Ranged combat in is one of the best ways for new players to get used to the game's mechanics while strongly impacting battles and sieges. There are three types of ranged weapons to choose from; bows, crossbows, and throwing weapons. And bows are one of the strongest and easiest weapons to master.
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While bows typically deal the least damage compared to other types of ranged weapons, they have better range, they are quicker, and you can have larger quivers and more arrows to shoot in each battle. With the right perk choices, you and your bowmen can rain arrows on the enemy lines and finish the battle before they reach your lines.
Updated March 20, 2023 by Nima Dabirian: Archery is one of the best combat skills in Mount & Blade 2: Bannerlord, no matter your play style. With the recent patch released for the game, many perks have been reworded and updated, so to keep your aim true and your arrows deadly, you might want to have another look at the updated perks and see which ones suit your gameplay best.
10 Dead Aim
The first perk choice in this skill is between Bow Control and Dead Aim. Bow Control is a great perk early on while you have low bow skill and can use the extra accuracy, but its impact will drop quickly as you progress in the skill. So you can pick this perk first and then change it later on by speaking with a tournament master.
Pros | Cons | |
Bow Control | Improves accuracy in certain situations Slight increase in troops' damage | Only works in certain play styles |
Dead Aim | Huge increase in headshot damage, allowing you to one-shot most enemies Increased bow skill for troops | Requires high skill to utilize |
The better option for late game is Dead Aim, as it increases your headshot damage considerably, helping you one-shot most troops if you manage to land headshots. The secondary benefit is also more valuable for your archers as an increased skill will improve both their damage and their accuracy with bows.
9 Bodkin
One of the biggest weaknesses of bows, compared to crossbows and throwing weapons, is their reduced damage against heavily armored troops. The Bodkin perk is a great option to help you and your archers be more effective against higher-tier troops in late-game battles.
Pros | Cons | |
Bodkin | Enhances performance against high-tier troops | Not impactful in the early stages of the game |
Nocking Point | Higher mobility for the character Direct increase to your archers' movement speed | Only useful in certain play styles |
Ranger's Swiftness is a great perk for certain play styles, specifically when you want to play a Robin Hood-style campaign with only foot archers, as the extra movement speed helps you and your troops keep a safe distance from the enemies. But Bodkin offers more benefits in the majority of situations.
8 Quick Adjustments
Late-game battles in Mount & Blade 2: Bannerlord are more about efficiency than speed. When two large armies clash, the one who manages their troops and resources better is usually the one who comes out on top, and one of the most important resources is ammunition for your ranged troops.
Pros | Cons | |
Quick Adjustments | Higher accuracy and easier aiming More accurate archers in your formation | Weak in siege battles where you have access to unlimited ammo |
Rapid Fire | A faster rate of firing arrows for the character and troops Incredibly useful in siege battles | Weak in large open-field battles |
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Quick Adjustment helps you and your troops with accuracy, while Rapid Fire increases the speed you fire arrows. Firing more arrows and running out of ammunition will force your archers into melee combat, which they don't excel at. But having more accurate shots means they can deal more damage to the enemy with their limited quivers.
7 Merry Men
Like in any skill tree, whenever we see an increased party size, we pick it. For this reason, Merry Men is a great perk, as number superiority is crucial in Bannerlord combat. The secondary benefit of these perks is for governors and doesn't matter to our main character.
Pros | Cons | |
Merry Men | Increases party size limit | Militia recruitment is not optimal for governors |
Mounted Archery | Essential perk for mounted archery Security is more important for the governor's perk | Doesn't affect foot archers |
The only use case for the Mounted Archery perk is if you play a mounted archer-only campaign, specifically with Khuzait's noble troop line. This is a really fun and strong strategy for open-field battles, so if you are playing this style of campaign, the thirty percent extra accuracy can be a huge boost to your combat prowess.
6 Strong Bows
As mentioned before, bows usually deal less damage than other types of ranged weapons, and any perk that increases their damage for you and your troops will be very valuable in the late game. Strong Bows is a great perk that gives you an eight percent increase to your damage and a smaller increase to the troops under your command.
Pros | Cons | |
Strong Bows | Direct increase to your damage with bows | Only affect higher tier troops' damage in your formation |
Trainer | Faster rate of training archers Allows your companions to gain bow experience after each battle | Not as effective in the late game |
Trainer, and similar perks that increase the experience gain of your troops, are good options when you are fighting continuous and multiple wars, and you need to replenish your losses quickly. But better diplomacy management and an especially high medicine skill can help you keep your army intact and focus on more important perks.
5 Discipline
The sixth perks for the bow skill are both quite weak, but the Discipline can be a nice bonus to have in most situations. This perk allows you to hold your aim longer without losing accuracy, which can help you pick your targets more carefully.
Pros | Cons | |
Discipline | Easier aiming and higher accuracy Incredible governor perk that gives loyalty | Less beneficial for high-skill players |
Hunter Clan | Better survival against enemy cavalry | Inferior governor perk that slightly reduces settlement costs Damage bonus doesn't apply to your troops, and they will still be weak against cavalry |
The secondary benefit of both perks is only applicable for governors, and Hunter Clan is a bad perk even for your companions and governors. Shooting horses is always a waste of arrows, as even with this perk, it would take two or three shots to kill a mount. You will be much more efficient if you manage to shoot the riders instead, and the Discipline perk can give you enough time to track and aim them.
4 Skirmish Phase Master
The direct counter to archers is cavalry. Your bowmen are usually defenseless against charging cavalry, and that's why you need to protect their flanks with your own cavalry and protect the front with your infantry. But after that, the biggest threat to your archer line is the opposing archers.
Pros | Cons | |
Eagle Eye | Increases sight range on the campaign map | Zooming in with a bow is not essential, as hitting targets beyond a certain distance relies heavily on luck |
Skirmish Phase Master | Increases the character and archer's survivability against enemy archers | Only applies to one formation, preventing you from splitting your archers in multiple groups |
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It's harder to protect your archers from incoming arrows. Even with a shield wall in front, the arrows usually go above your infantry to target your archers. But with the Skirmish Phase Master, you can reduce the damage you and your archers take from projectiles, helping you overwhelm the enemy's ranged troops and gain the upper hand in battle.
3 Renowned Archer
Morale loss is usually not an immediate concern in Mount & Blade 2: Bannerlord, but the troops most likely to flee the battle due to morale loss, are the archers. Renowned Archer is a great perk to ensure you don't face this issue.
Pros | Cons | |
Bulls Eye | A great perk for training archers in a short time | Loses its value once you have a high-tier army |
Renowned Archer | Higher morale for archers prevents them from fleeing Cheaper cost of archers in your army | Neither benefit is impactful enough in the late game |
Ranged troops lack defensive capabilities, and if they become exposed to enemy cavalry, they suffer huge losses that can drop their morale significantly. The extra morale boost helps you keep your archers in the field and gives you a second chance to reposition and keep your archers in battle.
2 Deep Quivers
As the number of arrows you and your troops have is limited in most situations, Deep Quivers is an exceptional perk to increase this limited resource and gives you and your archers more arrows to utilize in battle.
Pros | Cons | |
Deep Quivers | Extra ammunition for the character, and archers in your party | Becomes obsolete in siege battles |
Horse Master | Allows you to use stronger long bows on horseback Essential perk for mounted archers | Has no benefit on foot archers |
Horse Master is another perk that goes well with the horse archer-only play style, but even in those campaigns, there's a case to be made for Deep Quivers instead. Using longbows on horseback is not as effective as it might look. Even though longbows let your character deal more damage, extra arrows will help your whole army be more effective in combat.
1 Quick Draw
The final perk choice in the bow skill is ultimately a matter of preference and play style. Both Quick Draw and Salvo perks give minor personal benefits, and none of them have any effects on your troops.
Pros | Cons | |
Quick Draw | Faster Aiming for the character More income for the governor perk | Does not affect your troops |
Salvo | Higher mobility for the character | Security is capped at 100, and it's easy to achieve without this governor perk |
Quick Draw lets you aim faster with your bow, and Salvo increases your movement speed with bows. When it comes to your effectiveness in battle, faster aiming can help you with tracking and shooting targets and is a more beneficial perk. But Salvo can also be useful if you often find yourself running through the battlefield to reposition or command your army.
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