Bows & crossbows - for MAs & other animals.

[JenShay]

I don't use guns on any of my toons. Well, tried it, had a 46 fixer that now is stripped of everything that isn't No Drop, so that means she has some n00b island guns? Might try go Energy Synth with her.

I digress.

Can we do something about bows one ranged init and physical init? The speeds maybe?
Perks for MAs?
I am really battling to get a QL 200 Howling Bow of Ferocious Appetite onto my 190 fr00b doc even with this sort of setup.

... and will it be worth it in the end? Not really. For most cases I would want to be melee with Gelids or something.
The only reason I am trying to go ranged is because this is a raiding toon, help with HI, Hags and other cases where I need the range or I go *splat.*

Please give some help, so that I can atleast solo a few 204 mission mobs without making a dyna, DoT, HoT and while I read something; snore fest.

Process:
Attack.
De-Init
HoT
DoT A
Dot B
[Read something on the net or with embedded html]
Check how things are going.
Rebuff / recast.
[Carry on reading.]
Loot.
/repeat with next mob.

I know MAs would love to have some bow help so they have an alternative option for everything, PvM and PvP.

--> I do not know all the mechanics or how this can be fixed. That is my only ranged toon. Even my agent is 1he and my soldier is MA.
Please add your suggestions to fixing these weapons.

[Kinkstaah]

I really do not think the weapons are the problem here.

[JenShay]

Elaborate? Recharge and inits are nasty.

Perk support?

[Vgman01]

Elaborate? Recharge and inits are nasty.

Perk support?

I think he means that docs are naturaly a boring class to play. At least when solo'ing stuff.

[JenShay]

I think he means that docs are naturaly a boring class to play. At least when solo'ing stuff.

Ah ... well then why are they so rarely used? I have occassionally seen an MA pull a bow for an AS, then a few people with faction bows and the MPs with their crossbows.

Wouldn't an advy that can use a bow if they take the effort to equip it be fun?
How come I never see an agent using one?

Basically, why are bows and crossbows so unviable that they are so rarely used?

[Xtremtech]

Bow was a virtually unused skill until SL was released. Bows at the time weren't great in terms of damage. There was the confusion between bows which used phys init and cross-bows using ranged init, which could get sticky when the best Bow skill based weapons switched from one to the other. Because bow was a virtually unused skill too, few new bows, bow buffs and bow related items were introduced.

As part of SL, FC tried to encourage players to use a whole raft of previously underused skills more (bow, sharp objects, adventuring, psychology, piercing, melee energy etc). AS was an important factor in PvP back then too, but people tended to focus on rifles (or earlier shotguns) for their PvP AS which was a more accessible and buffable skill in many ways, with better weapons available.

FC chose MAs as primary user and MPs as secondary users for the new Bow skill push and introduced a range of perks and items for those professions that buffed Bow and buffed AS for MAs.... but most of those buffing items/perks are profession restricted to MPs and MAs. They also introduced some very useful bows for PvM and then later produced the Tigress for MPs which included AS and so delivered a good PvP weapon too... but they didn't include Bow in some general item buffs like perk-lines and symbs, though that has changed a little since then.

Also, since SL brought next to no new weaponskill outside buffs, in order to allow professions to be more specifically specialist, outside buffs for bow are few and far between. Tied to that, the release of the best weapons in any weapon line tends to require specific professions since SL too... so the really good performing weapons were only available to MAs and MPs.

Other professions simply didn't have access to the buffage to be using Bow at decent levels. There were other options for AS too which they could better use due to the skills budgets and profession restrictions on weapons. That's still true to a large extent.

Bow isn't a great choice for most professions as a result.

X

[JenShay]

Thank you. Now is there hope?

[Nab2000]

i didnt get it, but yay to robin hood and bow support

[Soliartist]

It'd only take a single Item to turn a weapon relying on ranged init into a weapon using physic init.

[Ikarus]

On a side note, I'd love to see every Weapon Mastery perkline available for every profession. Yay to Shotgun Enforcers.

[JenShay]

i didnt get it, but yay to robin hood and bow support

Crossbows for fr00bs would be good too.

It isn't so much a different weapon or characteristic that is important (though that is very nice) it is being able to make your image of how you want to look when playing as close in the game as your head.

So what if you want a shotgun enf or a 2he advy and even a MA soldier?
These should be possible. Difficult and never as good but not totally useless either.