Skyrim Bow Tier List

Summary

Proficiency in long-range weapons like bows is vital in action RPGs, allowing players to eliminate enemies from a distance.
Skyrim has contributed significantly to the popularity of bows in RPGs, offering players a wide range of options with unique strengths and weaknesses.
The effectiveness of bows in Skyrim can be the difference in successfully completing quests, with different tiers of power and special effects for each bow.

Proficiency from long range eliminates a lot of danger in action RPGs; players can often pick off enemies from a distance through the old-fashioned but lethal bow-and-arrow or modern-day sniper rifles. Recent games like Horizon Forbidden West have emphasized archery, as Aloy uses the long-range weapons to take down fearsome machines across a futuristic rendition of Earth, but they have been a common feature in the RPG scene for years. Skyrim, a trailblazer in the RPG category with a solid base even a decade after its initial release, contributed immensely to bows' popularity in gaming, arming players with a plethora of options in the weapon type. There are 29 bows in The Elder Scrolls 5 to choose from, discounting console command weapons, and their efficiency levels can differ during gameplay.

Each bow has unique strengths and weaknesses, and some specialize in dealing extra damage to animal enemies, while others are versatile and are capable of harming every type of foe players come across in Tamriel. From common to unique, these items have different tiers of power and can be all the difference in completing Skyrim's quests.

S Tier

Dwarven Black Bow of Fate: The Dwarven Black Bow of Fate lies at the top of the Skyrim food chain in the bow department, despite its base damage appearing deceptively average. Its special effect gives players a 50% chance of absorbing 25 points of health, stamina, or magicka with each shot.
Nightingale Bow: The Nightingale Bow isn't too far behind the Bow of Fate, as it deals massive shock and frost damage, along with impressive base damage.
Auriel's Bow: Auriel's Bow is also considered one of the best weapons in Skyrim, particularly advantageous to Vampire builds -- hence a vampire cult's interest in it -- and it's equipped with Sun damage, capable of dealing triple the amount to Undead enemies.
Dragonbone Bow: This weapon has one of the most effective base damages, making up for its lack of special effects.

A Tier

Daedric Bow: The Daedric Bow is one of the most aesthetically pleasing in all of Skyrim, and its 19-rated base damage is sufficient to kill off most enemies with a well-placed headshot.
Bow of Shadows: Originally appearing in The Elder Scrolls 3, the Bow of Shadows returned in Skyrim's Anniversary Edition with a bang, sporting similar base damage to the Daedric Bow, but with special effects of invisibility and faster arrow speed.
Stalhrim Bow: The introduction of the Dragonborn DLC saw the Stalhrim Bow meet players for the first time, featuring a base damage of 17 and boosting frost enchantments by 25%.
Glass Bow of The Stag Prince: Another Dragonborn DLC addition, the Glass Bow of The Stag Prince bestows blessings for every 20 killed animals in Skyrim up to a maximum of four. Each blessing boosts health and stamina by 5, and combined with the substantial base damage, the weapon became a quick fan-favorite.
Ebony Bow: Another option without special effects, the Ebony Bow is a balanced weapon of death, as its light weight lends it terrific draw speed and fire rate that yields impressive damage.
Gauldur Blackbow: The Gauldur Blackbow is similar to the Dwarven Black Bow of Fate in appearance, and although it isn't as powerful as its visual twin, the bow can still pack a punch with its magicka absorption effect.

B Tier

Zephyr Bow: Zephyr is one of the quickest bows in all of Skyrim, equipped with a special effect that lets it fire arrows 30 percent faster. While its base damage is low for a unique Skyrim weapon, constantly launching arrows from Zephyr can defeat enemies in the blink of an eye.
Firinel's End: Similarly, Firinel's End might not look like much at first glance, but its high levels of Frost damage are valuable to wear down an opponent's stamina and health.
Glass Bow: The Glass Bow, the ordinary version of The Stag Prince, is almost as powerful as its upgrade, only lagging in base damage.
Nordic Bow and Bow of the Hunt: One of the best early-game weapons, the Nordic Bow is another Dragonborn DLC entry, and its easily craftable nature is an automatic draw for beginners, similar to the Bow of The Hunt.
Forsworn Bow and Elven Bow: The Elven and Forsworn Bows have nearly identical average damage-dealing abilities.

C Tier

Falmer Supple Bow and Falmer Bow: The Falmer Supple and Falmer bows don't have much to write home about, despite Supple being the upgraded version, as both lack power and speed -- their only allure is how easily they are to obtain.
Dwarven Bow and Nord Hero Bow: The Dwarven and Nord Hero Bows are almost at par in terms of power, although the Nord Hero is slightly faster at launching arrows.
Orcish Bow and Imperial Bow: Both Orcish and Imperial Bows are some way behind their peers, relying on speed to mask their deficiencies in power, although most Skyrim players tend to steer clear of these weapons.

D Tier

Dravin's Bow: Despite its status as a unique weapon, Dravin's Bow isn't useful for much, as it has pitifully low base damage.
Angi's Bow: Angi's Bow sports Dravin's exact appearance and stats, although players get the weapon as a prize for their archery skills.
Froki's Bow: Froki's Bow has slightly weaker base damage than Dravin's and Angi's Bows, but its lightning-quick draw rate means some gamers prefer the weapon.
Hunting Bow: The basic of basics, the Hunting Bow quickly gets outclassed by other weapons of its type.
Ancient Nord Bow and Long Bow: The Ancient Nord and Long Bows are the weakest in Skyrim, offering next to nothing, and are generally avoided by the player base.