Bow vs. Crossbow

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Necromortis

New member
Bow vs. Crossbow

I'm sure you guys have had the generic bow vs. crossbow thread, but this one is in direct relation to the character I'm building, Kingslayer the Hunter Druid.

I'm in Act II Normal (ok, ok, I play slowly alright?) and up until today, I'd been using a nice Rare Long Bow that I'd found. Then I found a Crossbow.

I equipped that, and I did one less point of minimum damage, and three more points of maximum damage.

Now, my question is, for a Druid (NOT an Amazon), which is better? Bow or Crossbow?

More importantly, what's the differance? Aside from Bolts only having 250 and Arrows coming with 350 of course.

Which would you recommend for a Hunter Druid?

Thanks,
~Necro

P.S. I'm currently using a Crossbow.
 
Witchwild string is hard to beat. It has amplify damage and large chance of double damage (critical strike). Plus, it shoots magic arrows, which almost nothing is immune to.

This is of course assuming you can find a witchwild.

In terms of untwinked probably whatever you have that is fast and does good damage is going to win out.
 
It really just depends upon what you find, one isn't better then another..Usually Bows are faster, but do less damage-then x-bows...and usually what ever is faster is better, but if another weapon does twice as much as the faster one, it's not always so. Use your best judgement, and you'll be fine.(Simply, try to get a good balance of damage/speed..if that's the same look at other mods..ie Lightning Damage, or Slows Target or whatever..)
 
Oh, ok, thanks for the help guys.

I was just wondering if a Druid would be better suited to playing with a crossbow or a bow. I play untwinked though...so it's whatever I can find.

Well, it does make it a pain to switch between bolts and arrows.

Oh, another question...does anyone here keep one or two extra packs of arrows and/or bolts in their inventory in the event that you run out, or do you just go back to town and covet the extra space.

Cheers,
~Necro
 
I generally just keep whatever will fit in one quiver, and pick up what I find. Here is a tip for picking up arrows and bolts: Keep your inventory items situated so that you don't have three spaces free in a vertical line; when you go to pick up arrows/bolts, the character will pick it up, tell you the inventory is full, but it will also fill your quiver. It will do the same even if you have three spaces clear, but this way you never have an extra quiver taking up space.

Steve
 
IMO, a hunter druid would be a lot like a ranger pally: get the biggest damage weapon you can.

Realistically, a druid (like a ranger) isn't going to be firing that quickly, regardless of what weapon you end up using. The fastest you can get with a bow is 9 fpa, the fastest with a xbow is 11 fpa, neither of which is particularly quick (a zon could hit 2 fpa or 3 fpa, respectively).

Firing relatively slow, pure damage per hit is the biggest concern. CTC effects won't be going off that often.

Twinked, Windforce is really THE choice (although Witchwild is another good choice, but for the magic arrow, deadly strike, and resists more than for the amp damage). Widowmaker is another good option (ITD, deadly strike, guided arrow or magic arrow).

Untwinked, biggest damage you can get.
 
Necromortis said:
Now, my question is, for a Druid (NOT an Amazon), which is better? Bow or Crossbow?

More importantly, what's the differance? Aside from Bolts only having 250 and Arrows coming with 350 of course.

Which would you recommend for a Hunter Druid?
Click to expand...

Hmmm... my 2 cents:

I have a Hunter Druid my self and have been trying out various weapons. First off, you should try to figure out, what kind of Hunter you want to build. Are you to do the damage with your minions working as tanks (keeping monsters busy, while you shoot at a safe distance), or are you going for minion damage with you helping out? In the first case you'll need a seasonably fast bow with reasonable damage, in the second case you might just choose the Bow that helps out the best - a fast Bow with chance to cast Amplify Damage, even if that's a Hunter's Bow (now pun intended). Be aware that Ravens cast Dim Vion that will override the Amplify Damage curse.

For Hell Difficulty (when you eventually arrive there), it'll be tricky for a Hunter, because of the occasional Physical Immunes - prepare yourself for that. Amplify Damage can remove the Physical Immunity on most monsters, that are Physical Immune, but they'll still have high resists.

Get lots of Elemental Damage Charms - looks for items with Crushing Blow, Open Wounds, and Elemental Damage.

Speed matters less than that you hit at all, and hit for damage - and in Normal just take your time and have some fun: it may be your last chance for that :lol:

cheers

- FreezBee
 
One of my Summoning Necromancers uses a socketed crossbow for his alternate weapon, so of as a last resort. His main weapon is a wand that increases Necromancer Skills, Iron Maiden, and Golem Master Skills + ctc Chain Lightning. I figure if the golem bites the dust and he's out of Mana/Rejuv potions, the crossbow will come in handy. Here are the crossbow stats (which are then augmented by an Unraveler Head shield and several charms that give +damage of various sorts, and the Death's set glove and belt that give life steal):
Gemmed Crossbow "Eldeth" (3 sockets)
2-handed damage: 9-16
Normal Attack
-25% Target Defence
+75% Damage to Undead
+50% Attack rating to Undead
+100 Poison over 7 seconds

I've had it for a while and no complaints so far, but then I tend to rely on my golem and Iron Maiden.

With a Druid you don't have to worry about wands and such because often your + to skills are in your helms. So you could, if you wanted to stay a ranged fighter, equip a bow as one weapon and a crossbow as the alternate.

Jude
 
I always keep an extra bolt/arrow on my character, it seems like if i dont bolts drop if i'm using a bow and arrows if i got a crossbow on it, and I do full clears and TP back to town when my invertory is full anyway so i just drop them on the ground use the space for the last item i found if needed then pick them up when i get back i dont like to run out.
 
Heh, thanks you guys.

I've decided I like my bow at the moment. My minions do most of the damage anyway, so it's not like it's a big deal (well, too big of a deal at least). Plus, crossbows look cooler, and do more damage (which to me is important), which is nice because it compliments the Raven's Blinding enemies, and the Dire Wolves tying them up.

~Necro
 
One other thing worth keeping in mind is that the elite crossbows require MUCH higher strength reqs than do the elite bows. Those strength points don't have any effect on your damage output, whereas extra points in dexterity do. So this will help increase the damage output with a bow over a xbow. Or you can put those extra points in vitality and stay alive longer. Either way, bows are nice. Of course, if you're playing untwinked, then use whatever you find that helps you out the most. That may not be a very helpful answer, but it is the best one.
 
Bowazon mantra 'Speed kills'. You'll find more good bows, that you can easily equip, than xbows. Whomheads' point, about str requirements, should be your biggest concern. Dex adds damage and AR, str doesn't.
 
Lucky you, I just did the research myself for my hunter druid. Here you are:

Settings
Character Druid
Weapon Hydra Bow / Hydrabogen
Skill Standard
IAS Frames per attack Attacks per second
0 % 17 1.4
6 % 16 1.5
11 % 15 1.6
22 % 14 1.7
32 % 13 1.9
48 % 12 2
70 % 11 2.2
105 % 10 2.5
174 % 9 2.7


Settings
Character Druid
Weapon Diamond Bow / Diamantbogen
Skill Standard
IAS Frames per attack Attacks per second
0 % 15 1.6
9 % 14 1.7
18 % 13 1.9
30 % 12 2
48 % 11 2.2
75 % 10 2.5
125 % 9 2.7


Settings
Character Druid
Weapon Ward Bow / Wächterbogen
Skill Standard
IAS Frames per attack Attacks per second
0 % 15 1.6
9 % 14 1.7
18 % 13 1.9
30 % 12 2
48 % 11 2.2
75 % 10 2.5
125 % 9 2.7


Settings
Character Druid
Weapon Balista / Balliste
Skill Standard
IAS Frames per attack Attacks per second
0 % 22 1.1
3 % 21 1.1
7 % 20 1.2
11 % 19 1.3
19 % 18 1.3
27 % 17 1.4
37 % 16 1.5
50 % 15 1.6
70 % 14 1.7
95 % 13 1.9
138 % 12 2
215 % 11 2.2


Settings
Character Druid
Weapon Colossus Crossbow / Koloss-Armbrust
Skill Standard
IAS Frames per attack Attacks per second
0 % 22 1.1
3 % 21 1.1
7 % 20 1.2
11 % 19 1.3
19 % 18 1.3
27 % 17 1.4
37 % 16 1.5
50 % 15 1.6
70 % 14 1.7
95 % 13 1.9
138 % 12 2
215 % 11 2.2
 
ricrestoni said:
Lucky you, I just did the research myself for my hunter druid. Here you are:

Settings
Character Druid
Weapon Hydra Bow / Hydrabogen
Skill Standard
IAS Frames per attack Attacks per second
0 % 17 1.4
6 % 16 1.5
11 % 15 1.6
22 % 14 1.7
32 % 13 1.9
48 % 12 2
70 % 11 2.2
105 % 10 2.5
174 % 9 2.7


Settings
Character Druid
Weapon Diamond Bow / Diamantbogen
Skill Standard
IAS Frames per attack Attacks per second
0 % 15 1.6
9 % 14 1.7
18 % 13 1.9
30 % 12 2
48 % 11 2.2
75 % 10 2.5
125 % 9 2.7


Settings
Character Druid
Weapon Ward Bow / Wächterbogen
Skill Standard
IAS Frames per attack Attacks per second
0 % 15 1.6
9 % 14 1.7
18 % 13 1.9
30 % 12 2
48 % 11 2.2
75 % 10 2.5
125 % 9 2.7


Settings
Character Druid
Weapon Balista / Balliste
Skill Standard
IAS Frames per attack Attacks per second
0 % 22 1.1
3 % 21 1.1
7 % 20 1.2
11 % 19 1.3
19 % 18 1.3
27 % 17 1.4
37 % 16 1.5
50 % 15 1.6
70 % 14 1.7
95 % 13 1.9
138 % 12 2
215 % 11 2.2


Settings
Character Druid
Weapon Colossus Crossbow / Koloss-Armbrust
Skill Standard
IAS Frames per attack Attacks per second
0 % 22 1.1
3 % 21 1.1
7 % 20 1.2
11 % 19 1.3
19 % 18 1.3
27 % 17 1.4
37 % 16 1.5
50 % 15 1.6
70 % 14 1.7
95 % 13 1.9
138 % 12 2
215 % 11 2.2
Click to expand...


So there really isn't that much differance between crossbows and bows for Druids then? I think I'm reading the table correctly at least.

~Necro
 
Necromortis said:
So there really isn't that much differance between crossbows and bows for Druids then? I think I'm reading the table correctly at least.

~Necro
Click to expand...

I'd say there definitely is a difference,

For 11 frames a second you need:

Hydra: 70 ias
Diamond: 48 ias
Ward: 48 ias

Ballista: 215 ias
Colossus Xbow: 215 ias

Although that's just for the examples listed. A Demon Crossbow only needs 8 ias to reach 11 frames.
 
Hmm, I was just looking at the final "Attacks Per Second" coloumn.

2.2 ApS vs. 2.7 ApS doesn't seem that much of a differance, but hey, what do I know? I've never played a character with a bow before.

~Necro
 
By pumping dex, you'll boost AR and be able to hit things. Str is a haste for ranged attacks. In a1, a bow with 3 chippies will do, but you need to plan ahead for nm and hell. I can give you any normal or exceptional bow you need.
 
Thanks for the offer Darkwell, but I'm afraid I'll have to turn it down. I'm playing (And will always play) 100% untwinked. But it really is kind of you to offer.

On the subject of Strength. I'm suprised you people are so worried about it. Right now I'm actually using a Heavy Crossbow, and I needed points in Strength for it. So I put them there, and it was a rather good thing, because I also needed Strength to wear armour, so it all came out good in the end.

Am I the only one that thinks this?

~Necro
 
Necromortis said:
On the subject of Strength. I'm suprised you people are so worried about it. Right now I'm actually using a Heavy Crossbow, and I needed points in Strength for it. So I put them there, and it was a rather good thing, because I also needed Strength to wear armour, so it all came out good in the end.

Am I the only one that thinks this?

~Necro
Click to expand...

Depends on how devoted you are to using bow/crossbow later in the game. You may find a very good weapon but can't hit anything with it. You can't hurt until you hit.
 
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