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Take a Bow ...and Arrow
This article is about rangers bows. There is a lot of material on the net that you can google about bows and attributes but this article will tell you about those little nuance's that will improve your chances in PvE and PVP in Guild Wars.
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Bow Types
There are 5 types of bow (short bow, composite bow, horn bow, long bow, flat bow) and there are 4 combat characteristics (armour penetration, arrow arc, refire rate, range).
If I created a matrix of bow's and what they are good and bad at, that matrix would look like this :
Remember that max damage bows do the same damage, regardless of type or range. The max damage you can get from a bow is 15 - 28. It's also a given that bows look different. You can google the difference in appearances.
Bow Range
 So we all know that long bows have the longest range but just how long is it? Check the picture - you can see my green dot in the centre of the bubble and you can see how far away the red dot is - well outside the aggro bubble. |
 Horn bows and composite bows are middle ranged. Check this picture for their range. Middle ranged bows have the same range as wands and rods. This means you can use this bow and stay close to monks and other casters. The range here is just on the edge of the bubble. |
 Short bows have a range that is inside the aggro bubble so are a poor choice for getting that first "free shot". You can see here that my target is well inside the aggro bubble.
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Many rangers have 4 bows set up for different purposes and different upgrades attached but most would be like me and don't admit it - that is I forget to switch bows when the battle dictates I should. 
Refire Rate
Not much to say - some are fast, some shoot slow. Check the matrix.
Arrow Arc
This is the high lobbing arrow of the long bow vs the short flat trajectory of the short bow. It affects accuracy. Short and flat is better. Called Shot, favourable winds, and Quick Shot elite skills makes all arrows fly with flat trajectories. Remember that spirits grant a bonus to the 'bad guys' as well!
Bowstrings
This can be googled but I've put it here as I used this guide not so long ago to design the "perfect bow". I have a poison/trap condition dealing ranger so I wanted a bow string that would compliment that. Here are the available strings.
Bowstrings add "prefix" upgrades to a bow and include the following:
| Ebon |
Changes the bow damage from Piercing to Earth |
| Fiery |
Changes the bow damage from Piercing to Fire |
| Icy |
Changes the bow damage from Piercing to Cold |
| Poisoner's |
Lengthens the duration of Poison by 33% |
| Shocking |
Changes the bow damage from Piercing to Lightning |
| Sundering |
Has a random (5-10%) chance of having 10% armor penetration |
| Vampiric |
-1 Health Degen, Steal life on hit (1-5 points) |
| Zealous |
-1 Energy Regen, +1 Energy per attack |
Poisoners, vampiric and zealous (if using barrage) are all popular strings. Some like to collect the four elemental strings and have a bow for all occasions.
Bow grips
Grips are the second way to upgrade your bow. You'll see from this list that the popular options are Defense, Shelter, Fortitude, Enchanting and Marksmanship.
Bow Grips add "suffix" upgrades to a bow, and include the following:
| Of Defense |
adds Armor +4-5 |
| Of Enchanting |
Enchantments last 10-20% longer |
| Of Fortitude |
adds Health +20-30 |
| Of Marksmanship |
adds +1 Marksmanship (10-20% chance while using skills) |
| Of Shelter |
adds Armor +4-7 (vs. physical attacks) |
| Of Warding |
adds Armor +4-7 (vs. elemental attacks) |
| Of Charrslaying |
adds Damage +10-20% (vs. Charr) |
| Of Deathbane |
adds Damage +10-20% (vs. Undead) |
| Of Dwarfslaying |
adds Damage +10-20% (vs. Dwarves) |
| Of Gaintslaying |
adds Damage +10-20% (vs. Giants) |
| Of Pruning |
adds Damage +10-20% (vs. Plants) |
| Of Skeletonslaying |
adds Damage +10-20% (vs. Skeletons) |
| Of Tenguslaying |
adds Damage +10-20% (vs. Tengu) |
| Of Trollslaying |
adds Damage +10-20% (vs. Troll) |
The perfect bow
But wait - there's more. Many bows are enchanted. That is they have bonuses on top of these strings and grips. Blue, purple, gold and green bows often (nearly always) have some sort of base enchantment that is a part of the bow and can not be salvaged.
| Damage +10-15% Armor -10 (while attacking) |
| Damage +10-15% Energy -5 |
| Damage +10-15% (while enchanted) |
| Damage +10-15% (while health is above 50%) |
| Damage +10-20% (while health is below 50%) |
| Damage +10-20% (while hexed) |
| Damage +10-15% (while in a stance) |
| Damage +10-15% (vs. hexed foes) |
From these three lists, you can consider what sort of build you have and then combine a bowstring and bowgrip to a max damage bow with the enchantments of your choice. It takes patience and a lot of farming but it can give you real satisfaction to slowly build your dream bow over time.
The proof?
By doing a small amount of googling, I found the best base bow for me is from a collector in the deserts. I farmed for the bits the collector wanted, added a string and grip of my choice and wa-la!!! My dream composite bow. Here are the stats :-
Bows are personal - others will have equally good bows with different stats and there are some nice bows that look better than mine but for me - I worked hard for this bow and the rewards I got from farming and building it bit by bit is great.
You've got the bow - can you use it?
I'll list some bits and pieces of trivia for you to think about next time you draw a bow ...
- attacking a foe from an elevated position increases the chance of hitting the head, which sometimes has less armour and some will say increases the chance of a critical hit. It also increases your range a little.
- attacking a foe from a lower position increases the chance of hitting legs and feet. It will also decrease your range and may interfere with your line of fire (obstructed view).
- Ignite Arrows skill does less damage but has an area effect. Kindle Arrows does more damage and uses less energy points.
- Favourable winds increases your accuracy but also affects the 'bad guys'
- If you're after a slick looking bow, try farming the Fissure of Woe area from Temple of Ages.
Don't let it confuse you
There are so many bows out there and in so many shapes, sizes, colours and upgrades. I use to think that a bow was a bow was a bow and I didn't spend much time getting my head around it all. You can see from these three lists here, and the matrix up the top, how you can make bows work for you and if you're keen enough, have four bows set up for quick swaps so you can be optimal no matter the situation.
References: www.gwonline.net
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