick physical morphs like ballista, focused aim, and bombard for the 10% damage passive sorcs get.

Nightblades are also a really solid choice, specializing in direct damage and careful positioning. You can fight from afar with abilities like shade and the spectral bow proc, or close the gap with abilities like killer's blade (convenient and very good class execute) or incapacitating strike.

Templar and DKs are a very much more *aggressive* and up in your face style of bow build. While they certainly have ranged abilities, the abilities in question tend not to be designed around damage. The templar Javelin is not a great soammable, and stonefist is a little too clunky for my taste. That said, if you want to get in and be the legolas style shennaniganery of close quarters fighting with a bow, both these classes excel. Templar helps you stand your ground, has loads of awesome aoe, and is very beefy. DK has dots for days and, if you don't mind being close, can really put the pressure on someone all while debuffing them to kingdom come.

Wardens, of all the classes, feel the most designed for true ranged bow combat at the moment. Their spammable has a 28 meter range, they come equipped woth a bear pet ultimate for all your dnd ranger fantasies, and abilities like fetcherflies and sub assault let you keep a comfortable range while also bringing the hurt. Worth noting; Wardens are fantastic for team play and, in dungeon groups especially, can often be a major boon with all their buffs. Toughness (10% more max hp after a heal) is underrated.

I'm on the fence about Arcanist's standing as a bow build. My dps uses a bow primarily, but only because it is a weapon that restores stamina and has a ranged light attack. A LOT of the arcanist's whole gimmic is building crux to spend it, and bow abilities don't build crux. If you want to use more class abilities than bow abilities, the arcanist is a solid enough option. Note: arcanist runeblade spammable is only 22 meters, NOT 28. I recommend cepheliarchs flail instead to generate your beam batteries.

Necromancers fall into a fun category like the nightblade, but all at range. Blastbones and their several beams all play well woth range or melee combat, and they have a phenomenal ultate for damage dealing or solo content. One of the COOLEST things you can ever do is resurrect your tank, healer, or both and a dps while ALSO summoning 3 skeletons carrying unholy amounts of explosives in their rib cages.

TL;DR EVERY CLASS HAS SOMETHING, ITS ALL ABOUT HOW YOU WANT TO FEEL WHILE PLAYING WITH A BOW. IF YOU CAN'T DECIDE, I'D SAY MAKE A WARDEN, NIGHTBLADE, AND SORC IN THAT ORDER. IF THAT FAILS TEY NECROMANCER, THEN ARCANIST.

gamer559 wrote: »

WrathOfInnos wrote: »

You have excellent timing. Bows were just buffed this week and are now a solid choice for most damage builds, about equivalent to dual wielding daggers. Bows can be used front bar, back bar or both.

The only major drawback I've noticed is that you don't have good access to Major Evasion (reducing incoming AoE damage by 20%) like Daggers do with Blade Cloak. I think this is fair decision though, for a ranged build to be more squishy than a melee build, particularly when it comes to standing in red circles.

Is there a class that compliments bow usage the best? I was thinking nightblade might but honestly have no clue who might do well with it.

I haven't tried bow Nightblade this patch, but it sounds like it would work well. I've had good results with bow on Sorc, Templar and Arcanist.

DK and Necro would be interesting to try, as both have skills that encourage them to be close to enemies, but bow now has a passive that gives bonus damage at close range so it could work.

I'm not sure how well bow Warden works at the moment, since they get a 10% damage bonus for using an ice staff and Winter's Revenge is terrible unless you have a destruction staff.

I just changed my Nightblade to a stam bow/bow build. Stonefist, Pillar of Nirn, and Briarheart sets. It won't win any DPS meter contests (no NB build currently will) but it's working better for me than any of the other NB builds I've tried lately. I use it for general PVE, being cheesy with Acid Spray in battlegrounds, and being annoying in Cyro. If there's an AD archer up the walls pelting you with arrows and caltrops while you're trying to take a keep, it might be me.