Bow RDPS
Bow Build
Like the idea of a fluid ranged damage dealer, that can move around freely, and also stand to deal incredible amounts of damage? The Bow may be your choice in 5v5. Other builds such as casters like the fire or frost really have to stand still to deal damage, but the bow’s main damage comes from its auto attacks, enchanted with its available spells. This allows you to keep making adjustments to your position with ease, and when you see an opening, stand and rip your opponents apart with a barrage of arrows.
This is a backline Ranged DPS (RDPS), so your focus should always be on what we call “front to back”. Focusing on the nearest opponent to your backline, such as tanks, melee dps players or enemy ranged dps’ that step too far forward. Works best when communicating your damage with another RDPS to make short work of anyone who steps up.
Deadly shot: This is your long range poke skill, it allows you to stay back, and deal damage from afar, whilst staking your opponents off with reduced resistances, helping you and your team deal more damage. This spell arrow will pierce through enemies, hitting all in its path. It will also work with explosive arrows, activating on enemies hit granting extra damage in an area around the affected targets.
Explosive Arrows: Enchants your normal attacks, and spell effects with explosive arrows. This will deal direct damage to opponents hit, as well as damage in an Area of Effect (AoE) around them (5m radius). This means that if you hit two enemies that are standing next to each other, with one deadly shot, the explosive arrows will activate their effect on each enemy, also hitting them both with that AoE damage, meaning the more players you hit with the same skill, the more value you get out of the damage. Do note that this is a buff, as is your E, Enchanted Quiver. This means they can be purged, removing your damage bonuses.
Enchanted Quiver: Once active it will stay active for 30 seconds, or 18 auto attacks, each normal attack your auto attack damage, and auto attack speed is increased with a stack granting a 25% damage bonus, and 10% attack speed bonus. This stacks up to 7 times, and upon reaching the maximum stacks every attack will reduce enemy resistances when hit for 3 seconds. To squeeze the most out of this skill activate your explosive arrows once you hit the maximum stacks to blast past their resistances. It is also worth noting, that the cooldown for the spell is only 20 seconds, but the uptime for it being active is 30 seconds. This means that you can activate it 10 seconds before entering combat, and the cooldown will be available again immediately after expiry.
Equipment abilities
Cleric Cowl
Grants you the spell Ice block, which will block all damage or crowd control effects on you for the duration, whilst still allowing you to receive healing. This is an easy to use defensive, as you can activate it even if you have already been stunned/rooted. I would recommend an Assassin Hood on the side as an option, in case they have a purge and use it to remove your E and W buffs, as this helmet will let you channel to reduce your cooldowns and activate your E again. You may also want to bring a Mercenary Hood, as the Quarterstaff spell “Forceful Swing” can prevent you from auto attacking, but can be cleansed with this hood option.
Cleric Robe
I know a cloth robe will not be what many of you think of when you think of a bow, but the cleric is a perfect fit for the bow in 5v5. The enchanted quiver E spell of the weapon has a limited amount of arrows, so you don't want an extra boost to your attack speed to land them quicker, and instead want to make each arrow stronger with the higher base damage the cleric offers. Activating it will also mean that if you are hit in the next 1.5 seconds, you will become immune to all damage, and have your own damage boosted by 20%, turning a dangerous situation into you being able to push them back with overwhelming damage.
Royal Shoes
The Royal Shoes offer an evasive jump that is quite special. Unlike the dodge roll option on all shoes, this dodge actually blocks all buffs and debuffs, meaning you can even use it to dodge a purge, and avoid having your E and W spells removed. It is also overall just an amazing option for a low cooldown invulnerability frame (i-frame) to avoid burst damage.
Thetford Cape
The thetford cape simply adds even more damage to an already damaging build, especially with your ability to constantly reduce an enemies’ resistances, this cape hits hard and travels on your arrows to chain to the whole of the opposing team.
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Passives
You want the “Piercing Arrows” on your bow passive as soon as you unlock it, as it reduces enemy defenses helping you and your team to hit harder. As for the Armor, take the “Balanced Mind” passives on leather pieces, and “Aggression” passives on cloth for a maximum damage boost.
Beef Stew
Cooldowns are not an issue for this build, you want to make each arrow count so buffing your damage is important, especially because the E is a % modifier of your auto attack damage.
Resistance Potion
It is important to keep these equipped to allow you to resist heavy damage, or even save you from death if you are being focused by the enemy team. It increases your defense vs players massively, and can buy your healer the time they need to keep you alive.
Strengths
- High damage even to Plate armored opponents
- Relatively simple to learn
- Reduces defensives of the enemy team
Counters
- Purges (Fiend cowl / Heavy Mace)
- Quarterstaffs (Forceful swing)