It's difficult to find the right crossbow, but here are the top five.
As the only ranged weapons in the warrior weapon tree, crossbows offer a different playstyle compared to their melee counterparts. They don’t involve the brawling gameplay typically observed with Swords, Axes, and Maces.
Instead, crossbows involve a great deal of sneaking up on and bursting down your enemies. Unfortunately, they are quite limited in PvP, and most only have a specific niche where they can be effective.
Despite not being as flexible, they can still be powerful in the right hands. Here are the top 5 Albion Online best crossbows.
5. Weeping Repeater
The Invisible Assassin | Weeping ZvZ - YouTube
The crossbow weapon tree is relatively lacking in the PvP department. Although it has some exceptional ones, the rest of the weapons are very niche or outclassed by other weapons. One such example is the Weeping Repeater.
To be honest, Weeping Repeater only made it on this list because the other two crossbows, Siegebow and Heavy Crossbow, are practically worse.
Though not really an amazing weapon, Weeping Repeater can sometimes prove useful in PvP.
This weapon sees some use in ZvZs as a supplementary ranged DPS. Its Explosive Mine (E) deals a ton of AOE damage, but it needs to be triggered first before doing anything.
The high number of players during ZvZs, coupled with a 0-second cast time, makes it almost impossible to spot an Explosive Mine without triggering it. You can also use it for some cheese strats, such as combo-ing it with Hellion Shoes, which will allow you to plant a mine with a longer range.
Weeping Repeater is mainly outclassed by other ranged DPS weapons, but you can still find a niche for it if you really want to play it.
What makes Weeping Repeater great:
- Good AOE damage: Its Explosive Mine can deal good damage within a large 7-meter radius when triggered.
- Zero cast time, good range: Explosive Mine has a good range and zero cast time, making Weeping Repeater a potentially dangerous weapon in ZvZs.
Weeping Repeater details: Elder's Weeping Repeater - Albion Online Wiki
4. Energy Shaper
Albion Online ZvZ Montage 17 Energy Shaper Edition - YouTube
This is one of the reasons why Weeping Repeater is rarely seen. Energy Shaper is a much better choice for ranged DPS in ZvZ due to its Divine Engine (E), which is a better skill than Explosive Mine in most aspects.
Similar to Weeping Repeater, Energy Shaper is only ever seen in ZvZs. Although you could try it in medium- to large-scale fights, its lack of mobility and flexibility will leave you extremely vulnerable during team fights.
Divine Engine can deal massive damage to multiple enemies in a straight line. It’s a channeled spell, but it’s also uninterruptible. You’re unable to move while casting it, but you can adjust the beam to better hit your targets.
As long as you have a proper zerg composition and team coordination, you can deal devastating amounts of damage to the enemies with this weapon. The longer you hit the enemies, the more damage you dish out.
The ideal setup for Energy Shaper includes hard CCs and slows to prevent your enemies from walking out of your Divine Engine AOE.
Although it’s basically useless in solo and small-scale PvP, Energy Shaper is a staple in most ZvZs. Thanks to its insanely long-ranged beam (26 m) and massive damage, it can function as a reliable and effective ranged DPS in most zerg compositions.
What makes Energy Shaper great:
- Deals massive AOE damage: Divine Engine can deal very high damage to multiple enemies, especially if you have a reliable team and proper setup.
- Exceptional weapon in ZvZs: Its excellent range and damage make it a good ranged DPS weapon in ZvZs.
Energy Shaper details: Elder's Energy Shaper - Albion Online Wiki
3. Regular Crossbow
1-SHOT Crossbow Ganking?! | Solo PvP | Giveaway! | Albion Online - YouTube
Also known as the “One-Shot Crossbow,” the regular crossbow is heavily reliant on its one-shot combo using Snipe Shot (E). It’s a combo-based weapon that can deal lethal single-target burst damage.
The best part about this weapon is if your IP is high enough compared to your target, you can literally “one shot” them with your Snipe Shot.
Your usual combo is simple: Sunder Shot (W2) -> Snipe Shot. You can also add in a Hellion Hood and/or Poison Potion for the added resistance reduction.
This combo guarantees to delete at least 80% of your target’s HP. And in some cases, it’s an instant One-Hit KO.
The downside of Snipe Shot is that it has a long cast time of 2.5 seconds. Imagine standing still for 2.5 seconds!
Luckily, you can cancel it when you need to without putting it on cooldown. This is why the Regular Crossbow pairs well with Scholar Robe as Speed Caster significantly reduces the cast time of your Snipe Shot.
You should also be wary of skills with reflect, such as Retaliate and Parry Strike. If your target successfully reflects your combo, then you’re as good as dead.
Fortunately, they are also very easy to avoid. You just have to bait them out or wait until they expire by canceling your cast.
What makes Regular Crossbow great:
- Lethal single-target burst damage: Your Snipe Shot, combined with your other skills, can deal an unimaginable amount of damage to an enemy.
- Surprising combo: Even experienced players can die by underestimating the burst damage from your combo.
Regular Crossbow details: Elder's Crossbow - Albion Online Wiki
2. Boltcasters
SILENCE OR PIERCE (W) + BOLTCASTERS E = ONE SHOT COMBO | ALBION ONLINE | PVP COMPILATION #70 - YouTube
Next on this list is one of the best solo PvP weapons in the game. Looking at its skillset, I can say that Boltcasters is a weapon that’s specially designed for 1v1s.
Deathward Climax (E) is its unique skill, and it can deal an unbelievably high amount of damage to a single target. Together with the other tools on the crossbow’s arsenal, Boltcasters is a potent solo PvP weapon to destroy your enemies with.
Boltcasters’ main advantage over Regular Crossbow is that your E doesn’t force you to channel and can potentially deal more damage. Its damage increases on each successive hit, and the last bolt deals bonus damage for that finishing blow.
However, unlike the one-shot strategy of the Regular Crossbow, you need to kite and move a bit to use Boltcasters successfully. It’s not exactly a kiting weapon, but it helps if you try to maneuver around the battlefield, especially when you’re up against multiple enemies.
The advantage of your Deathward Climax is that you still deal damage even if you don’t finish channeling.
Casting it releases a barrage of bolts that deals gradually-increasing damage. So even though you have less burst, you deal more consistent damage over time.
Be wary, though, because once you cast this skill, it will go on cooldown. So, you should try to maximize its duration as much as possible.
Standing still while casting may make you feel vulnerable, but the trade-off for the increase in damage is often worth it.
What makes Boltcasters great:
- Excellent solo PvP weapon: Boltcasters is great in solo PvP due to its overall single-damage output potential.
- Reliable unique skill: Deathward Climax deals decent damage even when interrupted, providing you with reliable DPS.
Boltcasters details: Elder's Boltcasters - Albion Online Wiki
1. Light Crossbow
Albion Online | LIGHT CROSSBOW PVP | Open world | 8.3 Kill | Legendary Chest | Ganking - YouTube
Finally, the title of “best crossbow in Albion Online” goes to Light Crossbow. I would say that Boltcasters comes really close at second, but Light Crossbow is slightly better for being more versatile and less predictable.
Light Crossbow’s Explosive Shot (E) is a flexible damage-dealing skill that only has a 15-second cooldown. The initial damage from Explosive Shot is minimal, but its true strength lies in its second AOE damage.
This skill allows you to easily sneak up on your targets with the help of Invisible Potions. You can easily dismount a target using Explosive Shot since it has zero cast time and deals instant initial damage.
It’s also effective even against multiple enemies and outnumbered fights. The key is to take advantage of its AOE damage, which can be extra effective against melee enemies.
Although this weapon doesn’t offer any mobility (like all crossbows), its high burst damage allows you to brute force most enemy builds, especially if you have a high IP.
Your typical combo for ganking involves Invis pot -> Exploding Shot -> Sunder Shot (W2) -> Auto Fire (Q1). If you find more players who are willing to fight than run, you could use Explosive Bolt (Q2) instead.
Another advantage of the Light Crossbow is that it’s a one-handed weapon, which gives you more versatility with your builds. The most common off-hand pair for this is Muisak or Facebreaker, depending on your preference.
What makes Light Crossbow great:
- High damage output and amazing overall DPS: Explosive Shot’s high total damage and relatively low cooldown let you dish out extremely high overall DPS.
- Relatively versatile: Light Crossbow is the most versatile among all the crossbows due to its high-damage, AOE nuke.
Light Crossbow details: Elder's Light Crossbow - Albion Online Wiki
