cRPG - Crossbow Guide

Have you played the awesome multiplayer mod - cRPG? Did you feel helpless against the heavy armored knights and lightning fast nudists? Do you want to see them drop dead instantly? Rejoice! The answer is here - read this guide and become a crossbowman! Knights will eat your bolt, and you can run away from a fight with some honor.

Intro

This guide is aimed towards players who have little to no experience with cRPG, while knowing all the basics in vanilla multiplayer/singleplayer Bannerlord. If you are completely unfamiliar with basic combat mechanics, skills and attributes – you might find this guide somewhat confusing, and its probably best to start elsewhere.

( You may safely skip the following part and jump directly to the next section )



As a veteran cRPG player with over 1500 hours in the original, I was very excited about the current reincarnation of the most iconic multiplayer Mount&Blade mod! It feels very close to the original, and I am happy to see many players whom I had pleasure to fight against and alongside years ago. At the same time I was mildly disappointed by the lack of a message board / forum, where I spent almost as many hours as in the game itself – there is very little information about the difference in gameplay mechanics in comparison to the vanilla Bannerlord, and the developers are pointing towards a Discord channel instead. I am unfamiliar with Discord, and it does not seem to provide any written information, patch notes or anything else for that matter, that can be helpful for the new players.
This guide is an attempt to provide some assistance and basic information to the new players who are interested in using a crossbow as a permanent addition to their characters loadout. I have no access to or interest in dissecting the code / data, and my conclusions and tips are based purely on observation and experience. As such, this guide can be biased and/or unprecise and will hopefully become redundant in the future, when someone more talented and knowledgeable will take time to release a proper guide, supported by hard data and hours of meticulous testing.
That being said, I believe this guide can be useful for the new players, since the veteran core of cRPG community consists of very experienced individuals, and it can be an overwhelming and frustrating experience to meet them in battle, while having no guides, tips or walkthroughs to rely on.

Why do I even want a crossbow in “Mount and Blade”?

In my experience, there are several ways to utilize a crossbow:

• Long range stealthy assassinations
  
  This is where a crossbow shines brightest and surpasses every other weapon in cRPG. If landing consistent deadly headshots from up to a 50-meter distance, while staying hidden and out of melee combat sounds appealing to you – look no further, crossbow is your weapon of choice! Up to 150 damage can be done to an unarmored head, and even the heaviest of full-plated knights will soon learn to fear and respect your bolts, zigzagging and running in circles under your aim, like nasty beetles under a raised shoe.
  
  
• Support weapon for a melee setup
  A less effective way of using a crossbow, primarily due to low reload speed, high Weapon Proficiency Points demand and high maintenance cost. You might have fun using a cheap crossbow "shotgun style" - unload at close range and change to melee. At the same time, I would highly recommend a melee backup weapon even for the most dedicated crossbowman, and in that sense a crossbow can be considered a support weapon in many cases. The setup difference comes from Weapon Point distribution, the type of crossbow/bolts and the overall combat tactics. It is not easy to balance and come up with precise recommendations, but I will try to provide several effective examples further down in the guide.
  
  
• Mounted crossbowman
  A very exotic and hard to master setup. Only a few crossbows can be reloaded on the horseback and several skill-points must be invested in Riding and Mounted Archery, limiting your effectiveness on foot. Definitely not new-player-friendly, although it can be very effective when used properly on a high-level character. I have very limited experience with using a crossbow on a mount, but it was worth listing here as an option/inspiration.

I want to be an effective crossbowman! Where do I start?

In short, you will need the following minimum:

• Crossbow
  
• Bolts
  
• 140 Weapon Proficiency Points invested in “Crossbow” skill ( can range between 120 to 200+, read further for details )
  
• Patience and familiarity with maps/terrain

Which crossbow should I buy?

In short – the highest tier crossbow you can use.

Crossbows require a certain number of points invested in Strength to be usable. These numbers are listed on the weapon-card, when browsing cRPG’s shop on the webpage. As of now, 18 points of Strength is required to use the most powerful crossbow that is currently available. Sadly, I do not see any reason for using a cheaper crossbow if you are meeting the Strength requirements for a higher tier crossbow, since they do more damage, are more precise and have a higher projectile speed.



Missile Speed is probably almost as important as Damage, as it indirectly affects your precision, allowing consistent hits on moving targets from a long range.

Accuracy stat on a crossbow seem to affect the projectile “spread” within the crosshair. In other words, a light crossbow will be less precise with the same amount of Weapon Proficiency Points invested in comparison to a heavy crossbow. The difference becomes obvious at a 30+ meter distance, and along with lower projectile speed makes low tier crossbows less effective at sniping.

Reload Speed is rather obvious – the higher number is the better one, making your reloading process faster. Although in my experience, it is significantly less important in comparison to other stats. If you want to shoot faster, you probably want to use a bow anyways.

Aim Speed represents how quickly your crosshair reaches its maximum precision. Not a critical stat for a crossbow.

Are the expensive bolts worth buying?

It is always preferable to kill with one shot, as the reloading time is long and the enemy will be immediately alerted when taking a hit. Your life will often depend on that single shot. Thus making the top tier bolts a worthy investment.

Personally, I prefer to use two stacks of "Heavy Piercing Bolts", for maximum damage ( 5 bolts in a stack / 14 Piercing damage ). The "Heavy Bolts" are a good alternative if you feel like you are constantly running out of ammo ( 8 bolts in a stack / 12 Piercing damage ). If you are using a 1h/Spear weapon + a shield, the humble “Bolts” are a good option ( 10 bolts in a stack / 9 Piercing damage ).



That being said, even the cheapest bolts are effective with a top tier crossbow! The damage difference isn't big, and it is totally viable to be an effective and deadly crossbowman while using the cheapest bolts. Bolts do not differ in speed, precision or penetration ( despite being called “Piercing” or whatnot ).



I have not done any dedicated tests regarding armor penetration of heaviest helmets, but in my experience the difference is rather subtle if any ( only a flat damage reduction listed on the bolt-card ). If you must choose between upgrading to better bolts or a better crossbow – always upgrade the crossbow and use whatever bolt you can afford.

What’s up with these “Weapon Proficiency Points” you keep mentioning, can I get away with only a few?

No. You will need about 120 WPPs ( Weapon Proficiency Points ) as the bare minimum, even if you are using a cheap crossbow as a short distance skirmish weapon. 140 WPPs is the minimum for a dedicated crossbowman. Anything less will make your aim unreliable, and at this point you are better off using a bow.

WPPs are effecting your crossbow in several ways – the size of your crosshair, the aiming speed and reloading speed ( reloading is effected in a minor way it seems ). You absolutely need your crosshair to be as tight as possible! Keep in mind that lower tier crossbows with under ~96 accuracy will still have some noticeable spread.

Personally, I am using 150 WPPs and it works very well when engaging targets at 30 – 50 meters range. I can reliably hit a stationary target from up to 80 meters. Anything beyond this range is a gamble, although my record is around 150 meters ( using a top tier crossbow ).

Keep in mind that bolts seem to lose damage/impact power with distance, and it becomes very noticeable past ~60 - 70 meters, so don’t expect landing killer-headshots across the entire battlefield.

You are welcome to go over 150 WPPs, although it does not seem to make a noticeable difference regarding precision within 50 meters distance. It might improve your aiming speed and reloading, making you more efficient in the end, and you are welcome to experiment with what works best for your playstyle.

What about the rest of the gear - weapons and armor?

Melee mechanics and armor are outside of the scope for this guide, and I will not go into details here – its up to you! Few things are worth mentioning though – cRPG uses an “upkeep” mechanics, when you are paying a certain amount of gold to “repair” your gear each round/minute. The breaking point ( for a constant x2 multiplier on the siege server ) is around 50.000 gold of your combined gear-value. You can review your total gear-value in the character tab on the webpage – keep it under 50.000 if you don’t want to lose gold! The combined value of a top tier crossbow and two stacks of top tier bolts is almost 35.000 gold. That’s a lot of gold! And it leaves you with about 15.000 gold to distribute between armor and melee weapons. Top tier 2h and Pole weapons cost over 10.000 gold, leaving you with very little gold to invest in armor, so plan accordingly. Personally, I prefer using a 1h sword or a 1h sword + shield combo. A shield works nicely with low armor, although leaving you with one less slot for bolts. Try it out to see what works best for you!

An example of sniper gear:




An example of skirmisher:


About armor: a crossbowman should be as invisible as possible – you do not want to attract attention and ideally blend in with surroundings. I advise against bright colors, shiny metal helmets, capes, or anything else that attracts attention. Nor should you run around naked or wear obvious peasant garments! If you look like you can be killed with one shot/swing – you will be targeted way more frequently. A good set of armor for a crossbowman is something covered with leather – brown, boring, inconspicuous, and easily blending in with surroundings. Armor from “Looter” culture combined with leather shoulders/arms protection is, in my opinion, a good choice, but it’s a matter of personal preferences.

Character stats

I will keep it simple here – invest the minimum crossbow-required points in Strength, the rest goes in Agility. Weapon Master is the most important Skill – it provides more Weapon Proficiency Points for your weapons. Athletics is the next most important skill. As a crossbowman, you will mostly engage in duels, and since you can hardly afford a long-range melee weapon and enough WPPs to make it fast, you will need to compensate by clever footwork and timing. Investing points in Iron Flesh for more health or in Shield for durability is a waste – but you are welcome to experiment on you own. There is no shame in running away from combat - you will be the last to laugh when you retreat to reload your crossbow and annihilate your aggressor with a precise headshot! Don’t hesitate to run over to your fallen enemy’s corpse to perform a proper teabagging session – make them rage and insult you in the chat. cRPG is all about rage! Prove me wrong. ( Protip: you can’t. )

MFW someone starts trashtalking in chat:

*Keep in mind that Power Draw only works with bows and does not affect your crossbow in any way. ( Something that is being asked in chat frequently )

Effective high level stats: 18 STR / 24 AGI ( Sniper ) or 15 STR / 27 AGI ( Light Infantry )

Combat tips

Finally, you have saved up enough gold and gained enough levels to equip your new shiny Lord’s Heavy Arbalest and Heavy Bolts! What now?

• Investigate and learn the map - note the good sniper spots
  
• Stay High & Hidden ( Just like in real life )
  
  
  
  
• Keep in mind the locations of the “ammo buckets” for resupplying your bolts
  
• Never reload in the open field – hide behind a wall, rock, your teammate or at least some bushes
  
• Free camera button is your best friend – look around while reloading
  
• Avoid tunnel-vision. Be aware of your surroundings at all times!
  
• Keep your ears open – cavalry is your worst enemy
  
• Avoid shooting your teammates. Or at least avoid shooting the same teammate repeatedly.
  
• Say “Sorry” in chat if you do hit a teammate. Even if you don't mean it. ( His face broke your precious bolt - it's him who should be sorry! Sorry for being born with a freakishly giant head that is blocking your aim! )
  
• Don’t engage in melee if you can run away. Most of your gold and skills are in your crossbow, so it's only a tactical relocation, not a chicken run. Definitely not!
  
  
  
• Archers are your primary target! Their movement pattern and low armor makes them a perfect prey
  
• Target anyone who looks like a peasant – you want your first shot to be their last, so aim for the poorly dressed and slow-moving enemies. You are doing them a favor really - who wants to be a sickly peasant?..
  
• If you prefer playing siege, as I do, keep your eyes on the siege equipment operators when defending, and walls, windows, roofs as an attacker – that’s where the archers and stone-throwers are nesting. They are an easy kill, and you will help your team this way. Shooting battering ram / tower pullers is an absolue joy - you can completely shut down their operation!
  
• Work on the trajectory prediction for moving targets – with practice, you should be able to headshot a rider galloping across the battlefield from a 40 meters distance
  
  
  
• Last and most important! Always aim for the head. ALWAYS!
  Take your time - its best to waste 10 seconds on aiming and tracking, rather than wasting several bolts on injuring multiple enemies.

Closing notes

As I have mentioned in the intro, this guide is based on my experience, and as such, it might be rather biased. You are welcome to ask questions, write suggestions and critique me below.

Comments like “Dude, your guide sucks and you are a fat sweaty turd! Fight me IRL!” - are welcome too. Go nuts!

Hoping to meet and kill you on the battlefield! ( .. and teabag your corpse )

[ShadowDragon of the Abyss]

This looks fun af

[Armpit_Sweat]

it's back! Lots of players from the original.
Get it Here: https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2878356589
Update your character and buy gear here: https://c-rpg.eu/

[Silvarren]

Oh damn, cRPG is back? Where do I get in on this?!