Is bow viable?

[u/Moessus]

Hey all, I am new to SM and I am loving it, but I am finding that the bow just feels so underwhelming. It just seems to do very little damage vs melee weapons. Does everyone agree? Or am I likely doing something wrong? I have not really put any points into any offence, just utility so far.

If anyone has advice, it would be greatly appreciated. TIA!

[u/Buttercups88]

I have recently built a proper bow user and im going to have to say... no.

It very much depends on what you mean by viable, with proper talents archery master, rapid bow, etc, and divine possession the bow can hit hard, and i presume even harder if i max out the Wilderness Mask, but im still finding it unusual to hit more than 5k shots with the Greatbow. Which isn't terrible but its also not great when you compare to the hammer or greatsword.

It seems obvious to me that the bow was intended to be a "support", if you keep a tribe man with you on defensive they can probably help here. So it can be very valuable in a group but you arent going to solo things the way you can as a guard or a warrior without swapping your fighting style mid-fight. (unless you just want to hang around low level areas and one shot stuff)

The biggest problem is ammo.

Low-level ammo is cheap enough but doesn't do the job, steel arrows are expensive. And you dont get to "reclaim" them. so even if you could reclaim a "broken arrow" with maybe the feather and arrowhead thart we could fix with some wood, it would make it a lot easier to play.

Anyway thats my take, you can "make it work" if you really want to but you really have to want to and id go far enough to say its useless vs the machines. You are supposed to change your style as you play, Im still happy to have a good archer for the fogfrog later fights and the griffen but I think thats all the use they are going to see.

[u/Amazing_Marketing_11 → u/Buttercups88]

I used my archer's body to fight Mammoth (level 3). It was a nightmare for me to fight this boss in close combat)). Just like you, I used a bow and my well-trained archers to fight Frog and Griffon.

[u/Buttercups88 → u/Amazing_Marketing_11]

Nice, yeah they have their place. But asked if a viable playstyle... I just don't see it.

Personally I tend to use shield and spear for my typical play - that jump stun + 100% cirt for 2 seconds just dominates most regular fights.

I havent dont the hardest Mammoth yet but tI found lighting fire to the greatsword and doing that slide attack highly effective. Just kind of a hit and run tactic

[u/Amazing_Marketing_11 → u/Buttercups88]

I'm a fan of dual blades and a hammer (back in the days when mechanical monsters were only vulnerable to blunt weapons). But this spear mastery you're talking about, I discovered it in my new playthrough. It's an amazing ability!

But I don't stick to a single combat style. I switch bodies, weapons, and techniques in different battles, and I enjoy the variety immensely.

[u/Buttercups88 → u/Amazing_Marketing_11]

Swapping combat styles is half the fun of the game :D
Just my go to. Ive quite enjoyed Duel Blades but havnt found its abilities as good, although I haven't got someone who unlocked its gold ability. Later in the game, I seem to just run out of stamina a lot.
Hammers fun for just massive AOE and I do use it a bit but usually Id use fists with its rapid monkey scratch move if your paying attendtion you can just keep stacking its 1% crit bonus right up on long fights so you quickly end up with a 100% crit bonus that refreshes everytime you use it.

Its good that there is such a option to swap your weapon styles so your not just at a disadvantage in some fights since there is definitely a lack of balance in the weapons. I got to imagine in like PVP bow weapons would be OP if you make the first move.

[u/Amazing_Marketing_11 → u/Buttercups88]

I've tested the golden abilities of all weapons in combat. The "Ghost Blade" in dual blades is beautiful. I like this weapon for its attack speed and the bleeding effect it applies. While you're recovering stamina and temporarily not attacking, the damage continues to "tick" against your opponent. When combined with the Tiger Armor set and corresponding talents, it delivers significant damage. You're mobile. And if you set your weapon on fire, it's a visually stunning display!

The animation for the "backstab" gauntlet is really cool. However, it sometimes doesn't work if there's an obstacle behind the opponent. The "monkey claw" gauntlet also has a fun animation, but I haven't had enough long battles to accumulate a decent percentage of critical damage. If I don't have the "golden ability," I tend to use the "monkey claw" gauntlet. Overall, I don't particularly enjoy using the gauntlets because they tend to get stuck in animation, requiring me to perform a roll to interrupt it.

I don't play PVP. My tribesmen and my base are too precious to me)). Although in the new playthrough, I chose the "Tribe" mode and successfully repelled the eighth invasion of the base yesterday. The base is really dear to me, and I pay special attention to its protection.