Bases
Bow is a ranged weapon pretty easy to understand since you only need to charge your shots then release them. Depending on your charge level, your shot pattern change, the bow model impacting the shot type and its level. Drawing your bow consume stamina, meaning you’ll have to master your stamina management.
Bow critical range is tied to the bow shot type and can be visualized when you aim holding R1. Shooting at critical range increase your damage by 50%
Depending on the bow model, you can equip coatings which can increase your damage or allow you to deal status damage. These can be bought at the General Store or crafted mid-fight.
Skill-wise, bow has usually 3 charge levels and can unlock a fourth one with the Load Up skill. Its charge speed can be improved with the Auto-Reload skill in Frontier (and not Focus like in mainline).
Earth Style
Frontier bow can use use arc shot which only arrived later in mainline games. Arc shot has a type tied to the weapon model that can be check in the weapon infos:
- Narrow: projectiles falls in a limited area
- Wide: projectiles falls in a wide area
- Bomb: only one projectile is fired, exploding on impact
- Slicing: projectiles deal shot damage but with the ability to slice tails like slicing damage
Bow can benefit from a glitch coming from MHDos which allows you to not consume coatings by opening the item menu with your arrow ready, useful when you don’t have any stamina left to dodge or if you want to keep your positioning.
Heaven Style
Heaven Style replace the rather useless melee attack for a stronger Shoryuken.
Storm Style
Storm Style isn’t popular. It slows bow charge time by 17% and introduced crouched shots. Crouched shots prevent you from moving, are 10% slower but go one charge level higher, granting you access to the sniper shot.
Extreme Style
Extreme Style is based on Storm Style but removes the charge time nerf.
It allows you to run with the bow as usual. While running, you can charge a shot or equip coatings.
Melee attacks are replaced by a ricochet shot going upwards, its critical range being the point where it flies up. It can be charged to increase its damage and also used while running.
Bow can now also roll while charging without losing its charge. You can also double your base shots, kinda like in modern mainline. The second shot is a copy of the first one with a multiplier reducing its damage based on charge level (level 2 85%, level 3 75%, level 4 65%).
Daily bonus
The Daily bonus reduces Bow charge time by 15%
Les Carnets de la Wycadémie 