PvE Bow Combos...?

anyone have some interesting or just really ''pwnage'' bow combos for PvE

im just about to start a ranger so im looking at different combos to use...

i have a longbow, recurve bow (composite bow class), and half-moon (short bow class) for mine.

i like that combo. i really only use the longbow for pulling or if i really need the range. when in battle, i use either the recurve or half-moon.

i'm not a big fan of the flatbow or horn bow classes.

using a Flatbow...

Fav. Winds + Conjure + JI + Barrage {E} ( get a Smiting El/Mo to cast JI )

Well, here's my current understanding of bows (bolding to make it easier on the eyes):

First off, if you're mainly using bow attacks and not running Tiger's Fury, I'm curious as to why. Tiger's Fury is awesome, and I never leave home without it. If some of my comments below don't match up with your own experiences (particular those relating to Barrage) keep in mind that I use Tiger's Fury constantly, and might be basing my judgements off of refire rates as they are under Tiger's Fury.

Longbows and stormbows both have the same stats, with the furthest range. I'd take a longbow with me whereever I go for the ability to pull or just hit someone as many times as I can before they get close to me. I personally like a poisoner's longbow with either Poison Arrow or Apply Poison, since I'll hit an enemy with poison while they're way out there and give my degen some time to work before the enemy even gets into range to strike back. You might also want to consider Hunter's Shot for this, but if you do so, you'll inevitably need to land a Pin Down first or it's not likely to hit.

Shortbows and halfmoons have the same stats and are the major "in-battle" bow. They have a very short range, but a very fast refire rate. You'll get the highest DPS with one of these bows. I always have a shortbow (or two) on hand for when the enemies get close, and I combine this with Tiger's Fury to really whip out a good number of arrows.

The flatbow is an odd combination of the above two types. It has the range of a longbow and the refire rate of a shortbow. Sounds like an awesome deal right? Well, it has a god-aweful flight-time. That means that when you fire that arrow, it shoots straight up in the air, sails high above everyone's head, and eventually finds its target. It takes forever and gives your enemy plenty of time to run out of the way. However, with either Read the Wind or Favorable Winds, that problem becomes insignificant and you suddenly have a very, very nice bow. Until I got better preps I was a Read the Wind/Flatbow fiend.

The horn-bow has an innate armor penetration, but only an average range and a slow refire. However, the refire works quite nicely with Barrage's recharge time (with a shortbow/flatbow I find that my bow's refire is faster than Barrage's recharge and it doesn't synergize well), and so if you're going to use a Conjure + Barrage combo, I find that I recommend the hornbow for it. I haven't checked it out myself, but I've got a sneaking suspicion that the Ivory and Shadow bows might also share the Hornbow's armor penetration. They're the only ones to also share the Hornbow's flight-time, refire, and range stats, so if they didn't also have the armor-penetration, I'd be curious as to why ANet made such a sucky bow.

Bows such as the Composite, Dead, Eternal, and Recurve bows all have the shortest flight-time and average range. Therefore, if you're having trouble hitting someone on the run, but can't afford to move in close enough to use the shortbow, then one of these is your best bet. I don't use them often, but I'd be willing to bet that Hunter's Shot, Pin Down, or Crippling Shot is what they're mainly used for.

My R/Me friend uses poison EVERY time he pulls, it's great. By the time they get to use they've already lost a good deal of health.

Just wanna commend you Jenosavel i was wondering on the diff of bows i now know.

THX.

Weapons of Choice:
Storm Bow (long bow class)
Half Moon (short bow class)

Skills
Barrage, Distracting shot, Savage shot, Power shot, Favorable Winds

I use my storm bow to pull mobs and I use my half moon just in case things get up close and personal. Before I pull tho, I cast favorable winds for faster arrow movement and + to damage. I like using barrage because I like doing atleast 35-50 damage on a lot of enemies (max of 5 enemies). I still use barrage on a single enemy because it adds +13 damage and Power shot for +18 damage.

Peace

thanks fo rthe replies rather informitive what what.

any other skill combos people have tried

Incidentally, Penetrating Attack is better than Power Shot, generally speaking. It has the same energy cost, faster recharge, and 20% armor penetration - all factors that far outweigh the +3 extra damage you might be getting out of Power Shot. I say "might be getting" because with the 20% armor penetration of Penetrating Attack, you'll be doing as much or more damage than with Power Shot.

Back on topic - I carry a longbow for pulling, a composite for mid-range interrupting (fast flight time = easier interrupt timing) and a short bow for general battle use.

I generally also have at least 1 zealous string (currently on my short bow) and 1 elemental string (for those pesky warriors - bypasses their bonus armor against physical damage) in my bow setups as well.

Corrrect me if i wrong but i dont think judges works with any conjure because it changes all damage to holy, and the conjure requires a elemental string of the same type i.e fire string for conjure flame.

For the new PvE rangers who havent got the elite skills yet:
Ignite Arrows + Dual Shot

Great combo that can crank out the damage on groups.