Template:Ranged weapon group Crossbows are weapons used in ranged combat that require a certain Ranged level to wield. They are different from bows in that they are horizontal and (in most cases) come in one-handed "pistol" varieties (both main-hand and off-hand) and two-handed varieties, with the former allowing a player to choose to dual-wield or carry a shield, god book or defender. Another difference is that they use bolts instead of arrows. Most crossbows have an attack range of 7 spaces. Higher level crossbows have greater accuracy, and while usually not directly influencing damage dealt, higher level crossbows can be used to fire higher level bolts which have a higher damage stat. Off-hand crossbows have half the damage output of their normal counterparts, while the two-handed versions have a damage stat to compensate for the potential loss of attack or defence on the unequipped arm. This roughly equates to a two-hander having 150% of the combined damage stat of dual-wielded pistol crossbows, but with decreased attack speed.
Non-members are recommended to stay with bows as the crossbows available to them (only the regular crossbow and the phoenix crossbow) are weak, while members have much better crossbows to choose from. In addition to the various metallic crossbows, hunter's crossbow, dorgeshuun crossbow, zanik's crossbow, Karil's crossbow, the chaotic crossbow, and the Royal crossbow are available in pay-to-play. Crossbows require ammunition in the form of bolts (or racks for Karil's).
Crossbows are commonly used in P2P, mainly due to their ability to inflict substantial damage quickly and the ability to use a shield at the same time. Many people use them for PvP combat, and use enchanted bolts for even more power. Crossbows are also cheap on the Grand Exchange, and bolts are always in good supply. Crossbows can also fire mithril grapples for Agility shortcuts. Pistol crossbows are faster than bows, but deal less damage per hit. Two-handed crossbows deal more damage than bows but are slower. Crossbows are almost never seen in F2P because the only kinds available are the phoenix and normal crossbow, while they could use up to magic bows. Even when you need a shield it's usually far better to use javelins.
Crossbow and bolt compatibility
Just as crossbows have a minimum ranged level that a player must have before they can use it, so too do bolts have a minimum ranged level that the crossbow must match before they can be fired by it. This level may not immediately be apparent, as tipping and enchanting bolts significantly increases this minimum level beyond the equivalent crossbow of the untipped bolt. This minimum level is not displayed anywhere in-game, and a player will only be informed of the incompatibility once they try to attack something.
Metal crossbows
Metal crossbows can be created through the Fletching skill. The stocks must first be cut from logs; the limbs have to be made via the Smithing skill. The player then needs to add those two together and string it with a crossbow string, at which point the player can choose whether to make a normal crossbow, off-hand crossbow or 2h crossbow. Most limbs and stocks can be purchased at the crossbow stall in the dwarven city of Keldagrim.
- Bronze crossbow Main-hand: Off-hand: Two-handed:
- Blurite crossbow Main-hand:
- Iron crossbow Main-hand: Off-hand: Two-handed:
- Steel crossbow Main-hand: Off-hand: Two-handed:
- Black crossbow Main-hand: (Cannot be player-made)
- Mithril crossbow Main-hand: Off-hand: Two-handed:
- Adamant crossbow Main-hand: Off-hand: Two-handed:
- Rune crossbow Main-hand: Off-hand: Two-handed:
- Dragon crossbow Main-hand: Off-hand: Two-handed:
Other crossbows
Pistol crossbows (Main-hand)
- Crossbow - weakest crossbow in the game.
- Phoenix crossbow - obtained from Phoenix Gang hideout in Varrock, used in Shield of Arrav quest.
- Coral crossbow - obtained as a reward from Songs from the Depths. Can only fire coral bolts.
- Dorgeshuun crossbow - can be bought from Nardok. Lost Tribe required to buy.
- Zanik's crossbow - obtained as a reward from Chosen Commander.
- Hunter's crossbow - bought from Leon, it is similar to a steel crossbow in power and to a shortbow in speed.
- Demon slayer crossbow - Obtained from a Demon boss from Demon flash mobs. Powerful when used against demonic creatures.
- Chaotic crossbow - bought from Daemonheim for 200k Dungeoneering tokens and requires 80 Dungeoneering and 80 Ranged. It can fire almost all types of bolts including royal bolts.
- Armadyl crossbow - This is an Armadyl-aligned item that was stolen by Saradomin, it is now dropped by Saradomin's four bosses of the God Wars Dungeon.
- Karil's pistol crossbow - A reward from the Barrows minigame which is not part of Karil's set, and also does not degrade. Prior to an update on January 21st 2013, this crossbow was able to fire bolts up to rune. Now it may only fire bolt racks .
- Dominion crossbow - Only available and useable within the Dominion Tower.
Pistol crossbows (Off-hand)
- Off-hand demon slayer crossbow - Obtained from a Demon boss from Demon flash mobs. Powerful when used against demonic creatures.
- Karil's off-hand pistol crossbow - The off-hand version of Karil's pistol crossbow which is also not part of Karil's set, and does not degrade.
- Off-hand chaotic crossbow - bought from Daemonheim for 100k Dungeoneering tokens and requires 80 Dungeoneering and 80 Ranged. It can fire almost all types of bolts including royal bolts.
Two-handed crossbows
- Royal crossbow - An upgraded version of the coral crossbow. The parts are only obtainable through defeating the Queen Black Dragon, and must be forged via her super dragon breath in the fourth phase. It can fire almost all types of bolts including royal bolts.
- Karil's crossbow - obtained via playing the Barrows minigame. Can only fire bolt racks.
- Hand cannon - Fires Hand cannon shot which is classed as bolt type ammunition for the purpose of determining vulnerability.
Trivia
- If you look carefully at a crossbow before you fire it, you can see the bolt floating right above the crossbow. Once the bolt is fired, for a split-second, you can still see the floating bolt, even though you just fired it. This also happens occasionally with regular bows and arrows.
- According to a conversation with the Bow and Arrow salesman in the Ranging Guild, crossbows are made only by the dwarves (although cave goblins make crossbows too).
- The difference in damage output and attack speed of pistol crossbows compared to two-handed crossbows relates to their real-life use, with two-handed crossbows having a higher draw-weight hence taking much more effort to pull back and reload.
- Along with thrown weapons, crossbows are commonly used by rangers fighting dragons as a substitute for bows, as they allow players to wield an anti-dragon shield for protection, with no need to use Protect from Magic or Super antifires which would otherwise be required to avoid heavy damage.
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