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This article is about the ranged weapon. For the emote, see Bow (emote).

Bows are weapons used in ranged combat that require a certain Ranged level to wield. They require ammunition in the form of arrows. Bows can be created through the Fletching skill and come in two varieties: shieldbows and shortbows. Some bows, such as composite bows and the dark bow, cannot be fletched, and are instead a possible reward from Treasure Trails and monster drops. Bows are distinct from crossbows, in that all bows are two-handed weapons, but not all crossbows are.

Shortbows[]

Main article: Shortbow (bow type)
ChargebowShortbowOak shortbowWillow shortbowMaple shortbowYew shortbowMagic shortbowElder shortbowCrystal bowZaryte bowAttuned crystal bow
Slot 2-handed
Style Arrow
Speed
Fast (3.0s)
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Shortbows fire at a faster rate than shieldbows and hit harder, but restrict the access of most defensive abilities and have a smaller attack range.

Ranged
Item
Ranged
Level
Main-hand Off-hand Attributes Style bonus Price
Style Dmg Acc Style Dmg Acc Defence Constitution Prayer Attack-icon Ranged-icon Magic-icon
Shortbow Shortbow 1 Arrow 43 150 - - - 0 0 0 - - - 1,215
Oak shortbow Oak shortbow 10 Arrow 87 202 - - - 0 0 0 - - - 624
Willow shortbow Willow shortbow 20 Arrow 175 316 - - - 0 0 0 - - - 512
Maple shortbow Maple shortbow 30 Arrow 263 454 - - - 0 0 0 - - - 688
Yew shortbow Yew shortbow 40 Arrow 351 628 - - - 0 0 0 - - - 896
Magic shortbow Magic shortbow 50 Arrow 438 850 - - - 0 0 0 - - - 1,189
Elder shortbow Elder shortbow 60 Arrow 526 1132 - - - 0 0 0 - - - 4,249
Crystal bow Crystal bow 70 Arrow 1286 1486 - - - 0 0 0 - - - 55,013 + 200,000 - 1,000,000
Zaryte bow Zaryte bow 80 Arrow 1470 1924 - - - 0 0 0 - - - 8,816,585
Hexhunter bow Hexhunter bow 80 Arrow 384 1924 - - - 0 0 0 - - - 169,376,270
Attuned crystal bow Attuned crystal bow 80 Arrow 1470 1924 - - - 0 0 0 - - - Coins 10000 200,000 - 1,000,000
Noxious longbow Noxious longbow 90 Arrow 1147 2458 - - - 0 0 0 - - - 163,230,298
Seren godbow Seren godbow 92 Arrow 2056 2577 - - - 0 0 0 - - - 923,416,219

Shieldbows[]

Main article: Shieldbow (bow type)
ShieldbowOak shieldbowWillow shieldbowMaple shieldbowMaple shieldbow (sighted)Yew shieldbowMagic shieldbowMagic shieldbow (sighted)Elder shieldbowElder shieldbow (sighted)
Slot 2-handed
Style Arrows
Speed
Average (3.6s)
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Effectively, a shieldbow is similar to a one-handed crossbow wielded alongside a shield, although it fires a bit slower, its damage is the same. Its damage is about 33% lower than a shortbow's. They have the unique aspect of being both a two-handed weapon and a shield at the same time.

Ranged
Item
Ranged
Level
Main-hand Off-hand Attributes Style bonus Price
Style Dmg Acc Style Dmg Acc Defence Constitution Prayer Attack-icon Ranged-icon Magic-icon
Shieldbow Shieldbow 1 Arrow 26 150 - - - 30 0 0 - - - 1,089
Oak shieldbow Oak shieldbow 10 Arrow 53 202 - - - 40 0 0 - - - 623
Willow shieldbow Willow shieldbow 20 Arrow 106 316 - - - 63 0 0 - - - 335
Maple shieldbow Maple shieldbow 30 Arrow 159 454 - - - 90 0 0 - - - 624
Yew shieldbow Yew shieldbow 40 Arrow 212 628 - - - 125 0 0 - - - 864
Maple shieldbow (sighted) Maple shieldbow (sighted) 45 Arrow 238 732 - - - 146 0 0 - - - 624 + 10,000 Dungeoneering tokens
Magic shieldbow Magic shieldbow 50 Arrow 265 850 - - - 170 0 0 - - - 1,118
Magic shieldbow (sighted) Magic shieldbow (sighted) 55 Arrow 291 983 - - - 196 0 0 - - - 1,118 + 10,000 Dungeoneering tokens
Elder shieldbow Elder shieldbow 60 Arrow 318 1132 - - - 226 0 0 - - - 3,516
Elder shieldbow (sighted) Elder shieldbow (sighted) 65 Arrow 344 1299 - - - 259 0 0 - - - 3,516 + 10,000 Dungeoneering tokens
Dark bow Dark bow 70 Arrow 371 1486 - - - 297 0 0 - - - 77,444
Strykebow Strykebow 85 Arrow 450 2178 - - - 435 560 0 - - - 13,457,428 Wyrm scalp + 77,444 Dark bow

Composite bows[]

Main article: Composite bow

Composite bows are identical to shieldbows (except for the composite ogre bow), but they have a longer attack range. Only the ogre composite bow can be fletched, other composite bows must be obtained via Treasure Trails.

Ranged
Item
Ranged
Level
Main-hand Off-hand Attributes Style bonus Price
Style Dmg Acc Style Dmg Acc Defence Constitution Prayer Attack-icon Ranged-icon Magic-icon
Willow composite bow Willow composite bow 20 Arrow 106 316 - - - 63 0 0 - - - 860,090
Comp ogre bow Comp ogre bow 30 Arrow 382 454 - - - 0 0 0 - - - 3,762
Yew composite bow Yew composite bow 40 Arrow 212 628 - - - 125 0 0 - - - 809,273
Magic composite bow Magic composite bow 50 Arrow 265 850 - - - 170 0 0 - - - 756,977

Bow vs crossbow or thrown weapons[]

Many rangers choose the bow style of range weapon for its higher damage in comparison to crossbows and throwing weapons, and to fight monsters that are weak to arrows. Most bows sacrifice speed in comparison to their crossbow and thrown equivalents. The main disadvantage for bows is the fact they are two handed weapons whereas most crossbows and throwing weapons are only one handed, giving the flexibility to use them with any suitable off-hand weapon or shield. To make up for this, however, bows are able to use two-handed combat abilities that cannot be used with one-handed ranged weapons. Shieldbows are also able to use shield abilities in addition to two-handed abilities, a unique aspect which no other weapon type in the game offers besides the respective combat style defenders.

Trivia[]

  • When Runescape 2 was released, bows had no visible bowstrings. Jagex fixed this together with the RuneScape HD update.
  • Bows were formerly held in the player's right hand, implying that they were left-handed archers. This has been changed since the Evolution of Combat update.

See also[]


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