Good bow for sneaking type character : V

» Wed Jun 06, 2012 6:09 am

So I just bought skyrim and I'm curious as to which bow I should use for my sneaking dark brotherhood/thieves guild character. Thanks.

» Wed Jun 06, 2012 5:34 pm

My favorite bow is a "handmade" ebony double-enchanted fire/paralyze bow.... if you manage to just wing the target, it doesn't yell out it just stiffens and falls so you can quietly finish it off.
Also good for those draugr dungeons.

You're probably a ways off from double-enchanting your weapons tho; but I'd recommend something with paralyze that you can buff up with whatever smithing perks you can obtain early on.

» Wed Jun 06, 2012 12:09 pm

I heard that you shouldn't try to increase skills unnaturally in skyrim, for example leveling up smithing to 100 right away. So how do you recommend leveing it accordingly so that I don't mess up my character build?

I'm also playing master difficulty which is why I ask, my bow is way to weak, it's the ancient nord bow.

» Wed Jun 06, 2012 12:30 pm

Well I've heard that smithing can't be power-levelled the way it was done prior to the latest patch (1.5), but I don't know the details.

If you want to stay natural, it is still possible to grow your character by doing what would come naturally, or almost naturally.... finding weapons, improving them, and using them or selling them when you can acquire better weapons.

A good place to buy/sell archery equipment is the Drunken Huntsman, across the street from the smithy that's to the right just after you enter Whiterun.

» Wed Jun 06, 2012 6:15 pm

Thanks for the tips, I'll give that shop a try as soon as I'm done finishing my contract for the dark brotherhood.

» Wed Jun 06, 2012 1:45 pm

You can improve your Ancient Nord bow with a steel ingot, the most basic smithing perk.
Here's a useful link for grindstone requirements, to keep in mind as you find ore and ingots:
http://www.uesp.net/wiki/Skyrim:Grindstone

I also started with that bow, but the more quests and exploring you do, the better weapons and bows you will find.

You can also find many poisons out in the world, probably starting with frostbite venom. You can poison your bow for one hit if you have your bow selected, then select a poison from your potions inventory. That helps bring down the bad guys until you get a better bow.

» Wed Jun 06, 2012 9:01 pm

I heard that you shouldn't try to increase skills unnaturally in skyrim, for example leveling up smithing to 100 right away. So how do you recommend leveing it accordingly so that I don't mess up my character build?

Just play and have fun. That's really the best approach. If you grind your skills you will advance in levels very quickly and that ruins the flow of the game. At least that's my opinion.

» Wed Jun 06, 2012 12:27 pm

Just play and have fun. That's really the best approach. If you grind your skills you will advance in levels very quickly and that ruins the flow of the game. At least that's my opinion.

Not to mention if you do stuff like grind out some Thief skills in Riverwood, by the time you venture out into the world, everything is going to wipe the floor with you.

» Wed Jun 06, 2012 2:19 pm

Start doing the Thieves guild quests and you will get a nice "gift" after a while.

Its a little less killing in TG so it may be easier there on master difficulty.

» Wed Jun 06, 2012 11:53 am

I just unlocked the assassin's blade perk for sneak and I am considering changing to daggers as a primary weapon. I am using a dragon priest dagger that does 7 damage now, any suggestions on where to find a better one?

» Wed Jun 06, 2012 12:33 pm

I just unlocked the assassin's blade perk for sneak and I am considering changing to daggers as a primary weapon. I am using a dragon priest dagger that does 7 damage now, any suggestions on where to find a better one?

Other then finding one randomly or making one yourself, keep going on the DB questline or start with the TG questline and you'll still get nice "gifts". =)

Oh and...
You get the "gift" in TG earlier then in DB

» Wed Jun 06, 2012 3:21 pm

I think you got some great tip's, one that I would like to add, Keep a spare bow, even if it's in "storage".

I just unlocked the assassin's blade perk for sneak and I am considering changing to daggers as a primary weapon. I am using a dragon priest dagger that does 7 damage now, any suggestions on where to find a better one?

Keep an eye out on the bandit's you meet on the roads. Improve whatever you find on them and check the stores.

Spoiler

Muzlt ( sp) over near Riften, not the main complex but the smaller building off to the side usually has a dagger. It isn't much higher, but can be improved.
I have a steel dagger that's improved to 14 at the moment on my assassin.

» Wed Jun 06, 2012 12:02 pm

I just unlocked the assassin's blade perk for sneak and I am considering changing to daggers as a primary weapon. I am using a dragon priest dagger that does 7 damage now, any suggestions on where to find a better one?

My personal favorite is Valdr's Lucky Dagger. Take the north road out of Falkreath skirting the lake to the west. You'll meet Valdr along the way. Bring a first aid kit.

» Wed Jun 06, 2012 8:24 am

I think you got some great tip's, one that I would like to add, Keep a spare bow, even if it's in "storage".

Keep an eye out on the bandit's you meet on the roads. Improve whatever you find on them and check the stores.

Spoiler

Muzlt ( sp) over near Riften, not the main complex but the smaller building off to the side usually has a dagger. It isn't much higher, but can be improved.
I have a steel dagger that's improved to 14 at the moment on my assassin.

If you use italics like that, it screws up the spoiler show function....

» Wed Jun 06, 2012 1:48 pm

Spoiler

Muzlt ( sp) over near Riften, not the main complex but the smaller building off to the side usually has a dagger. It isn't much higher, but can be improved.
I have a steel dagger that's improved to 14 at the moment on my assassin.

» Wed Jun 06, 2012 9:33 am

I found a Drainspell Bow somewhere that is getting me by quite nicely!

» Wed Jun 06, 2012 7:58 am

I found a Drainspell Bow somewhere that is getting me by quite nicely!

Gauldar Blackbow maybe?

» Wed Jun 06, 2012 6:12 am

I found a Drainspell Bow somewhere that is getting me by quite nicely!

Ah, man. I found one of those on an enemy and his cronies had a drainheart sword, I think?

» Wed Jun 06, 2012 8:00 am

I leveled Smithing to 100 on both my characters as quickly as I could and I didn't have any problems that others have mentioned. :confused:

I don't necessarily see it as unnatural because I just want to be able to make the best gear before I venture out.

For a good low level dagger you can do this quest in Whiterun

Spoiler

http://elderscrolls.wikia.com/wiki/The_Blessings_of_Nature

and you'll basically get an Ebony Dagger.

» Wed Jun 06, 2012 6:21 am

Falmer bows are good early on until you can smith your own. My ultimate bow is a self-smithed ebony or Nightingale bow with fire enchantment.

» Wed Jun 06, 2012 7:11 pm

For a good low level dagger you can do this quest in Whiterun

Spoiler

http://elderscrolls.wikia.com/wiki/The_Blessings_of_Nature

and you'll basically get an Ebony Dagger.

I wouldnt recomend this unless you know you can take down a certain powerfull creature and really want a secound knife for dual wielding. The dagger he has now does 7 in base dmg (I asume its base dmg) and the knife you get in that quest only does 6. I looked thrue the list of unique weapons and the only ones that are better then his current knife is optained thrue DB and TG questlines.
There was 1 or 2 others but they are harder to optain.

» Wed Jun 06, 2012 5:28 pm

One thing no one has mentioned yet, of which you should be aware, is that bow "weight" is tied to draw time. Light bows draw and therefor shoot much faster than heavy bows.

Now generally with a sneaker, your first shot will be a suprize to the enemy so that favors a heavy draw bow, since you have the initiatve and the time. But depending on your smith skills, enchant skills, and what arrows you use, a fast firing light bow, with a powerful enchant, can do well in open combat, or once you are sighted.

Juat an fyi.

» Wed Jun 06, 2012 11:07 am

Too add: once/if you pick up the stagger perk in the archery tree a faster shooting bow starts looking real nice for crowd control.

» Wed Jun 06, 2012 10:52 am

I wouldnt recomend this unless you know you can take down a certain powerfull creature and really want a secound knife for dual wielding. The dagger he has now does 7 in base dmg (I asume its base dmg) and the knife you get in that quest only does 6.

Yeah, that's right. NVM - I was looking at the Description Card screenshot that listed 15 as the damage. I guess whoever took the screenshot had some skill in One-Handed. :tongue:

One thing no one has mentioned yet, of which you should be aware, is that bow "weight" is tied to draw time. Light bows draw and therefor shoot much faster than heavy bows.

The only exception is the Daedric Bow, but the speed difference is only 0.06 faster than the Ebony. Plus, you probably won't find a Daedric Bow and would have Smith one.

The bows are at the bottom of this page:
http://www.uesp.net/wiki/Skyrim:Bow#Bows

» Wed Jun 06, 2012 7:43 am

There is also a perk in the archery tree named "Quick shot" that ables you to draw 30% faster, if you really want a heavy bow then you can still make the drawing faster.^^