Why do Followers use their own bow ? : V

» Fri Jun 15, 2012 7:00 pm

I have tried / experienced many followers with me.
I am equiping them with many highly efficient / enchanted gear where they become really lethal.
However I have given them many times great bows to use with very high damage values, but they keep insisting to use their own lame bows...
Is there a way to make them use my own provided bow ?

» Fri Jun 15, 2012 7:19 pm

Im not too sure sometimes they will, but most of the time not... Although if you give them about a daedric arrows they can use it infinetely, so you companions get a damage upgrade and you get a daedric arrow dispenser

» Sat Jun 16, 2012 1:19 am

Followers seem to use special or named bows over their default ones, e.g. Gauldur Blackbow, Nightingale Bow, but not any standard bows. Seems the data for bow material preferences - the table the AI refers to when determining what weapon/armor to equip - may not be in the right place...

» Fri Jun 15, 2012 8:19 pm

http://www.gamesas.com/topic/1378689-bows-and-followers/

Scroll down a bit of ways til you see a makeshift chart.

Basically they can't use anything beyond a certain "max damage" depending on bow/arrow type used.

Edit: Bah nevermind I'll just qoute it.

I enchanted whole bunch of bows with absorb and fire so that it's visible when the follower uses it. I think Eord is right about his observation. It is consistent with ChefDom's finding but more refined.

When I gave Lydia low level arrow like iron arrow or forsworn arrow to use with the bow, she used up to Glass Bow. When I gave Lydia Daedric arrow, she only used the Long Bow and nothing stronger.

Roughly, the follower will use the bow when the base damage value of the bow + arrow is between 15 and 22. Not to strong, not too weak.

Here is the data I collected:

Long Bow 6
Hunting Bow 7
Imperial Bow 8
Dwarven Bow 10
Elven Bow 12
Glass Bow 14
Daedric Bow 18

With Forsworn Arrow (7 damage) 7 + 7 = 14
Long Bow no 6 + 7 = 13
Hunting no
Imperial yes 8 + 7 = 15
Dwarven yes 10 + 7 = 17
Elven yes 12 + 7 = 19
Glass yes 14 + 7 = 22
Daedric no 18 + 7 = 25

With Iron Arrow (8 damage) 7 + 8 = 15
Long Bow no 6 + 8 = 14
Hunting no
Imperial yes 8 + 8 = 16
Dwarven yes 10 + 8 = 18
Elven yes 12 + 8 = 20
Glass yes 14 + 8 = 22
Daedric no 18 + 8 = 26

With Ancient Nord Arrow (10 damage) 7 + 10 = 17
Long Bow yes 6 + 10 = 16
Hunting no
Imperial yes 8 + 10 = 18
Dwarven yes 10 + 10 = 20
Elven no 12 + 10 = 22
Glass no

With Orcish Arrow (12 damage)
Long Bow yes 6 + 12 = 18
Hunting no
Imperial yes 8 + 12 = 20
Dwarven yes 10 + 12 = 22
Elven no

With Dwarven Arrow (14 damage)
Long Bow yes 6 + 14 = 20
Hunting no
Imperial yes 8 + 14 = 22
Dwarven no

With Elven Arrow (16 damage)
Long Bow yes
Hunting no
Imperial yes
Dwarven no

With Glass Arrow (18 damage)
Long Bow yes
Hunting no
Imperial yes
Dwarven no

With Ebony Arrow (20 damage)
Long Bow yes
Hunting no
Imperial yes
Dwarven no

With Daedric Arrow (24 damage)
Long Bow yes 6 + 24 = 32
Hunting no
Imperial no