Aloy's preferred weapon has always been a bow and arrow. So which ones are the best?

We’ve already brought you the top 10 weapons overall in Horizon: Zero Dawn, but today we’re going to talk specifically about the weapon Aloy is the most proficient with from the start of the game: her bow.  There are three general types of bow in the game: the sharpshot bow; which shoots slow with high accuracy and damage, the hunter bow; which shoots more quickly with moderate accuracy and damage, and the war bow; which uses elemental attacks to disable and weaken enemies, while dealing minimal damage.  Each type of bow has several variations, and it can be overwhelming, but starting with the items on this list will be sure to equip Aloy well enough to take on whatever comes her way. 

5. Shadow Hunter Bow

The Shadow Hunter Bow

The Shadow Hunter Bow is the best of its style in the base game, and a must-have once you have the ability to obtain it.  This version of the hunter bow has three ammo types: Hunter Arrows, Hardpoint Arrows, and Fire Arrows, and a fast fire rate with moderate damage.  Using it in close-quarters combat will give Aloy the dexterity and speed she needs to take down enemies quickly and efficiently. 

Why it is Great:

• Strongest variant of the Hunter Bow available in the base game with a high rate of fire and moderate damage. 

Base Stats: 

• Hunter Arrow: 15 impact damage and 25 tear damage
• Hardpoint Arrow: 12 impact damage and 25 fire damage
• Fire Arrow: 30 impact damage and 75 tear damage

How to Obtain?

• The Shadow Hunter Bow can be purchased from merchants in the Sundom (after reaching Meridian) for x650 Metal Shards and x1 Watcher Heart.

4. Shadow Sharpshot Bow

The Shadow Sharpshot Bow

Similar to the Shadow Hunter Bow, the Shadow Sharpshot Bow is also the best of its style in the base game, and will help give you the edge you need to make it through your first playthrough in one piece.  The ammunition types available while using this bow are the Precision Arrow, Harvest Arrow, and Tearblast Arrow, and all three ammo types have some incredible features. Using a tearblast arrow to tear armor and components off of machines and then following up with the powerful precision arrow will take down dangerous enemies with just a few shots. Also of note, while the damage is low, if you use Harvest Arrows to shoot components off of machines, you will get many more resources. i.e. when shooting a blaze canister off of a grazer with a regular arrow, x1 blaze is received; however, use a harvest arrow and that number jumps up to x6 blaze per canister, making these arrows an absolute must-have for resource gathering and making shards.. 

Why it is Great:

• While it has a slower fire rate, this is the most powerful and accurate bow in the base game 

Base Stats: 

• Precision Arrow: 75 impact damage and 30 tear damage
• Harvest Arrow: 13 impact damage and 50 tear damage
• Tearblast Arrow: 100 tear damage

How to Obtain?

• The Shadow Powershot Bow can be purchased from merchants in the Sundom (after reaching Meridian) for x800 Metal Shards and x1 Sawtooth Heart

3. Banuk Champion Bow

The Banuk Champion Bow

The three most powerful bows in the game all come from the Frozen Wilds DLC, and can be a bit tricky to obtain, but will absolutely be worth it!  Coming in third is The Banuk Champion Bow. It is the most powerful war bow in the game offering Freeze, Shock, and Corruption Arrows as ammunition, but the power does come at a cost. In order to do the most damage, Aloy has to overdraw the shot, which without the help of handling coils can make one shot take a couple of seconds. Regardless, the raw damage potential outweighs the time it takes to draw a shot, and gives this bow the win for the strongest war bow in the game has to offer.

Why it is Great:

• Overdrawn shots deal massive damage that can down an enemy in just a few hits

Base Stats: 

• Shock Arrow: 7 impact damage and 50 shock damage (3 impact and 20 shock damage if the shot is underdrawn)
• Freeze Arrow: 7 impact damage and 50 freeze damage (3 impact and 20 freeze damage if the shot is underdrawn)
• Corruption Arrow: 80 corruption damage (40 corruption damage if the shot is underdrawn)

How to Obtain?

• The Banuk Champion Bow can be purchased from merchants in the Cut for x12 Bluegleam. Be aware, this weapon can only be purchased once per playthrough.

2. Banuk Striker Bow

The Banuk Striker Bow

Our second place spot goes to The Banuk Striker bow, which is the strongest Hunter bow in the Frozen Wilds DLC. Like the Shadow Hunter Bow, this weapon offers Hunter, Hardpoint, and Fire Arrows, and like the Champion Bow, it has the need to be overcharged in order for it to do more damage than the other options. In fast paced combat, it isn’t always possible to overcharge every shot, but adding handling coils can increase the arrow draw speed, and I think you’ll find the increased damage potential is worth the slightly less powerful underdrawn shots.

Why it is Great:

• The potential to do almost twice the damage of any other hunter bow 

Base Stats: 

• Hunter Arrow: 40 impact damage and 65 tear damage (10 impact and 20 tear damage if the shot is underdrawn)
• Fire Arrow: 16 impact damage and 50 fire damage (20 fire damage if the shot is underdrawn)
• Hard Point Arrow: 70 impact damage and 90 tear damage (20 impact damage and 50 tear damage if the shot is underdrawn)

How to Obtain?

• The Banuk Striker Bow can be purchased from merchants in The Cut for x16 Bluegleam.  Be aware, this weapon can only be purchased once per playthrough. 

1.  Banuk Powershot Bow

The Banuk Powershot Bow

The strongest bow in both the base game and Frozen Wilds DLC is The Banuk Powershot Bow. Like the Shadow Sharpshot Bow, this weapon uses Precision Arrows, Tearblast Arrows, and Harvest Arrows, and it has more damage potential than any other bow in the game.  The only catch once again is the slow fire rate due to the need to ‘overdraw’ the arrows to deal the most damage, making this weapon ideal for sniping enemies at a distance. 

Why it is Great:

• Long range and high damage when shots are overdraw

Base Stats: 

• Precision Arrow: 100 impact damage and 50 tear damage (50 impact and 25 tear damage when not overdrawn)
• Tearblast Arrow: 100 tear damage
• Harvest Arrow: 50 impact damage and 60 tear damage (5 impact damage and 50 tear damage when not overdrawn)

How to Obtain?

• The Banuk Powershot Bow can be purchased from merchants in the Cut for x14 Bluegleam. Be aware, it can only be purchased once per playthrough.

Note: All of these weapons have Adept versions available in New Game+. The cost will be slightly more, but the Adept versions give an extra modification slot, so they should be purchased if you have the option. Additionally, these stats and prices are all based upon normal difficulty level and a first time playthrough.

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