There should be a head shot damage multiplier, because it is very difficult to shoot that accurately.

it shoots above the crosshair to 'compensate' for arrow-drop. the flight arc.

To make it easier for console players to aim? I dont know. why the heck would they do this, so awkward and hand holding

the phantom arrow effect is simply due to arrows having a maximum shooting distance, while the view distance is greatest than the shooting distance.

Apparently it wasn't from this thread, but I did find a way to disable auto-aim shortly after posting this. Go into your skyrim.ini and, in the [Combat] section, add the lines:

f1PArrowTiltUpAngle=0.0f3PArrowTiltUpAngle=0.0

Playing with these settings, I am able to hit more consistently and at longer ranges instead of firing over people's heads at short range and being completely unable to hit anything at moderate-to-long range.


Agreed! Something like "1 ingot + 1 firewood = 10 (or 25?) arrows" should be a trivial mod to make once the CS is released.

In theory, it would also be nice to be able to upgrade arrows at a grindstone the same way as other weapons, but being able to improve both your bow and your arrows to Legendary condition might end up being a bit overpowered...


Skyrim is a nice change from having to pincushion every single enemy after a certain level, isn't it?


My personal favorite was a Master Necromancer that I snuck up to, pickpocketed a black soul gem off him, then popped a Soul Trap spell and slit his throat - the Soul Trap did alert him, but my dagger landed before he finished turning around to look for me. He now lives inside of a necklace enchanted to give +21% to - what else? - pickpocketing.


If it was a "real RPG" and hits were based solely on character skill, then I would be perfectly happy with that. (The majority disagree, however - one of the biggest complaints about Morrowind was that, if your character's combat skill was low, you could see your weapon pass through the enemy's body even as the game said you missed.) If I have to aim, though, I want to be able to aim accurately.

I have no problem with my shots being adjusted based on my character skill, so long as it goes both ways (not just "your perfectly-aimed shot missed because your character can't hit the broad side of a barn", but also "your wild shot landed perfectly on-target because your character is a master marksman"). I have a big problem with missing because the user interface is working against me.

Simple solution - add reticle wobble and flight spread at low skill levels and negate them the higher the skill. That way it depends on the user _and_ the stats.

oh yes, and the dragon fighting tactics of behind a rock and shoot is amazing

Only problem with stealth archery is that it's very close to godmode. Nothing can see you, so nothing can hurt you if your stealth is high enough and you move after each shot or two.

I like archery so much that after this play-through I may go for an arcane archer (archery illusion alteration enchanting), no stealth, and rely on a companion and magics to keep monsters off my butt.


Going to try that. If it works, you are my new hero. Compensating for arrow drop is fun.

I've tried "bow wobble" mods in Oblivion and they fail my "works both ways" criterion - they screw over the player whose aim is better than the character's, but do nothing to help the player whose aim is worse than the character's.

Honestly, I don't think there's any problem here to be solved. I think the standard Oblivion/Skyrim model of "player skill determines whether the attack hits, character skill determines how much of an effect the attack has" is about the best balance between player skill and character skill that you're going to get in a real time/"action" RPG.

Another possibility if you think it's too godmodey would be to stealth around all you want, but don't take any Sneak perks. I haven't tried that myself, so it might not make all that big a difference, but I suspect that even Sneak 100 would be considerably less effective without the higher sneak damage multipliers, taking no movement/armor noise penalties, no "x% harder to detect" bonuses, etc.

I love it when you cap a 'baddie' in sneak mode from range and then when you approach you can see the arrow sticking out of their mouth.

I hate getting rushed by 'baddies' though when armed with a bow, I end up frantically firing at close range and they inevitably kill me pretty quick.

So basically it should rely on a players skill more than stats? I agree with that. Although the damage multipliers and basic damage should be based on skill stats, aiming should be player skill based. Also aiming on a console when an enemy is always on the move, is bloody irritating!

I normally svck at FPS games - except I've always been a really good sniper. I'm glad to see that carry through to Skyrim, because I'm pulling off some really amazing shots. I only wish Skyrim had locational damage so they could track headshots. I know damage is the same whether you hit them in the head or pinky toe (stupid), but for some reason I still always go for the headshot.

Combine Archery with a high Sneak skill and you're damn near invincible. You can take down a group of 5 or 6 before they can even pinpoint your location.

Archery is fun, agreed, but massive disagree on melee combat. I love hacking people down with my battleaxe, or skewering them on my greatsword

http://www.gamesas.com/index.php?/topic/1269030-tweaking-arrows-to-behave-more-like-oblivion/page__p__19269739__fromsearch__1#entry19269739

This helps, still not perfect though.

Wanted to include an image I found on the internet today that will help people understand;

http://i.imgur.com/Y12Qc.png

I make friends all day long with my Bow on master difficulty!

I'm a combination archer, swordsman, conjurer, shadesman(sneaker), and alternationist, and I have to say; archery is amazing. Its immensely satisfying taking out an entire bandit camp from a high ridge far away.

I'm new to this class and loving it! Today I shot a bandit arched from tower. He fell down.
It doesn't help with bigger enemies though.

Im playing a mage & i summon a bow when ever theres 3 or more Enemys & use magic to finish them off the BOW RULES no matter whot class you play you need a bow