Archery Or Crossbow

[Kitten_Mittonz]

Just Wondering what to do for my next generation cuz i was planning on going xbow sniper but i still wondering if xbow is even still viable.

[Boerenlater]

Horse archer!

[Moncho]

You might want to check this:
http://forum.meleegaming.com/game-balance-discussion/meet-the-archer-and-crossbowwoman!/

Specifics have changed, but the basics have mostly stayed the same.

It depends on your playstyle. I would suggest trying both as STF and then deciding. You can always respec your main if you feel like you did the wrong choice

[Ronin]

I'd suggest going for a melee class and enjoying being an archer/crossbowman in another mod. You won't get any love from the community, nor the developers.

[Penitent]

You have 2 questions in your post, but only 1 vote!

Anyways, it depends on your build.
Any class that takes powerstrike, athletics, and puts wpf into a melee weapon will be good at melee.  This will be archer OR xbow, depending on how you distribute your points.  They are capable of being equally good at melee.  With both styles you can take 6 athletics, 6 powerstrike, and put 70 wpf into 1 hand, for example.

Who does the most damage?  It depends on which weapon you use.  The short of it is:
Xbow is capable of the most damage per shot, I believe.
Archery is faster shooting so can do more damage over time.

[Kryser]

Archery is for pros that enjoy a challenge and higher hire rates in strat cause they're not bundle of sticks xbows

[WITCHCRAFT]

I have played many generations as both archer and crossbow builds. Here's my opinions on each class:

Crossbow:
-reload time forces you to take cover and improves your awareness of nearby enemies and allies
-easier to hit your target (bolts move faster than arrows through the air, easier to judge shots)
-low point investment to use crossbows means you can be a competent melee fighter
-fewer shots - you will learn to make each one count
-point blank shots can be effective, but you need to run if the target doesn't die
-armor penalty isn't as important, since you reload infrequently

Archer:
-faster rate of fire allows you to "hold down" a target even if they have shield (they will still move forwards but much slower)
-repeated shots make killing horses easy (this is a great benefit to your team)
-investment into powerdraw and high archery wpf makes it harder to be "good" at melee
-in close combat, you have to use a melee weapon or run. draw time makes fighting with a bow against a close enemy difficult
-light armor is necessary to draw your bow quickly

They recently changed light and regular crossbows to take 2 slots. This means that melee crossbowmen need to use the 0 slot weapons (many small 1h weapons got changed to 0 slots in the same patch) if they want a decent shield. I haven't played crossbow since this patch, but my points still stand. Even if it gets reverted, many of the 0 slot weapons are the kind you want - fast enough that you can beat a 2hander or polearm enemy to the swing. I find archery more difficult that crossbow by far, but you should make a Skip The Fun character and try different builds as both crossbow and archer.

As an arbalest user, the patch has improved your strength. It was already 2 slots, and now you have more options of melee weapons.

[Phantasmal]

Witchcraft essentially covered everything. I think that the most important thing to learn about being an xbow is the use of cover, not just to reload but to hide from the enemy team. When you can take shots at an enemy who has no idea you even exist, your odds of hitting are much greater. If you bring an arb/Heavy xbow into battle and 1 bag of bolts, you can carry any 1H weapon in the game (I prefer the steel pick to compensate for my low PS and you have high enough athletics at lvl 30 to compensate for the short reach). I would suggest the heavy crossbow though, mostly because it reloads faster and still does a lot damage while being cheaper, than the arb, which is much slower and more expensive, but both of them are really good xbows.

If you ever want to try out any of the loomed xbow gear I have, I am sure we could work something out.

Hope this helps!

[Algarn]

Longbow has this : longbow is accurate , and deadly  And you can man it with a 30 body armor and use a short sword with this build (18/21)

[Kitten_Mittonz]

Thx For All The Great Advice Everyone And Thx To Witchcraft Who Gave Me More Off An Idea Of Both Classes And To Ranger I Might Hold U Up On That Offer Of Yours   And Thx To Everyone Who Voted Kudos.

[Nightingale]

Witchcraft essentially covered everything. I think that the most important thing to learn about being an xbow is the use of cover, not just to reload but to hide from the enemy team. When you can take shots at an enemy who has no idea you even exist, your odds of hitting are much greater. If you bring an arb/Heavy xbow into battle and 1 bag of bolts, you can carry any 1H weapon in the game (I prefer the steel pick to compensate for my low PS and you have high enough athletics at lvl 30 to compensate for the short reach). I would suggest the heavy crossbow though, mostly because it reloads faster and still does a lot damage while being cheaper, than the arb, which is much slower and more expensive, but both of them are really good xbows.

If you ever want to try out any of the loomed xbow gear I have, I am sure we could work something out.

Hope this helps!

You forgot to mention the fact that arbalest has a delay in the release of the bolt making the heavy crossbow better than the Arbalest. imo

[Lennu]

IMO crossbows are easier to use when unloomed, and when the player is not very experienced. They do pierce damage, are fairly accurate and you can always hold your aim as long as you like. It's really easy to wait for aiming archer to stop moving, then PEW the crap out him!

Archery is not really effective when unloomed, and is much more difficult. But for what I know, really good archer can reach k/d rates that crossbowmen can only dream of. So far only DaveUKR has reached the same scores as I've seen many archers getting round after round.

Melee-wise both classes are more equal right now. Archers can carry 0-slot 1 hander, that in good hands can do devastating damage (30pierce for Scottish Sword for example), but they still suffer from arrow weight effecting their movement speed.
Crossbowmen can get any 1slot weapon they want + arbalest and bolts. They also can move faster. So they are more effective on melee than archers. I'd say that xbowmen are capable of offensive melee, when archer use melee only to defend themselves till they can use their bow again.

(click to show/hide)

lvl 30
Str 18
Agi 21

Ps 5
Ath 5
Wm7
Pd6

Archery 150
1handed ~90

(click to show/hide)

Lvl 30
Str 15
Agi 24

Wm 8
Ath 8
Ps 5
If 2

Crossbows 160
Any melee ~100

Edit: not sure about the wpf values...

[WITCHCRAFT]

You forgot to mention the fact that arbalest has a delay in the release of the bolt making the heavy crossbow better than the Arbalest. imo

The highest bows and the arbalest have a short delay before you fire - you have to aim ahead of your target a little. I really like the heavy crossbow, and with the new 0 slot weapons it is probably quite viable to go 12/XX with high shield and athletics. You want a weapon that does pierce swing damage or has a

If you have high shield skill (7 or more) try a both kinds of buckler. They are much lighter than other shields, and allow you to carry a 1 slot weapon. With high shield skill, they will catch projectiles that they really shouldn't. It's a lot of fun.

[Fredom]

Crossbower, definetely!!! Best build for Crossbower is 15:24 and use an arbalest and a 1 handed weapon. It's much more fun than playing archer. That's my opinion; I don't know yours.
Horse Crossbower (with light xBox and arabian Warhorse) would be great fun too but like I said I don't know what play style you have. I would prefer Crossbower in anyway