Horizon Forbidden West Best Bows [Top 10]

Horizon Forbidden West lets players choose various weapons to fight against machines and humans. However, bows are the most popular choice, like in the prequel. The developers have added several bow types in the game, each unique from the others in terms of rarity, performance, and elemental damage type. Some are ideal for close-range combat, while others are designed for mid to long-range situations. 

Here is a quick look at the comparison between the Best Bows in Horizon Forbidden West:

Remember that the following list is based on our personal choice, and you might find some other bows better than these. That is okay, as the choice varies from player to player.

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1. Hunter Bow

First, we have the Hunter Bow, the first bow every Horizon Forbidden West player gets to use. Unfortunately, unlike most of the other bows that we’ll mention on the list, the Hunter Bow has no perks attached to it.

The Hunter Bow only comes with a single Coil slot, but that will be enough. It is because most of you will use the Hunter Bow only during the early stages of the game, and you won’t encounter tough enemies at this time. You can increase the weapon’s damage through the Coil slot. However, you must reach level 3 of the weapon before you can use its Coil slot. 

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2. Sharpshot Bow

If you’re looking for a bow that can help you quickly remove components from the Machines early on in the game, then the Sharpshot Bow is here to help you.

Compared to some of the other bows present in the game, this one has a slow draw speed but deals more damage. Its range is also great, and it can help you take down targets that are far away. It comes with a single Coil slot that becomes available when you reach level 3 of this weapon.

The Sharpshot Bow can be purchased from the Merchant in Chainscrape. It will cost you 127 Metal Shards and 1 Charger Circulator. 

3. Fire Hunter Bow

The Fire Hunter Bow is another bow you can acquire early on in the game. In the beginning, you won’t be able to get your hands on many weapons that can deal fire damage. Therefore, it will be wise to get a Fire Hunter Bow weapon as soon as you unlock the merchants in Chainscrape. Like the Hunter Bow, this one also comes with a single Coil slot, which you’ll unlock when you hit level 3, with no perks attached. 

To get your hands on the Fire Hunter Bow, visit the Merchant at The Daunt. You will need 127 Metal Shards and 1 Bristleback Circulator to craft it. 

4. Hardweave Sharpshot Bow

The Hardweave Sharpshot Bow comes with two Coil slots unlike the bows mentioned above. The first one is unlocked by default, and you can use a Coil as soon as you get the weapon. As for the second Coil slot, it becomes available when you hit level 4 with the weapon.

There are also two perks attached to the weapon. The first increases the long-range damage by 15% at level 1, which increases to 40% at level 4. On the other hand, the second perk increases the overdraw damage by 15%.

You can purchase it from the Merchant in Plainsong. The cost of the Hardweave Sharpshot bow is 549 Metal Shards and 1 Grazer Circulator. 

5. Marshal Hunter Bow

Along with regular arrows, the Marshal Hunter Bow uses Berserk Hunter Arrows. If you use them on an enemy, they will go crazy and start attacking their allies. This works on both Machines and human enemies.

The Marshal Hunter Bow has three Coil slots. The first is available at the base levels, while the other two are unlocked when you upgrade the weapon. As for its perks, it has three. The first one increases the burning enemy damage by 15%, the second one increases the overdraw damage by 15%, and the third one boosts the concentration damage by 10%. 

You must spend time in the Hunting Grounds to collect medals to get Marshal Hunter Bow. Afterward, you can purchase it from the Arena Merchant for 84 Hunting medals. 

6. Wildfire Bow

Wildfire Hunter Bow’s Fire Hunter and Advanced Fire Hunter Arrows allow you to set your enemies on fire and then attack them with even more powerful attacks.

You can further increase the amount of damage the Wildfire Bow deals by upgrading it. At the base level, it will have a Coil slot unlocked. However, you can unlock two more Coil slots by upgrading the weapon. 

The Wildfire Bow also comes with three perks, which increase the high-ground damage, overdraw damage, and critical hit damage by 15%. All this makes the Wildfire Bow a solid choice for mid-game and late-game. You must purchase it from the Merchant located in Thornmarsh for 1437 Metal Shards, 1 Large Machine Core, and 1 Shell-Walker Circulator. 

7. Carja’s Bane

The first Warrior Bow on our list is Carja’s Bane, designed for close-ranged situations. It comes with five Coil slots, meaning that you can upgrade this weapon to a great extent. The first three Coil slots are unlocked by default, and the remaining can be unlocked by further upgrading the weapon.

Along with regular arrows, Carja’s Bane uses Fire arrows, something that can help you inflict damage on your target over time.

The bow has a total of four perks attached to it. The first offers 10% agility damage, and the second increases the corroding enemy damage by 10%. As for the third and fourth ones, you’ll unlock them after you upgrade the weapon. To get your hands on Carja’s Bane, you must complete all 4 Gauntlet Runs.

8. Death-Seeker’s Shadow Bow

Just like Carja’s Bane, the Death-Seeker’s Bow also has a total of five coil slots, out of which three are unlocked by default, and the other two become available as you upgrade the weapon. Once all the Coil slots are unlocked, you can upgrade this weapon to a great extent.

It also has four perks in total. The first one provides a 5% critical hit chance; the second one provides a 10% shocked enemy damage; the third one increases the knockdown damage by 15%, and the fourth one boosts the critical hit damage by 15%.

To get your hands on the Death-Seekers bow, you will need to collect a total of 80 Arena Medals by competing in the Arena. 

9. The Sun Scourge

What makes The Sun Scourge one of the best bows in Horizon Forbidden West is its ability to fire three types of arrows, including Fire, Freeze, and Acid ammo.

At the base level, the Sun Scourge has three perks unlocked, which increase its agility damage and reload speed and also grant it a 2% instant brittle chance. There are two other perks that you can unlock by upgrading the weapon. These ones increase its overdraw damage and aerial enemy damage. The Sun Scourge can be obtained by capturing all of the Rebel Camps.

10. Forgefall

Finally, I have the Forgefall. No other bow can come close to its power in the game, if you ask me. I also think Regella’s Wrath is an excellent weapon, but Forgefall is still my top pick, as it offers one of the highest base damage among all bows.

Forgefall is the first and only weapon on our Horizon Forbidden West bows list that uses Advanced Plasma Precision Arrows. When you upgrade the weapon and unlock all five of its Coils, you can increase the damage they deal.

This legendary bow has a total of five perks. The first two are unlocked by default, increasing the draw speed and concentration damage by 25% and 10%, respectively. As for the other three, they will become available as you upgrade the weapon. Thanks to them, the overdraw damage, the aerial enemy damage, and the shocked enemy damage will increase by 25%, 15%, and 10%, respectively. 

After you have gathered a total of 80 Arena Medals, you’ll be able to purchase the Forgefall bow from the Merchant of the Arena.

Other Honorable Mentions

Here are some other Bows in Horizon Forbidden West that we didn’t mention above in the guide but are worth noticing:

• Sunshot Hunter Bow: This bow draw speed, but has low damage than the others
• Tears Of The Land-God: It can perform Long-ranged damage and has a good 20% concentration damage.
• Piercing Sharpshot Bow: This bow can do multiple enemy damage, but it has less tear damage than the others.

My Experience And Take On The Best Bows

For me, the Death-Seeker’s Bow has to be the best since I used it a lot during the post-game cleanup and in the opening sections of the Burning Shores DLC. However, if you’re looking to apply elements from afar, then the Sun Scourge is definitely something you wouldn’t want to pass up when trying to quickly take down machines while they’re in a brittle or corrosive state.

Lastly, while the Forgefall is certainly one of the best bows on the list, I found that its ammo economy, along with crafting munitions, is highly demanding. Sure, it has the highest damage, but you can certainly use other weapons that will prove more viable, such as the Shredder Gauntlets or Bolt Blasters like Blast Forge.

This marks the end of our Horizon Forbidden West best bows guide. We hope that you’ll be able to acquire the right bow through it. Have you unlocked all of these bows in the game? Which one is your favorite and go-to weapon? Share your thoughts with us in the comments section below.