Elden Ring - Bows

The archery main-hand: 50 range, 99-arrow magazines, and the only ranged class where scaling actually pays you back for levelling Dex.

Combat

Pros

• Range 50 on every bow but the Pulley Bow's 55, against 29 for light bows and 42 for crossbows. This is the class that snipes things before they aggro.
• Real Dex scaling: the Albinauric Bow ends at E(22) Str / D(52) Dex and 200 physical at +25, so Dex levels convert into attack rating (AR) instead of just unlocking the weapon.
• Two weapons in the class carry the light-bow moveset: the Black Bow and Ansbach's Longbow, so you can have roll-cancel firing without giving up the higher damage curve.
• Still cheap on equip load: 3.5 (Serpent Bow) to 5.0 (Pulley Bow), and Str requirements are only 7-11, which two-handing cuts to an effective 5-8.

Cons

• Cannot be greased, spell-buffed, or given a new affinity. Your only multipliers are upgrade level, Dex, the arrow, and talismans, there is no Blood or Cold infusion to fall back on.
• 60 stamina damage at max is nowhere near stance-break territory; greatbows are at 150. You will not be posture-breaking bosses with this class.
• The good bows have hard Dex gates: Black Bow 20, Albinauric Bow 18, Ansbach's Longbow 43, the steepest requirement of any bow in the game.
• No guard protection at all, and outside the Black Bow and Ansbach's you cannot fire out of a roll, so a bow committed at close range is a free hit for the enemy.

Builds

Dex-primary.

• Str requirements are trivial (7-11 printed, effectively two-thirds of that since bows are two-hand-only).
• Almost all of your budget goes into Dex, and the practical gates are 18 (Albinauric Bow) or 20 (Black Bow).
• Faith 14 only if you want the Erdtree Bow, Int 12 for the Horn Bow, Arcane 11 for the Serpent Bow, and note the Serpent Bow's Arcane raises status buildup, not damage.
• Ansbach's Longbow's 43 Dex is a build decision on its own, not a side purchase.

Best Weapons

Weapon	Image	Attack	Weight	Str	Dex	Int	Fai	Arc	Why Take It
Albinauric Bow		82	4.5	7	18	-	-	-	Highest physical in the class at +0 and at max, on only 7 Str / 18 Dex, and it upgrades on regular Smithing Stones. The catch is timing: it is a 4% drop from Albinauric Archers around the Consecrated Snowfield, so you cannot have it for most of a first run.
Longbow		80	4	9	14	-	-	-	The accessible one and second-highest in class: 80 physical at +0, 196 at max, 9 Str / 14 Dex, 4.0 weight. Samurai starting equipment, otherwise 1,200 runes from the Twin Maiden Husks at Roundtable Hold. Four points of max attack rating (AR) behind the Albinauric Bow that you can have in hour one.
Serpent Bow		75	3.5	8	15	-	-	11	Lightest bow in the class at 3.5 and the only one that adds status of its own: a base 15 poison buildup on every arrow it fires. Its D Arcane adds no damage, it only raises poison, bleed and sleep buildup, and does nothing for scarlet rot. itself notes the Black Bow or a Barrage light bow applies status faster at shorter range, so this is the long-range poison option rather than the fastest one.
Ansbach's Longbow		74	4.5	9	43	-	-	-	Shadow of the Erdtree, and the only other bow with the light-bow moveset. Unique Fan Shot skill, 181 physical at max. Its 43 Dex requirement is the highest of any bow in the game, it is a build commitment, not a pickup. Earned from the Leda/Ansbach invasion event in the Shadow Keep.
Black Bow		70	4	9	20	-	-	-	The light-bow moveset on a Bow-class damage curve: it fires out of jumps, rolls and sprints, and it is the only Bow that can carry Barrage, a light-bow-only skill. Somber stones to +10 for 171 physical. Two real costs: unlike genuine light bows it slows you while firing on Torrent, and it is unobtainable after Maliketh dies.

Notes

• Only fireable while two-handed. Pressing an attack with a bow one-handed just two-hands it, which is why Str requirements count at two-thirds.
• Ashes of War allowed on most bows: Mighty Shot, Enchanted Shot, Sky Shot, Rain of Arrows. Barrage is light-bow-only, so the Black Bow's fixed Barrage cannot be replicated on another Bow.
• The Black Bow and Ansbach's Longbow have fixed skills and cannot be re-infused with a different Ash.
• Two arrow slots: R1/left-click fires the left-hand slot, R2 fires the right-hand slot, so you can carry a damage arrow and a status arrow simultaneously.
• All bow damage is Pierce, which the weapon description does not state, relevant against enemies with Pierce resistance.

All Bows

Name	Image	Physical	Magic	Fire	Light	Holy	Crit. Boost	Range	Weight	Str.	Dex.	Int.	Fai.	Arc.	Sell Price	Skill
Albinauric Bow		82 -	0 -	0 -	0 -	0 -	100 -	50	4.5	E 7	D 18	0	0	0	100	Mighty Shot
Black Bow		70 -	0 -	0 -	0 -	0 -	100 -	50	4	E 9	D 20	0	0	0	200	Barrage
Erdtree Bow		40 -	0 -	0 -	0 -	50 -	100 -	50	4	E 8	E 12	0	D 14	0	200	Mighty Shot
Horn Bow		65 -	30 -	0 -	0 -	0 -	100 -	50	4.5	E 10	D 14	E 12	0	0	100	Mighty Shot
Longbow		80 -	0 -	0 -	0 -	0 -	100 -	50	4	E 9	D 14	0	0	0	100	Mighty Shot
Pulley Bow		77 -	0 -	0 -	0 -	0 -	100 -	0	5	0	0	0	0	0	100	Mighty Shot
Serpent Bow		75 -	0 -	0 -	0 -	0 -	100 -	50	3.5	E 8	D 15	0	0	D 11	200	Mighty Shot