Melee builds are the bread and butter of Elden Ring, but if you’re looking for something different, Bow builds can be effective if you have the right build. In this guide, you’ll learn the best Bow, best Talismans, best Summons, and best tips to create a great Bow build in Elden Ring.
How to make the best Bow build in Elden Ring
The key to making an amazing Bow build in Elden Ring is to have high Dexterity and Endurance, use the Black Bow, use Poison and Bleed status arrows, and use the Greatshield Soldier Ashes Summon. Sadly, all of the Bows in Elden Ring have very poor damage scaling, but Black Bow is the best because of the Barrage Skill. It’s also great because you can jump and shoot and then shoot again right after landing. With any Bow build, you never want to stand still and attack; instead, roll and jump attacks are your best friend.
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Elden Ring: Best Bow build attributes
The two attributes you need to focus on for the best Bow build in Elden Ring are Endurance and Dexterity. Dexterity is your main damage stat for Bows and high Endurance is needed because you’ll need a lot of Stamina for this build. Everything else can largely be ignored, but you’ll also want to focus on Vigor. The higher your health, the better.
What is the best Bow in Elden Ring?
It’s up for debate, but the best Bow for this Elden Ring Bow build guide is the Black Bow. Black Bow has Barrage which allows you to shoot three arrows in quick succession which is great for dealing damage and applying Poison and Bleed. It’s one of the fastest Bows in the game and gets better with higher Dexterity.
Serpent Bow is a good one to consider if you want to go all in on Poison. Pulley Bow is also a fan favorite since it is a bit better at dealing raw damage and Greatbow is not a bad option if you want to build a Strength Bow build.
Best status arrows for Bow build in Elden Ring
The biggest issue with Bows is arrows. You can buy regular Arrows for 20 Runes from most Merchants found throughout the game, but if you want to have success with the best Bow build, you need arrows that deal status damage.
At the beginning of the game, use Serpent Arrows. These can be bought for 120 Runes from the Dragonbarrow Isolated Merchant in Caelid. They also drop from Serpent and Skeletal Snails which appear toward the mid to late game. Bloodbone Arrows are also a must. These are crafted after you acquire the Nomadic Warrior’s Cookbook (6) by combining three Thin Beast Bones and one Bloodrose. In the late game, use Lightning Bolt Arrows. These Arrows can be crafted, but are bought for 160 Runes from the Nomadic Merchant in Atlus Plateau.
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Best Ash Summons for Bow build in Elden Ring
The best Ash Summon for the best Bow build is the Greatshield Soldier Ashes. I highly recommend using a Summon whenever you can with any Bow build because you’ll need to have your enemies or boss focus on other targets that aren’t you. I’ve found the Greatshield Soldier Ashes to be the best because they keep the enemies or boss distracted for the longest time since their shields allow them to take damage slower than every other Summon.
Best Talismans for Bow build in Elden Ring
You need Spear Talisman to increase your damage. Lord of Blood’s Exultation is incredible because it raises your attack power by 20% when Blood Loss occurs which you should be proccing with your Bloodbone Arrows.
Kindred of Rot’s Exultation is just like Lord of Blood’s Exultation, but it’s for Poison and Rot. These two Talismans give you a 40% boost to damage if you apply Poison and Blood Loss. Lastly, I recommend Shard of Alexander to make your Barrage Skill 15% more powerful.
Best Crystal Tears for Bow build in Elden Ring
Thorny Cracked Tear is great because it makes your consecutive attacks grow stronger which pairs well with Barrage. Lightning-Shrouding Cracked Tear is also a great Crystal Tear since Lightning attacks are strong against many enemies and Bosses.
Nice! You have the best Bow build in Elden Ring. Now, you can hunt down every boss in Limgrave.
