Curse

Thom Bangalter · Feb 06, 2006, 08:37 AM // 08:37

So i've been doing a lot of research on bows, trying to squeeze every drop of damage i can out of them.
I'm particularly interested in buying drago's flat bow, because of the health and sundering mods associated with it.
On guildwarswiki.org they compare rate of fire, size of arc, range etc.
I currently have a storm bow 14^50, sundering 10/9, health +29. according to the wiki, here are the differences between a lflat bow and a storm bow:
Weapon Refire Rate Range Flight Time Arc Size Special Feature
Storm Bow 2.4 seconds 100' 0.75 seconds Normal None
Flatbow 2.0 seconds 100' 1.00 seconds Large None

the flight time for the two are identical, but the flatbow's refire rate is 20% less while the flight time is 25% more. additionally, the arc size for a flatbow is larger.

what i'm wanting to know is, which are better, flatbows or storm bows? is it worth getting the drago's flatbow?

additionally, for shadow bows, ivory bows, and horn bows there's a 10%chance of armor penetration. is this stackable with a sundering bow string? what is the best bow for a barrage ranger partial to the +30 health and a fan of sundering bow strings? any comments would be greatly appreciated, and i hope someone can explain to me what bearing arc size has on attacks...

additionally, where the hell can i find a mursaat bow? i really want one. preferrably 15^50, or 15% while in a stance....where do these drop? how can i get one?

XvArchonvX · Feb 06, 2006, 03:23 PM // 15:23

I used to have Drago's flat bow, but sold it because I didn't like it's flight time and arc. Basically the large arc and flight time means that even though you have a 100' range, you have a REALLY good chance at missing if they are moving, even slowly. I personally love my longbow the best. The refire rate is slower, but arrows move faster and are more likely to hit. There is no bow that is 'better', but depending on your build, some bows may fit better. Look mostly at your build and skills before deciding on what bow is 'best' or will give you the most dmg. If you really want that flatbow, make sure you use read the wind or favorable winds. Personally, I think your current bow is fine. If you want to squeeze out the most dmg, work on your skill setup or how you use your skills in actual play.

Jenosavel · Feb 06, 2006, 04:25 PM // 16:25

First off, just in case you don't know, a Storm Bow is just a Long Bow with a fancy skin. All bows can be classified as having the stats of one of the following: Long Bow, Short Bow, Composite Bow, Horn Bow. I could go through and list which bows are which types, but there are plenty of guides floating around here and elsewhere for that (Missle Weapon Properties).

With that said, the Flat Bow will beat the Long Bow in damage due to its faster refire so long as your enemy is standing still. In PvE this is wonderful, since most of the time your enemies shouldn't be moving anyway. For pulling, both bows are equivalent, since your arrow needn't land to aggro the enemy. Furthermore, if you know you are going to be operating under Read the Winds or Favorable Winds, the Flat Bow is actualy the best bow regardless. Its only flaw is its high arc/flight time, which is negated by RtW or FW.

I would always recomend a Flat Bow over a Long Bow, but that's purely a matter of preference. If you know your enemy is going to be constantly on the move and you can't afford to work under RtW or FW, then the Flat Bow will cause you trouble and you'll want to have another bow on hand to switch to.

I have always heard that the innate armor penetration of the Horn Bow does stack with the Sundering String; however, I've never seen anyone actually try to test it. I'm sure such a test would be difficult at best.

As to your questions about a Barrage ranger's bow, I just posted this in a Q&A thread yesterday:

Quote:

The thing to keep in mind when making a Barrage build is that as long as your bow's refire rate is fast enough that you will be able to fire another arrow as soon as Barrage recharges, then it is only Barrage's recharge rate that determines your rate of fire. It just so happens that all bows will refire fast enough, so the only effective refire rate you will have while spamming Barrage is Barrage's own recharge.

Therefore, when making a Barrage build you should disregard the refire rate of your bow (unless you know you'll be under things like Faintheartedness which is a whole different can of worms). That effectively throws out using a shortbow or flatbow, and opens up the possibility of using the Horn Bow. Usually, the Horn Bow is overlooked because of its horrendously long refire time. The Long Bow has a better range, the Composite Bow has a better flight-time, and every single bow has a better refire rate than the Horn Bow. The only advantage the Horn Bow has is an innate armor penetration, but this alone isn't usually enough to compete with all of its flaws. Once the refire rate is thrown out the window, though, it becomes a whole different ball game. The best damaging bow then becomes the Horn Bow. The Long Bow will reach a bit further than the Horn Bow and the Composite Bow (such as your suggested Eternal Bow) will hit more accurately, but the Horn Bow's armor penetration which will add considerably onto your damage.

I'd like to add to the above bit that having a Flat/Long Bow on hand to switch to when you're Barraging is always nice. Sometimes you need to have a bit more range when you get in trouble. Being able to have some maneuvering room until your monks can catch up or whatnot is worth temporarily sacrificing damage.

SnipiousMax · Feb 06, 2006, 09:11 PM // 21:11

And to think I'd sworn off horn bows! I'm gonna have to try it with barrage....

Sundering mods aren't all they're craked up to be. Damage wise...A Vampiric Mod would be better.

Yolanda Kai · Feb 07, 2006, 05:36 AM // 05:36

A vamp string is basically +5dmg, it's true. The healing rate isn't great if you're not doing a specific high fire rate build, but +5 to every shot is nice.

I can't stand Sundering mods, unless I'm the one who salvaged them

Good money for something I have no problem parting with... that's the best kind of trade if you ask me!

Jenosavel · Feb 07, 2006, 04:21 PM // 16:21

The only time I see sundering mods as worthwhile is when you have a slow enough firing build that you Vampiric/Zealous isn't an option (or for whatever other reason they aren't options, like the need for defense) and at the same time you need to deal physical damage. In that case, it's Sundering or nothing, but I still wouldn't suggest paying out for one of those things. They're much overpriced for their worth.

Thom Bangalter · Feb 09, 2006, 10:25 AM // 10:25

well, considering the horn bow already has 10% armor penetration, i think the zealous bowstring would be nice for my barrage build, as tiger's fury often sucks up more energy than i'd like (despite my expertise at 10 or 11). with zealous going energy needs would no longer be a worry....

then again, +5 with the vamp bow is sweet.

Jenosavel · Feb 09, 2006, 05:33 PM // 17:33

Tiger's Fury is generally wasted on a Barrage build. You can't fire any faster than Barrage is recharging whether or not you've got attack speed buffs on. Unless you want to fire a single arrow between each of your Barrages, but that seems much less effective to me than using the skill slot for something else.