The Best Bows In Once Human

Summary

Bows in Once Human lack usefulness due to the game's lack of stealth gameplay, making guns more practical choices.
The Compound Bow stands out as an effective option for stealth gameplay, offering buffs for distance elimination of foes.
While bows may not be the go-to choice for all players, they can still provide viable options for those who enjoy ranged combat.

Once Human is an intriguing survival game that takes many common gameplay features from other successful games and attempts to meld them into a unified whole. This is something the game generally achieves, with a few exceptions, such as the mismatch of graphical styles, and gameplay mechanics that have little use. Bows fit into this last category, unfortunately.

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By Mac Wheeler

There are only four bows available to players in this horror survival shooter, and this is the first clue that bows, in general, are pretty lackluster in Once Human. The main problem is that the game's stealth gameplay is close to non-existent. There is little benefit to using a silent weapon from range when stealth is simply not a consideration in combat. This means that, in almost every case, a bow will be overshadowed by a gun in Once Human. That being said, there are some players that will enjoy using a bow, and they do have a couple of viable options available to choose from.

4 Rustic Crossbow

Basic Bow

Rustic Crossbow Is A Good Bow In Once Human

How To Get: Every player can craft this basic bow from the start of the game.
Specials:
- None
Suggested Weapon Mods:
- None

Even though most beginners to Once Human eschew a ranged weapon for the first 10 to 15 levels and stick with the basic machete they are given in the tutorial, there is an argument for crafting this basic bow as a companion weapon.

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By Mac Wheeler

It isn’t powerful, but it takes minimal resources to craft, the blueprint is freely unlocked, and ammo costs are low. Carrying the Rustic Crossbow as a backup weapon gives a player at least some form of ranged damage in the early game. Bows in Once Human take some skill to use properly, so crafting this bow early on can be seen as a good way to practice for using one of the more advanced bows later.

3 Recurve Bow

Workable Silent Ranged Weapon

How To Get: Blueprint can be looted from mystical crates in the Broken Delta region.
Specials:
- When crouching and staying still, attack +10%, weak spot damage +15%, stacking up to 3 times.
- This effect will be removed when you stand up, move around, or hit a target.
Suggested Weapon Mods:
- Pinpoint Strike

The Recurve Bow is a viable alternative to a sniper rifle up to the mid-game stage of Once Human. It is very much designed to be used from stealth, with the player taking their time to line up a shot at a weak spot on an enemy.

For Once Human players who prefer melee weapons, carrying a decently calibrated Recurve Bow gives them a lot more flexibility in how they engage enemies. It becomes possible to thin out the herd before closing into melee range. However, for players who enjoy ranged combat, this bow is overshadowed by every sniper rifle in the game.

2 Recurve Crossbow

First Strike Crossbow

Recurve Crossbow Is A Good Bow In Once Human

How To Get: Blueprints can be looted from crates on the open-world map.
Specials:
- Hitting a target's weak spot applies the bull's eye status on the target, and increases all weapons' Crit rate against the target by 30%, lasting 10 seconds.
- This effect can only be triggered once every 15 seconds on the same target.
Suggested Weapon Mods:
- Pinpoint Strike

As with the previous bow on this list, the Recurve Crossbow makes for a great ranged weapon for players who prefer to use a melee weapon to carry them in Once Human. However, this bow is much better suited for getting a solid, first strike hit on a boss at range before closing into melee range and diving into close-quarters combat.

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By Mac Wheeler

However, the downside of this bow is that it is something of a one-trick pony, because it has a 15-second cooldown on its primary special. It is unlikely that the player will get a second shot off on a boss, and it is almost impossible to get a third, simply because most boss fights take place on small, instanced maps, making it hard for the player to find a safe spot to shoot from range. That being said, all damage is good damage in a boss fight, and getting a solid hit on a boss from range with this bow is never going to be a bad thing.

1 Compound Bow

Silent Death From Afar

The Compound Bow Is A Good Weapon In Once Human

How To Get: Blueprint can be looted from crates in the open-world map.
Specials:
- Hitting a target grants temporary reload speed +6, crit rate +10%, stacking up to 3 times. This buff is instantly maxed out upon defeating a target.
- At full stacks, hitting a target also triggers unstable bomber.
Suggested Weapon Mods:
- Decisive Blow
- Eruptive Bomber
- Pinpoint Strike
- Super Charged

When approaching a point of interest teeming with foes, it is prudent to eliminate a few from a distance before engaging. The Compound Bow excels in this scenario, enhancing stealth gameplay by reducing the likelihood of detection and subsequent attack.

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Posts

By Mac Wheeler

The Compound Bow is particularly effective because dispatching a single enemy activates the weapon's self-buff, boosting reload speed and increasing damage output. Overall, this is the only bow that a player might want to use instead of a sniper rifle, if they run a ranged damage only build. However, the weapon needs to be fully calibrated to reach its maximum effectiveness.

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