Games

Best Bows In Horizon Zero Dawn Remastered

Published

2 weeks ago

November 12, 2024

Christoph Rediske

Key Takeaways

The Carja Sharpshot Bow is a powerful option due to high damage and compatibility with Tearblast arrows.
The Banuk Powershot Bow offers extreme precision, high damage, but requires charging.
The Carja Hunter Bow is great for beginners, accessible early in the game with good stats.

In Horizon Zero Dawn Remastered, bows are one category of weaponry essential for developing a strong combat strategy. They are popular because they provide high accuracy, which is great for aiming at critical points of enemies, as well as being quiet and long-range, making them great for stealth missions and hunting.

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Unlike some other weapons in the game, bows allow players to work with control and precision in combat scenarios. Below is a ranking of the best bows in Horizon Zero Dawn Remastered, both those found in early and late game, based on their overall utility to players.

8 Carja Sharpshot Bow

Powerful And High Damage

Carja Sharpshot Bow in Horizon Zero Dawn Remastered

Works well with Tearblast arrows
Available early in the game

The Carja Sharpshot offers the same pros as a lot of the best bows in Horizon Zero Dawn Remastered: It deals good damage at a conveniently long-range, which is great for tactical scenarios. That said, this bow misses some of the ideal traits that other bows have access to. For example, it doesn’t take any elemental ammunition, which limits the kind of damage that players can deal. It also has a rather slow rate of fire.

For an early game acquisition, the Carja Sharpshot is a safe bet, available at a very reasonable 210 Metal Shards from merchants.

7 Banuk Powershot Bow

An Extremely Precise Bow

Banuk Powershot Bow in Horizon Zero Dawn Remastered

High damage
Requires charging

The Banuk Powershot Bow certainly has its perks, but its charging requirement is definitely not one of them. Aside from that, it offers high damage stats and high precision, despite not being a fast weapon. The Banuk Powershot can be used from far distances, making it great for challenges requiring stealth and silence.

Players can trade 14 Bluegleam for the Banuk Powershot Bow, an item only found on frozen machines. It can only be bought once per playthrough.

6 Carja Hunter Bow

Accessible During The Early-Game

Carja Hunter Bow in Horizon Zero Dawn Remastered

Best for early game combat
Offers good fire damage stats

The Carja Hunter Bow offers players a good variety of basic and fire damage in a very accessible weapon, making it a great choice for beginners with little combat experience who are not able to buy better bows yet. Fans of the game have recommended this as a great tool to learn about the handling of bows before advancing onto rarer models.

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Overall, the stats for this bow aren’t bad, offering good short-range combat damage despite its lack of power. Players can purchase this handy weapon early in the game from merchants.

5 Banuk Champion Bow

Best From The Frozen Wilds DLC

Banuk Champion Bow in Horizon Zero Dawn Remastered

Only available in the Frozen Wilds DLC
A versatile weapon

Horizon Zero Dawn players can use a variety of different arrows with the Banuk Champion Bow, including Shock, Freeze, and Corruption, to beat enemies. Altogether, this is one of the most powerful bows in the game and recommended for skilled players who understand the handling of earlier bows, with some saying it combines the styles of the Hunter and Sharpshot bow together.

The Banuk Champion is only available to those playing with the Frozen Wilds DLC, but those playing Horizon Zero Dawn Remastered will already have access to it. The weapon can be purchased from Bluegleam merchants.

4 Shadow War Bow

A Good Alternative For Elemental Attacks

Shadow War Bow in Horizon Zero Dawn Remastered

Good for elemental attacks
Weakens enemies before finishing attacks

While ultimately not as strong as the Lodge War Bow, the Shadow War Bow remains a good choice for elemental attacks. Players can use a variety of ammunition, including Shock, Corruption, and Freeze arrows, with this bow to weaken strong enemies before finishing with more directly damaging weapons.

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This is a great choice for players who cannot yet unlock the Lodge War Bow, and it is available from Meridian for a Tramplers Heart and 800 Metal Shards.

3 Shadow Sharpshot Bow

Best For Long-Range Encounters

Shadow Sharpshot Bow in Horizon Zero Dawn Remastered

Ideal for long-range attacks
Use with Tearblast arrows

The Shadow Sharpshot Bow is one of the most precise weapons available in Horizon Zero Dawn, making it ideal for long-range encounters with machines, particularly in order to strip specific components from them. The ability to strip machines is increased using Tearblast Arrows, creating weaknesses that players can exploit using other weapons.

Players can use not only Tearblast, but Precision and Harvest arrows with this bow, to gain desired results from this highly accurate weapon. It can be purchased in Meridian for the cost of 1050 Metal Shards and a Watcher Heart.

2 Shadow Hunter Bow

Best For Mid-Range Combat

Shadow Hunter Bow in Horizon Zero Dawn Remastered

Versatile and consistent
Great for mid-range combat

The Shadow Hunter Bow provides some of the most consistent damage out of all the weapons in Horizon Zero Dawn Remastered, particularly in mid-range combat. Players can also use it for stealth scenarios because of its quick firing and quietness. It’s particularly useful when used alongside Fire Arrows to exploit the fire vulnerability of certain machines and enemies. Players can purchase this bow from merchants in Meridian for the cost of 800 Metal Shards and a Sawtooth Heart.

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The Lodge Blast Sling has better handling when compared with other Blast Slings available in the game. It can be obtained during the Weapons of the Lodge side quest. After obtaining 15 Half Sun Marks during the 5 Hunting Ground trials, Aidaba will reward players with it.

1 Lodge War Bow

A Great Elemental Weapon

Lodge War Bow in Horizon Zero Dawn Remastered

Variety of elemental ammo
Weakens machines before other attacks

This is the best bow in Horizon Zero Dawn Remastered when it comes to employing elemental attacks against machines. It’s also the most powerful War Bow available in the base game of Horizon Zero Dawn. Players can use Shock, Freeze, and Corruption ammunition against enemies using it.

This weapon is only unlocked once players have completed all 5 of the Hunting Grounds, at which point Aidaba will provide players with the bow as a reward for their efforts.