Bows are dead - uninstallation time

    • Combat Balance

    • Bows are dead - uninstallation time

      Okay, i've made multiple topics about this subject - bows are dead, why you ask? here is why:

      Hunter hood meta: all bows dmgs are burst so u can just kill your self with one stupid spell
      Spears mobility is way higher than bows - dmg is higher than bows - add to that they have reflect on W.
      Gloves mobility is way higher than bows - dmg is higher than bows - add to that they have counter on W.
      Swords mobility is way higher than bows - dmg is higher than bows - add to that they Reflect on W - Root on E - High range none missing High dmg High horny E.
      Cursed Higher Dmg - imagine cursed W the lazer does more than my War bow E, but we are the ranged weapons right?
      Frost? no need to go there there Q dmg is probably more than all our E's.
      No need to mention hammers, maces and so on because you know we will be stunned unable to do shit but to watch them eat our dead body.
      Any weapon did i miss? oh yeah fire staff with their Q that does dmg burn, W that hunts you from 2000 meters away.

      Add to all of that, the new mistwalker jacket, that can counter any spells to close distance without you being able to slow / root ( but hey use the new ray of light boys its the new kiting meta)
      Mercenary jacket with it's retarded healing " Cursed Skull gets to 100 % hp from it ", but hey let's make the bow of badon don't heal from the merc " hey let's also make a hunter hood to make it trash"
      add to all of the above !!! the off hands for all these builds " to get more CDS, DMG, HP, or whatever they feel like to fck the hell out of you.


      Playing bows everyday as it's my favourite weapon in most games, just give me anxious and hate for those stupid developers every day more than the other.


      Therefor, this is my last thread and day in the game.

      Ping me up if they rework this whole shitty tree.


      Ariooos Amigos

    • Frosty3z wrote:

      "Therefor, this is my last thread and day in the game.

      Ping me up if they rework this whole shitty tree."

      ??? schizo posting i guess, game's meta shift to other thing all the time, i guess dont let yourself attached to something too much, atleast in a videogame
      i never use meta builds, i always like to use my own thing.

      But to make a ranged weapon, less ranged less dmg and less in everything than the other builds, is pretty much retarded.

      I am not going to play a weapon / build i don't like just because it's " meta"

    • FatSlayer21 wrote:

      Frosty3z wrote:

      "Therefor, this is my last thread and day in the game.

      Ping me up if they rework this whole shitty tree."

      ??? schizo posting i guess, game's meta shift to other thing all the time, i guess dont let yourself attached to something too much, atleast in a videogame
      i never use meta builds, i always like to use my own thing.
      But to make a ranged weapon, less ranged less dmg and less in everything than the other builds, is pretty much retarded.

      I am not going to play a weapon / build i don't like just because it's " meta"
      The profanity you are using isn't going to make the developers more inclined to revert the changes in your favor. It's one thing to have an open discussion with feedback on both sides but the way you are going about it is all wrong.

      Albion is a game where the meta shifts constantly, unfortunately if bows were in the meta and aren't any longer players like you are affected. Even if you don't create builds that are inline with the current meta. The best suggestion I would give to you is to either wait for another update to fix the current situation for the bows or start using different builds. The heavy crossbows are very powerful at the moment. I have been using the Siegebow and it obliterates my enemies, it's very similar to bows so it may be something you want to consider trying out.

      My thought process is always this -- If you identify a problem, only bring it to someones attention if you have a well-thought out solution.

    • I run into this issue as well, and not necessarily with bows, but regarding bows I must say, that recently I have been playing arena a lot, and oh boy I have to say that rangers pack a hell of damage. If I don't focus them down and if they are free shooting, oh boy the damages are insane. Also that feeling when you get kited by a bow and you just cant reach them while loosing your health is so obnoxious, I think you need to adapt your playstyle with bows, maybe try to focus a bit on mobility, adjust your build see if that works. Again, I am not a pro when it comes to bows, but I have seen what they can do.

      Regards META, yes it exists because of Internet in general, because people that are good at math can share their findings in the Internet like youtube, and this is no surprise that people will follow meta to see - everyone wants to be stronger and win more fights, that applies to you and me, some people care about the means some don't.

      Where I find myself in this situation with META is that I am trying to figure out a way to counter it. Everything can be countered, bows, dual swords etc, just need to find a way :)

    • I don't know why people are talking about meta, i mentioned how all other weapons are superior in range or range closing with more mobility.

      The only problem is I don't care if the weapon is not meta, however if i can't fight most of the builds because they are all stronger in every aspect, this this is not acceptable.

      I thank you for the tips about " how to play bows" iam 700 specs I played all builds there is to be found for bows, however they make the bows just a shity PVE or Small scale, Yes! bows do alot of dmg when they have cover, but what about solo game play?

      What bow do we have that can work in solo? bow of badon was the only good option and now it's meh.

      Let me give you an example here..

      " Battle Axe " I fought a guy where both of us were 6.2, his E did approximately of 560 dmg while my E got reflected with no way to cancel, he continues by using the mistwalker jacket to fully counter the next E while closing distance.

      In this situatuin alone, imagine if i use warbow E or whispering or whatever bow u think of, how much is the cool down, how much is the casting time and how much dmg do i do? way less than that E dmg.

      Now i have to either go for mobility or dmg, because let's be real Bow's AA or Q's are usless, let's go with frost shot for mobility right? wrong because ur E is usless as it's countered or reflected.. where do u do dmg? mage cowl? nah it's nerfed too :)))

      iam just tired of this game changing everything to fast based ' more mobility " on everything while destroying the ranged and nerfing therir mobility.

    • they gave ranged to mage weapons on top of high damage numbers

      they gave mobility to melee weapons

      they forgot to rework bows and crossbows plain and simple
      for the next 6 months or so just play some other weapon

      at least until we manage to convince SBI to change the weapons / skills that actualy need change
      Ahem wailing bow, speed shot rework, new Q skill for crossbow, weeping repeater. bow Q skills need damage bump
      The Tank Who Bonks

      The post was edited 2 times, last by The_Support_God ().

    • The_Support_God wrote:

      they gave ranged to mage weapons on top of high damage numbers

      they gave mobility to melee weapons

      they forgot to rework bows and crossbows plain and simple
      for the next 6 months or so just play some other weapon

      at least until we manage to convince SBI to change the weapons / skills that actualy need change
      Ahem wailing bow, speed shot rework, new Q skill for crossbow, weeping repeater. bow Q skills need damage bump


      Theyve been buffing the mobility of crossbows- they took caltrops and gave it a 30% ms buff from its 20%.
      They nerfed sword speed from 12% to stack to 9% per stack (lol)
      They have been nerfing gloves mobility since it came out- dragon leap cd increase, triple kick cd increase)
      They nerfed claymore E dmg
      They nerfed broadsword E damage, effects, range, standtime, all of it

      They increase your frost shot second timer by 3 seconds....thats it. They actually buffed bows a little by reducing auto attack standtime but I doubt you have the mental and physical capacity to click and move fast enough for it to matter to you. Just because you go analyze some numbers- doesnt mean jack shit about what 2 skilled players will do with 2 weapons. I lose to GOOD bow players all the time on spear, sword, the like.

      big things to play bow CORRECTLY- pressuring
      if you misuse your frost shot more than once- you die. I will admit bow does have a pretty small margin for error. but my god watching a good bow player frost shot certain skills is sexy even if its me losing.
      Really, really try to get the frost shot to be used defensively, use it offensively AS LITTLE as possible. this means walking in for more autos, multi-shots, and the like, (mage cowl is actually gr8 for bows). Then they just hit and run and widdle me down. the big thing that separates good bows vs bad bows is cooldown counting. You need to count your enemies mobility cooldowns and only offensively frost shot if the enemy is truly on the run and youre gonna get gapped. its important to save it if you arent going to get gapped so you can use it for a last ditch swing attempt.


      Only thing op is right about- is hunter hood being 100% reflect is so fucking braindead strong every1 HAS to run it.

    • for 1 i have yet to see any crossbow use caltrops.
      and that is consider rare considering the abysmal play rate of crossbow atm.

      even if they do play crossbow they typically use the silence or the sunder shot
      not caltrops as first pick W skill


      So many nerfs to swords and yet there is dual sword born out of it
      + a new mobility skill


      as for frost shot. if everything else got nerf and frost shot also got nerf then we are back to square one right? where all mobility is more or less equal
      also why bows get so much hate when they have such little margin for error.
      other weapons are so damn forgiving with the kit they have. where they have mobility / better brawling damage then bow

      the moment bows mess up their small range advantage they get nuked by the spell rotation of other weapons
      and is forced to run like a coward with that single mobility skill called frost shot


      and lets not forget that mage cowl getting changed soon So no more Poke damage for bows. they have to at least brawl abit with their targets
      oh sorry bows's Q damage and brawling damage sucks oh so what do i do? sacrifice frost shot for more damage?


      @Sedocoi
      you are so scared of a good bow player that knows spacing and cooldowns that you fail to see the flaws that are starting to show on bows
      with every passing update where weapons get reworked / more power

      Double merc badon? too tanky and health gain? nerf Dot effects
      reg bow? too much damage too fast? so slow it down that
      then rework the thing completely (to be determined how good this is)
      warbow? new fire and frost rework can do the same thing but better
      mobility? yes we nerf every mobility in the game and force players to brawl Longer
      Now poke damage still too much? nerf mage cowl into a weaker purity cowl. shorter range and less damage


      Like at this point i would just abandon bows and crossbows and play a different weapon
      until SBI reworks them. or we convince them to rework them
      The Tank Who Bonks

      The post was edited 1 time, last by The_Support_God ().

    • The_Support_God wrote:

      for 1 i have yet to see any crossbow use caltrops.
      and that is consider rare considering the abysmal play rate of crossbow atm.

      even if they do play crossbow they typically use the silence or the sunder shot
      not caltrops as first pick W skill


      So many nerfs to swords and yet there is dual sword born out of it
      + a new mobility skill


      as for frost shot. if everything else got nerf and frost shot also got nerf then we are back to square one right? where all mobility is more or less equal
      also why bows get so much hate when they have such little margin for error.
      other weapons are so damn forgiving with the kit they have. where they have mobility / better brawling damage then bow

      the moment bows mess up their small range advantage they get nuked by the spell rotation of other weapons
      and is forced to run like a coward with that single mobility skill called frost shot


      and lets not forget that mage cowl getting changed soon So no more Poke damage for bows. they have to at least brawl abit with their targets
      oh sorry bows's Q damage and brawling damage sucks oh so what do i do? sacrifice frost shot for more damage?


      @Sedocoi
      you are so scared of a good bow player that knows spacing and cooldowns that you fail to see the flaws that are starting to show on bows
      with every passing update where weapons get reworked / more power

      Double merc badon? too tanky and health gain? nerf Dot effects
      reg bow? too much damage too fast? so slow it down that
      then rework the thing completely (to be determined how good this is)
      warbow? new fire and frost rework can do the same thing but better
      mobility? yes we nerf every mobility in the game and force players to brawl Longer
      Now poke damage still too much? nerf mage cowl into a weaker purity cowl. shorter range and less damage


      Like at this point i would just abandon bows and crossbows and play a different weapon
      until SBI reworks them. or we convince them to rework them
      just a side note, i have been trying to get good with caltrops for the past few days, might release a vid soon. so far ive found its good for chasing but a 3S slow rarely controls a melee player.

    • very true.

      alot of items were balanced around the 1v1 meta.
      and now there are items that are being balanced around mists as well

      aka the latest shadow edge nerf
      and mage cowl

      CC, healing and even dot effects are some of the older cases


      but after this sets of nerfs i would just advice to take a break from bows and crossbows
      at least until SBI reworks it.
      They did a good job for mage staffs and even made some OP broken ones along the way
      i cant see why they cant fix underused skills or add new ones to add variety to bow/ crossbow gameplay
      The Tank Who Bonks

    • The_Support_God wrote:

      caltrops rely on opponent to "step" on it
      its not unconditional mobility unlike frost shot, and the many dash & jump skills

      as a range you should not Step on it
      as a melee your mobility should be enough to overcome the diffrence
      its more like you have to hit your opponent with it, like explosive shot.

      melee mobility is often enough to overcome the difference, but i need to do more testing with other armours to see if it can be useful given time. against ranged, most fights are a slugfest anyway so caltrops just takes away from your dps. you can still fight with good management of armour skills but its just too much against cursed.

    • @ElliotLLL
      while i like your positivity

      balance changes around here are quite slow
      and dont always go as you would want it

      especially combat balance changes


      Bows and crossbow over the last 2 years remain mostly stable with the rework of multi shot ,nerf of frost shot and other minor buffs
      other weapons had their power rise and shrink drastically over the last 2 years.
      the latest rework to all mage weapons basicaly pushed bows and crossbows out of the spot light and into the weaker side of things

      i can go several forums posts on what can be done to rework items and fix them
      but changes would take very long to be implimented
      i am now fine with uploading my reaction to changes as they come. and maybe give a rant / rework post every one in a while when i think that SBI
      misses the mark on some items

      we dont want items to hit live broken now do we
      The Tank Who Bonks

    • The_Support_God wrote:

      they gave ranged to mage weapons on top of high damage numbers

      they gave mobility to melee weapons

      they forgot to rework bows and crossbows plain and simple
      for the next 6 months or so just play some other weapon

      at least until we manage to convince SBI to change the weapons / skills that actualy need change
      Ahem wailing bow, speed shot rework, new Q skill for crossbow, weeping repeater. bow Q skills need damage bump
      Bows have the one of the best range and mobility combinations in the game with frost shot. What more do bow players want? They always seem to complain that players can actually catch them to do some damage sometimes...

      It's weaker than some choices in the game for 1v1, but maybe it's just a weak weapon line for 1v1. Not every weapon line can/should be good at all things, especially those with irritating kite gameplay.

    • Cspar wrote:

      Bows have the one of the best range and mobility combinations in the game with frost shot. What more do bow players want? They always seem to complain that players can actually catch them to do some damage sometimes...


      They HAD one of the best range and mobility combinations in the game
      and that is with the addition of things like forcefield and mage cowl for safety / dps

      range and mobility is the only thing going for them.
      but over time that value diminished.
      CC rework. mage weapons rework. up and coming mage cowl rework
      nerfs targeted purely at mobilty
      other weapons getting reworked. ahem ahem dual swords


      like if you just see purely damage numbers with cooldown and raw dps values you clearly see something wrong with Bow's Q skill dps

      searing flame Q3 got rid of fire's range weakness and allow it to trade at range (getting small dps buff soon)
      frost got its Q1 range increased in exchange for being a skill shot
      you cant out trade a curse in Brawl
      spears have similar range but autos used to do a bunch more damage with Q2 spear spirit
      even nature and holy got better Q with their rework


      SBI tried to push away players from frost shot with the latest buff to ray of light & auto attack stand time
      but without DPS in Q skills it just lacks so much.


      Cspar wrote:

      It's weaker than some choices in the game for 1v1, but maybe it's just a weak weapon line for 1v1. Not every weapon line can/should be good at all things, especially those with irritating kite gameplay.

      Yes not everyone like to be on the receiving end of a kite game play.
      and bows are the personification of a weapon line balanced around kite game play

      therefore their skills's damage can never match those of Brawl weapons hence they are reliant on the ONLY mobility skill in their tree frost shot

      I agree with your statement that not every weapon line can/ should be good at all things
      if you want to rebalance the whole tree be my guest. at its current state it cant even compare to rework mage weapons for group fights
      on top of its weakening 1v1 power

      if things like speed shot W skill still exist in its tree that is.
      The Tank Who Bonks

    • FatSlayer21 wrote:

      Okay, i've made multiple topics about this subject - bows are dead, why you ask? here is why:

      Hunter hood meta: all bows dmgs are burst so u can just kill your self with one stupid spell
      Spears mobility is way higher than bows - dmg is higher than bows - add to that they have reflect on W.
      Gloves mobility is way higher than bows - dmg is higher than bows - add to that they have counter on W.
      Swords mobility is way higher than bows - dmg is higher than bows - add to that they Reflect on W - Root on E - High range none missing High dmg High horny E.
      Cursed Higher Dmg - imagine cursed W the lazer does more than my War bow E, but we are the ranged weapons right?
      Frost? no need to go there there Q dmg is probably more than all our E's.
      No need to mention hammers, maces and so on because you know we will be stunned unable to do shit but to watch them eat our dead body.
      Any weapon did i miss? oh yeah fire staff with their Q that does dmg burn, W that hunts you from 2000 meters away.

      Add to all of that, the new mistwalker jacket, that can counter any spells to close distance without you being able to slow / root ( but hey use the new ray of light boys its the new kiting meta)
      Mercenary jacket with it's retarded healing " Cursed Skull gets to 100 % hp from it ", but hey let's make the bow of badon don't heal from the merc " hey let's also make a hunter hood to make it trash"
      add to all of the above !!! the off hands for all these builds " to get more CDS, DMG, HP, or whatever they feel like to fck the hell out of you.


      Playing bows everyday as it's my favourite weapon in most games, just give me anxious and hate for those stupid developers every day more than the other.


      Therefor, this is my last thread and day in the game.

      Ping me up if they rework this whole shitty tree.


      Ariooos Amigos

      The_Support_God wrote:

      they gave ranged to mage weapons on top of high damage numbers

      they gave mobility to melee weapons

      they forgot to rework bows and crossbows plain and simple
      for the next 6 months or so just play some other weapon

      at least until we manage to convince SBI to change the weapons / skills that actualy need change
      Ahem wailing bow, speed shot rework, new Q skill for crossbow, weeping repeater. bow Q skills need damage bump

      Few thoughts from me
      1) devs planned to rework/focus on each tree 1 per year. First was warrior (gloves and changes), last year was Caster weapons. This year they already changed some bow/xbow stuff and quarterstaff. So I'm assuming changes are coming to hunter tree as planned.

      2) Koko, tunga, 2santos all have insane success in 1v1 and 1vX with bow content.

      Hunter hood can cripple alot of weapons it dismantles axe tree as well. However there are ways around it. Alot of high end bow users go towards mistwalker jacket as u could badon E then if they hunter hood u can jacket all the damage.

      I would recommend checking out there content.