Bow builds are often scoffed at, and not taken seriously, especially when it comes to PvP. This all changed in Dark Souls 1 when people started emulating the dastardly Silver Knights in Anor Londo and used their Greatbows to push people off ledges. Not only is that hilarious, but it was also an excellent example of how creative players can get with certain weapon types.
Lo and Behold, a generation later, Dark Souls 3, and subsequently Elden Ring, have made Greatbows even better. In fact, one of them might perhaps be a game changer just by existing. This list helps to illustrate the few Greatbows in the game and how useful they can be in a normal playthrough. Hopefully, by the end of it, you might be convinced to try one out yourself.
5. Jar Cannon
Unleash devastating damage upon enemies from a distance
Hold up, what?! What is the Jar Cannon doing here? This is a question you might find yourself asking. But there’s no way I wouldn’t mention my favorite ranged weapon in the game in a list about ranged weapons. While not necessarily a Greatbow, it’s really hard to differentiate Ballistas anyway, so I felt inclined to add it. But don’t worry, I’ll keep it at the lowest rank simply so I can gush about it.
The Jar Cannon is unique in the aspects that it does not scale with anything. It is a weapon of sheer destruction and determination that needs no hand-holding. Obviously, it has an incredibly slow reloading speed which makes it imperative that players realize their positioning beforehand. Dealing raw damage, there are ways for you to improve that with various buffs and such, making it a weapon that most people who leave their games on, fear.
Item Stats:
- STR - 34
- DEX - 12
What Jar Cannon excels in:
- IMMENSE damage
- BOOM goes the Jar
- DEVASTATING range
How to get Jar Cannon:
4. Greatbow
Starting off with the simplest
Let me start this off with an obvious glaring benefit that all Greatbows and some Bows share. Did you know that you can two hand weapons and use them effectively even if you don’t meet their exact stat requirements? This is because for any Strength weapon if you have 2/3 of their Strength requirement, you can two-hand them without any negatives. And…all bows are two-handed…see what I’m getting at?
This, right out the gate, means that even if you lack the proper stat investment, you can start using Greatbows way earlier than intended. Obviously, you’d want to eventually catch up for more damage, but this is nice to know for the early game at the very least.
Greatbow benefits from this, and it’s one of the easiest Greatbows to get, highlighting the potential that this weapon type has. You want to find some good Ashes of War and start raining hell upon your enemies. One of the most fun facts about any Bow build is the Arrow types and this game has a lot of them. Have fun exploring and seeing what you enjoy most.
Item Stats:
- STR - 20 (D)
- DEX - 20 (D)
What Greatbow excels in:
- Great range
- Respectable damage
- With Rain of Arrows Ash of War, you are now an Orbital Air Strike machine
How to get Greatbow:
3. Golem Greatbow
Golem Greatbows can drop from any Golem Archer
Unlike Greatbow, the Golem Greatbow doesn’t benefit as much from Dexterity meaning you can focus completely on Strength which is always nice for those who can’t risk diversifying their stats much. While this Greatbow may weigh more heavily than other Greatbows, it has the most damage output at the highest upgraded level which means this is your go-to Greatbow if you’re looking for peak damage performance.
The Golem Greatbow is a random drop from Golem Archers that you may or may not have to farm depending on your luck. Hopefully, you can get it from the one at Castle Morne as it’s a really excellent weapon and you definitely want to use it in the early game as much as possible. The only downside is that it scales from Somber Smithing Stones.
Item Stats:
- STR - 24 (D)
- DEX - 18 (E)
What Golem Greatbow excels in:
- Highest damage output out of all Greatbows
- Farmable
- Capable of outperforming other Greatbows
How to get Golem Greatbow:
2. Erdtree Greatbow
This Greatbow is right there under your very eyes
FromSoftware loves hiding stuff right around you. This Greatbow can be found at the very start, but it’s unlikely that most players start with a Stonesword Key and almost no one ever returns back to this area, meaning a lot of players generally miss this weapon. Which is a shame because it’s an excellent weapon. It has Faith scaling meaning you can tie it into your faith build effortlessly. But more than that, it deals Holy damage which is always nice.
The Greatbow comes with a pack of Golden Great Arrows. Using the Erdtree Greatbow with them makes them deal a whopping 20% more damage. This means that if you’re going for this weapon, you might as well commit yourself to be a holy ranger.
Item Stats:
- STR - 20 (E)
- DEX - 14 (E)
- FTH- 14 (D)
What Erdtree Greatbow excels in:
- Deals holy damage
- 20% more damage with Golden Great Arrows
- Good for STR/FTH builds
How to get Erdtree Greatbow:
1. Lion Greatbow
Radahn, the chad, wins yet again
The Lion Greatbow is perhaps the hardest Greatbow to get as you have to defeat the mighty Radahn himself to get it. Perhaps my favorite Greatbow in the game, the Lion Greatbow has a unique Ash of War that can absolutely decimate everything in your path. Using Radahn’s Rain you can make the entire areas get filled with arrows.
For maximum potential, use the Radahn’s Spears as your Great Arrows as this weapon deals 20% more damage with them. Funnily enough, this weapon is very useful against Radahn himself, making your NG+ encounter with him quite hilarious. The Ash of War is devastating against any enemy that is stupid enough to remain in one spot for a while.
Item Stats:
- STR - 22 (D)
- DEX - 18 (D)
What Lion Greatbow excels in:
- Shreds HP into bits with unique Ash of War
- 20% more damage with Radahn’s Spears
- Great AR
How to get Lion Greatbow:
And these are the 5 best greatbow weapons in Elden Ring. Hopefully, this guide helps you figure out which one you want. I would like to preface that I’m a little disappointed by the sheer lack of variety that comes with Greatbows and hope that the DLC can rectify this. Ultimately, Elden Ring has an immense amount of weapons. Find one that works best for you and lets you have fun!
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