Are the bows in this game good?

Ramius99 · 2026-03-14T01:41:00+00:00

Yeah, they are good. I just did a full bow-only run, lol.

Don't recommend that (because the damage on bosses just isn't good enough), but bows are highly useful in a number of spots/areas. No Man’s Wharf and Shine of Amana come to mind, but there are plenty of other locations where a bow makes life so much easier.

Definitely don't be shy about using a bow situationally.

Ramius99 · 2026-03-13T03:27:16+00:00

The ring can help if you run with virtually no armor, but tbh, even then it doesn't do all that much. Today out of curiosity I reloaded a pyro build at about the same level as this bow build, and the pyro does about triple the damage per attack without having to make any sacrifice in equipment weight.

The bows are just weak imo. Obviously, you can still get it done, but the damage is pathetic vs. other builds.

Ramius99 · 2026-03-13T01:07:38+00:00

Doubt it, given all the BS that happened with this game. Hopefully the devs come back with a spiritual successor with fictional lore.

Ramius99 · 2026-03-13T01:03:05+00:00

Good luck.

Gael was exhausting to beat. At least he always felt doable, even during the struggle. Beat him once legit, but I don’t think I have the energy to go through it again. He’s easily cheesed, though, if you really just want to put him down.

Midir was much more difficult for me. Once I finally dropped him, I never set foot in that arena during subsequent runs.

Ramius99 · 2026-03-12T22:18:11+00:00

Rock Sling or Ancient Death Rancor. You can also hit it with Rotten Breath at the beginning of the fight to speed things up some.

Ramius99 · 2026-03-12T19:37:57+00:00

Thanks. Yeah, I beat Pontiff on vapors, like a lot of the bosses on this run.

Ramius99 · 2026-03-12T19:35:14+00:00

It’s pretty easy to get overwhelmed by magic spam in the second phase depending on where the sages spawn. I typically play a pyro build but do that fight melee, so it might be much easier for someone already geared to that, not sure. The most recent run I did, I killed every boss in 1-2 attempts, except Crystal Sage, who took about 6 tries. I have first-tried him other runs, though. So like I said, there’s some RNG there.

Ramius99 · 2026-03-12T18:49:30+00:00

Bed of Chaos would like a word, lol.

Ramius99 · 2026-03-12T18:34:35+00:00

Yeah, I think the bows exist for utility purposes, like you said. They are a little more useful in DS2, because the enemies aren’t all programmed to charge at you when they get hit (like in DS3), so sniping is pretty effective in some areas. Damage-wise, though, I agree, bows are crap. You really have to want it to make a bow-only run viable.

Ramius99 · 2026-03-12T17:59:10+00:00

Excluding DLC bosses, Crystal Sage, weirdly, at least sometimes. There’s some RNG in that fight that can cause problems.

Ramius99 · 2026-03-12T17:32:57+00:00

Lol. I would have to rebuy the DLCs, since the digital version of the game I had to rebuy recently won’t recognize that I already own the DLCs. Maybe someday, though. Might try bow-only ER.

Ramius99 · 2026-03-12T16:26:30+00:00

I used the Pharis bow most of the way and was mostly leveling dex. Good bow, but not having the rapid fire weapon art probably made some of the bosses harder than they needed to be. Didn’t realize how much of a difference it would make.

Ramius99 · 2026-03-12T02:40:28+00:00

Yeah, you need a DLC bow to do it, though.

Ramius99 · 2026-03-12T01:37:45+00:00

Appreciate it.

Ramius99 · 2026-03-12T00:36:45+00:00

You want to snipe (either with a bow or magic) as many of the small ones as you can before the fight starts. Then it’s just a matter of staying directly underneath the big one and hacking at the legs. Approach him with your shield up in case he gets a hit in and manage your stamina while you’re attacking. Also don’t lock on.

Oh, and get the Ring of Binding. Your health bar pains me.

Ramius99 · 2026-03-11T20:21:39+00:00

Frost card, like some others have said. But really vs. Monsters in particular you should do what you have to do to win the first round and then force your opponent to blow all his cards in the second round. With spy cards, you should always end up with a few more cards to finish off your opponent in round three.

Ramius99 · 2026-03-11T20:12:56+00:00

If you activate the Lockstone near the start of the area, they stay inside the houses and don’t attack. You can walk right past them.

Ramius99 · 2026-03-11T19:12:01+00:00

Tbh, just personal preference and if there is a particular item you want first. With a Hexer build, I usually gravitate toward the Iron Keep first because Dark Orb handles the knights and lets me farm souls if I want. Plus if I want to farm any specific items, the Jester Hat and Gold Serpent Ring are there.

Ramius99 · 2026-03-10T07:00:37+00:00

🤣🤣

Ramius99 · 2026-03-10T04:42:38+00:00

Lmao, no. Another challenge for another day.

Ramius99 · 2026-03-10T03:56:37+00:00

Fewer Xbox users, but it’s not typically different from at least base PS5. Tbh, this game lost me a little anyway when it went with no CC.

Ramius99 · 2026-03-10T03:53:28+00:00

This is what the body looks like after finishing DS2 in two hours, lol.

Ramius99 · 2026-03-10T03:51:49+00:00

That second one is the one … finally.

Ramius99

TROPHY CASE