Short vs long

Tsar · 09-18-2014, 02:50 PM

I started putting this in the balance thread but moved it here as it's not really about balance issues (which is what that section describes itself as), I just wanted to get peoples views on the short and long bow skill trees.

To me it seems the balance is always in favour of long bows. Certainly my experience is most archers are opting for medium speed long bows these days. I can't recall the last time I saw dual shot used.

Shouldn't the sacrifice of the extra range in long bows 35m +20% be balanced by the short bow user getting additional damage or defence? I'd prefer the latter, given short bows require fighting at closer quarters.

Compared like for like the long bow tree has range bonus, damage bonus (passive), dexerity bonus, and break apart (superior to the short bow equivalent which doesn't have the -const effect) and now shield piercing (which I've seen doing hits over 1,000). I know it will be nerfed but I bet it will still be doing in the 600-800 range when twinned with dex buff and cold blood.

Grounding arrow is low level, so any good archer can skill it up (as they will probably have points in the short bow tree for the dex passive) to level 1 or 2 (even after 1.10) and be able to switch bows in flight. It isn't the duration that makes the difference with GA but the immediacy of a spell which gives the user a seconds' advantage, maybe to gain the 5m needed for ambush.

Rapid shot? Yes, but combined with most short bows the damage output is still low to get a good buzz. Do short bows, pound for pound, do the same dps?

I'm a fan of using short bows (on hunter and marks) but is there enough in the skill tree to cause archers a dilemma when deciding which way to go?

09-18-2014, 02:50 PM	#1
Tsar Pledge Join Date: Nov 2009 Posts: 7	Short vs long I started putting this in the balance thread but moved it here as it's not really about balance issues (which is what that section describes itself as), I just wanted to get peoples views on the short and long bow skill trees. To me it seems the balance is always in favour of long bows. Certainly my experience is most archers are opting for medium speed long bows these days. I can't recall the last time I saw dual shot used. Shouldn't the sacrifice of the extra range in long bows 35m +20% be balanced by the short bow user getting additional damage or defence? I'd prefer the latter, given short bows require fighting at closer quarters. Compared like for like the long bow tree has range bonus, damage bonus (passive), dexerity bonus, and break apart (superior to the short bow equivalent which doesn't have the -const effect) and now shield piercing (which I've seen doing hits over 1,000). I know it will be nerfed but I bet it will still be doing in the 600-800 range when twinned with dex buff and cold blood. Grounding arrow is low level, so any good archer can skill it up (as they will probably have points in the short bow tree for the dex passive) to level 1 or 2 (even after 1.10) and be able to switch bows in flight. It isn't the duration that makes the difference with GA but the immediacy of a spell which gives the user a seconds' advantage, maybe to gain the 5m needed for ambush. Rapid shot? Yes, but combined with most short bows the damage output is still low to get a good buzz. Do short bows, pound for pound, do the same dps? I'm a fan of using short bows (on hunter and marks) but is there enough in the skill tree to cause archers a dilemma when deciding which way to go?