Elden Ring: 7 best bows ranked

❘ Published: 2024-01-17T19:04:17

A promotional image from Elden Ring, one of the hardest games of all time.

FromSoftware

Elden Ring took the Souls formula in an open world.

Elden Ring has a plethora of different cool weapons for players to pick whichever suits them the best. But, if you happen to have a particular affinity for long-range combat, you’ll want to focus on the bows, so here are the 7 best ones available in FromSoftware’s game.

Long-ranged weapons have never been a priority for FromSoftware, as their games tend to focus on melee combat, where you must be fast and precise with every hit so you don’t get killed in two seconds.

As a consequence of that, most “Souls” games offer players incredible swords, axes, daggers, katanas, hammers, and even plenty of staffs—for those with a magical tendency—which end up being way cooler than a bow.

However, Elden Ring changed that a little bit adjusting its combat and general gameplay to make a bow a viable option for those brave users entering The Lands Between.

Even if you’re not a big long-ranged weapon fan, you will come across a situation in the game where you’ll have to use a regular, light, or greatbow. So, here are the 7 best bows available in Elden Ring ranked.

7. Misbegotten Shortbow

Even though the Misbegotten Shortbow is not easy to find, this particular weapon is one of the most balanced available in the game, as it works for long-range but also excels in PvP battles thanks to its great close-range performance.

This improved version of the Shortbow—unlike others—focuses on Strength rather than Dexterity, which is why it deals higher damage. More so, players can add Ashes of War to it and it comes with Barrage ability by default.

You can find this Light Bow from Misbegotten enemies in Castle Morne and Morne Tunnel in the Weeping Peninsula, or north of the Haligtree Town Plaza Site of Grace.

6. Erdtree Greatbow

A very useful bow with a good balance between physical damage and holy damage as well thanks to its Faith scaling. It might not be as good as other Greatbows on the list, but the special holy damage gives it a nice twist and it has an excellent range.

Unfortunately, this greatbow can’t be infused with Ashes of War. However, players who want to exploit this bow’s true power can find it after killing the chariot in Fringefolk Hero’s Grave.

5. Horn Bow

A perfect choice for those players who love witchcraft, as this bow deals both physical and magic damage equally, making it quite easy to take down any Elden Ring enemy you’ll cross paths with, especially if you use magic-infused arrows.

The Horn Bow is a solid weapon from the get-go, as it can be upgraded with Smithing Stones and can be infused with the always-useful Ashes of War, making it the ultimate magical powerhouse.

It comes equipped with the Mighty Shot weapon art by default, and you can find it on a corpse in Siofra River, near the Site of Grace, under the stairs that lead to the Hallowhorn Grounds.

4. Black Bow

The Black Bow is a peculiar one out of the bunch because it operates as a Light bow but with the damage of a Longbow.

The key feature of this weapon is that it allows players to fire up while jumping, sprinting, and rolling. This gives them a great advantage during combat, as they can avoid getting hit while doing some damage on movement.

Even though it can’t be infused with Ashes of War, it comes with the Barrage ability already equipped. You can find the Black Bow on a rooftop corpse when you descend the lift that leads to the lower level of Leyndell, Royal Capital.

3. Golem Greatbow

The Golem Greatbow has an outstanding damage of 130, making it the strongest bow in the game. However, its power comes tied up to its massiveness, and players will have to work on their Strength and Dexterity to be able to use it.

More so, it comes equipped with the Through and Through weapon skill, allowing its arrows to pierce multiple enemies with one shot. However, keep in mind that it can’t be infused with any Ashes of War for further customization.

You can take the Golem Greatbow from any Golem archer in the game. Some locations include the entrance of Castle Morne in the Weeping Peninsula, the Limgrave Tower Bridge in Stormhill, or near the Colosseum in Caelid.

2. Pulley Bow

The Pulley Bow is a very modern-looking bow with the longest range out of all the bows available in the game, and luckily for players, it requires little Strength and Dexterity to be wielded.

This weapon might not be very powerful right from the start, but with some customization, it can outperform some fan-favorite bows. Plus, thanks to the Smithing Stones, it can be upgraded to reach its full potential way faster.

The Pulley Bow can’t be infused with Ashes of War but is still a top-notch weapon in Elden Ring that comes equipped with Mighty Shot. You can find it on a sitting corpse at the top of a siege tower near Mt. Gelmir campsite.

1. Lion Greatbow

The ultimate Elden Ring bow is the Lion Greatbow. This magnificent weapon has 120 damage and alongside the Golem Greatbow, they are the strongest in their category.

Aside from being the lightest bow available, it comes with a passive effect that increases Radahn’s Spear’s physical damage by 20%. If that weren’t enough, it comes with a unique skill called Radahn’s Rain, which triggers a rain of arrows toward the enemy, just like Radahn does during the boss battle.

The Lion Greatbow can’t be infused with any Ashes of War but is still worth having it in your inventory. You can get your hand on it by trading Remembrance of the Starscourge with Enia at the Roundtable Hold.

That’s everything you need to know about the 7 best bows in Elden Ring. For more game content, check out our other useful guides: