RuneScape: Dragonwilds Ranged Weapons: Bows, Crossbows and Which to Pick
How shortbows, longbows and crossbows differ, the published damage and Power Level tables, and the crafting route from an early shortbow to the 1.0 magic bows.
Ranged is a full weapon family here, sitting alongside melee and magic. It has one requirement: every bow is two-handed and needs arrows.
What the three types do
| Type | Character | When it fits |
|---|---|---|
| Shortbow | Faster draw, quickfire mechanic | Moving targets, frequent shots |
| Longbow | Longer range, more damage | Standing damage, opening a fight |
| Crossbow | Shorter range than a shortbow, but faster repeat shots | Mid-to-close range pressure |
The official wiki puts it plainly. Shortbows trade damage, reach and kick for rate of fire. Longbows do the reverse, trading draw speed for range and damage. Crossbows get close and fire fast.
Shortbows: published values
| Weapon | Damage | Power Level | Special |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ash Shortbow | 15 | 2 | None |
| Oak Shortbow | 22 | 3 | None |
| Wild Scout’s Shortbow | 21 | 3 | Draw time reduction |
| Crystal Bow | 26 | 3 | Scattershot |
| Blightwood Shortbow | 33 | 4 | None |
| Willow Shortbow | 43 | 5 | None |
| Undead Ranger’s Bow | 50 | 5 | +15% damage, -25% durability |
| Maple Shortbow | 54 | 6 | None |
| Yew Shortbow | 66 | 7 | None |
| Magic Shortbow | 78 | 8 | None |
Longbows: published values
| Weapon | Damage | Power Level | Special |
|---|---|---|---|
| Adventurer’s Longbow | 23 | 2 | None |
| Oak Longbow | 34 | 3 | None |
| Blightwood Longbow | 49 | 4 | None |
| Hunter’s Stagbow | 52 | 4 | -10% draw time |
| Willow Longbow | 65 | 5 | None |
| Ulv’s Longbow | 65 | 5 | More damage to unaware targets |
| Maple Longbow | 82 | 6 | None |
| Yew Longbow | 100 | 7 | None |
| Bow of Elidinis | 102 | 7 | Lunar Rain |
| Magic Longbow | 118 | 8 | None |
Crossbows: published values
| Weapon | Damage | Power Level | Special |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bronze Crossbow | 25 | 3 | None |
| Blurite Crossbow | 37 | 4 | -25% reload duration, -25% durability |
| Iron Crossbow | 37 | 4 | None |
| Steel Crossbow | 49 | 5 | None |
| Dorgeshuun Crossbow | 97 | 5 | -25% reload duration, fires bone bolts |
| Mithril Crossbow | 61 | 6 | None |
| Shadow Crossbow | 61 | 6 | increased weak point damage, slower fire rate |
| Adamant Crossbow | 75 | 7 | None |
| Rune Crossbow | 88 | 8 | None |
| Dragon Crossbow | 102 | 9 | deals increased damage to dragons |
Four things worth noting:
- At the same Power Level, longbows hit much harder (Willow at PL5 is 43 versus 65). You pay for it with a slower draw.
- Ulv’s Longbow rewards opening from stealth, since it hits harder on unaware targets.
- Undead Ranger’s Bow is a trade-off: more damage, faster durability loss, so bring a spare for long raids.
- The magic longbow and magic shortbow are 1.0 additions, and sit at the top of the published range.
Which bow for your Power Level?
Set your Power Level and the table narrows to what you can actually use, with the best damage at that level and what the next level unlocks.
Best damage at your level: —
Next level unlocks: —
Weapons you can use now
| Weapon | Damage | Special |
|---|---|---|
| Magic Longbow (PL 8) | 118 | None |
| Bow of Elidinis (PL 7) | 102 | Lunar Rain |
| Dragon Crossbow (PL 9) | 102 | Deals increased damage to dragons |
| Yew Longbow (PL 7) | 100 | None |
| Dorgeshuun Crossbow (PL 5) | 97 | -25% reload duration, fires bone bolts |
| Rune Crossbow (PL 8) | 88 | None |
| Maple Longbow (PL 6) | 82 | None |
| Magic Shortbow (PL 8) | 78 | None |
| Adamant Crossbow (PL 7) | 75 | None |
| Yew Shortbow (PL 7) | 66 | None |
| Willow Longbow (PL 5) | 65 | None |
| Ulv's Longbow (PL 5) | 65 | More damage to unaware targets |
| Mithril Crossbow (PL 6) | 61 | None |
| Shadow Crossbow (PL 6) | 61 | Increased weak point damage, slower fire rate |
| Maple Shortbow (PL 6) | 54 | None |
| Hunter's Stagbow (PL 4) | 52 | Draw time reduction |
| Undead Ranger's Bow (PL 5) | 50 | Increased damage, reduced durability |
| Blightwood Longbow (PL 4) | 49 | None |
| Steel Crossbow (PL 5) | 49 | None |
| Willow Shortbow (PL 5) | 43 | None |
| Blurite Crossbow (PL 4) | 37 | -25% reload duration, -25% durability |
| Iron Crossbow (PL 4) | 37 | None |
| Oak Longbow (PL 3) | 34 | None |
| Blightwood Shortbow (PL 4) | 33 | None |
| Crystal Bow (PL 3) | 26 | Scattershot |
| Bronze Crossbow (PL 3) | 25 | None |
| Adventurer's Longbow (PL 2) | 23 | None |
| Oak Shortbow (PL 3) | 22 | None |
| Wild Scout's Shortbow (PL 3) | 21 | None |
| Ash Shortbow (PL 2) | 15 | None |
Values from the official wiki, re-checked 6 October 2026. The 1.0 release changed several of them.
Getting your first bow
The low-friction starting point is the Ash Shortbow. Going up from there needs the right crafting station and materials, and the Crystal Bow recipe shows how mid-game ranged is built:
| Result | Station | XP | Materials |
|---|---|---|---|
| Crystal Bow | Fletching Bench | Artisan 300 | 18 Opal, 4 Wool Thread, 4 Bronze Bar, 4 Anima-Infused Bark, 8 Vault Shard, 1 Vault Core |
So what actually gates the mid-game ranged line is materials: opal, wool thread, bronze bars, plus Anima-infused bark and Vault materials. Where those come from is on the materials page.
Arrows and crafting stations
Bows are tied to arrows, so ranged play runs on two tracks at once: upgrading the bow, and keeping arrows stocked. The official wiki treats arrows as their own entries, which tells you it is a consumable you have to maintain.
Practical notes:
- Check your arrow count before leaving. Empty quiver in a long raid means you brought no weapon.
- For boss fights that need ranged damage, crossbows are steadier than shortbows, because the shorter range stops mattering in an arena.
- Shortbows for moving trash, longbows for opening at distance.
Limits
- The tables above (including crossbows) come from the official wiki’s ranged weapon entries, re-read on 6 October 2026. Jagex has not published these numbers in its own announcements, and later patches can change them.
- The 1.0 release changed 13 of the 19 bows and added Bow of Elidinis, so anything copied from an older snapshot is out of date. The tool above and these tables now share one set of values, taken from that 6 October reading.
- Melee and magic are covered elsewhere: see weapons and magic.
Sources
- Jagex, “Our 1.0 Release is live!”: https://dragonwilds.runescape.com/news/launch (15 September 2026)
- Jagex, “Dragonwilds’ Price Isn’t Changing.”: https://dragonwilds.runescape.com/news/ea-pricing (2 September 2026)
- Official 1.0 update video, “Our Early Access Journey Is Coming to an End”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HuEqe0JigCM (15 September 2026)
- Steam store page (editions, price, system requirements, review counts): https://store.steampowered.com/app/1374490/RuneScape_Dragonwilds/
- Jagex, “The RuneScape Company Expands RuneScape: Dragonwilds In Asia”: https://www.jagex.com/news/jagex-the-runescape-company-expands-runescape-dragonwilds-in-asia-through-landmark-publishing-partnerships (23 June 2026)