13 Best Ranged Weapons In Elden Ring

I have covered many of the most asked questions in Elden Ring through my detailed guides, such as the best starting class, the best talismans, and more. In this guide, I have curated the Best Elden Ring Ranged Weapons.

Elden Ring Best Ranged Weapons

The following table entails the best Ranged Weapons in Elden Ring:

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1. Ballista

Ballistas are ranged weapons that allow you to fire Greatbolts from long distances keeping you away from the battle. The great thing about Ballistas is that it is compatible with Ashes of War. There are two types of ballista weapons (as of now); Hand Ballista and Jar Cannon.

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Hand Ballista

The Hand Ballista serves various purposes:

1. Counter-Attack Preparation: It can be effectively used to disrupt enemy attacks and prepare for a counter-attack. Firing Greatbolts at the enemy allows your teammates to get ready for the assault.

2. Last Stand: When you’re isolated and surrounded by enemies, the Hand Ballista can help you deal maximum damage before succumbing to the threat.

3. Castle Raid: When raiding enemy castles, taking a Hand Ballista can catch the enemy off guard and inflict significant damage before they can react.

Key Details:

• Requirements: 30 Strength and 14 Dexterity are needed to wield the Hand Ballista.
• Location: It can be found at the top of the Forest Lookout Tower, west of the Bridge of Sacrifice on the Weeping Peninsula.
• Stats: The Hand Ballista has a critical damage of 100 and a range damage of 50.
• Weapon Skill: Its weapon skill is “Kick.”

Jar Cannon

The second Ballista ranged weapon is the Jar Cannon. Like Hand Ballista, Jar Cannon does not scale with stat attributes but needs Dexterity and Strength. Jar Cannon requires 34 strength and 12 dexterity. Its range and critical damage are 50 and 100, and its weapon skill is Kick.

It deals significant damage to the enemy without needing to go into close combat, but it does have a slow reload. That’s why you need to be aware of what’s going around you before you take the risk.

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2. Bows

Bows are ranged weapons that allow the player to wreak damage on the opponent without entering close combat. Also, bows cannot be infused with Ashes of War.

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LongBow

Longbow can be bought from Enia at the Roundtable Hold for 1200 Runes. Its skill is Mighty Shot. Even though it’s mentioned that Ashes of War is incompatible with bows, Longbow is compatible.

Furthermore, Longbows can be upgraded by using Smithing Stones. Its attacks contain critical, range, and physical attacks, and their stats are 100, 50, and 80. Longbow is E-grade and D-grade and requires nine and 14 strength and dexterity respectively. 

Horn Bow

The Horn Bow is a magical bow with impressive potential, especially when its arrows are infused with magic. 

• Crafted from animal horns and favored by master hunters, the Horn Bow is a magical masterpiece known for its exceptional performance.

• Location: You can find the Horn Bow on the way to Hallowhorn Grounds, beneath its stairs in the Siofra River area, near a corpse.

• Weapon Skill: Similar to the Longbow, the Horn Bow’s weapon skill is “Mighty Shot,” which can be quite potent.

• Upgrades: The Horn Bow can be upgraded using Smithing Stones, allowing you to enhance its effectiveness.

• Infusion: It is possible to infuse the Horn Bow with Ashes of War, providing additional versatility.

• Stats: In terms of its offensive capabilities, the Horn Bow offers 65 physical damage, 30 magic damage, 100 critical damage, and 50 range damage.

• Scaling: The Horn Bow has E-grade scaling in Strength and D-grade scaling in Dexterity.

• Requirements: To wield the Horn Bow, you’ll need 10 Strength, 14 Dexterity, and 12 Intelligence.

Black Bow

The Black Bow, despite being a Longbow, handles like a Shortbow. It offers a unique challenge for those who seek mastery. Unlike the others, it can’t be infused with Ashes of War.

You’ll need 9 Strength and 20 Dexterity to wield it, with an F.P of -(2 2). Its scaling rates are E for strength and D for dexterity.

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3. Crossbows

The Crossbows are ranged weapons with the ability to damage the opponent’s army from afar. Crossbows do more damage than bows but are slower to reload and harder to aim. There are four crossbows;

Pulley Crossbow

The Pulley Crossbow doesn’t rely on attribute scaling but demands 16 strength and 16 dexterity. Its weapon skill, “Kick,” allows you to push enemies back for strategic advantage.

Unfortunately, it can’t be infused with Ashes of War, but it can be upgraded using Smithing Stones.

Light Crossbow

With the requirement of 12 and eight in strength and dexterity, the Light Crossbow is an easy weapon to use and deals good damage. It is available in the weeping peninsula where the Nomadic merchant sells for it 1500 Runes. 

Crepus’ Black-Key Crossbow

It does 68 physical attacks, 100 critical damage, and 47 range damage. It requires 14 strength and 16 dexterity, and the Crepus’ Black-Key Crossbow can be found in the first Gargoyle door in the roundtable hold.

4. Light Bows

A light bow is a fast-ranged weapon that fires arrows quickly at the enemy to distract or shift the enemy’s concentration. Before going into battle, players must ensure they have enough arrows to last the entirety of the fight. Light bows cannot be infused with Ashes of War.

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Short Bow

A short bow is suitable for fighting while riding Torrent as it fires in quick succession with great aim. It scales E in both strength and dexterity and requires eight and 10 in it. Short bow is a starting equipment for bandit class and weighs as light as 2.5.

Situated in the southeast of the coastal cave, the nomadic merchant sells the Short bow for 600 runes. It can also be sold for 100 runes. The short bow can be upgraded by using smithing stones and can also be infused with Ashes of War.  

Composite Bow

Sold by the nomadic merchant in the Liurnia of the Lakes, the composite bow costs 3500 runes. The composite bow scales primarily with strength (E-grade) and dexterity (D-grade).

It also requires 15 strength and dexterity. The composite bow can be upgraded by using smithing stones. The composite bow can be infused by Ashes of War and can also be buffed with magic and consumables.

Red Branch Shortbow

The Red Branch Shortbow scales with strength (E-Grade) and dexterity (D-Grade), demanding 8 strength and 16 dexterity. It features the Barrage weapon skill and can be enhanced using Ashes of War and smithing stones.

5. Greatbows

Greatbows, like others, are most effective if used from a distance. Compatible with Ash of War, the Greatbows offer no protection from the enemy, so alertness of the players is fully required.

Great Bow

Larger than any person, the Great Bow is a formidable ranged weapon. It exclusively uses great arrows. Its D-Grade scaling for both strength and dexterity surpasses other bows. 

This mighty bow demands 20 strength and dexterity. It can be upgraded with smithing stones and infused with Ashes of War. Its weapon skill is Through and Through.

Lion Greatbow

The Lion Great Bow, a lighter counterpart to the Great Bow, prioritizes strength (22), dexterity (18), and intelligence. While it falls short in physical damage compared to the Great Bow, its unique weapon skill, Radahan’s Rain, allows it to unleash a flurry of arrows, dealing significant damage to foes.

These bows, adorned with a lion mane motif, are wielded by General Radahn. When combined with Radahn’s spear, the Lion Great Bow harnesses the gravitational power of the Starscourge, becoming an unstoppable force.

My Recommendations For the Best Ranged Weapons In Elden Ring

The normal bow and arrows are great for dealing normal damage and building up status effects, but if you are someone who isn’t running a bow build and only uses them when the need is there, I highly recommend Lion’s Greatbow and Jar Cannon. The special thing about Lion’s Greatbow is its Ash of War, which allows you to rain down arrows from the sky, which not only guarantees hit on single targets but can take out multiple targets as well.

Jar Cannon is an explosive ranged weapon, that is slow to handle but carries with itself high-ranged explosive firepower, that can take out even the strongest overworld enemies in a single hit or at least bring them down to their knees.

These are the best Ranged weapons in Elden Ring. As the game unveils more weapons, we’re sure that weapons far greater than them will come to light and take their place. Now that you know all that is to know about ranged weapons let us know if we’ve missed anything above. If you have any other questions or want to read some other Elden Ring guides, check out some other stuff.