More Ranged Weapons

[Sickjin]

Just a suggestion;
I did a few playthroughs on Rogue and Arcanist today to try out ranged combat. Problem is, my starting weapon was broken before finishing the second floor in both cases. In fact, the only ranged weapon I ever found again on my first playthrough was two cursed slingshots in the Mines. Second playthrough I lucked out and found a Decrepit Crossbow off a dead NPC, so I got a few more shots, but again, nothing.
Could ranged weapons like Shortbows, Bows and Crossbows be more common in shops, as drops or on NPCs, and of higher quality than Decrepit?
It seems like I'm balls-deep in Steel Axes, Iron Maces/Spears/Swords, Parashu's and Sharur's. Got so many I just identify and toss them. Not a bow to be found in roughly 20 levels of plays.

[mistersneak]

Hey Sickjin,
Likely this answer won't help you feel better, but the distribution you see right now is - well - intentional. Ranged combat is a very low-risk way to engage with most enemies, and with the open layout most levels have, kiting is pretty easy in Barony. As a result, the lower availability of ranged weapons is how we balance it out. This encourages players to save their ranged weapons for when they really need to, and instead consider picking up melee skills to supplement for the easy battles. The same goes for magic, with a limited mana supply and low regeneration speed.
If you really want to rely on ranged exclusively, another (surprisingly effective) option you have is to carry around stacks of rocks. It's usually best to get them from broken walls, as this ensures they stack. Their weight adds up but they never degrade in quality, and every rock in a stack you have equipped will be blessed if you run across a source of blessing. Their only drawback is that you have to collect them after you've thrown them.

Anyway, I hope you find a playstyle here that works best for you.

[Sickjin]

I've found ranged combat to be extremely dangerous, especially in the mines and the pyramid. I have to back up blindly down hallways potentially into traps or unseen enemies or dead ends, and the ranged classes (Rogue, Arcanist) both die in 3 hits from a Skeleton or 1 hit from a Troll. I die significantly more using this strategy than I do playing a melee, equipping all iron, and shrugging off 1-damage blows with 30+ health. Pretty much the only thing that kills me now on melee is unexpected boulders and the odd enemy with a Magic Missile staff.