Bows are weapons used in ranged combat that require a certain Ranged level to wield. They require ammunition in the form of arrows. Bows can be created by members through the Fletching skill and come in two varieties: shieldbows and shortbows. Composite bows are also a reward from Treasure Trails, but they can not be fletched.

ShortbowsEdit

Main article: Shortbow (bow type)

Shortbows fire at a faster rate than shieldbows and hit harder, but restrict the access of most defensive abilities and have a smaller attack range.

ShieldbowsEdit

Main article: Shieldbow (bow type)

Effectively, a shieldbow is similar to a one-handed crossbow wielded alongside a shield, although it fires a bit slower, and hits harder. Its damage is slightly lower than a shortbow's. They have the unique aspect of being both a two-handed weapon and a shield at the same time.

Bow vs Crossbow/ThrownEdit

Many rangers choose the bow style of range weapon for its higher damage in comparison to crossbows and throwing weapons, and to fight monsters that are weak to arrows. Most bows, however, typically sacrifice speed in comparison to their crossbow and thrown equivalents. The main disadvantage for bows is the fact they are 2 handed weapons whereas most crossbows and throwing weapons are only one handed, allowing for use with an off-hand item, be it a shield, a defender or a god book.

TriviaEdit

• The elves taught humans how to make and use bows sometime near the God Wars.^{[source needed]}
• When Runescape 2 was released, bows had no visible bowstrings. Jagex fixed this together with the RuneScape HD update.
• When firing a bow from a distance, the player appears to be walking in place.
• Bows are held in the players right hand, implying that they are all left-handed archers.

See alsoEdit

• Ogre bow
• Crossbow
• Composite bow
• Boogie bow
• Firebrand Bow