It is pretty well-known to archers by now that there is a maximum range from which your arrows will connect with their targets. After they reach the maximum distance, they either disappear or pass straight through the target. Unfortunately, the range limitation seems way too short to make any sense to me. Why did I spend all this time investing in archery perks for the ability to zoom in, when I can't even take full advantage of it?

I can understand having a distance limitation for certain spells, since theoretically, the magic may dissipate over time and space. However, I can literally watch my arrow go straight into my target (say a mammoth at 75 yards) and have no effect! An arrow is a physical object that does not lose mass over time or space, so why shouldn't my arrow connect with the target? I feel that if we have the skill to ensure that our arrows are on target from such a long range, then I we should be rewarded with an actual hit. I understand Bethesda probably created this limit in order to ensure that players couldn't exploit this mechanic and kill all of the enemies from miles away, but honestly, if that is how someone wants to play the game (as a sniper), then why force them not to? It isn't like it is easy to land a long-range shot, you have to account for the arch of the arrow, gravity over time, speed of the target, etc. Most people don't have the time or patience to master this kind of shot anyway.

So my reason for posting this (particularly in the XBOX section of the forum) is because I want to know 1) If anyone else agrees with this perspective and 2) Whether Bethesda intends to fix this issue for the console community (since it seems like archers playing on PC's can simply remove the distance limitation by changing a command line). I would love to see a fix for this in a future patch.

I love this game, and I love playing as a stealth archer, but it is so frustrating to have this arbitrary limitation on my abilities!

I half agree with you i think the distance should be increased but not to the point where you can snipe guys from across a mountain. Plus have you ever fired a bow or gone to a gun range? arrows and bullets drop off at a certain distance and there effective damage to the target is neglageable.

http://www.worldrecordsacademy.org/sports/longest_bow_and_arrow_shot_world_record_set_by_Zak_Crawford_101831.htm

This kid sent an arrow 500 meters! That's roughly 1500 feet, there are bows in-game that are built for distance( like the elven) and bows built for close range power shots( like ancient nord) So OP has a point, why is it that the distance is sooOOoo short in-game? Probably to save on strain on the game maybe?

Wow that is nuts! That kid sure knows the bow.

Bow & magic. ^ ^

I totally agree that damage decreases over distance, since the speed of the arrow should technically slow down, so why doesn't Bethesda just reduce the damage of long range shots, rather than pretending the arrow no longer exists? And while I agree, a shot from across a mountain shouldn't be possible, but again, not because the program makes the arrow vanish half-way to the target, but rather as a result of the arrow not being able to reach a target that is SOOOO far away, as it slows down over time. Really, all I want is to be able to hit targets that I can see, and my arrows can physically reach. It would make gameplay a lot more rewarding for me at least. As a small consolation, I did unlock the "Quiet caster" perk, so that I can at least cast "Slow Time" without being detected while still within attack range with my bow. Nothing more satisfying than letting loose 6 arrows in slow-mo, and then hearing them all connect with their targets almost simultaneously. sigh

Yes, magic as well, but since spells like lightning bolt and ice spike travel in a straight line, there is no natural limit to the distance they could cover, so I understand why Bethesda would put a limit on those. And as I said earlier, magic could theoretically lose energy over time and distance.

I think increasing the effective distance of spells and arrows is a great idea.

i was in the 2nd floor door way in the valtheim towers.with the ancient nord bow with out any archery perks i was able to take out the bandit that sits in the chair in the cliff across the river.the arrows drop ingame,the further away they are the higher you have to aim above them,for that shot i aimed like he had 3 heads stacked ontop of eachother and popped him in the chest, also if you are in 3rd person view you're not going to hit anything but the ground when you shoot at something,to use long range spells and bows you need to be in first person view only,for some reason there seems to be a problem with the targeting recticle in 3rd person view,what the cross hairs are on is not what is targeted,it seems to be high and to the left so when you shoot arrows hit the ground about 5ft away and to your right of the target. hope this helps

i play primarily as a assassin/ archer character so i understand where you're coming from. i hate seeing an enemy and then trying to figure out how i can get closer without him seeing me just because i know my arrow will vanish before it hits him.

Tell that to all the guys in the middle ages, sitting on castle battlements, getting pelted with arrows from 600 feet away lol. Those arrows were hitting people at the very end of their flights, and killing them. Arrows do not do less damage over distance because arrows don't travel in a straight line. After an arrow reaches the apex of it's flight, it's still moving deadly fast thanks to a handy thing called gravity.

Bullets are another matter, but I would still not like to be hit with a 50 cal round no matter what point of it's trajectory it was at.

Additionally I haven't noticed any problems with arrow range in this game, unlike sniper rifles in Fallout 3 which had an annoying range issue. In Skyrim if you can see it you can shoot it as far as I know. It could just be an issue caused by missing the target, those longshots are pretty hard to estimate since arrow trajectory acts differently (the dropoff is more harsh) on longer shots

Maybe we should try and fire arrows that arc to there targets IE aim above the target. I tried a experiment after reading this post, I also went to Valtheim Towers and tried to snipe a guy across the bridge on the other side of the cliff, first i pointed my cross-hairs right on his chest and fired nothing then i aimed slightly above his head still nothing then i aimed three or four headlengths above him and got a sneak attack hit. So in fact you can fire very long distances in the game if you arch your shoots. I then went over to inspect his corpse nothing out of the ordinary he died from acute arrow in the face, but then i looked at the ground near his body and saw my other two arrows that missed one close to him the other one farther away, so the game did not make the mistake the arrows dropped off right when they were supposed too.( i was in sneak mode and waited for him to sit back down after every shot and i was exactly the same distance away from the target and used the same type of arrows and bow to follow the scientific method)

your a pro with a bow nukeitfirst, i found the archery in this game quite realistic,when i was younger i shot on a daily basis with an oneida strike eagle,(the best bow i ever had and back when oneida labs actually made a quality bow).so i was able to use the archery without a problem unlike the other 2 elderscrolls games, also the shot of mine you duplicated at Valtheim tower wasn't my longest shot

Thanks for the detailed info Radac, I am very familiar with the need to aim above your target the further away it is. But the distance limitation I am talking about makes your arrow pass through your target, even though your aim is accurate (i.e. a few headlength above your target). I tested this by aiming at a tree from a certain long distance, firing an arrow, and then observing that the arrow did in fact stick in the tree, even at super long ranges. However, I would then aim at something large like a mammoth that was the same distance as the tree, and I would use the same aiming arch, but the arrows would not damage the mammoth. I then tested with human targets, and I noticed that the draw distance for human-size targets is less than for targets the size of a mammoth. This actually really helped inform my determination that there is a hard distance limit for the bow. You can try the following experiment for proof: Find a stationary outdoor city guard (for instance the guards at the Western Watchtower near Whiterun). Approach the guard's position from a far enough distance that the guard is not yet visible (i.e. the guard is beyond the game's draw distance). Slowly approach the guard until you just begin to see him materialize on your screen (IMPORTANT: DO NOT use Eagly Eye to zoom, or Aura Wisper as this allows you to see the target prematurely). Now that you have entered the draw-distance range of a human target, you are about 4 steps in front of the absolute shot limit for a bow. To test this, take about 3 small steps backwards and aim about 1-2 headlengths above the guard's head (it is now safe to use your zoom). Save your game from this distance, then take the shot. Your shot should land somewhere in the head-chest area. Now reload your saved game, and step back about 4 more steps (you will still be able to see your target even though he is outside of the original draw distance, as the game seems to extend target visibility once you have him in your view). Fire on your target adjusting your shot only slightly higher than your first arrow, and you will see that the arrow passes right through your target. The guard might notice the arrow, but he will not be harmed. I have tried this technique many times, and determined that this is the maximum shot distance for arrows on the xbox360 version. It is still a pretty good distance, but it is frustrating when you can spot targets that are really far away by using the eagle eye perk, or the aura whisper shout, but you cannot hit them. As a workaround, I now approach enemy bases/forts without using zoom or detect life so that I can determine my max attack distance by taking note of when the targets appear within my draw distance. Feel free to replicate and test. I would love any input!

NOTE: I have only tested this on the XBOX 360.

Good call on the gravity bit, I hadn't considered that. But even an arrow dropping at terminal velocity would still be slower than it is off of the initial draw, no? Just curious about the physics. As for your statement, "... if you can see it, you can shoot it" this is partially accurate. If you look at my above post, you can see that there are a few caveats. First of all, the absolute limit of archery is just beyond the initial draw distance of a human-size enemy, so yes, in theory, as you approach an area, once you are close enough to see the person, you can shoot them from that distance. However, if the target just comes into your viewing distance, and then you back up more than 5 or 6 feet,, you will stil be able to see the target (for even up to an additional 20-30 meters sometimes) but you will not be able to shoot him. Similarly, if you use the ZOOM or DETECT LIFE to see your target BEFORE you have entered within the range of the normal draw distance, you will not actually be able to hit them from that range. The last caveat is that not all targets are the same size, and therefore you can see the larger targets before you have entered the absolute arrow distance limit. Giants and Mammoths are good examples of this. At the moment a mammoth pops into the viewing range, he is still significantly outside of your firing range (especially if you were using eagle eye to zoom in). I hope this clears things up, and if anyone finds this to be inaccurate please let me know. Thanks!

NOTE: I have only tested this on the XBOX 360

We don't want to shoot arrows across mountains, we just want to be able to shoot enemies who appear in front of us. If we can see them, we can shoot them, as draw distance is quite short in this game (especially in Xbox).

@Monkeybiscuit. What's the point of speaking of middle ages ? I don't think that medieval soldiers were able to shoot lightning bolts from their hands or heal so fast. I can't remember neither of dragons, magical bows nor elves (apart from books from the XVIIe). So i don't think that gravity is so relevant in this issue. ^ ^

^This. Although we CAN shoot what we can see, but just barely, and only when that doesn't include using eagle eye or detect life, or objects bigger than a humanoid.

well, we do have to remember that these arent compound bows, they are exagerated long bows, long bows only have distance if arched.

To tell you the truth, bows from the middle ages matched and exceeded the performance of today's compound bow's. They used sinew, and other natural materials that exceed the parameters/limitations of today's synthetic materials, if you ask a lot of archery history buff's they will all agree that bow's of the middle age(medieval) are equal to or IMO(along with many historians) superior to today's bows. It boils down to " they don't make thing's like they used to", bows back then were made to do their job and do it well on top of having to last and not break. And as far as long bows only having distance when arched is a big pile of dookie, the long bow was the AK-47 of it's day and would punch through plate armor at a distance of several 100 feet, and where even more deadly at close ranges.Which is why they where standard issue for the British military of the middle(dark) ages.

There's got to be a mod or .ini fix for this somewhere.

There are plenty of Mods to remove the distance limitation, but unfortunately mods only work on the PC version, and this is the XBOX sub-forum.

To tell you the truth.
The well known english longbow hardly punched through mail at 100 feet. Plates were safe at more than 60 feet. And precision was a major drawback as many arrows never reached their targets.
And no, modern carbon is far superior than simple wood, less resilient but of high performance.

Here you go, some light reading to bone up on your history
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/English_longbow#Range_and_penetration

As far as modern carbon bows, guess what they made compound bows out of natural materials that exceed the limitations of today's compound bows and it is a well known fact that natural materials are superior in every way to man made materials. The only reason we use our synthetic materials is cause we cannot replicate the natural stuff, sinew for example is flexible, will dry and tuffen to give a solid hold, and it has the strength of steal cable. Mother nature will always out do man when it comes to doing things right.

Interesting but if you still believe that a modern bow is inferior to a long or recurve one, i think you'd better practicing archery as there's a huge difference between range and effective range. But if you want to hunt some boar with an ancient longbow, please make a video ! ^ ^

How do you think they did it back then? The native americans all hunted using bows that where made using the same method of construction, as did the inuit who themselves had caribou, moose, wolves, polar bears etc...etc... to hunt. Yes they all had other "tools of the trade" but the bow was the primary means of hunting next to trapping.
If we were able to farm spider silk then carbon fiber would become obsolete, but we are not able to farm effectively nor are we able to synthesize it because we are not able to do it as well as nature. If we where all bow strings would be made from spider silk. Anyway we are off topic, nough of the history/biology lesson
Over in the gen. discussion side someone else has a similar topic, and there was a post about how to find the upper limits of the draw distance. Locate a stationary guard and walk to him/her until they just come into view ( without zooming in) that is pretty much as far as you can shoot an arrow.