# How a bow should feel

**URL:** https://forum.norestforthewicked.com/t/how-a-bow-should-feel/25914
**Category:** Wicked Feedback
**Tags:** weapons
**Created:** [March 29, 2026, 1:07am UTC](https://forum.norestforthewicked.com/t/how-a-bow-should-feel/25914 "2026-03-29T01:07:36Z")
**Posts on this page:** 1
**Page:** 1

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### Author: ![Hubristic](https://yyz1.discourse-cdn.com/flex003/user_avatar/forum.norestforthewicked.com/hubristic/32/15872_2.png) [@Hubristic](https://forum.norestforthewicked.com/u/Hubristic)
#### Post date: [March 29, 2026, 1:07am UTC](https://forum.norestforthewicked.com/t/how-a-bow-should-feel/25914/1 "2026-03-29T01:07:36Z")

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this is not about bow damage, viability, or the recent falloff changes

this is about how playing a bow feels

## what bow combat should feel like (at its best)

1. dodge, swerve, parry, position
2. draw right until the last moment
3. **THUNK**
4. big damage / kill
5. dash out, reposition

that’s a high risk, high reward loop  
each shot matters

## what bow combat often feels like right now

- stand still and spam normal attacks like a turret
- occasional big rune
- some dash attack / run attack acrobatics

the core issue is the normal attack

most arrows:

- travel slowly
- hit for low damage
- give weak feedback (“plink”)

so the gameplay becomes:  
**spam stamina, shoot many arrows, death by tickles**

it works, but it feels kind of pointless

## there’s also a fantasy mismatch

the rest of combat feels grounded, the metal hitting flesh/bone feels real, even if stylised  
weapons have weight and intent

but arrows often behave like:

- slow homing projectiles
- floating air slugs
- exaggerated arcs
- mini explosives

they don’t feel like arrows

and that matters, because arrows should feel:  
**fast, lethal, decisive**

right now, even when they kill, they don’t feel lethal

i would bet one of my hats this undermines the archer fantasy for a lot of players

## even heavy bows don’t fully fix this

bows with charge, like longbows, still don’t really deliver that satisfying hit on normal attacks, even at optimal range

so the fantasy breaks:

> i’m not landing decisive shots  
> i’m just applying ranged attrition

## suggestion

make normal bow attacks matter:

- longer wind up
- much faster arrows
- high damage at optimal range, comparable to 2h weapons
- strong impact feedback, **THUNK**
- keep heavy falloff at long range

## result

bow gameplay becomes:

- deliberate
- timing based
- risky but rewarding

you get moments where you release a shot just before an enemy lands a hit and get a huge payoff

instead of standing still and plinking until something dies

## side effect

if base attacks are stronger:

- rune damage can come down
- runes become more about utility, aoe, stagger, repositioning

## clarification

not talking about quivers, that’s a separate system entirely

## summary

right now:  
**many weak arrows, plink gameplay**

proposed:  
**fewer meaningful shots, THUNK gameplay**