Crossbows are widely available throughout the game and are decent alternatives to bows, which usually require more patience to master. Crossbows initially do more base damage than other weapons, but they don't receive the same damage bonuses from player skills like other ranged or melee weapons, and so they quickly fall behind. Crossbows are unique in that they must be manually reloaded after every shot before they may be used again. Loading itself requires the wielder to stand still for the first part, drawing back the bow and locking it in, while loading the bolt allows movement. Once loaded, the crossbow will typically take less time to level at their target than drawing back a bow and can hold fire while aiming without losing accuracy.
The more powerful crossbows may be shot, but not reloaded, while on a horse. The player may dismount, reload, and continue to shoot, or remain mounted and pursue the enemy with other weapons. Crossbows make effective sidearms for cavalry players, as they can often finish wounded enemies where bows would be too slow or lack killing power. When on foot, reloading causes the wielder to bend down, reducing their profile briefly and sometimes moving back-mounted shields into the path of incoming fire.
On horseback, crossbows may be fired in an arc of roughly 250 degrees. This arc starts 90 degrees to your right and ends 160 degrees to your left, making it impossible to fire directly behind your horse.
AI troops will almost never fire the last shot from a crossbow as loading the bolt empties their quiver, typically triggering melee behavior before they can finish aiming.
List of Crossbows[]
Weapon | Weight | Damage | Accuracy | Speed | Missile Speed | Str | Base Value | Horseback | Modifiers |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Crossbow |
3.0 | 49p | 99 | 43 | 66 | 8 | 182 | No | Cracked, Bent, Masterwork |
Heavy Crossbow |
3.5 | 58p | 99 | 41 | 68 | 9 | 349 | No | Cracked, Bent, Masterwork |
Hunting Crossbow |
2.3 | 37p | 99 | 47 | 50 | - | 22 | Yes | Cracked, Bent, Masterwork |
Light Crossbow |
2.5 | 44p | 99 | 45 | 59 | 8 | 67 | Yes | Cracked, Bent, Masterwork |
Siege Crossbow |
3.8 | 63p | 99 | 37 | 70 | 10 | 683 | No | Cracked, Bent, Masterwork |
Bolts[]
Crossbows require bolts in order to be used. When all ammunition is gone, the weapon can no longer shoot any projectiles. Bolts automatically refill after battle. Larger bags with increased ammunition capacity (and price) are available to the player.
Projectile | Ammuntion | Weight | Damage | Base Value | Modifiers |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Bolts |
29 | 2.3 | +1 | 64 | Bent, Large Bag |
Steel Bolts |
29 | 2.5 | +2 | 210 | Bent, Large Bag |
Equipment |
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Melee weapons — One-handed weapons (WF&S) • Two-handed weapons Two-handed/One-handed weapons • Polearms (WF&S) • Polearm/Two-handed weapons Ranged weapons — Bows (WF&S) • Crossbows • Thrown weapons • Firearms (WF&S) Armor — Body Armor (WF&S) • Helmets (WF&S) • Gloves (WF&S) Boots (WF&S) • Shields (WF&S) Other — Horses • Arena Equipment |