Need help with build (Bow)

[BucketPls]

Hey all,

Recently I followed a Bow build guide and I didn't read well enough and I ended up with a glass cannon build. Not being able to make a mistake is not really my style and I need help fixing it.

I have yet to complete Iceborn due to it as I get one shot starting in HR.
Furthest I have gotten is is 4 Star Master Rank. (This is for reference to know about how much I got access to in the game right about now)
If my current gear setup is needed as info I'll gladly type that down too if that will help with getting a build with some more defense to take a punch or 2.

[ressenmacher]

Basically, I would say to swap out some of your attack boost or agitator for HB 3 and Divine Blessing (DB secret if you can get it). Knowing your current build would help, yes.

[BucketPls]

Hey, thanks for the quick response!

This is the build I am using right now:
Weapon: Dragon Perforator II | Tenderizer Jewel 2 | Drain Jewel 1
Charm: Attack Charm III
Item 1: Health Booster
Item 2: Vitality Mantle
Helm: Jagras Helm a+ | Nothing
Body: Kulu Mail a+ | Physique Jewel 2
Hands: Kulu Vambraces b+ | Expert Jewel+ 4
Bottom: Kulu Coil a+ | Physique Jewel 2
Legs: Kadachi Greaves a+ | Elementless Jewel 2 | Nothing

The empty sockets are there due to the guide telling me I needed a specific jewel that I didn't have yet.

[Fat Pigeon]

I dont see free element in your build, you should swap to proper bows
Kadachi for Lightning
Legiana for Ice
Glavenus for Fire
Coral Pukei for Water
dragonbone bow for dragon

in lategame are other bows better, but for now they can do it.

as charm the elemental+ or agitator

[BucketPls]

Do bows help with defense scores? As that is my main problem at the moment.

Big thanks for the bow shoutouts, though! I'll go right at it and make them just so I got some extra choices!

[garlickytaint]

I'm just starting to use bows but I think 3-5 points into constitution helped me have consistent dmg. Health boost 3 using bone helm a+ and a vitality gem adds a good amount of hp. Free ele charm 2 is pretty easy to get as well. Also try to get might bow jewel 2 since it adds 1 more charge

[Lars]

to make bow work you must sacrifice comfort sadly, but as long as you have health boost 3 you shouldn't be getting 1shot

[BucketPls]

Oh ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥, been trying out the bows that were mentioned above on monsters that have those weaknesses and I just realized that the build I copied was a Glass Cannon build without the cannon lol

I was aware that bows were going to give me little room for error when I started with it. Wasn't really searching for a tank build, just a solution to make the game just a little less punishing then getting one shots.
I'll go try out the the Health Boost 3 right now and see if it makes it a little bit more comfortable!

[DoEFotGS]

Ranged build is basicaly a 'Glass cannon', because they have penalty that force you to reacieve more physical damage. Less obvious that almost all things that can hit you have phisical part, even if visualy it was a flame breath. This penalty applied at the end of the formula, that means the farest you in game progression - the more noticeable difference between melee and range in terms of recieving damage.

But things that can help you survive is:
Health boost - directly increased you HP up to +50 at lvl 3. Stacks with canteen buff, because this is separate bonuses.
Divine Blessing - have a chance to activate every time you get a hit and negates a portion of receiving damage when activated. At lvl 3 have 25% to activate and negate 50% of damage. At lvl 5 (with specific set bonus) have 40% chance to activate and negate 60% damage.
Stun Resist - at lvl 3 you immune to stuns that helps if you can't play without getting hits.

[CookedMeat]

You might also want to revisit L/HR quests to unlock useful mantles. Temporal and Rocksteady are both a lifesaver.

Also since bows tends to rely more on elemental damage, using charms with elemental attack is better, and it let you use the same build for 5 different elements by only changing the charm.
As someone already mentioned, might bow jewel is essential for bow, you might want to replace elementless jewel for. (Elementless has been essentially useless since the release of Iceborne). I think you can melt might bow at the alchemist but I'm not sure about the unlock requirements.
Constitution 5 is practically overpowered in most cases. If you want to be optimal about skill selections, you might want to only use constitution 3, drink dash juices and get the feline's constitution food buff from canteen. HOWEVER, you know, dash juice is kinda hard to stockpile unless you want to spend time grinding diabolos, or dump research points at alchemist granny.
Some other jewel that helps with damage are spread and forceshot, both are at maximum slot efficiency at Lv1. only get Lv2 if you have spare slots.

Just a side note, if you have enough skills to get a high affinity rate, you might want to aim at getting Velkana armor, the set skill is essential for elemental build.

Good luck hunting.

[Caboose]

i kinda remember having the same fate as yours doing LBG and HBG builds, but even if at some point you hit some kind of a wall, keep practicing, even if you can't take too many hit you will after a while be good enough at evading attack pattern to counter it. except for vaal hazak, that stupid dragon.
btw even if you have a ranged weapon i would advice to not go too far from your prey, and kinda dance around, as they won't be able to launch some of their more damaging move if you stay really far (watch out for the teostra supernova)

[Count Smashula]

You could upgrade your armor with armor spheres to get more defense. Jagras and kulu are very early and thus have weak defenses, on top of bow being a squishy weapon. Key skills would be elemental damage, constitution, health boost, affinity increases (Weakness exploit, agitator, critical eye etc.) and critical element.

Nargacuga armor might be worth farming, as that can give you evade window and stamina surge. Put some health boost, weakness exploit and constitution and you have a fairly comfy build with better defenses, and use the charm for elemental boost or covering something else, not to mention true spare shot for more coatings. Or you can try for a raw bow build which requires less farming and gear but is undeniably weaker. And don't worry about saving armor spheres, they are plentiful.
Also worth mentioning are odogaron for crit eye, constitution and quick sheathe aswell as rathalos chest for weakness exploit x2 and alpha set has fire attack.

Best bows have already been mentioned: Legiana, kadachi, coral pukei, glavenus and dragonbone.

Health booster won't help much when you're moving around and getting 1-shot. Temporal mantle can help, even if it got nerfed in master rank. Evasion mantle can also help. And ofcourse, never forget to eat at the cantine.

Finally, normal shots have much faster recovery period compared to spread shots, so use normal shot - dodge - normal shot - repeat when the monster attacks or moves too much. Also, a straight spread shot costs no stamina so it's a free attack that gets you to charge level 2 faster than anything else.

[BucketPls]

With the help of all the messages I gotten before my last message I have been able to get past Velkhana.
I'm able to take one good hit before I need to GTFO and heal myself, but the damage increase from using the correct bow has been incredible!

Before I'll continue I will be putting some more time into getting the mantles you all have mentioned before to replace the Health Booster.

As for my stamina management, that has always been pretty decent from what I have noticed as long as I used an Energy drink and a Wiggly Litchi.
Mainly been doing Dodge>Shoot>Dodge>Shoot>Repeat except for when the monster is down. That is when I use the Dragon Piercer to hit the whole monster from head to tail with a single shot.

[Fat Pigeon]

Originally posted by BucketPls:

That is when I use the Dragon Piercer to hit the whole monster from head to tail with a single shot.

i wouldnt use dragonpierce at all in the same time where you charge it and are locked in animation you can use a full dance rotation with

spread / quickshot -> rapid -> spread -> dash -> rapid -> spread -> dash -> rapid -> spread -> repeat rapid/spread/dash
___________________________
spread / quickshot -> rapid -> spread -> rapid -> spread -> dash -> rapid -> spread -> repeat rapid/spread/dash
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spread / quickshot -> rapid -> rapid -> rapid -> spread -> dash -> rapid -> spread -> repeat rapid/spread/dash

on the weakspot are some rotation options and deal a massive ammount of dmg
(btw those rotations require bowcharge+)

as soon the monster gets up return to the safer rotation that were mentioned above.

[BucketPls]

Aight, thanks!
Once I get my gear up to par I am just going to practice a bit on the rotation in the training area.

I almost got all the bows mentioned above to the highest level I can get them and I started killing Nargacuga for the set.
I am going to assume that after that it would also be wise to do that Great Jagras mission to get all the decorations?

[CookedMeat]

Great Jagras mission only gives the base game jewels (rarity ≤8), which you will get a tons from master rank feystones as well.

It is just a personal opinion, but I feel like grinding jewel is a very tedious thing to do, which sometimes could take up to a couple dozens tries. Unless you are really lacking an essential jewel like might bow, you might as well just try to progress the story to unlock master rank cap and gain access to quests with better feystone drop rates.

Just a side note, you can look for a group to grind jewels by posting a session ID in the forum, having a well coordinated team makes things more efficient.