Summary
InHorizon Zero Dawn Remastered, bows are one category of weaponry essential for developing a strong combat strategy. They are popular because they provide high accuracy, which is great for aiming at critical points of enemies, as well as being quiet and long-range, making them great for stealth missions and hunting.
Unlike some other weapons in the game, bows allow players to work with control and precision in combat scenarios. Below is a ranking of thebest bows inHorizon Zero Dawn Remastered, both those found in early and late game, based on their overall utility to players.
8Carja Sharpshot Bow
Powerful And High Damage
The Carja Sharpshot offers the same pros as a lot of thebest bows inHorizon Zero Dawn Remastered: It deals good damage at a conveniently long-range, which is great for tactical scenarios. That said, this bow misses some of the ideal traits that other bows have access to. For example, it doesn’t take any elemental ammunition, which limits the kind of damage that players can deal. It also has a rather slow rate of fire.
For an early game acquisition, the Carja Sharpshot is a safe bet, available ata very reasonable 210 Metal Shardsfrom merchants.
7Banuk Powershot Bow
An Extremely Precise Bow
The Banuk Powershot Bow certainly has its perks, but its charging requirement is definitely not one of them. Aside from that, it offers high damage stats and high precision, despite not being a fast weapon. The Banuk Powershot can be used from far distances, making it great forchallenges requiring stealth and silence.
Players can trade 14 Bluegleam for the Banuk Powershot Bow, an item only found on frozen machines. It can only be bought once per playthrough.
6Carja Hunter Bow
Accessible During The Early-Game
The Carja Hunter Bow offers players a good variety of basic and fire damage in a very accessible weapon, making ita great choice for beginnerswith little combat experience who are not able to buy better bows yet. Fans of the game have recommended this as a great tool to learn about the handling of bows before advancing onto rarer models.
Overall, the stats for this bow aren’t bad, offering good short-range combat damage despite its lack of power. Players can purchase this handy weapon early in the game from merchants.
5Banuk Champion Bow
Best From The Frozen Wilds DLC
Horizon Zero Dawnplayers can use a variety of different arrows with the Banuk Champion Bow, including Shock, Freeze, and Corruption, to beat enemies. Altogether, this is one of themost powerful bowsin the game and recommended for skilled players who understand the handling of earlier bows, with some saying it combines the styles of the Hunter and Sharpshot bow together.
The Banuk Champion is only available to those playing with theFrozen WildsDLC, but those playingHorizon Zero Dawn Remasteredwill already have access to it. The weapon can be purchased from Bluegleam merchants.
4Shadow War Bow
A Good Alternative For Elemental Attacks
While ultimately not as strong as the Lodge War Bow, the Shadow War Bow remains a good choice for elemental attacks. Players can use a variety of ammunition, including Shock, Corruption, and Freeze arrows, with this bowto weaken strong enemiesbefore finishing with more directly damaging weapons.
This is a great choice for players who cannot yet unlock the Lodge War Bow, and it is available from Meridian for a Tramplers Heart and 800 Metal Shards.
3Shadow Sharpshot Bow
Best For Long-Range Encounters
The Shadow Sharpshot Bow is one of the most precise weapons available inHorizon Zero Dawn, making it ideal for long-range encounters with machines, particularly to strip specific components from them. The ability to strip machines is increased using Tearblast Arrows, creating weaknesses that players can exploit using other weapons.
Players can use not only Tearblast, but Precision and Harvest arrows with this bow, to gain desired results from this highly accurate weapon. It can be purchased in Meridian for the cost of 1050 Metal Shards and a Watcher Heart.
2Shadow Hunter Bow
Best For Mid-Range Combat
The Shadow Hunter Bow provides some of the most consistent damage out of all the weapons inHorizon Zero Dawn Remastered, particularly in mid-range combat. Players can also use it for stealth scenarios because of its quick firing and quietness. It’s particularly useful when used alongside Fire Arrows to exploitthe fire vulnerability of certain machines and enemies. Players can purchase this bow from merchants in Meridian for the cost of 800 Metal Shards and a Sawtooth Heart.
The Lodge Blast Sling has better handling when compared with other Blast Slings available in the game. It can be obtained duringthe Weapons of the Lodge side quest. After obtaining 15 Half Sun Marks during the 5 Hunting Ground trials, Aidaba will reward players with it.
1Lodge War Bow
A Great Elemental Weapon
This is the best bow inHorizon Zero Dawn Remasteredwhen it comes to employing elemental attacks against machines. It’s also the most powerful War Bow available in the base game ofHorizon Zero Dawn. Players can use Shock, Freeze, and Corruption ammunition against enemies using it.
This weapon is only unlocked once players have completed all 5 of the Hunting Grounds, at which point Aidaba will provide players with the bow as a reward for their efforts.
