I can't stop pondering Crepus' Black-Key Crossbow

[Artek [General]]

https://eldenring.wiki.fextralife.com/Crepus%27s+Black-Key+Crossbow

Why is the handle so long? I tried googling ancient long crossbows and nothing even close to this comes up. What's the utility of that? Its not like you would use it as a stock for recoil, nor it seems to benefit the crossbow itself as the string is set at the same mid-point as any other crossbow. So what the hell? Was it meant to be some hybrid melee weapon where you could smack people with the stock like an improvised club?

[LuckyCheshire]

My guess (besides "someone at FS just thought that it looked cool") is that the handle allows you to retrieve it from somewhere easily. Like for example, if it's strapped to your back, you can use the extra-long handle to grab it more fluidly.

[Duchess Thy Strength]

It is the only crossbow with a range of 47, while every other crossbow has a range of 42. Maybe they just wanted to visually give an idea of the longer range?

[Norm Macdonald's Ghost]

Originally posted by Artek General:

https://eldenring.wiki.fextralife.com/Crepus%27s+Black-Key+Crossbow

Why is the handle so long? I tried googling ancient long crossbows and nothing even close to this comes up. What's the utility of that? Its not like you would use it as a stock for recoil, nor it seems to benefit the crossbow itself as the string is set at the same mid-point as any other crossbow. So what the hell? Was it meant to be some hybrid melee weapon where you could smack people with the stock like an improvised club?

The Crepus have long arms and require long stocks.

[LuckyCheshire]

Originally posted by Norm Macdonald's Ghost:

Originally posted by Artek General:

https://eldenring.wiki.fextralife.com/Crepus%27s+Black-Key+Crossbow

Why is the handle so long? I tried googling ancient long crossbows and nothing even close to this comes up. What's the utility of that? Its not like you would use it as a stock for recoil, nor it seems to benefit the crossbow itself as the string is set at the same mid-point as any other crossbow. So what the hell? Was it meant to be some hybrid melee weapon where you could smack people with the stock like an improvised club?

The Crepus have long arms and require long stocks.

Besides the fact that Crepus was a person, that does kind of make sense. Lots of enemies, especially bosses, have really lanky orangutan proportions.

[Azael Ijima δ]

It's a dark fantasy game where a bunch of tarnished hobos just grab anything they can hold to bonk enemies with, while the lore is cool and original, don't look too much into actual realism of weaponry etc..
Especially melee weapons where only half of them are somewhat close to real weapons, like Zweihander and Uchigatana.

[Norm Macdonald's Ghost]

Originally posted by LuckyCheshire:

Originally posted by Norm Macdonald's Ghost:

The Crepus have long arms and require long stocks.

Besides the fact that Crepus was a person, that does kind of make sense. Lots of enemies, especially bosses, have really lanky orangutan proportions.

The Crepus is no mere person. Step to the Crep and find out.

[Lord Bob]

Originally posted by Duchess Thy Strength:

It is the only crossbow with a range of 47, while every other crossbow has a range of 42. Maybe they just wanted to visually give an idea of the longer range?

That's what I think as well. It's item description tells us that it's used for sniping. The long handle surely doesn't contribute to how far a bolt is shot, but it definitely makes for a more controlled handling when aiming it, thus giving the impression that it's more precise than other crossbows.

[Yal]

Considering it was made to fire poison bolts, I wonder if it was a safety precaution so you'd have that stuff further from your face while firing?

[LuckyCheshire]

Originally posted by Norm Macdonald's Ghost:

Step to the Crep

What is that, a variation of the Jitterbug?

[LuckyCheshire]

Originally posted by Yal:

Considering it was made to fire poison bolts, I wonder if it was a safety precaution so you'd have that stuff further from your face while firing?

Well, it doesn't seem like the trigger mechanism is any further back than usual, so only one hand would be able to get any more distance. Even that hand can't get too far back or you'd be firing from a really awkward position with your hand in your armpit.

[Gamerzilla]

Originally posted by LuckyCheshire:

Originally posted by Yal:

Considering it was made to fire poison bolts, I wonder if it was a safety precaution so you'd have that stuff further from your face while firing?

Well, it doesn't seem like the trigger mechanism is any further back than usual, so only one hand would be able to get any more distance. Even that hand can't get too far back or you'd be firing from a really awkward position with your hand in your armpit.

Its longer for the same reason rifles with exceptional range and power tend to be very long. More power = more kickback = more mass and length required to offset that kick and not damage the weapon.

[LuckyCheshire]

Originally posted by Gamerzilla:

Originally posted by LuckyCheshire:

Well, it doesn't seem like the trigger mechanism is any further back than usual, so only one hand would be able to get any more distance. Even that hand can't get too far back or you'd be firing from a really awkward position with your hand in your armpit.

Its longer for the same reason rifles with exceptional range and power tend to be very long. More power = more kickback = more mass and length required to offset that kick and not damage the weapon.

While not wrong, that's not really at all what I was talking about. A good point, but unrelated to what I was saying.

[Gamerzilla]

Originally posted by LuckyCheshire:

Originally posted by Gamerzilla:

Its longer for the same reason rifles with exceptional range and power tend to be very long. More power = more kickback = more mass and length required to offset that kick and not damage the weapon.

While not wrong, that's not really at all what I was talking about. A good point, but unrelated to what I was saying.

Quoted the wrong person, pretend it was the OP ;p

[Artek [General]]

Originally posted by Gamerzilla:

Originally posted by LuckyCheshire:

Well, it doesn't seem like the trigger mechanism is any further back than usual, so only one hand would be able to get any more distance. Even that hand can't get too far back or you'd be firing from a really awkward position with your hand in your armpit.

Its longer for the same reason rifles with exceptional range and power tend to be very long. More power = more kickback = more mass and length required to offset that kick and not damage the weapon.

Correct me if i'm wrong, but don't crossbows have no recoil to speak off? Or it was, like, a weird backwards recoil...
Alright, googled it too - they have barely any recoil. The weakest gun will still have more or equal amount of recoil as the strongest crossbow. There's just no point.

[Artek [General]]

I freakin' guarantee if the guy was a proper enemy and not human-like NPC - he would be bashing your face in with that handle.