Is it just me, or are dragons impossible to hit with archery? I feel like a moron while all the guards around me sink arrow after arrow and I'm just shooting into outer space. No matter how much I lead the target, even if it's heading towards me in a straight line and I watch my arrow go right towards the target until the arrow disappears, I never seem to connect. Am I just lame, or what?

Unmodded archery is a bit broken. After a decent range the arrow fails to connect at all but the arrow still passes the target and alerts it. Might be that you should beyond that range. On the other hand dragons are just really hard to hit too.

I wouldn't say its broken, I play on console and haven't had any issues with archery. Depends on the range and making sure you fully draw back the bow. You could be leading to much. Its something you have to get a feel for and if your not hitting you don't have a place to start. If your having trouble a good way to practice is to side step while shooting. With dragons being out of range can be a problem. NPCs get away with crap in the game but don't be discouraged, keep at it.

When I was suffering from bug where dragons refused to land or attack, I had zero luck hitting them with archery as well. I found it super frustrating, and not fun like hitting moving targets on the ground! Luckily, the bug hasn't repeated since I updated to 1.3, so it hasn't been an issue.

NPCs are insane at hitting dragons. Watch a flame atronach attack a dragon. It seems to know how to lead exactly based on the current vector of the dragon. It is crazy.

Your best bet is to use



Leading with it isn't that bad because the effect of the shout is fairly wide.

I don't think dragons in the sky actually have a collision model and so it's impossible to hit them, even if you hit their graphics in the air. It only seems to be when a dragon is starting to land, taking off or floating (and about to float) that dragons actually can be hit at all.

Yeah dragonrend and one handed/two-handed is your best bet.

:tes:

Cheers

I can hit a Flying Dragon with my bow..

Put this in your Skyrim.ini


[Actor]
fVisibleNavmeshMoveDist=12288.0000



Makes the arrows fly really far...

You're not alone Zombra, I consider myself reasonably accurate with my bow at long range vs. static targets, need to get a bit closer for moving (depending on how fast they're moving) but still manage to hit my target however I too have trouble hitting dragons. I was attacked by one in the Reach near a tower (can't remember the name) that leads into a Forsworn camp (but the door is locked from the inside) where that is located. It was circling overhead and it followed a sort of predictable path where it would circle overhead, fly out and then fly low and fast over me as if to strafe me (it never did). I aimed at the largest portion of seen mass (i.e. it's chest and head as it was flying towards me) and loosed off an arrow and I swear it looked like I got it in the neck but apparently I missed. And don't even try to shoot a dragon that is circling overhead, they have a unique ability to turn away from their projected flight path just as you loose an arrow.

Which is why I summon my Flame Atronach when it's time to fight a Dragon. They seem to hit all the time and they have almost impossible lead angles, like 90 degrees, as I saw her shoot once. I actually stopped worrying about the dragon to watch what she was shooting at (thinking there was another, more important enemy or a second dragon) and while I watched the fireballs speed off into no where, the dragon flew into them... (Perhaps Flame Atronachs have unbeknownst pre-cognitive abilities?) The guards feature the same ability with their bows. Dragons don't seem to land unless they get hit, so having the Flame Atronach cast fireballs at it causes it to hover and/or land. During this hovering stage arrows seem to hit and, of course, arrows hit when the dragon is on the ground. For now friend, I recommend you get youself enough magical competence to summon a Flame Atronach to take care of the moving ranged attacks while you focus on the static. My "non-magic" warrior suffers from this greatly, so now he too has had to dedicate a few levels to upgrading magicka.

Also, just be careful (if you're attacked by a dragon near a small town such as Riverwood) if you decide to run back to the town for the support of archers. I was going to clear out Embershard mine (to start my Smithing leveling) when I was attacked by a Dragon. Being clearly out matched alone, I had to head back to the relative safety of Riverwood dodging blasts of ice breath as I ran/sprinted back. I had killed Mirmulnir (or whatever the first dragon's name is) and the Jarl had placed soldiers in Riverwood so they were able to shoot the dragon with their bows. It landed (rather heavily it seemed, but it didn't slide like they do when they've suffered enough damage) in the clearing near the Saw Mill and I was sprinting there to attack it when Gerdur decided she wanted a piece of the action and ran in with a dagger and wearing only her dress. I watched in confused disbelief as she took a few swipes at it before it promptly snapped at her killing her instantly. Also, poor old Stump the dog was a casualty as well. It's nothing major, I guess, in the long run but now poor old Ralof has lost his sister, Hod has lost his wife and the kids don't have a mother. Though none of them seem to realise she's gone. I can see the tombstone now: "Gerdur. Here lies the beloved...wait, who was she again?"

That sounds most likely. even at close ranges, when dragons swoop to strafe the ground, arrows and spells don't do damage. When they start to "hover", land, or takeoff I have no issue.

That makes me feel better :biggrin:

Near the Honningmead Brewery, a group of guards, Lydia and my character successfully downed a dragon using arrows only. I could not guess the number of arrows involved, but the ground was a bit hedgehoggy for a while.

Yes you can hit a dragon in the air with an arrow, it is just difficult for the player.

bows are the coolest hunting weapon and the feeling to hunt with them in Skyrim is incredible! really try to use and upgrade the bow!

dragons can be hit with bows (even fireflies and hawks)

If it's in the air and not moving, I can hit it from pretty far away. But usually I just gave up and use staves, until I got Dragonrend.

I would say its pretty nice..
Let the guard to the work, while i dodge the shouts it makes by hiding under roofs and such.. The guards kill the dragon and i steal their soul.. Awesome and with minimal effort