Dark Souls 3 presents tons of options when it comes to playstyle. This means that there are plentiful ways to enjoy getting killed by the in-game bosses. While melee is generally preferred in Dark Souls 3, ranged characters are not bad either.
In hindsight, ranged characters are generally better in most scenarios. Therefore, if your affinity lies more in line with archery, then make sure to try it. There is nothing to lose, and it can be a highly enjoyable experience, even if you are missing most of your shots.
Speaking of hitting your shots, aiming with a bow can be tough in Dark Souls 3. There are many moving elements in a battle, and predicting your enemy’s movements with pinpoint accuracy can be hard without using the manual aiming mechanic.
To aim a bow in Dark Souls 3, press LB for the crosshair mode and use the analog stick to move the target. After that, hold the RB button and release it whenever you want. The shot will go out as soon as the pulling animation is over.
It can be tough to understand the nitty-gritty of the bow actions. Therefore, this guide will help you by showing the step-by-step process in an easy-to-understand way.
How To Use Bows In Dark Souls 3
A ranger is the only true “ranged” class in Dark Souls 3. The bow is the main weapon of a ranger that lets you control your aim. While the lock-on system is well-made, it does not provide nearly as much control as the manual aiming system.
How to Aim a Bow
To aim a bow, a player must do the following:
- Equip a bow and press the weak attack button. Alternatively, you can equip a bow in both hands for better aiming and precision.
- You can either lock onto an enemy or press the fire button. For manual control, enter a first-person aiming mode by pressing one of the following buttons:
- L1
- LB
- Left-Shift
- Hold the RB button and release it at the most opportune time.
You are not allowed to quickfire in aiming mode. Therefore, the bow will only fire as soon as the stretching animation has been completed.
Aiming Mode: Perks & Limitations
You can move around freely in aiming mode. However, your movement speed will be significantly reduced. Rolling works in this mode, but you cannot fire while acting. Using manual aiming mode, you can hit specific ‘weak areas’ on an enemy’s body.
With that said, you can zoom in and out by pressing the Up and Down buttons on the directional pad. If you are a PC player, simply press the arrow keys to replicate this action. You will have complete control over the arrow, but hitting the enemy will be much harder.
Basic Workings of a Bow in Dark Souls 3
A bow needs ammunition to function. The main ammo for a bow is, as guessed, the arrows. There are different kinds of arrows available in Dark Souls 3. Depending on the type of arrows used, damage can be buffed to a certain degree.
What Types Of Bows Are In Dark Souls 3?
In Dark Souls 3, there are three categories of Bows. Every category comes with its own set of strengths and weaknesses. Therefore, it is recommended to choose according to the task at hand.
Short Bows
As the name suggests. Short bows are the smallest bows in Dark Souls 3. They can shoot faster in comparison to bigger bows. While this removes some damage potentials, it is still great against fighting hordes. They can also be used against slow-attacking bosses to melt their HP bars.
Long Bows
Longbows are generally better in medium to long-range combat. Their damage numbers are adequate, but they have a slower firing rate. Their draw timing is greater. Therefore, they are generally not recommended in PvE. This is because it is easy to get hit while drawing a long bow.
Great Bows
These weapons are the strongest bows in Dark Souls 3. However, their enormous drawing time makes them inadequate for fighting against numbers.
They are brilliant in sniping monsters, but fast paces fights are not their thing; the single-shot damage is still nothing to scoff at, and a great bow can potentially kill most mobs with a single hit.
All Bow Weapons in Dark Souls 3
There are a total of seven bow-based weapons. Each weapon comes with its own set of strengths and weaknesses. They can be generally categorized in the following table:
| Stats | Black Bow of Pharis | Composite Bow | Darkmoon Bow | Dragonslayer Bow | Gough’s Greatbow | Longbow | Short Bow |
| Shot Range | 65 | 38 | 50 | 50 | 55 | 50 | 50 |
| Physical Damage | 34 | 55 | 85 | 90 | 85 | 36 | 31 |
| Magic Damage | – | – | 85 | – | – | – | – |
| Fire Damage | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| Lightning Damage | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| Critical | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 |
| Strength | E | C | E | C | B | D | D |
| Dexterity | S | C | D | C | C | A | A |
| Intelligence | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| Faith | – | – | – | – | – | – | D |
| Durability | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 400 |
| Weight | 1.0 | 1.0 | 10.0 | 13.0 | 1.0 | 0.5 | 1.0 |
The Short Bow, Composite Bow, and Darkmoon Bow belong to the Short Bows category, while the Longbow and the Black Bow of Pharis are Long Bows. The Great Bows include the Dragonslayer Greatbow and Gough’s Greatbow.