When it comes to ranged attacks in Dark Souls 3, players have quite a few options. They can utilize the vast arsenal of powerful spells, throwable consumables, or one of three classes of physical weapons. These three are the regular Bows, the Greatbows, and the Crossbows. Each of the latter groups are widely considered to be the best for ranged offensives on builds that don’t intend to dish out sorceries, pyromancies, or miracles.
However, each has different usage strategies that dictate which situations they will be the most effective in. Bows are the best for fast, all-purpose combat, Greatbows are ideal for long-range devastation, and Crossbows are the most suited to be close-ranged implements of rapid destruction. The best of each of these classes all have a balance between power, speed, and range that set them apart from their less effective brethren.
10 Dragonrider Bow
This Bow is a reference to the Dark Souls 2 boss who fans of the franchise are likely familiar with. In one of the later boss fights in that game, the Bearer of the Curse will have to fight two Dragonriders: one with a polearm and another with one of these devastating ranged armaments.
With 200 physical attack at the maximum upgrade level of +5, the Dragonrider Bow packs the most punch out of all the regular Bows. This power comes at a cost, however, as its Range stat is a middling 50 and is the heaviest normal Bow in the game. Furthermore, its scaling maxes out at D-tier for both Strength and Dexterity, making it only really useful for Quality builds that can stand to be weighed down a bit.
9 Arbalest
The Arbalest is a hefty Crossbow that is the most powerful of its kind which lets loose a single, devastating bolt at a time. When fully upgraded to +10, it gets a huge 273 physical attack. It takes 18 Strength to even be wielded in one hand though, which makes it more ideal for Strength builds that need a solid option for short-ranged attacks.
With no scaling to speak of, however, its usability will pale in comparison to other Crossbows later in the game. Its weapon skill, Tackle, is a handy one that shoves enemies backward, giving the wielder some space to fire off a bolt.
8 Darkmoon Longbow
Longbows are a bit slower than their Shortbow counterparts, though, accordingly, offer more range. The Darkmoon Longbow stands out as one of those capable of the most damage, as it possesses both a physical attack of 66 and a Magic attack stat of 80 when fully upgraded to +5.
With that being said, it requires 10 Intelligence to wield and eventually gets B-tier scaling when maxed out, meaning that it is more ideal for a sorcery build than one favoring Dexterity or Strength. It is ideal for such playstyles because its Range stat of 50 has a fair bit more reach than most sorceries, allowing magic-users to defeat foes from even safer distances.
7 Avelyn
As opposed to most other Crossbows, like the Arbalest, the Avelyn fires multiple bolts at once for rapid-fire decimation of a foe’s health bar. Although each individual bolt does not deal much damage on its own, if the three that are loosed together all connect, it can do the most damage out of any Crossbow in the game save one.
It attains 128 physical attack at the maximum upgrade of +10, though this is the stat for each bolt of its three-shot volleys, meaning that the total physical attack of the triple-firing action can be considered to be a massive 384.
6 Dragonslayer Greatbow
Named for its capability to fell mighty, ancient foes, the Dragonslayer Greatbow is accordingly powerful. Using it will require the player to invest heavily in Strength and Dexterity, as it needs 20 points in each stat to be wielded properly.
However, when one reaches this point, the Dragonslayer Greatarrows that it fires are the equivalent of throwing an entire spear at adversaries from a range of 50. It has a physical attack of 220, allowing it to deal massive damage that can also greatly stagger foes.
5 Black Bow Of Pharis
This Longbow is a sniper’s dream, as it has a crazy Range stat of 63, giving it the most reach out of any physical weapon in the game. At +10, it does less than its kin with 134 physical attack, however, it gets a B-tier in Dexterity scaling for some nice boosts.
Additionally, like other regular Bows, it can be paired with the Hawk Ring and Feather Arrows to increase its range and damage even more. The Black Bow of Pharis can take out PvE foes from beyond their aggro range, making it the safest armament to dispatch foes at a distance.
4 Onislayer Greatbow
Matching the Black Bow of Pharis’ incredible Range stat of 63 is the Onislayer Greatbow. This tool of ranged destruction can be considered the lovechild of the aforementioned Longbow and the Dragonslayer Greatbow.
At +5, it gets 194 physical attack and a B-tier scaling in Dexterity for tremendous damage. One useful aspect that makes it stand out from its Greatbow brethren is that it does not need a securing spike to be punched into the ground before it can be fired, meaning that its wielder has much greater mobility before and after firing. This also means no recoil, so repeatedly lining up shots is a fair bit easier.
3 Repeating Crossbow
Most famous for wrecking players unexpectedly from the hands of the mighty Slave Knight Gael, it can be acquired from transposing this immensely powerful knight’s soul. Its greatest flaw is its very low durability of 20, which means players using it will need to carry a sufficient supply of Repair Powder.
With 228 physical attack at +5, the Repeating Crossbow can shred opponents at close range in the blink of an eye — even more so if one unleashes the insane Repeat Fire skill, where they can launch many bolts in faster succession than usual. Remarkably, this skill can still be used even with just a single bolt.
2 White Birch Bow
With only 144 physical attack at +5, C-tier scaling with Dexterity, and a moderate range of 49, the White Birch Bow gets outclassed fairly easily in the stat department by other Longbows, though none can perform the stealth-related tactics that this Bow specializes in.
For Dark Souls 3 PvP, this is the ideal tool for hunting down a Host of Embers as an invader. Its unique weapon skill, Unseen Arrow, allows the wielder to simultaneously loose an arrow while becoming almost completely invisible. When combined with the Obscuring Ring, this lets one go from a simple invader to a deadly camouflaged hunter.
1 Millwood Greatbow
Wielding the Millwood Greatbow is the Dark Souls 3 equivalent to owning a bazooka. Firstly, it must be mentioned that this behemoth of a bow gains a tremendous A-tier scaling in Strength at the max upgrade level of +5, which allows its incredible 242 physical attack to unleash untold obliteration with its regular shots.
However, it is this Greatbow’s weapon skill that makes it stand out as a truly overpowered weapon. With its Pierce Earth skill, it can cause a literal explosion at the point where its Greatarrows impact, meaning that it has all the power of a Greatbow as well as an AOE radius around every launched spear-like projectile that is almost impossible for enemies to deal with.
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