Starting an archer...

[Canute]

As the title says I'm starting an archer. Preferebly a good build for level 31. I'm planning ahead for what my gen 2 will be, and I don't want to start out messing it up.

1. What bow?

Preferebly a bow that can get in the thick of the fight (sticking with shielders/2h) near the back, at least 20-30ft away from enemy footies. A plus would be a good build for battle/siege.

2. What build?

This will have to come with your own recommendation, and please do include pros/cons. I'm looking for an agi based build that can STILL do well with 1H. I don't need to run-and-gun, but at least stay quick on my toes to avoid getting flanked and keep a high WPF. Str-based builds are also welcome, but please do include pros/cons and what I can expect in damage, and how it will affect mobility and such.

3. What sword?

1H, what do archers preferebly use? With secondary mode or whatever I'm comfortable with? I use Elite Scim/Long Espada with my shielder, are these viable?

4. Gear

Just throw decent looking gear here, I don't think I'll wear helms/gloves since I heard it affects aim/wpf or whatever I saw in the forums.



Thanks guys! Ya'll don't have to be as detailed as I am, but I'm giving you the general jist of my archer playstyle (even if I haven't even tried).

[Adamar]

Horn bow, 2 quivers of bodkin arrows and an Italian sword, if you must have a sword. 18 - 21, if you want some extra skill points. But make an alt and see if you can stomach archery first.

edit: you can also make a 21 - 21 build for extra damage, but you'll have less skills.

[Strudog]

This all depends on personal preference with the bow and what build you are going to use, i would recommend using a STF character to test out the different bows and see what you feel comfortable with:

Longbow:
Pros: High damage, Accurate
Cons: Heavy, Slow

Level 31 (8 892 403 xp)

Strength: 18
Agility: 21

Hit points: 59

Skills to attributes: 6

Ironflesh: 3
Power Strike: 3
Shield: 0
Athletics: 7
Riding: 0
Horse Archery: 0
Power Draw: 6
Power Throw: 0
Weapon Master: 7

One Handed: 1
Two Handed: 1
Polearm: 1
Archery: 166
Crossbow: 1
Throwing: 1

Sidearm: Hand axe, Pickaxe

Rus Bow:
Pros: light, fast
Cons: 2 slot,less accurate than longbow and less damage

Build: Same as longbow

Yumi Bow: Only useful to horse archers

Horn Bow:
Pros: More accurate with build, 1 slot, lighter and faster
Cons: low damage

Build:
15/24

Level 31 (8 892 403 xp)

Strength: 15
Agility: 24

Hit points: 50

Skills to attributes: 6

Ironflesh: 0
Power Strike: 5
Shield: 0
Athletics: 8
Riding: 0
Horse Archery: 0
Power Draw: 5
Power Throw: 0
Weapon Master: 8

One Handed: 1
Two Handed: 1
Polearm: 1
Archery: 174
Crossbow: 1
Throwing: 1

Sidearm: 1 slot weapon

Dont bother with the other bows

[[ptx]]

Longbow is not accurate.

[PanPan]

Yeah long Bow is the most unaccurate bow... But still it has most style but when you're a newbie archer take a rus bow or horn bow Bodkin Arrows or Tatar Arrows its you choice.

and Rus Bow is more accurate (The Higher the damage the more unaccurate the bow is; The 1 accuracy gave abit more still not enough because of the high damage)

And Yumi isn't only useful for HA take a look at Cup1d he rocks with it.

[Arrowblood]

cupid is not a ha

[PanPan]

cupid is not a ha

I said that Yumi isn't only useful for HA's that he should take a look at him cus he is a footman wiht it and he is epic with it

(click to show/hide)

Ajajaj du bist doch älter als ich und verstehst sätze der Englischen sprache nicht?

Ok nochmal für dich weil Strudog meinte das Yumi nur gut für HA's ist und dann meinte ich dass Yumi nicht nur für HA's gut ist sondern auch für footman Archer als Beispiel habe Ich Cup1d genommen.

Warst du wieder saufen oder was?

[Strudog]

longbow is the most accurate with 101 accuracy

[[ptx]]

You have no clue. Damage stat reduces accuracy, the higher the damage, the less accuracy a bow has. The higher accuracy stat of longbow at most compensates for it's higher damage (i have done no research into this, someone should), but, since you have to release the arrow immediately (at 8WM, pure archer, not to mention anything lower), before the reticule grows huge, you can hardly call it accurate.

[Tears of Destiny]

You have no clue. Damage stat reduces accuracy, the higher the damage, the less accuracy a bow has

Which is also why looming a bow is a double edged sword.
Also, Do not make a level 31 build, as you will retire shortly after that. Instead plan builds for level 30 as literally half of your playing time before retirement will be spent at level 30.

[zagibu]

Just don't do it, pal. Go melee instead.

[[ptx]]

Looming does increase accuracy some, a MW bow has +2 accuracy, but i don't know if that actually negates the accuracy penalty.

[Adamar]

Yeah, I never did notice much trouble with my loomed longbow, though, there have been some patches during its development.

[WITCHCRAFT]

Agree with Tears, if you are Gen 1 and looking to retire for that loom point, plan your build for level 30. Once you hit 31, you will probably just retire right away 

1. What bow?

Just pick up each bow as your character levels up. The most popular bows for foot archers are the Rus, long, and horn bows. In my experience, the horn bow is the easiest due to its speed. You will find yourself "cancelling" a lot of shots by pressing R after you've nocked an arrow. Maybe a teamate jumped in front of you, maybe your aim is going off from holding the shot too long. The rus and long bows take longer to "reload" when you do this. By the time you reach 31, you will have played enough to test out each bow thoroughly. Pick the one you like best, there is no hands-down winner. The yumi is a weirdo and if you've never played an archer before you will probably hate it.

2. What build?

I'd recommend going for 18/18 or 18/21. You will want Power Draw 6 even if you don't use one of the difficulty 6 bows. Otherwise, your shots will deal so little damage it will feel like you are shooting toothpicks at the enemy. There are some builds with even higher strength/PD in the guides section of the site, for dedicated archers. No matter what build you go for, you will want maxed power draw, athletics and probably weapon master. Archery requires a LOT of wpf investment. Ironflesh isn't a necessity since you will be avoiding close combat as long as possible.

3. What sword?

I played three gens as a crossbow user, switching between 1h, 2h, and polearms each gen. If you choose the long or rus bow, you probably want to stick with 1h. There are a few 2h/pole weps that fit 1 slot. Langes messer is a 1h sword that uses 2h as a secondar mode. Shortened spear is cheap, fast, has 120 range. If you take a 2 slot bow and 2 quivers of arrows, you will only have room for the 0 slot weapons. Hammer can block and has a small knockdown chance. Long dagger is quick and has a decent thrust attack. If you have your heart set on a 1 slot sword though, I'd recommend a 1 slot bow and 2 quivers of arrows. Italian falchion has fast strong swings, espada eslavona has very strong thrust attack, and the shashka has great reach for a 1h weapon. Just pick a few that look cool to you and try them out, again it's all up to your preference really.

4. Gear
I don't think I'll wear helms/gloves since I heard it affects aim/wpf or whatever I saw in the forums.

There's a formula somewhere, I can't find it but all of your armor pieces effect your aim. It works something like helms count for 2x their actual weight and gloves for 5x their actual weight, with body and leg armor counting for 1x of the weight. Just wear fairly light armor and you should be fine. It will keep your upkeep lower as well. In close combat you will be relying on your speed, not your beefiness.


All that said, I wish you luck. Playing ranged characters forced me to get better at manual blocking in melee combat. Also you will need a lot of practice before you can reliably hit targets from more than 30 feet away. 

edit: keep regular arrows around for when you need to save up money, but try out tatar and bodkin arrows. Tatar is great at taking down horses and lightly armored enemies. Bodkins are a pain to keep equipped all the time due to upkeep, but they make it possible to actually deal damage to armored knights.

[_Sebastian_]

longbow is the most accurate with 101 accuracy

No.
Each damage point decreases the accuracy by 1.

Short Bow    96 - 16  = 80
Bow             96 - 18  = 78
Nomad Bow 96 - 20  = 76
Tatar Bow    97 - 22  = 75
Horn Bow    97 - 24   = 73
Yumi            100 - 26 = 74
Rus Bow      100 - 28 = 72
Long Bow    101 - 31 = 70

So the short bow has the best accuracy and the long bow the worst accuracy.

Looming does increase accuracy some, a MW bow has +2 accuracy, but i don't know if that actually negates the accuracy penalty.

No it doesnt.
Also the accuracy bonus is needed to give the bow the same accuracy as the unloomed one.
But it should be 3+ accuracy, because of the 3 damage points.
So loomed bows are actually a little bit less accurate than unloomed bows.