Archers are weak?

[badet]

Well. I've just started to play the game again, now with a archer as pc. So far i've excluded every adventurer that wanted to join my party. Im only playing minsc and me (to get more xp)..But now Minsc is getting stronger and stronger but I seem to be stuck, im not handing out any more damage and my pc is soon useless. where can i find some stuff to make him stronger? Like a good long/composite bow, and where can i find some good arrows? (i don't want to spend thousands of coin on 40 magical arrows, I'll most likley run out of coin then)

[Dundee Slaytern]

Arrows are cheap. I have a solo Archer and I bought most of my arrows. Strongarm( Longbow) from Ribald in the Adventurer's Mart, is the most damaging bow in the game. Heartseeker, is the most accurate.

When you reach level 12, remember to use Call Shot as well, as it will add 2 damage to your hits.

My average damage per hit now is,

9-14, excluding kit bonuses.

15-19, with kit bonuses.

17-21, with Call Shot.

Acid Arrows are very good against Stoneskinned Mages by the way. You should keep them for enemy Mages.

Use Normal Arrows as often as you can. Only use enchanted arrows if the target is immuned to Normal Arrows.

+2 Arrows should be horded, as they work against Stone Golems and Vampires.

Short Bow of Gesen and Tansheron's Bow have +3 enchanted phantom arrows. So Grandmaster in Longbows and put some points in Short Bows.

Arrows of Piercing rock against Shadows, Mummies, Skeleton Warriors, etc... The bonus +6 damage helps balance the fact that they have damage resistance.

Ice Arrows are good against Fire-Immuned enemies, the opposite is true for Fire Arrows.

Arrows of Dispelling are expensive, so only buy them if you are feeling rich. Use them against Mages to try and dispel their protections.

Arrows of Biting work well against Dragons.

quote:

---

Originally posted by badet:
Well. I've just started to play the game again, now with a archer as pc. So far i've excluded every adventurer that wanted to join my party. Im only playing minsc and me (to get more xp)..But now Minsc is getting stronger and stronger but I seem to be stuck, im not handing out any more damage and my pc is soon useless. where can i find some stuff to make him stronger? Like a good long/composite bow, and where can i find some good arrows? (i don't want to spend thousands of coin on 40 magical arrows, I'll most likley run out of coin then)

---

I cant see how you think archers are weak with aimed shots and everything. Also by nalias keep there is a man who wants you to kick out the trolls and every time you speak to him before you clear out the trolls he gives you 10 fore arrows. so if you want magic arrows keep speaking to himm. 1 got 100 odd fire arrows which lasted me a good while.

[hagimihale]

In my current game, my PC is a 14th lvl Elven Archer w/19 dexterity. I started him with Grandmastery in Longbow (he rarely, if ever, fights hand-to-hand). Average damage seems to be around 15, with critical hits approaching 25. Dexterity bonus + GM bonus + kit bonus = he hits almost every time. His THACO is -8 right now. For fun I will have him enter most areas first and try to take everything out via sniper tactics (let off a few arrows, run around the corner, hide in shadows, run to a different area and start all over again). Boots of Speed definitely help.

I'm guessing that you just started out with the character. If you are a powergamer or just like full-bore hack-and-slash, the archer may be a bit boring to you. Personally I am enjoying this character and can see why Dundee and others have gone solo with it.

As you go through game you'll find more than enough +1 arrows and such... but I agree that you should use non-magical arrows if at all possible. As for the fire arrows you can get during Nalia's quest... I think I got close to 200.

[Galdriel wovenmist]

Thumbs up for arcgers. They are incredible with bows. They are pretty dull in the start until
Spoiler I guess


You go to trademeet. There you get that fancy bow(you gotta buy it O course)which dont need arrows. Its long bow +3 I think? Oh well. I dont play them but theyre pretty nice.

Thaerek Blackmain/Galdriel Wovenmist
Bladesman of Silent Swords
|===|;;;;;>

[Magness]

Archers are awesome!!!

Archers make great dragon slayers. When your NPC's are wing buffeted around the screen, an archer is almost always able to keep right on shooting. I was playing with a full party of 6 when my archer took on Fiirkraag. My archer was responsible for probably about 90% of the damage to Big Red. It wasn't anything specific that my archer did. It's just that archers get such awesome Thac0's that nothing short of magical protections or rolling a critical miss will keep an archer from hitting a target.

Archers are also great wizard/cleric slayers. While they cannot drop a mages magical defenses (short of using a arrow of dispelling, I suppose), the ability to attack at full longbow range is very useful for taking out enemy spell casters.

Archers are most successful when they are utilized properly. Archers are your party's snipers. They can use stealth to sneak up on an enemy and eliminate an enemy spell caster from a great distance. Exposure to melee is a risk that any thief or stalker takes whenever they attempt to backstab. Being able to attack from great range eliminates this risk for the archer.

[Legolas]

Ah, I can see I'm no longer near alone in my beliefs [img]smile.gif[/img]

I have rarely used magical arrows for my archer. Normal arrows work perfectly and can take most enemies out in 1-5 shots.
Now you'll rarely get 5 off at a target before it reaches you, so you'll have to use different tactics.

That's one of the things that makes Archers so cool. You can't bombard the enemy with spells, nor chop them up in h-t-h. Like bards, they have to be ussed differently from what you are used to.

Archers make good fighters, even up close. But they'll never be as good as other warriors. Live with it, and make the most out of your srengths instead. That'd be archery.


Like I said, normal arrows work fine almost every time. Despite having an Archer to do all the work, I was constantly selling off magical arrows. You get much more than you need.

When used correctly, and sniping is one of the most obvious and effective tactics, the Archer can take on almost anyone. After a while, you'll have LOTS of money and experience, especially when it's just you and Minsc. Use the money to buy the best bow you can find at the time. If you're in doubt, take both. Archers can do a lot with simple equipment, as the trick is to keep them out of trouble while you harass the enemy.

In my opinion, the best bow is the HEartseeker, but you won't find that until later on. In Nalia's keep (no need to take her along) you'll find the Elvencourt Bow +3, which is a very good get-you-by even later on in the game. Any magical arrows you find, sell or stor them. In the worst case, two sets of arrows +2 and some acid arrows are all you need.


There's only one type of situation where you will have to take care, and that's when you are attacked while entering a new area. Because that's when you don't fight on your terms, but on the enemy's. A simple trick is to hide in shadows before entering a new area, which'll give you a few seconds to relocate to a better location.


High dexterity is a must, and as for items, the most helpful will be the cloak of non-detection (can't remember where that one is), the boots of speed (run a search on this forum, there are almost as many topics about that as there are about Firekraag and Kangaxx) and, well, any bow and arrows. Archers are really cheap, and effective. You can use a good many items which will benefit you (ring of regeneration for one) but you have near complete freedom in that.
Oh, one more thing, the Ring of the Ram is useful to give tough creatures a final push into the abyss

[Russ]

And they're very effective in group combat, as well. You've never SEEN damage until you've seen even a mid-level (11, say) archer under the influence of improved haste....

[Jim]

To avoid the annoyance of stocking up on arrows, I sent my solo archer straight to WK after speaking to Gaeylan in order to get

ITEM SPOILER
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
a quiver of unlimited +1 arrows and an ammo belt. Why wait until later in the game when you can get these vastly useful archer items straight away [img]smile.gif[/img]

[Avalon]

I think the archer gets a bad press, but i mean like give him the boots of speed, you have a machine gun!

And that is NASTY!!!!!!!!!

quote:

---

---