Elden Ring: Bows Tier List

While the entries in FromSoftware’s Souls series have all had ranged weapons, they’ve never really been a focus of the experience, tending to be much less viable than the melee options. FromSoftware’s latest title, Elden Ring, seeks to change things up a little, giving players a vast range of bows and greatbows to choose from, each with their own unique set of traits and scaling options.

While some of Elden Ring‘s bows require quite a bit of commitment on the player’s part, needing some upgrades before they become viable to use, there’s a good handful that are ready to go right off the bat, boasting some high damage and often some form of extra attack. A ranged build can be one of the most satisfying to create in Elden Ring.

Updated November 12, 2024, by Hamza Haq: Bows are some of the most misunderstood weapon types in Elden Ring because, unlike melee weapons like Swords and Clubs, using a bow requires an arrow of the appropriate type every time. When players have the option of using a weapon that doesn’t require any consumables versus one that does, they’ll pick the first option nine times out of ten. Naturally, this prevents them from experimenting and recognizing the value that Bows, Light Bows, Greatbows, and Ballistas bring to the table, opting instead to rely exclusively on their melee counterparts.

S-Tier

Lion Greatbow

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Still widely considered to be the best ranged weapon in Elden Ring, the Lion Greatbow can be obtained using Radahn’s Remembrance. Boasting an incredibly high damage output of 120, the Lion Greatbow is one of the hardest-hitting bows in the game, especially when used in conjunction with Radahn’s Spear Greatarrows. The Lion Greatbow is also capable of unleashing devastation with its Radahn’s Rain weapon skill, which fires an unrelenting barrage of arrows toward an enemy like the boss does to the player in his own battle.

Pulley Bow

• Found on a corpse inside the tower north of the Gelmir Hero’s Grave Site of Grace.

The Pulley Bow packs a decent punch, giving a base damage output of 77, but the main reason for its S-Tier ranking is its unparalleled range. The Pulley Bow is capable of firing an incredibly far distance, making it perfect for those attempting a sniper build. This bow consistently outperforms other top-tier bows in terms of damage, while also having the lowest requirements and the best range (55). With a design inspired by modern compound bows, it’s a favorite among many Elden Ring fans. The Pulley Bow’s only drawback is its weight, which is the highest of any regular bow in the game.

Golem Greatbow

While it does have some hefty requirements, needing 24 Strength and 18 Dexterity to wield, the Golem Greatbow offers a whopping 130 damage, one of the best of any bow. Additionally, the Golem Greatbow also comes packaged with the Through and Through weapon skill, which gives the bow a shot capable of piercing through multiple enemies. Obtainable from Golem Archers, this bow can be found fairly early in the game. However, it is the heaviest of the Greatbows, so not every character will be able to instantly equip and use this monster. Once it’s possible, though, not much else would be able to withstand this weapon’s penetrating arrows.

Ansbach’s Longbow

Ansbach’s Longbow‘s strength lies in its unique Ash of War: Fan Shot that primes and then fires eight (8) arrows in one shot in a fan-shaped arc in front of the user. The arrows spread out the farther they’re from the user, making this AoW best used in close range against large enemies to get the most value out of the skill.

However, contrary to what it might appear at first glance, the damage Fan Shot can deal to the target is capped at the three (3) arrows, meaning the damage to the target if 3 arrows vs the damage if 8 arrows hit will be the exact same. This isn’t a bug; it is the way Ansbach’s Longbow is supposed to work. This also means that players don’t have to stand right next to the target before firing off this AoW. Using it from medium range to land 3 arrows is the way to go. Also note that every time Fan Shot is used, it consumes 8 arrows from the inventory, meaning players can only fire 12 times with a full 99 arrow stack before they run out. This Longbow is also a great way to inflict status effects like Sleep, as the effect stacks per arrow.

Horn Bow

• Can be found on a corpse next to Siofra River Bank Site of Grace.

Though it looks unassuming, the Horn Bow is one of the most powerful ranged weapons in Elden Ring. Offering both a decent amount of physical damage and magic damage, the Horn Bow is capable of taking down the majority of Elden Ring‘s enemies with ease, especially if the weapon’s combined with magic arrows. The only real downside to the Horn Bow is that it only has E-grade scaling in Strength, and D-grade scaling in Dexterity. However, that’s hardly noticeable, even in Elden Ring‘s late game. The ability to upgrade the Horn Bow with Smithing Stones also makes it a surprisingly excellent starter bow, though players will need to venture to Siofra River to obtain it. To top it all off, the Horn Bow can even be infused with Ashes of War, making it a customizable, magical powerhouse of a weapon, perfect for just about any build.

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A-Tier

Erdtree Bow

• Can be found inside a chest near the Erdtree Sanctuary Site of Grace in Leyndell, Royal Capital.

The standard bow version, the Erdtree Bow, offers the same physical/holy damage trait, albeit at a lower output than the Greatbow. That being said, the Erdtree Bow does weigh less and fires at a faster rate than its Greatbow counterpart, making it more viable in Elden Ring’s boss fights, especially against Death Rite Birds. It also comes in handy in many areas of the game filled with undead enemies. This unique weapon, with a nice asymmetrical visual design, is found in a chest in Leyndell, Royal Capital.

Erdtree Greatbow

• Can be obtained by looting the chariot in Fringefolk Hero’s Grave in Limgrave.

Another excellent Greatbow, the Erdtree Greatbow offers a solid base physical damage output, as well as dishing out some holy damage. The Erdtree Greatbowdoesn’t hit quite as hard as the Lion or Golem Greatbows, but it’s still one of the better ranged weapons in Elden Ring. In terms of special features, this is the only Greatbow with elemental damage that can be buffed by the Flask of Wondrous Physick, opening doors for some exciting possibilities. One of the major drawbacks of this weapon is how difficult it is to obtain, requiring the solving of an optional puzzle in Fringefolk Hero’s Grave that needs two Stonesword Keys to access.

Serpent Bow

• Can be found as a pickable item in the Abanadoned Cave in Caelid.

One of the coolest-looking weapons in the game, the Serpent Bow is capable of imbuing arrows with poison. This added trait stacks on top of arrows that already have a poison status effect, so pairing the Serpent Bow with Serpent Arrows will rapidly inflict targets with poison. Despite scaling with Arcane, the stat doesn’t increase the bow’s direct damage, only affecting the amount of poison build-up. Apart from its poison capabilities, the Serpent Bow is also the most lightweight regular bow in Elden Ring, almost on par with the Light Bows category. Players can get Serpent Bow in Abandoned Cave located in Dragonbarrow, Caelid.

Igon’s Greatbow

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Igon’s Greatbow is very similar to the Golem Greatbow, but with a few sideways upgrades that make it slightly better in certain situations and slightly worse in others. The main reason to pick Igon’s Greatbow over the Golem is its lower Dex requirement (16) and its ability to switch Ashes of War with Ash of War: Igon’s Drake Hunt, Ash of War: Rain of Arrows, or Ash of War: Through and Through. The flexibility makes Igon’s Greatbow usable in more situations, especially the Rain of Arrows AoW, which can be used to melt bosses with large bodies. For Strength-heavy builds that don’t want to waste even a couple of points on Dexterity or when hunting dragons, Igon’s Greatbow is a suitable replacement for the Golem Greatbow. However, in almost all other scenarios, the Golem Greatbow is better.

Black Bow

• Can be found on a corpse in Leyndell, Royal Capital.

A direct reference to FromSoftware’s Dark Souls series, the Black Bow essentially has the damage output of a regular bow, with the fire rate of a light bow. This makes it a pretty remarkable option for anyone who plans on using their bow as their secondary form of attack. Though the Black Bow used to be a much weaker weapon, recent updates have made it one of Elden Ring‘s more consistent ranged options. Though, the Black Bow cannot be infused with Ashes of War, which does somewhat limit what players can do to customize the weapon. The Black Bow is a fairly rewarding weapon to use, but it does require the player to invest some time and resources, making it a weapon better used by those who are designing a specific Black Bow build.

Rabbath’s Cannon

• Can be found in a chest inside the Rabbath’s Rise Tower which can be reached using the sealed spiritspring outside.

The natural evolution of the Jar Cannon from the base game, the Rabbath’s Cannon is an excellent variant that splits its damage between Physical and Magic, dealing 378/378 split damage at +10. Rabbath’s Cannon uses greatbolts as ammunition, with the Rabbath, Lightning, and Explosive Greatbolts being its most powerful options. Additionally, any greatbolt fired from Rabbath’s Cannon will have homing properties, allowing the shot to chase down locked-on targets effectively. The homing is incredibly accurate, similar to the Fire Serpent incantation; it very rarely misses.

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B-Tier

Red Branch Shortbow

• Can be obtained by defeating the Pages (robe-wearing humanoid enemies) in Leyndell, Royal Capital, Tombsward Ruins, and Royal Moongazing Ground.

Having the same damage stats as the Composite Bow, the Red Branch Shortbow isn’t the hardest hitting weapon in the game, but its speed, classic design, and solid range compensate for this. The Red Branch is also slightly more helpful than its Composite counterpart as it has the Barrage weapon skill, which fires a volley of arrows at the enemy at once. Overall, it’s a fun and versatile weapon, lightweight and compact. However, obtaining it can be tricky, as it only has a small chance to drop from Pages and High Pages wielding crossbows.

Misbegotten Shortbow

• Can be obtained as a drop for defeating Misbegotten enemies in Castle Morne.

The Misbegotten Shortbow is pretty great at close range, making it a solid option for close-quarters PvP. It also boasts the highest damage output of a light bow. At longer distances, though, its effectiveness diminishes significantly. It’s particularly suited for builds that focus primarily on Strength, because aside from Greatbows, this is the only bow in Elden Ring that scales better with Strength than Dexterity. However, it is a fairly tricky weapon to get, requiring a lot of tedious farming of flying Misbegotten archers.

Longbow

• Can be purchased from the Twin Maiden Husks in Roundtable Hold for 1200 Runes or obtained as starting equipment for the Samurai Class.

It doesn’t offer the most damage, nor is it the fastest bow in Elden Ring, but its sheer accessibility puts the Longbow comfortably in the B-Tier. The Longbow can be wielded by just about any build, and can be bought for practically no Runes from just about any vendor. Simple and effective, the Longbow is one of the most hard-hitting regular bows with average weight and minimal stat requirements. Think of it as a direct upgrade to the Shortbow. The Longbow is also incredibly easy to upgrade, giving it the potential to be a fairly powerful weapon in Elden Ring’s early game.

Greatbow

• Can be found inside a chest in the Altus Plateau in the Highway Lookout Tower or as a drop for defeating Redmane Knight, Leyndell Knight, Mausoleum Knights, or Black Knights.

Though it doesn’t offer the same damage output as its siblings further up this list, the standard Greatbow is still one of the hardest-hitting weapons in the game, offering a base damage stat of 125. Its higher requirements do make it a tricky bow to recommend, though, as players will need to invest 20 points into both Strength and Dexterity to wield it. This weapon stands out from others of its kind due to its distinctive feature: the ability to swap out Ash of War. Unlike typical Greatbows in Elden Ring, this one allows players to exchange the default Through and Through skill for Rain of Arrows, enabling strategic approaches to handling groups of enemies.

Albinauric Bow

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The Albinauric Bow offers the highest damage output for a standard bow, delivering 82 base damage per shot, essentially serving as a direct upgrade to the default Longbow. Despite this clear advantage, however, this bow does require some farming of Albinauric Wolfback Archers (found around the Consecrated Snowfield) to obtain, and once the player has finally found one, they’ll likely be so far in the late game that it has little use anymore (especially without upgrades). Nonetheless, investing resources into the Albinauric Bow bow rewards players with reduced arrow consumption per enemy kill, making it a valuable asset.

Jar Cannon

Though it technically isn’t defined as a bow, Elden Ring’s Jar Cannon is one of the game’s most unique ranged weapons, and doesn’t really fit in any other tier list. The Jar Cannon is capable of delivering some serious critical and splash damage. However, players who wield the Jar Cannon need to be cautious when firing it, as the reload speed is criminally low, leaving the player wide-open to counterattacks. The Jar Cannon also doesn’t scale with any stats, making it a little redundant in Elden Ring‘s endgame.

Bone Bow

Bone Bow is a new Lightbow introduced in the Shadow of the Erdtree DLC with a unique Ash of War: Rancor Shot. Damage-wise, the Bone Bow is not better or worse than any of the other Lightbows, offering mediocre damage even at +10. The main reason to use the Bone Bow is the Rancor Shot, which imbues all arrows fired by the bow to gain homing properties, making missing shots a thing of the past. Combined with the fact that the skill can be spammed to fire shot after shot with very little delay, the Bone Bow shines against nimble mobs like bats and dragonflies. In PvP, Bone Bow was hit with the nerf hammer, reducing the amount of damage it deals to other players in order to balance its oppressive ability to almost always hit the target on command.

Hand Ballista

• Can be found in the Forest Lookout Tower in the Weeping Peninsula.

Another weapon that fits into its own class, the Hand Ballista resembles a bow enough to be added to this tier list. It requires a fairly hefty Strength of 30, but the Hand Ballista does pack a mean punch if used in the right setting. Though it can be used for sniping, the Hand Ballista is most effective when the player is trying to break their opponent’s guard stance, as just one shot from the Hand Ballista can stagger even the heaviest foes, leaving them open to a quick thrust of a sword or swing of an axe. However, the big drawback of the Hand Ballista is that, much like the Jar Cannon, it doesn’t scale with any stats, which makes it difficult to use in the latter half of Elden Ring‘s story.

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C-Tier

Harp Bow

Although it doesn’t require much to wield, the Harp Bow only offers 62 damage per hit. It also has some pretty terrible scaling, with both Strength and Dexterity in the E-class. Even when fully upgraded, the Harp Bow is only capable of producing 151 points of damage, which makes it one of the weakest bows in Elden Ring. However, this weapon boasts some unique characteristics that may pique the interest of certain players. Firstly, it holds the distinction of being the lightest bow in the game, coupled with a striking and memorable design. Secondly, with each arrow fired, the bow emits harp-like noises, adding a nice musical touch for those who want to roleplay as a bard. To get this bow, players must solve the Champion’s Song Painting puzzle located in The Shaded Castle.

Composite Bow

There’s nothing really wrong with the Composite Bow, as it still has a fast fire rate and is capable of a decent amount of damage per hit. But there’s also not really anything about it that stands out. With moderate weight, average attribute scaling, and an ordinary design, this bow raises some questions about its viability within its category. The Composite Bow also requires 15 Strength and 15 Dexterity to use, which is higher than its other light bow counterparts, for little payoff. In essence, it’s another iteration of the default Shortbow, offering identical damage output.

Shortbow

The Shortbow is an excellent starter bow (default for the Bandit class), requiring very little to wield, but that’s also its problem. After beating the early stages of Elden Ring, the Shortbow loses its usefulness quickly. However, thanks to its exceptionally light weight, it can be wielded by a variety of builds without exceeding the Equip Load. If the Tarnished One is in need of a lightweight bow that’s easy to obtain and gets the job done — such as applying status buildup with arrows — this bow might just be the perfect fit. Additionally, it can be fired while galloping, a capability that Longbows lack.

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Released

February 25, 2022

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