Is pure archery/longbow build viable?

[Nonomori]

My character is a wood elf and for RP purposes I want to create a pure archery build using longbow but I heard that bows in general in BG3 are obsolete and crossbows will always overpower them, especially dual-wielding hand crossbows.

So, the question is, is it possible to create a somewhat comparable in terms of damage output longbow build? Im currently level 3 Ranger, Gloom Stalker subclass.

[アンジェル]

Originally posted by Nonomori:

Originally posted by アンジェル:

Based on the information about your general idea, and some adjustments to what makes sense gameplaywise by also reducing redundancy I suggest something along these lines

https://i.ibb.co/qWCVPtr/screenshot-1696767863.png
https://i.ibb.co/k3Z6Q12/screenshot-1696767907.png
https://i.ibb.co/RpDVqRg/screenshot-1696767911.png

The order of when to level what is not necessarily bound to that. It makes e.g. sense to respect and start with Fighter so you get instant access to Action Surge and Heavy Armour.

The playstyle is an range orientated heavy attacker with focus on additional attacks and versatility with offensive and support spells. You can adjust things naturally. I made it like that for you since you sounded like you want to reach some very high offensive level.

Oh, damn, thanks for the effort! Gonna read those! :)

This is what I would use
https://i.ibb.co/9Nxpyf9/screenshot-1696768909.png
https://i.ibb.co/DYGFxkY/screenshot-1696768916.png

Without the Fighter 2 because I do not value the extra attack so much, plus I would get extra divinity charge that way and access to more powerful cleric spells like freedom of movement which would be beneficial.

[kakita tatsumaru]

Originally posted by Nonomori:

My character is a wood elf and for RP purposes I want to create a pure archery build using longbow but I heard that bows in general in BG3 are obsolete and crossbows will always overpower them, especially dual-wielding hand crossbows.

So, the question is, is it possible to create a somewhat comparable in terms of damage output longbow build? Im currently level 3 Ranger, Gloom Stalker subclass.

It is actually the strongest DPS in the game in it's fighter version, but it's cost a big deal of money early game for special arrows.

[WeenerTuck813]

OP archers are a VERY strong class.

Class:
I’d suggest going Ranger Gloomstalker with Archery from level 1-5.
Then Rogue Thief for 4 levels.
Then last 3 levels back in Ranger.

Build:
Start with 17 Dex.
First ASI go to 19 Dex
Get Hag Hair to make 20 Dex
Second ASI for SharpShooter
Last Feat Lucky

Items:
1.) Yuan Ti armor.
-15 AC + Full Dex mod (20 AC)
-Sold at merchant in lights hope inn

2.) Titan String Longbow + Club of Giant Strength
-Club in Main hand sets Str to 19 (use with shield for 22 AC)
-Bow adds Strength mod to bow dmg (+4) in addition to Dex (+9 total)
*Bow sold at Zhent Merchant Act 1
*Club found in Arcant Tower underdark

3.) Armor of Agility
-17 AC plus Full Dex Mod
-Sold by merchant in act 3

4.) there’s 2 AMAZING longbows in act 3 you’ll come across to finalize the build. 1 is a legendary.


My first playthrough was an Archer. It’s VERY strong

[VoiD]

It's surprising that only one person mentioned the viability of bows in the game. Bows are indeed a strong choice, and hand crossbows can be particularly effective due to their bonus action synergy with the Thief subclass, allowing you to fire up to two more arrows per turn.

However, there are other ways to leverage bonus actions for dealing or increasing damage in the game. Additionally, many one-handed crossbows are not very powerful, while there are plenty of two-handed crossbows and bows that offer better abilities.

A regular sharpshooter with a decent bow can benefit from a +10 damage bonus per shot from their perk, allowing them to hit as hard as some of the best martial builds. Using certain arrows, such as multishot or explosive arrows, can further multiply that damage. For example, a ranger can often eliminate all smaller enemies between major encounters in a single turn, and in boss battles, like one against a certain archdevil, spamming multishot arrows with guaranteed crits can also wipe out every enemy add in a single turn.

Personally, I chose the Gloomstalker/Assassin combination for major alpha damage, but you can also incorporate two levels of fighter for action surge and even more significant first-turn damage. With the right setup, bow and crossbow users can be among the top damage-dealing classes in the game, with only minor differences between bows and one-handed crossbows when you start using special arrows.

Picture the incredible damage output you could achieve with just two base shots: +2 shots from Action Surge, +1 shot from the Gloomstalker's free shot ability, and possibly +1 more shot if you opted for a one-handed crossbow. Add in all your damage bonuses, including the +10 base damage on every shot, advantage, and then make all of these shots 100% critical hits. Now, allow your basic action shots to use Arrows of Many Targets, dealing half of that damage to up to three additional targets. There is no way bows, crossbows or 1h crossbows are considered obsolete.

[アンジェル]

Originally posted by VoiD:

It's surprising that only one person mentioned the viability of bows in the game. Bows are indeed a strong choice, and hand crossbows can be particularly effective due to their bonus action synergy with the Thief subclass, allowing you to fire up to two more arrows per turn.

However, there are other ways to leverage bonus actions for dealing or increasing damage in the game. Additionally, many one-handed crossbows are not very powerful, while there are plenty of two-handed crossbows and bows that offer better abilities.

A regular sharpshooter with a decent bow can benefit from a +10 damage bonus per shot from their perk, allowing them to hit as hard as some of the best martial builds. Using certain arrows, such as multishot or explosive arrows, can further multiply that damage. For example, a ranger can often eliminate all smaller enemies between major encounters in a single turn, and in boss battles, like one against a certain archdevil, spamming multishot arrows with guaranteed crits can also wipe out every enemy add in a single turn.

Personally, I chose the Gloomstalker/Assassin combination for major alpha damage, but you can also incorporate two levels of fighter for action surge and even more significant first-turn damage. With the right setup, bow and crossbow users can be among the top damage-dealing classes in the game, with only minor differences between bows and one-handed crossbows when you start using special arrows.

Picture the incredible damage output you could achieve with just two base shots: +2 shots from Action Surge, +1 shot from the Gloomstalker's free shot ability, and possibly +1 more shot if you opted for a one-handed crossbow. Add in all your damage bonuses, including the +10 base damage on every shot, advantage, and then make all of these shots 100% critical hits. Now, allow your basic action shots to use Arrows of Many Targets, dealing half of that damage to up to three additional targets. There is no way bows, crossbows or 1h crossbows are considered obsolete.

I do not think anyone sees archery as obsolete. It is just that comparison between a pure longbow build and a build which utilises one-handed-crossbows to be used for mltiple attacks per turn which makes look a "longbow only" user weak.

[WeenerTuck813]

I much prefer Longbows to hand crossbows.

Titanstring Longbow +Club of Giant Strength is a reeeeeeeally good combo, it basically lasted me all game up until that one very rare now in act 3, Deadeye or something? And then the legendary Grom Whatever.

Your hand crossbows monopolize your bonus actions.

I prefer being able to do Hunters Mark and Hide for Sneak attack damage and Hunters Mark damage.

I also used, basically all game, Boots that gave me Lightning Charges on Dash.

So I had a lot more choice and versatility with bonus actions than an offhand attack with a +1 Hand Crossbow.

That’s not to mention Multi Attack with a +3 Longbow is a lot better than multi attack with a +2 hand crossbow

[WeenerTuck813]

Oh also - there’s a dagger you get at some point in act 3, maybe off of Cazador?

It’s god mode for archers. It’s like +3 attack and +3 damage to your bow

[causality]

I prefer 12 fighter for a ranged build. 6 attacks per round with action surge, not even counting haste or potions. 4 feats for ASIs, Sharpshooter, Alert, Lucky, can even go Tavern Brawler. Trip Attack is one hell of a drug that trivializes most fights in this game.

[victorvnv]

They are absolutely viable, I cleared the game with longbow.

You just need the right longbow . And you can snipe everything easy

[Iso Koala]

One thing that also makes dual wielding hand crossbows the best ranged weapon is, that you will always get an bonus attack from it, even if you spend your main action doing something else than attacking, like using a haste scroll or whatever.

One more thing for dual handies is, that if you take illithoid powers all in and have cull the weak, you can kill any enemy with around 50hp left with one shot. With dual wielding handies it means you get to do 4 shots (without haste/action surge) thus potentially kill 4 enemies in 1 turn just by shooting them, if they have been weakened to 50ish hp.

[victorvnv]

Originally posted by Iso Koala:

One thing that also makes dual wielding hand crossbows the best ranged weapon is, that you will always get an bonus attack from it, even if you spend your main action doing something else than attacking, like using a haste scroll or whatever.

One more thing for dual handies is, that if you take illithoid powers all in and have cull the weak, you can kill any enemy with around 50hp left with one shot. With dual wielding handies it means you get to do 4 shots (without haste/action surge) thus potentially kill 4 enemies in 1 turn just by shooting them, if they have been weakened to 50ish hp.

I disagree with this, dual wield crossbows are only good if you have thief due to 2 bonus actions and even then there are builds that can outperform this by large.

My favorite weapon is the 2 handed crossbow personally , it does 1d10 and with Brace it rolls twice and gives you the best roll. You can also use the bonus action for other stuff like illithid powers like Blackhole that will slow the enemies and make them easier to hit, or Hunters mark for extra 1d6 damage per shot etc.


With longbow same thing, you get + 6 damage from the STR gloves from Raphael and use brace for better damage overall.

The 2X crossbows is only really good in a specific builds like Thief/ ranger where you use both bonus actions for extra damage .

But again, the Best build that I created in this game only uses one large crossbow and can outperform 2 corssobows easy

[Iso Koala]

Originally posted by victorvnv:

Originally posted by Iso Koala:

One thing that also makes dual wielding hand crossbows the best ranged weapon is, that you will always get an bonus attack from it, even if you spend your main action doing something else than attacking, like using a haste scroll or whatever.

One more thing for dual handies is, that if you take illithoid powers all in and have cull the weak, you can kill any enemy with around 50hp left with one shot. With dual wielding handies it means you get to do 4 shots (without haste/action surge) thus potentially kill 4 enemies in 1 turn just by shooting them, if they have been weakened to 50ish hp.

I disagree with this, dual wield crossbows are only good if you have thief due to 2 bonus actions and even then there are builds that can outperform this by large.

My favorite weapon is the 2 handed crossbow personally , it does 1d10 and with Brace it rolls twice and gives you the best roll. You can also use the bonus action for other stuff like illithid powers like Blackhole that will slow the enemies and make them easier to hit, or Hunters mark for extra 1d6 damage per shot etc.


With longbow same thing, you get + 6 damage from the STR gloves from Raphael and use brace for better damage overall.

The 2X crossbows is only really good in a specific builds like Thief/ ranger where you use both bonus actions for extra damage .

But again, the Best build that I created in this game only uses one large crossbow and can outperform 2 corssobows easy

Both are good. I happen to have thief levels yes, so that the bonus attacks from dual crossbows are good. And my above points are valid for it.
Both serve very well, but I highly doubt that one large crossbow can outperform 2 hand crossbows for ranger/thief "easily".

[Mokona]

Found archery weak compared to fighter/smite. Cheese stealth is probably op and I have yet to try double hand crossbow as I find that an insanely stupid idea, how do you reload. Hear double crossbow is the way to go through as its effectively double damage and what else are you doing to use the bonus action for.

[iGPUGamer]

How did you manage to dual wield dual crossbows? I have just completed Dank Dungeon, and although I seem to have two light crossbows equipped on the inventory screen (the first crossbow in the ranged weapon section looks normal but the second looks faded), the avatar is only holding one, and Tav can only shoot once during combat. There is no option under the triangle menu (for the bonus actions) to shoot again. The main character is a bard - is that why?

[wendigo211]

If you want to go for longbow archery, then go for Fighter 12. Three attacks per action and with Haste+Bloodlust Elixir+Action Surge (1/short rest) you can get 4 actions for a turn and 12 attacks. The other option is Sword Bard who can used Ranged Slashing Flourish to make two ranged attacks per attack and gets two attacks per action. With Haste and a Bloodlust Elixir you can get 3 actions a turn and make 6 Flourishes also for 12 attacks (although I believe that burns through all your flourishes until you short rest).

Both are pretty good, and I like the Longbow for the better range and stronger enchantments than the hand crossbows (The Dead Shot and Gontr Mael are a lot better than any of the hand x-bows). That said, for the Fighter, thrown weapons will probably give you the most damage per turn.