How to Snipe with the Warbow

How to snipe with the War Bow to become more supportive and annoying as an archer, or to start out as a (War) Bow Archer

Additional tags: Archer, bow, warbow, war bow, sniping

Intro

So, you want to learn how to become a better archer or to at least (counter)snipe people from far away to get those pesky bastards in the back? Here's a guide to sniping. I would like to make things clear in this guide that this is all tips and pointers, everything else you'll have to learn on your own or experimentation as this guide won't be a guarantee that you'll become better.

Screenshot as of 4-28-2025

The War Bow

The War Bow compared to its lighter counterpart is a heavier and more damaging version, as it's able to dish out 70 damage on any class besides archers. Archers take more damage to bows and is essentially guaranteed that you get a free kill, given the correct circumstances. It takes roughly below three seconds of its draw time to achieve its full damage output, compared to two seconds of its lighter counterpart.

The Numbers

One Clean Shot from an arrow: 70 Damage

One Clean Headshot on anyone: 109 Damage

One Clean shot on an Archer: 94 Damage

One Clean Headshot on an Archer: 147 Damage

One Overhead Strike with the bow: 25 Damage

One Push/Thrust Strike with the bow: 25 Damage

Archers will take one shot, however they may be overhealed with the war horn, extending their health from 90 to a 100, making them able to tank a War Bow arrow. Use the brazier to make it a guaranteed kill from the burning arrow or be sure to aim for the head when sniping them.


It takes roughly two hits to take down a vanguard, even with a headshot.


It takes roughly three shots to take down a Footman, two if you score a headshot


It takes roughly three shots to take down a Knight, two if you can score a headshot


Recognize the state of the enemy or pay attention to their health at the bottom, as they're usually damage from their battles. A well placed shot or headshot can be an easy kill before moving onto another. Try to pick off bloody enemies or enemies with some blood on them. Usually they're an easy kill.

There are times where certain "exceptions" may be made, as some kills may take one arrow less by chance of health or that the game just said "♥♥♥♥ it."

Additional War Bow Info

Stamina

Drawing the War Bow's drawstring is taxing, as it takes longer to draw for a fully damaged shot. Canceling the draw will refund about enough stamina to line up another shot, and shooting the War Bow will refund about a fifth or an eighth of your stamina bar.

Swinging your bow will consume no stamina, but jabbing and kicking will. Swing your bow if you want to get a bit more damage in before swapping to another weapon, or just to finish off or down an enemy that's already hurt or dying.

Holding or drawing out the bow makes you an easy target for other archers or enemies because of its large size. Keep the size of your bow in mind if there are archers or enemies who keep an open eye of your presence. It's like wearing a flag that says "I'm here if you can notice me"

Keen Eyes

Having a sharp eye can make all the difference in the battlefield, whether if it's a target far away or that you can see the whiff of an arrow coming through. Keep track of where the arrow or projectile came from and triangulate where your target is. Triangulation is in my words "finding out where they shot you at from your position." You'll have to reposition to get your target to get a better shot sometimes.

In addition to having sharp eyes, notice the small details on the map like the Siege of Rudhelm, such as the windows on the castle walls.




Noticing small things like this can be a lifesaver for your team if their archers are deadly, or if someone's sneaking by.

Tracking (Bonus to Keen Eyes)

Try to track your target or at least predict where they will go, even after death or when they leave your line of sight. It requires hyperfixiation or intense focus amongst a crowd or from far away. If you want revenge, remember where they killed you, and track them down for revenge.

Spatial Awareness

Don't let having a huge bow and team mates get over your head. Just because you're an archer doesn't mean you're free from combat. You've still got people trying to flank or snipe you. Look around or listen to footsteps around you. The more you put this into practice, the more you'll know when it's safe to snipe or to run.

Arrow Cam

If you are struggling to hit your shots, try using the arrow cam to help readjust your aim. There's no shame in using it if you're missing. You can also use it as a recon, as it allows you to spectate where the enemy is from far away.

Targeting Ballistas

Alright now I ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ hate aiming for players on the ballistas because the hitbox of the ballista is complete and utter ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥. I've learnt to aim for either the legs or the head if you're daring enough. The hitbox on the ballista covers a lot of the player manning it, so you'll either have to reposition or wait for the perfect shot. If you want to cheese it, use the siege crossbow, though it's not a part of the guide.

Also, I will not make a guide on the crossbows because I hate using them. Sorry folks.

Combat

Due to how slow the War Bow is, you'll want to stay in the backlines or with teammates to back you up in that case.

When it comes to aiming, most of the time or usually your shots need to be lead. Leading your shots means to aim slightly further than your intended target to hit at that moment. Not ever shot is going to be hitscan like a sniper rifle, so aim ahead a little more and you'll able to meet your arrow halfway with your targets. More will be mentioned down below.

There's several styles of fighting that I like to use with the War Bow:

-Up Close
-Far Away
-Tight Angles
-Jump Shots
-Sneaky
-Guerrilla Warfare

Up Close and Personal

If you're going to be fighting up close or if there's enemies closing in, jab your enemies first before switching to your secondary weapon. Jabbing them gives you enough time to swap to your melee, and may even intimidate your enemy into blocking, which gives you more time to back away and/or to swap weapons. Be careful of your stamina as it is PRECIOUS as an archer. Having too little can become problematic when it comes to taking a well placed shot or when it comes to close quarters combat. I'd advise to learn how to counter and mix up your attacks, such as feints or feints into heavy attacks. Counters are a HUGE lifesaver to archers when it comes to close quarters combat. Mastering this or improving on it will make a huge difference between dying a lot on the field and staying alive long enough to provide support on the field for your comrades. As for aiming, there are two shots or aims that I go for. Aiming at my teammates or a little away from their center mass. Now, aiming at my teammates means that there's a possibility that they'll move out of the way from their enemy for the arrow to get a clean shot in. If you have a clean shot, sometimes it's best to aim a tiny bit ahead to land your shots.

The Longshots

For far away sniping or just sniping in general, know the distances of your shots and how far off you need to aim in order for your arrow to hit your target. Try to use the world as tick marks for your long shots such as the horizon or the scale of the buildings to help you aim your shots.


As for targets moving left or right, I would say to aim about a quarter of an inch if they're close, or at least an inch or inch and a half if they're far away. This is the part where you have to experiment yourself and learn about each classes movement speeds.

(Ranges will apply, so tinker with your shots)

The Tight Angle Snipers

So, for you bastards who love to snipe at strange or closed off angles, try to find a sneaky or a spot that conceals yourself well, like this

You've got a tight angle that you can shoot from while concealing yourself when you crouch. Pay attention to the world around you, and you'll start to notice spots where you can snipe, such as the castle windows on The Siege of Rudhelm or the Slaughter of Coxswell. Just be careful of bad hitboxes on the walls, and keep an open eyes and ears around you. You may have intruders trying to flank you. Be careful of your bow standing up when aiming because it can give you away because of how tall it is

Jumpshotting

Jump shots are a rare commodity for me, as they consume a LOT of stamina when pulling it off. The name is simple itself. Jump and shoot. I only do this if there's too many people in my way for my target or if my angle is bad. Just be mindful of your stamina, and make sure you have enough or a full bar to pull it off. It's tiring.

The Sneaky

So, the sneaky type eh? Just crouch down and hug the walls or any bushes nearby. The Battle of Darkforest is a good map for you to practice on. Be careful of your bow standing up when aiming because it can give you away because of how tall it is. Always have your secondary weapon on hand in case if you take the wrong step or if you want to save some arrows for another kill.

Guerrilla Warfare (Or, Fighting Dirty)

You know that this is Chivalry, right? Where you can grab anything and use it as a weapon? Sometimes archer doesn't always mean "shoot a bow." Hell, throw it at the enemy when they're close or when you need to quickly kill someone that's downed. Grab a weapon off the ground and swing at your aggressors, or grab a one-handed weapon in your secondary (to do this you'll need to hold your secondary weapon and grab a one-handed weapon like the sword, rapier, morning star, or warhammer. Yes, you can use a war bow and a rapier as an archer at the same time. Shocking, isn't it?). Grab throwing knives and use it when someone's attacking you in melee. You know that you can do ANYTHING in Chivalry 2 right? Play as a Knight and steal a war bow from an archer, use the spectator/death cam to see where your enemy is or archers? You're not limited to just your bow and arrow, hell, explore anything like a Vanguard with a bow. You realize that Vanguards have the most stamina, right? If you're lucky or fortunate enough to find one off the ground, go nuts! The world's your oyster as long as you can hold up to it!


Me as a war bow archer with a sword as my secondary. Throwing knives would be lovely or throwing axes.

The End

I hope you enjoyed this guide on how to use the War Bow. I don't see a lot of it being used on the field, and wanted to create this guide to encourage other players to play War Bow Archer or archer in general. With the help of this guide, I hope to see you out there on field if you ever come across me in game! Just be sure not to miss!

[That One Damn ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥]

War bow in third person is if you want a wider "perspective" or if first person isn't working out for you somehow. I'd say it makes you more combative since you can see more on the field, however this fucks with your aim due to the different perspectives. I've noticed that the arrows go a tiny bit more to the left of your cursor when aiming, and it also makes sniping behind cover a bitch as you have to calculate or hope and pray that the arrow doesn't get stuck behind the walls.

TL;DR, aim a bit more to the right and you'll be fine. Tinker with your aim as always

[ˢʰᵉᵉᵖsheepYT]

The two best archers sheep knows, one uses first person, and one uses third person. This surprised sheep greatly. What's your thoughts on this subject?

[That One Damn ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥]

Please do ask questions! I'll also update the guide too along the way in case if I run through any more pointers!