Kingdom Come Deliverance Bow Levelling Guide

You’ve probably found that trying to level any skill in Warhorse’s Kingdom Come Deliverance is quite the challenge, particularly at the beginning of the game. Combat takes a lot of practice but eventually becomes really rewarding and fun as you over power your opponents with perfectly times parry’s. Archery though is a completely different ball game. When firing an arrow, it’s almost as if someone is standing behind Henry and violently shaking him as he hopelessly tries to shoot an arrow within 5 feet of a target. Well, we feel your pain. So, here’s our Kingdom Come Deliverance bow levelling guide to keep you on target!

Top Tips

First up in our Kingdom Come Deliverance bow levelling guide, some top tips and our guide to all the bows in the game! For our levelling guide, scroll down to part 1.

• Before getting your bow out, stick a dot of blutack (or similar) onto the middle dot of your aiming circle that appears on your screen. This dot will disappear once you draw your bow but by using blutak, will make aiming your bow MUCH easier and ensure that you hit your targets more often. Bow sway can be horrible but this will give you a fighting chance, particularly at low levels!

• Consider killing any domesticated animals that you find, such as pigs, that are out of view of people. An easy source of XP and they often re-spawn quickly. This one depends on your morality choices, however…

• Armour is your nemesis so if fighting humans, aim for the fleshy parts such as the face, legs or arms, depending on your opponent. A swift arrow to the face is often enough to stop most bandits and guards in their tracks.

• Make sure you draw the bow ALL THE WAY to ensure maximum power and accuracy.

• If fighting something that fights back, get into the habit of shooting while back peddling to give yourself time for another shot. You can also use fences, walls and other objects to give you an extra few seconds to strike.

There’s more!

• If you kill any wild animals, cook the meat and sell it on. The raw meat will count as stolen meat and isn’t worth the effort of selling it, so cook it first! This can be a great money making activity!

• Make sure you are using a bow that complements your current stats. A bow below your current stats may mean less chance of killing your target and less damage. A bow above your level won’t work quite as intended and will cost more stamina to use. Check your stats and pick a bow that complements them! The bows stats will be red if you are not yet skilled enough to use it.

• Fairly early on, in the main quest line, you will learn how to sword fight with Captain Bernard and shoot a bow. After firing off a few arrows, Hans Capon, a local lord, will challenge you to an archery contest. If you beat him, you’ll win his bow which is a great low level weapon and can carry you through into much higher levels. If you lose, reload the save. It should take you straight back to the start of the bow training.

• If you are finding bow combat tricky, try fighting from horseback! You can easily put distance between yourself and your opponent. Shoot and relocate. You get a free horse fairly early on for free after going hunting with Hans Capon in one of the early main quests.

Bow Guide

Below you’ll find a list of all the bows that are obtainable through the main game and through DLC. Remember, your ability to use bows is affected by your strength, agility, bow skill and vitality. The higher the strength of a bow, the longer it takes to draw it back fully. However, high strength bows have better range and damage.

You can buy bows and arrows as well as armour from Berthold and Nicholas. Berthold is the archery master in Rattay and Nicholas the DLC archery master at Pribyslavitz. Of course bows can also be found randomly in chests and other locations as well as from fallen enemies.

Bow name	Minimum Strength Required	Minimum Agility Required	Power	Weight	Price (before perks or reputation)	Where can I find it?
Adam’s Bow (DLC)	2	1	39	3	4.5	Adam
Villager’s Ash Bow	2	1	37	3	70.3	Berthold and Nicholas
Villager’s Dogwood Bow	3	2	39	3	83.8	Berthold and Nicholas
Villager’s Hazel Bow	4	3	42	3	102.6	Nicholas
Villagers Elm Bow	5	4	44	3	133.3	Nicholas
Capon’s Hunting Bow	5	5	54	3	327.3	Possibly quest reward from Hans Capon during ‘Train Hard, Fight Easy
Villager’s Yew Bow	6	4	47	3	159.3	Nicholas
Ash Hunting Bow	8	6	57	3	237.7	Berthold and Nicholas
Dogwood Hunting Bow	9	7	59	3	268.9	Berthold
Hazel Hunting Bow	10	7	62	3	307.8	Berthold and Nicholas
Cuman Bow	varies: 10-13	varies: 6-7	62	3	Between 290 and 400	From dead Cumans
Yew Hunting Bow	11	8	64	3	374.5	Berthold and Nicholas
Elm Longbow	12	7	72	3	450.4	Berthold
Ash Longbow	13	7	74	3	497.2	Berthold
Yew Longbow	15	10	77	3	553.4	Berthold
Sinew Bow (DLC)	16	11	82	3	750	At the archery range in Pribyslavitz

Part 1 – Silence Of The Sheep

When you first start the game, even pulling back the bow string can hurt Henry if he isn’t wearing something to cover his lower arms. Similarly, firing off an arrow feels like standing on jelly as you wave your arms around in the air to try to hit a target that’s only a foot away. Therefore, we start off our Kingdom Come Deliverance bow levelling guide easy. By murdering sheep. Yeah, you heard me.

Step 1

Once the main intro of the game is out of the way, you’ll wake up in a mill outside Rattay. First, gather together some money and head into town to buy a bow and as many arrows as you can afford. Most importantly, make sure that the bow you choose is compatible with your stats. One of the villager bows will do nicely. The best place for bows is the huntsmen near the castle as shown below.

If you need money, why not check out our Kingdom Come Deliverance money making guide HERE.

Step 2

Once you’re all kitted out, head east through the town gates and past the combat area on your right. If you’re short on arrows you can steal at least 10 from the open barrels opposite the combat area, as long as no one is looking.

Step 3

Passing the combat range, look out for a large grassy area on your left which should be full of around 20 or so sheep. Now chase the sheep around and try to put as many arrows into them as you can. The trick here is to push them towards the fence or walls which allows you to get off a much cleaner shot. However, if you kill all all the sheep or they disappear into the woods, try resting. They should all re-spawn back in the field. Repeat as necessary.

Step 4

If you happen to start chasing sheep back towards the combat area, stop! Sometimes a villager will spot you trying to become the worlds most infamous sheep murderer, and will run to tell the guards. To avoid this, stay on the grassy area away from other people!

Consequently, by killing sheep with a bow you will level up: strength, agility, bow skills, hunting, and of course your main character level, all at the same time! You’ll want to hit at least level 5 bow skill before moving on to step 2.

Don’t forget to pick up any arrows that shoot wide as well as the ones that kill your targets. Otherwise it can become quite a pricey hobby! Furthermore, you can also pick up all the meat, cook it and sell it for a little money. If you try to sell it when raw, it counts as stolen food so no-one will buy it other than the millers. The millers, however, buy it for a very low price and isn’t worth your time. Kill, Cook, Sell. Simple.

Part 2 – Chumps

If you’ve got this far on our Kingdom Come Deliverance bow levelling guide then you’ve (hopefully) got your bow skill to at least level 5. Congratulations! At level 5, bow sway decreases as well as stopping Henry getting hurt when he tries to pull the bow string when not wearing anything on his lower arms. Sadly, however, we have to stop murdering Sheep. I know you were having fun but there are better ways to spend our medieval time. Shooting logs!

Step 1

Head over to Ledetchko which is north west of Rattay.

Step 2

In Ledetchko you are looking for the archery range and more specifically, Vatzek, the archery master. Vatzek can be found by the river as shown below by the archery target.

Step 3

Talk to Vaztek and ask about playing Chumps. Chumps is a game where you have to hit logs that float down the river. There are 2 other bowmen competing against you. You get a point for each log that you hit. Chumps is quite tricky to begin with but is a perfect way to learn how to properly handle your bow, gain some bow XP AND make a little money.

Vaztek will give you 20 arrows so no need to bring your own or worry about being able to afford new ones. You will need to select a bet before you play though of between 10 and 50 Groschen. To begin with, select 10. If you win, you double your money. If you come 2nd, you get your money back!

Step 4

Once you’ve accepted, the game will start. This is a great chance to practice your archery skills and become more competent with a bow. Aim above the log, pull back your bow all the way and release the arrow. Then adjust as necessary. Move with the other archers to get a better shot as the logs move along the river.

Make sure you fire all 20 of your arrows as the game will stop once the logs near Vaztek, who is waiting down stream. Often, the other competitors don’t fire all their arrows but make sure that YOU do to get ahead! A score of at least 10 is the target, 12 or more usually guarantees a win.

Step 5

At the end of each game, you’ll earn XP. Whether you won or failed miserably you’ll still earn a chunk of bow XP for your troubles. If you win, you’ll get more XP of course plus double your original bet. The first time you win, Vaztek will offer to teach you some bow skills which results in a large XP lump sum often resulting in a free level up. Interestingly, it has been said that you must complete the 50 Groschen buy in to get this boost but we managed it on the lowest buy in, with out first win.

Each game of Chumps lasts about 3 to 4 minutes in total and is an easy way to practice against moving targets, get some easy XP and make some money! You can play as many times as you like and within a handful of games we had hit level 8 bow skill from level 5.

You can continue to play Chumps for as long as you like, racking up the XP and making some decent money. If you want something a bit different however, read on…

Part 3 – Decisions, Decisions…

Next up in our Kingdom Come Deliverance bow levelling guide, you have a choice. Either you can continue to hustle Chumps and gain some really easy money and XP OR go hunting OR go killing. Interestingly, we found Chumps to be the easiest and best XP gain in the game and, after a few goes, became really quite easy. It’s also a great way to earn quick money!

However, if you fancy something different, we’ll look at the two new methods, hunting and killing, below.

Option 1: Hunting

With hunting, the bigger the better! Deer and Wild Boar should now be much easier targets now that you have access to more powerful bows and can afford better quality arrows. Again, make sure you pull the bow ALL the way back to achieve maximum damage. We found the boar to be easier prey as the deer as very skittish and even with sneaking, disappear very quickly. It is a good way to level your hunting skill though and selling the cooked meat is a good money earner, as we previously mentioned.

If you choose to hunt, check out the locations below for all the best spots.

As you level up hunting you’ll get access to some new perks as detailed below. The most important and useful skills are highlighted in bold.

Perk Name	Unlocks At	Effect
Antlers	Level 3	Lets you collect antlers from hunted deer which can be sold.
Tusks	Level 3	Lets you collect tusks from hunted boar which can be sold.
Butcher	Level 5	Collect offal from hunted game which can be cooked or sold.
Tanner	Level 5	Gain ability to skin dead animals and sell their fur.
Huntsman	Level 8	You’ll cause 20% extra damage to wild animals.
Wild at Heard	Level 8	Wild animals will be less skittish when you’re hunting.
Forester	Level 10	Your conspicuousness and visibility fall sharply when in the woods, meaning you can be stealthier. Useful, especially when stalking people or game.
Salty	Level 10	Raw foods in your inventory won’t spoil as fast, increasing the time you can spend out hunting.
Steak Tartare	Level 13	Makes it possible for you to eat raw meat without cooking it. Can be useful when in a pinch

Option 2: Killing

You’ve got a decent bow and a good supply of arrows. You’ve had enough of shooting logs and have become fed up with chasing animals hopelessly through the woods. In which case, killing is for you! In our opinion there are 2 ways to go about this. Finding and killing random bandits, Cumans and other hostiles out in the world as you travel, or taking up the ‘Ruin’ task and it’s subsequent quest line.

Born to Kill

The best way to find enemies is to travel the roads of the world at night. When you find a worthy foe, get out your bow! Pull the bow all the way back to achieve maximum power. As you aim (using some blutack of course!) walk backwards. You’ll put distance between your attackers and can get off a few shots before they catch up to you. Shots directly to a uncovered face are usually enough to down even the toughest of opponents. If your enemy has a fancy helmet, look for any uncovered body parts. Legs, chests, arms, shoulders. Anything that isn’t covered by thick armour.

To clarify, in the photo below we can see uncovered faces which is ideal. Also, their arms and legs aren’t particularly heavily armoured so are a good option too. Additionally, no plate on their chests also means that this is a valid option.

Incidentally, if you’re having trouble killing multiple enemies, try fighting from horseback. Equip your bow and give yourself space between you and the enemy. Enemies can, and will, pull you off your horse if you let them get too close. However, if your opponents do get too close, gallop away and turn back to fire off a few shots.

Ruin

Finally, for our Kingdom Come Deliverance bow levelling guide, we suggest you accept the ‘Ruin’ activity from Captain Bernard. It is highly recommended that you are a decent level, have some good equipment and access to potions and a horse. Essentially the task consists of killing camps of bandits around the town of Rattay. You can usually find Captain Bernard by the Combat Area to the east of Rattay.

Subsequently, Bernard will give you their rough location and then send you off to find them. Take your bow and a horse and set off to find the camp. When you get close, dismount and approach on foot. As soon as you see an enemy, ready your bow. Once you’ve fired off a shot, repeat the shoot whilst retreating tactic from earlier to maximise the number of arrows you can fire before anyone catches up with you. You will probably need to engage the enemy up close unless you use your horse archery skills from before.

What do I have to do?

Your job is simple. Collect the bandit leader’s spurs as proof of the kill. When done, take the spurs to Bernard and he will give you another camp to clear out. There are 4 camps in total before Bernard recommends you to Sir Robard who has a similar activity for you, this time with Cumans. After that, once the activity with Bernard is complete, he will send you to see Sir Sebastian Vom Berg, the custodian of Sasau Monastary. Subsequently, this is the third and final part of the quest line and contains some really quite tough enemies.

Moreover, by doing this quest line, you’ll gain good bow XP (assuming you use your bow) and access to some good to high level weapons and armour from your kills. In addition, you’ll also earn money for each camp you clear, up to 1925 coins plus 35 coins for each bandit ear you bring the quest giver. That means it is certainly worth clearing the entire camp and not just killing the leader.

Did you stay on target?

That’s it for our Kingdom Come Deliverance bow levelling guide! Have any questions? Drop us a message on Twitter, we always reply! For more Kingdom Come Deliverance exploits and guides, click here. Or why not visit our YouTube channel?