There are different types of Bows in Elden Ring. Light Bows and Crossbows are extremely quick but don’t deal much damage. Then, you have Greatbows. These offer a good range and can deal massive damage with each hit. However, they are slow. And finally, you have the regular Bow. This one falls between the other types as it’s neither strong nor weak.
Here’s a summary of some notable bows and their requirements:
- Short Bow: Requires no specific stats. It’s an easily accessible and user-friendly choice.
- Composite Bow: Offers more damage potential than the Short Bow.
- Great Bow: Offers long-range firepower and can be found in the Highway Lookout Tower.
- Erdtree Bow: Found in a chest in Leyndell, Royal Capital. Scales with Faith.
- Black Bow: Found on the rooftop northeast of the Avenue Balcony Site of Grace.
- Serpent Bow: Requires 15 Dexterity, 8 Strength, and 11 Arcane. Found in the Abandoned Cave.
- Crepus Black Key Crossbow: Obtained by opening the first sealed door at Roundtable Hold.
- Red Branch Shortbow: Found in Leyndell, Royal Capital.
- Erdtree Greatbow: Acquired by defeating Chariot in the Fringefolks Hero’s Grave.
- Arbalest: Found in Stormveil Castle.
- Full Moon Crossbow: Located in the Bell Tower near Raya Lucaria Academy Rooftops.
- Golem Greatbow: Obtained from the corpse of a Golem Archer.
- Horn Bow: Found on a corpse in the Siofra River area.
- Pulley Bow: Located at the top of the tower in Gelmir Hero’s Grave Site of Grace.
- Pulley Crossbow: Found in Mt. Gelmir, inside the Craftsman’s Shaft area.
- Lion Greatbow: Acquired by defeating the Starscourge Radahn Boss and exchanging the Remembrance with Enia.
- Author’s Note: You can trust and rely on my expertise since I’ve gone through Elden Ring for well over 900 hours.
Best Bows And Stats Comparison
Before I begin, here is the stat comparison between some of the Best Elden Ring Bows:
| Bows | Type | Physical(ATK) | Range(ATK) | Skills |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Short Bow | Light Bow | 65.0 | 29.0 | Barrage |
| Composite Bow | Light Bow | 65.0 | 29.0 | Mighty shot |
| Great Bow | Greatbow | 125.0 | 50.0 | Through and Through |
| Erdtree Bow | Bow | 40.0 | 50.0 | Mighty shot |
| Black Bow | Bow | 70.0 | 50.0 | Barrage |
| Serpent Bow | Bow | 75.0 | 50.0 | Mighty shot |
| Crepus Black Key Crossbow | Crossbow | 68.0 | 47.0 | Kick |
| Red Branch Shortbow | Light Bow | 65.0 | 29.0 | Barrage |
| Erdtree Greatbow | Greatbow | 60.0 | 50.0 | Through and Through |
| Arbalest | Crossbow | 69.0 | 42.0 | Kick |
| Full Moon Crossbow | Crossbow | 50.0 | 42.0 | Kick |
| Golem Greatbow | Greatbow | 130.0 | 50.0 | Through and Through |
| Horn Bow | Bow | 65.0 | 50.0 | Mighty shot |
| Pulley Bow | Bow | 77.0 | 55.0 | Mighty shot |
| Pulley Crossbow | Crossbow | 65.0 | 42.0 | Kick |
| Lion Greatbow | Crossbow | 120.0 | 50.0 | Radahn's rain |
1. Shortbow
| Type | Attack type | Skills | FP Cost | Weight | Sell Price |
| Light Bow | None | Barrage | -(2 2) | 2.5 | 100 |
Attack Power | |||||
| Physical | Magic | Fire | Lightning | Range | Critical |
| 65 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 29 | 100 |
The first bow I would like to mention in my list is the Shortbow, which is a Lightbow. For those who don’t know, Light Bows in Elden Ring are meant to be ranged weapons that can fire an arrow quickly. You don’t have to worry about charging your shots, as this type of bow can immediately fire an arrow towards your target, even if you just got up from falling down a cliff.
2. Composite Bow
| Type | Attack type | Skills | FP Cost | Weight | Sell Price |
| Light Bow | None | Mighty shot | -(6 6) | 3.0 | 200 |
Attack Power | |||||
| Physical | Magic | Fire | Lightning | Range | Critical |
| 65 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 29 | 100 |
Next up, I have the Composite Bow. Just like the bow mentioned above, this one is a Light Bow, meaning that you can fire shots quickly through it. It also happens to be a weapon that offers a good range and can help you get some stealth kills.
The Composite Bow has a price tag of 3,500 Runes, and you can purchase it from the Nomadic Merchant in the Liurnia of the Lakes. He can be found near the Bellum Church.
3. Greatbow
| Type | Attack type | Skills | FP Cost | Weight | Sell Price |
| Greatbow | None | Through and Through | -(9 9) | 10.0 | 200 |
Attack Power | |||||
| Physical | Magic | Fire | Lightning | Range | Critical |
| 125 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 50 | 100 |
Greatbow offers some of the greatest damage with each hit among all ranged weapons in the game, and this alone is something that makes it one of the best.
4. Erdtree Bow
| Type | Attack type | Skills | FP Cost | Weight | Sell Price |
| Bow | None | Mighty shot | -(6 6) | 4.0 | 200 |
Attack Power | |||||
| Physical | Magic | Fire | Range | Holy | Critical |
| 40 | 0 | 0 | 50 | 50 | 100 |
While Light Bows specialize in firing shots quickly, and Greatbows can deal a massive amount of damage, regular Bows fall somewhere between the two of them. They are neither too powerful nor too weak. These types of Bows serve the basic purpose; that is, to help you deal damage to your enemy while staying at a safe distance.
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Unlike the Erdtree Greatshield, which can be acquired by taking down the duo of Tree Sentinels, the Erdtree Bow can be found inside a chest. To get it, you will need to go to Leyndell, Royal Capital. There, you will need to look around for a building with the Erdtree Sancturacy site. The chest containing the Erdtree Bow can be found inside a room on the second floor of this building.
5. Black Bow
| Type | Attack type | Skills | FP Cost | Weight | Sell Price |
| Bow | None | Barrage | -(2 2) | 4.0 | 200 |
Attack Power | |||||
| Physical | Magic | Fire | Lightning | Range | Critical |
| 70 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 50 | 100 |
For me, the Black Bow is easily one of the coolest-looking Bows in the entire game. A lot of you might disagree with this, but I happen to be someone who loves minimalistic designs.
What makes the Black Bow one of the best is its ability to work as both a regular Bow and a Light Bow. As discussed before, Light Bows are the type of Bows that can fire arrows quickly. But even though the Black Bow is a regular Bow, its speed is similar to the Light Bow, while its damage output is also amazing.
6. Serpent Bow
| Type | Attack type | Skills | FP Cost | Weight | Sell Price |
| Bow | None | Mighty shot | -(6 6) | 3.5 | 200 |
Attack Power | |||||
| Physical | Magic | Fire | Lightning | Range | Critical |
| 75 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 50 | 100 |
The Serpent Arrow in Elden Ring is a special type of arrow that can do much more than just deal damage with each hit. This arrow resembles the shape of a snake, and it can cause heavy poison buildup in the enemies. And when you pair these arrows with the Serpent Bow, you can create the ultimate combination of a weapon that can deal a good amount of damage to those enemies who are weak against poison.
You can also check out the best Poison Build in Elden Ring, as this Bow can go well with it.
The Serpent Bow also comes with the Might Shot skill, thanks to which you can fire an extremely powerful shot at your target.
7. Crepus’ Black-Key Crossbow
| Type | Attack type | Skills | FP Cost | Weight | Sell Price |
| Crossbow | None | Kick | 0 | 5.0 | 200 |
Attack Power | |||||
| Physical | Magic | Fire | Lightning | Range | Critical |
| 68 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 47 | 100 |
Instead of arrows, Crossbows use bolts, and there are different types of bolts available in the game. Each one comes with some kind of special effect, such as the Bloodbone bolt having the capability of causing blood loss buildup in the enemy. As for the Crepus’ Black-Key Crossbow, it is easily one of the best ones available.
8. Red Branch Shortbow
| Type | Attack type | Skills | FP Cost | Weight | Sell Price |
| Light Bow | None | Barrage | -(2 2) | 2.5 | 100 |
Attack Power | |||||
| Physical | Magic | Fire | Lightning | Range | Critical |
| 65 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 29 | 100 |
The Red Branch Shortbow is yet another Light Bow in my Elden Ring best bows list. Like the ones I mentioned before, this one can also help you quickly put a lot of arrows in your enemy’s body. This makes it an ideal choice against a group of enemies, as you can target all of them instantly.
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While the Composite Bow has the Might Shot skill, which lets the user send out a powerful arrow, the Red Branch Shortbow has the Barrage skill.
9. Erdtree Greatbow
| Type | Attack type | Skills | FP Cost | Weight | Sell Price |
| Greatbow | None | Through and Through | -(9 9) | 11.0 | 200 |
Attack Power | |||||
| Physical | Magic | Fire | Range | Holy | Critical |
| 60 | 0 | 0 | 50 | 65 | 100 |
The Erdtree Greatbow is another bow that is capable of dealing a good amount of damage with each hit. But the thing that makes it special is that it can also deal with Holy damage. Therefore, if you’re facing enemies who are weak against this type of damage, you can take them down instantly.
The Erdtree Greatbow has the Through and Through skill attached to it. When you combine the bow range with this skill, you can quickly take down even the toughest opponents, no matter how far they are.
10. Arbalest
| Type | Attack type | Skills | FP Cost | Weight | Sell Price |
| Crossbow | None | Kick | 0 | 6.0 | 100 |
Attack Power | |||||
| Physical | Magic | Fire | Lightning | Range | Critical |
| 69 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 42 | 100 |
Like the Black-Key Crossbow in my list, the Arbalest uses bolts instead of arrows, and you need to reload before firing each shot. Just like most of the other Crossbows, this one also does not scale with any attributes.
While the weapon does not scale with anything, it’s still worth carrying around, as it can deal a decent amount of damage with each shot. Furthermore, its range is amazing, so you can take down your target silently without worrying about getting close to them.
11. Full Moon Crossbow
| Type | Attack type | Skills | FP Cost | Weight | Sell Price |
| Crossbow | None | Kick | 0 | 4.0 | 500 |
Attack Power | |||||
| Physical | Magic | Fire | Lightning | Range | Critical |
| 50 | 50 | 0 | 0 | 42 | 100 |
Out of all the Crossbows in Elden Ring, the Full Moon Crossbow is easily one of the most unique-looking ones. Just by looking at it, you can tell that this weapon is designed for some special purpose. If you do, you’re pretty right, as this Crossbow can also deal Magic damage. This makes the Full Moon Crossbow the first Crossbow in my Elden Ring best bows list that can deal another type of damage instead of just Physical damage.
12. Golem Greatbow
| Type | Attack type | Skills | FP Cost | Weight | Sell Price |
| Greatbow | None | Through and Through | -(9 9) | 14.5 | 200 |
Attack Power | |||||
| Physical | Magic | Fire | Lightning | Range | Critical |
| 130 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 50 | 100 |
The second Greatbow on my list is the Golem Greatbow. Without a single doubt, this is easily one of the best Bows to use in Elden Ring. Although the requirements may be high, this weapon’s damage makes it worth carrying around.
Furthermore, it offers a good range as well. These two things make the Golem Greatbow an ideal weapon to use against bosses. You can stay at a safe distance and keep dealing a good amount of damage to them until you run out of arrows.
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13. Horn Bow
| Type | Attack type | Skills | FP Cost | Weight | Sell Price |
| Bow | None | Mighty shot | -(6 6) | 4.5 | 100 |
Attack Power | |||||
| Physical | Magic | Fire | Lightning | Range | Critical |
| 65 | 30 | 0 | 0 | 50 | 100 |
The Horn Bow is yet another amazing Bow capable of dealing two types of different damage. Along with Physical damage, the Horn Bow can also do a good amount of Magical damage with each hit. This makes it a perfect weapon to use against enemies who are weak against Magic. If you have a pure Magic-based build, then I recommend you give this bow a try.
There also exist Magic arrows in the Elden Ring, which can also be used to take down enemies quickly if Magic is their weakness.
14. Pulley Bow
| Type | Attack type | Skills | FP Cost | Weight | Sell Price |
| Bow | None | Mighty shot | -(6 6) | 5 | 100 |
Attack Power | |||||
| Physical | Magic | Fire | Lightning | Holy | Critical |
| 77 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 55 | 100 |
The range is perhaps the most important thing about a bow. These weapons are designed to help you eliminate targets that are far away from you, and having a bow that does not have a good range will only put you at a disadvantage. As for the Pulley Bow, it is one of the best bows because of its amazing range. Usually, Greatbows are the only types of Bows that deal a good amount of damage, but the Pulley Bow isn’t far from them.
15. Pulley Crossbow
| Type | Attack type | Skills | FP Cost | Weight | Sell Price |
| Crossbow | None | Kick | 0 | 4.0 | 100 |
Attack Power | |||||
| Physical | Magic | Fire | Lightning | Range | Critical |
| 65 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 42 | 100 |
The Pulley Crossbow is easily the best of all the Crossbows in the Elden Ring. The thing that makes the Pully Crossbow one of the best Elden Ring Bows is its ability to fire three bolts simultaneously. While other Bows and crossbows fire only a single arrow or bolt, this one fires a burst of three shots.
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However, despite these two reasons, the Pully Crossbow is still a great weapon to carry around, as you can even trust this weapon against powerful bosses.
16. Lion Greatbow
| Type | Attack type | Skills | FP Cost | Weight | Sell Price |
| Greatbow | None | Radahn’s rain | -(32-) | 9.5 | 100 |
Attack Power | |||||
| Physical | Magic | Fire | Lightning | Range | Critical |
| 120 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 50 | 100 |
Now, coming down to the Lion Greatbow. This one is the best Elden Ring bow for multiple reasons. The Starscourge Radahn is one of the toughest bosses in Elden Ring, but the fight is pretty fun. The developers rewarded players greatly for defeating him, as you get the Lion Greatbow in return.
Overall, it is an extremely powerful bow you can use as your main weapon. Whether you’re fighting a powerful boss or regular enemies.
My Experience Using Bows
Bows are a fair niche in Elden Ring, particularly since incantations and sorceries are mostly used for ranged combat. But when I picked up bows during my third playthrough, my favorite and most used was certainly the Lion Greatbow. In my experience, unfortunately, most bows are fairly boring since they don’t have any fun or interesting Ash of War. However, the Lion Greatbow I got from Radahn was the only exception, and it’s Ash of War was the main reason I found it the most practical.
Besides fun, this bow is extremely practical, and I used it against several bosses, particularly Malenia, who’s surprisingly weak to it. Larger bosses like Maliketh or the Fire Giant were also vulnerable to the Lion Greatbow, but I really struggled against agile bosses and enemies. As such, if you’re a Strength build looking for a ranged weapon, using a Greatbow could be a refreshing experience, as it was for me.
These were some of the best bows in Elden Ring. I hope my guide will help you select the right weapon to take down enemies from a great distance. However, make sure to practice your aim as well after getting a Bow, as the weapon will be useless if you don’t know how to use it properly. Before you leave, make sure to check out my Elden Ring review as well.
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