13 Best Ranged Weapons In Elden Ring

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

Ranged Weapons Comparison Table

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Elden Ring Best Ranged Weapons

Ranged weapons may not be the most effective weapons on the battlefield, but they can prove to be extremely lethal with the right planning and decision-making. Before we dive deep into ranged weapons, it is important to know that ranged weapons can be acquired by choosing either Samurai or Bandit class. Otherwise, you’ll need to do some exploring to find ranged weapons and their ammo.

We have listed the basic stats of the weapons’ that you get while acquiring. We understand that as you upgrade weapons, their scaling and level increase and they become a much better version compared to when you get these weapons. 

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Ballistas

Ballistas are ranged weapons that allow you to fire Greatbolts from long distances keeping you away from the battle. You can inflict damage on the enemy without being in danger of getting hit with something else. The great thing about Ballistas is that it is compatible with Ashes of War, which means you can assess the situation and mix it with something different according to the condition. There are two types of Ballistas 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.”

The Hand Ballista’s versatility makes it a valuable choice in various combat scenarios, allowing you to control the battlefield and maximize your effectiveness.

Jar Cannon

The second Ballista ranged weapon is 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.

Players must be mindful of their surroundings before choosing to acquire Jar Cannon. 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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Bows

Bows are ranged weapons that allow the player to wreak damage on the opponent without entering close combat. Ranged weapons like bows that don’t provide any protection to the player require the player to be present-minded to keep away from the enemies. To use Bows, one must have supplies of arrows to attack. Lastly, bows cannot be infused with Ashes of War.

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LongBow

Starting equipment for those who choose The Samurai Class, the Longbow, as the name suggests is a bow that can be used for attacks from great distances. 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. As mentioned before, longbows do not have any defense. Now, on to the Scaling and requirements. 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 stands out as one of the game’s coolest bows. Crafted from black wood, its sleek design resembles a blade. Despite being a Longbow, it handles like a Shortbow, offering a unique challenge for those who seek mastery. Unlike the others, it can’t be infused with Ashes of War.

This bow features the Barrage weapon skill and boasts 70 physical attack, 100 critical damage, and 50 ranged damage. To wield it, you’ll need nine strength and 20 dexterity, with an F.P of -(2 2). Its scaling rates are E for strength and D for dexterity.

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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. They also have a smaller range than bows and cannot be infused with Ashes of War. Crossbows require bolts if need to be used. There are four crossbows;

Pulley Crossbow

The Pulley Crossbow doesn’t rely on attribute scaling but demands 16 strength and 16 dexterity. Crafted with expertise in Golden Order Fundamentalism, it excels as a ranged weapon. Its weapon skill, “Kick,” allows you to push enemies back for strategic advantage.

Keep in mind, continuous attacks can deplete your Bolt supply, so use them wisely. It offers 65 physical attack, 100 critical damage, and 42 ranged damage. 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 made from a bow fixed in a stock. Light Crossbow is an easy weapon to use and deals good damage. The Light Crossbow uses bolts as ammo. It is found in the weeping peninsula where the Nomadic merchant sells for it 1500 Runes. The Light Crossbow deals 58 physical attacks, 100 critical damage, and 42 range damage. Like the Pulley crossbow, the Light Crossbow specializes in Kick and pushes the enemy to a certain extent.

Crepus’ Black-Key Crossbow

Far away, you’re camping to annihilate the enemy one by one. This is what the Crepus’ Black-Key Crossbow is all about. You can kill the enemy forces without even being spotted. The great thing is that your team doesn’t even necessarily need to go on the battlefield to kill. But that doesn’t work for long; Crepus’ Black-Key Crossbow should be used as a head start for your forces to one-up the enemy.

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.

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. This means that Light bows don’t inflict much damage, instead, they can just be used in desperate situations or to support our teammates from distance. Prior to 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 a horse as it fires in quick succession with great aim. Its physical attacks of 65, critical damage of 100, and range damage of 29 confirms that fighting at rather small distances but still staying away from direct combat should prove useful. 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 kg.

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

A slightly heavy bow compared to the short bow, the Composite bow is a much more lethal weapon that can be a bit complicated to use. Once mastered, the composite bow can prove useful in many situations. 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. Its attacks are 65, 100, and 29 for physical, critical, and range correspondingly. Weapon skill; Mighty shot, 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 short bow of polished redwood boasts 65 physical attack, 100 critical damage, and 29 range damage. Crafted by a skilled artisan, it excels in ranged combat. It 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.

Greatbows

Greatbows, like others, are most effective if used from a distance. You can sneak attack and spread chaos among the enemy army, while the others get ready for a full-scale attack. 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. With a physical attack of 125, critical damage of 100, and 50 ranged damage, it lives up to its fearsome reputation.

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. It offers 120 physical attack, 100 critical damage, and 50 ranged damage. 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.

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 of our other stuff.