In Valheim, you don’t just fight with swords and axes — you can also use ranged weapons to pick off enemies from a distance. That’s a big advantage in many situations, since you’ll take less damage and can approach encounters strategically. Broadly, you’ll choose between bows and crossbows, two classic ranged options in survival games. The question is which one suits you better. Bows are available from the start and offer a wide selection of arrows. Crossbows unlock later, but their bolts boast high penetration.
Valheim bows: every type and their advantages
Bows are available right from the start. You can craft one as soon as you have a workbench and have found leather scraps. After that, you’ll discover new variants in almost every biome with better steadiness when aiming and higher damage output.
You’ll need bows to hunt skittish animals like deer or engage enemies from afar. Sneak up, draw the bowstring, and then aim a shot. They’re useful for nearly every playstyle, including multiplayer. Rent a Valheim server and host your own game server and practice using bow and arrow with friends. The further you progress, the more bow recipes you’ll unlock. It can be worth having a ranger on the team, who benefits from light armor.
These are all the bows currently in Valheim:
- Bow: The first bow you can craft from wood and leather scraps. With 22–31 pierce damage, it isn’t very strong and is less accurate than the bows that follow.
- Fine wood bow: A clear upgrade, craftable from the Black Forest using core wood, fine wood, and deer hide. Deals 32–41 damage.
- Huntsman bow: An iron bow from the Swamps. Quieter than other bows, making it ideal for hunting. Deals 42–55 damage per hit.
- Draugr fang: A fine bow made from silver, dealing 47–56 pierce damage plus an additional 5–20 poison damage. A very strong weapon.
- Backbone Breaker: A powerful bow made with refined eitr from the Mistlands. Deals 72–84 damage plus 5–20 spirit damage.
- Ashfang: Currently the best bow, with 82–94 damage and 0–15 spirit damage. Craftable in the Ashlands and upgradable with the three gemstones (bloodstone, iolite, jade).
Valheim arrows: types, damage, and effects
Bow damage doesn’t stand alone — you also need ammunition. That’s where the many arrow types come in. Their damage and effects are added to the bow’s damage. This lets you tailor your combat style to the situation. If you carry multiple arrow types, you can activate the one you want with a click.
Arrows with pure pierce damage:
- Wood arrow: Crafted from wood, adds +22 damage.
- Flinthead arrow: Made with flint and feathers for +27 damage.
- Bronze arrow: Bronze (copper + tin) from the Black Forest for +32 damage.
- Iron arrow: Crafted at the forge, +42 damage.
- Obsidian arrow: From obsidian in the Mountains, +52 damage.
- Needle arrow: From deathsquito needles in the Plains, +62 damage.
- Chitin arrow: Using chitin from Seekers in the Mistlands, +72 damage.
- Charred arrow: From charred bones and ashwood in the Ashlands, +82 damage.
Arrows with additional effects:
- Fire arrow: Soaked in resin, +11 damage and +22 fire damage.
- Poison arrow: From toxic ooze, +26 damage and +52 poison damage.
- Frost arrow: Using freeze glands from the Mountains, +26 damage and +52 frost damage.
- Silver arrow: +52 pierce damage plus +20 spirit damage, strong against supernatural enemies.
Valheim crossbows: all models and their stats
You can only craft crossbows once you have the Black forge in the Mistlands. Even then, you’ll only have a choice of two variants, one in the Mistlands and one in the Ashlands. That’s enough for this stage of the game, as both are very strong.
Crossbows use bolts, which you can load into the weapon beforehand. A shot is very precise, flies faster and farther, and is much more accurate. Damage is also many times higher than with a bow. However, they have knockback, which can cause you to stagger.
All current crossbows in the game:
- Arbalest: The first crossbow, made from wood, iron, and roots in the Mistlands. Deals 200–209 damage, significantly more than the biome’s corresponding bow.
- Ripper: The second crossbow, crafted from Ashlands materials. Deals 220–229 damage; here too you can socket the three gemstones to tune attributes.
Valheim bolts: types and damage values
Bolts work much like arrows: their damage is added to the weapon’s damage. There are no elemental bolts — their damage is purely pierce. As with crossbows, you’ll need to build the Black forge first to craft them.
- Bone bolt: From bone fragments and feathers, +32 damage.
- Iron bolt: With an iron tip, +42 damage.
- Blackmetal bolt: From blackmetal, +62 damage.
- Chitin bolt: With a jagged chitin tip, +72 pierce damage.
- Charred bolt: Ashlands bolts, currently the strongest ranged projectiles, +82 damage.
Conclusion: Valheim ranged weapons compared — bow vs crossbow
Thanks to their early availability, you can level bows faster and more easily. You also have plenty of choice, both in bows and in arrows. By drawing the bow, you can adjust range and damage more flexibly — but that costs time and stamina. Crossbows unlock later and offer less variety, but they excel with high, precise damage and the option to preload. That costs you less time and barely any stamina, but it does require good timing. With version 1.0, both a new bow and a new crossbow are coming to the game. Try both and decide which style of attack suits you best.
