Bows are extremely useful and the only ranged weapon in Valheim. It’s often much safer to engage enemies from a distance. You can also use upgraded arrows and bows to deal serious damage. Bows are two-handed and therefore you cannot use a shield with a bow.
You can first craft the Crude Bow during the Stone Age. You will always need Arrows to use a bow, but Wood Arrows can be crafted with nothing but Wood. Using a Crude Bow is the easiest way to hunt during the beginning of the game and most players never give up using bows.
Higher tier bows are crafted with rare woods and eventually metals. You can craft special arrows very early on as well. You will find great results with a high-level bow and some quality arrows.
| Type of Damage | Pierce + Arrow Damage Type* |
| Wielding | Two-Handed |
| Skill | Bows |
*Draugr Fang deals Poison damage in addition to Pierce damage.
Table of Bows
| Icon | Item Name | Damage | Crafting Station | Crafting Recipe |
 | Crude Bow | Pierce: 22 | Workbench | 8 Leather Scraps, 10 Wood |
 | Finewood Bow | Pierce: 32 | Workbench | 10 Core Wood, 2 Deer Hide, 10 Fine Wood |
 | Huntsman Bow | Pierce: 42 | Forge | 2 Deer Hide, 10 Feathers, 10 Fine Wood, 20 Iron |
 | Draugr Fang | Pierce: 47, Poison: 5 | Forge: L2 | 10 Ancient Bark 2 Deer Hide, 10 Guck, 20 Silver |
Arrows
Check out the full page on Arrows for more detailed information. This table contains all the Arrows in Valheim:
| Icon | Item Name |
 | Wood Arrows |
 | Flinthead Arrows |
 | Fire Arrows |
 | Bronzehead Arrows |
 | Ironhead Arrows |
 | Obsidian Arrows |
 | Silver Arrows |
 | Poison Arrows |
 | Frost Arrows |
 | Needle Arrows |
Bows Skill
Bows is a skill in Valheim which improves your character’s effectiveness when using weapons in the bow family. Improving the bows skill will make you deal more damage with bows. Click to learn more about Skills.
Bows in Viking History
It’s said that every Norseman was an archer, skilled in the use of bows.
Boys would learn from a very early age how to use bows for hunting and that would carry with them throughout their life. When Vikings were summoned by a muster of arms, they were expected to bring a spear, an axe or sword, a shield, a bow, and a bundle of arrows.
Although Vikings generally fought as infantry in shield-based formations, there are numerous sagas and historical accounts describing Viking archery. Their shield walls were often abutted by troops hurling spears and loosing arrows. This tactic allowed Viking forces to dominate the battlefield with a deadly combination of protection and aggression.
We also know that Vikings made frequent use of archery during their sieges. Vikings were actually exceptional at siege-warfare, contrary to their hit-and-run depiction. One source describes a yearlong siege of Paris that started in 885, where the Viking forces repeatedly assaulted the Franks with siege towers and rained heavy arrow fire on the defending forces as they approached.