Ranged weapons suck in this game
solomonhume
Member Posts: 10
One of the best ranged weapon, short bow of gesen, only does 1 more damage than the bow you can buy right at the start of BG1
The best melee weapons are way better than the base type, a 10 damage is no big deal. The best ranged weapons? 2 or 3 damages.
This make ranged attacker has little character development. You start with max proficiency. The only way to improve damage is through better equipment, which is minimal. You begins alright, but getting weaker and weaker.
There is nothing wrong with the class archer. It has decent progression in the game. Actually other ranged attacker will suck more and more compared to them. The problem is, all ranged weapon has little development, and sucks the more the deep into the game.
The best melee weapons are way better than the base type, a 10 damage is no big deal. The best ranged weapons? 2 or 3 damages.
This make ranged attacker has little character development. You start with max proficiency. The only way to improve damage is through better equipment, which is minimal. You begins alright, but getting weaker and weaker.
There is nothing wrong with the class archer. It has decent progression in the game. Actually other ranged attacker will suck more and more compared to them. The problem is, all ranged weapon has little development, and sucks the more the deep into the game.
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Not only melee weapons in BG2 does a lot more damage, they have other cool effects. And you are expected to have a higher strength, thus higher bonus melee damage.
Missile weapons also improve in overall utility as the game progresses--not just in terms of damage. As the game progress, the toughest fights will be, more and more often, the fights with mages, and the outcome of a battle will become more dependent on breaking down or breaking through the enemy's Stoneskins. Ranged attacks are better at both of these things: with their higher attacks per round, they cut through Stoneskins faster and inflict more elemental damage and status effects in the process.
So what are the good ranged weapons that don't "suck"?
Darts:
Darts of Stunning, Darts of Wounding, the Crimson Dart, and the +5 darts from the Cloak of Stars are overpowered even at epic levels. With darts' base 3 attacks per round, on hit effects are magnified, and make it very easy to break through enemy Stoneskins. This means it is very easy to stun-lock enemies, stack poison effects, or simply layer on extra hits with Greater Deathblow, Power Attack, or Smite. This is not even to speak of an Archer's Called Shot.
Celestial Fury has 1 attack per round and stuns for 6 seconds. Darts of Stunning have 3 attacks per round and stun for 42 seconds.
Shortbows:
The Tuigan Bow is one of the best weapons in the game. It also grants 3 APR, but comes with a whole new set of ammunition, and though it can't be used with a shield, its range is much longer than a dart's. Arrows of Biting, Acid Arrows, Arrows of Ice, and Arrows of Dispelling are devastating against enemy spellcasters.
Carsomyr dispels on hit. Arrows of Dispelling dispel at range.
Slings:
Slings also have ludicrous damage output, as two of them, including a +5 version, grant Strength bonuses. In EE, Strength improves all sling damage. Bullets also experience the damage bonuses that arrows do not, so you get damage bonuses both from the sling and the bullet, which stack.
The Staff of the Ram, one of the most damaging melee weapons in the game, is only available near the bottom of Watcher's Keep. You can expect a late-game SoA fighter to do 25 damage per hit. The Sling of Seeking, one of the most damaging ranged weapons in the game, is available... in the Copper Coronet, in Chapter 2. You can expect it to do about 20 damage per hit, at range.
Crossbows:
The Light Crossbow of Speed is another powerful option, as is Firetooth. The former grants an extra 1 attack per round; the latter can disrupt spells through both Protection from Magical Weapons and Stoneskin by combining it with normal bolts. Bolts of Lightning do lots of damage and are by no means hard to find. Bolts of Biting are even more numerous and can do even more damage. Plus, you get a nearly limitless supply of Kuo-toa Bolts in the Underdark and Throne of Bhaal, each of which has a stun effect on hit.
The Flail of Ages can do 3 elemental damage to normal targets, and nothing to enemies with PFMW. Firetooth with Bolts of Lightning can do 7-12 elemental damage to normal targets, and 2 damage to enemies with PFMW, plus its normal physical damage.
Axes:
Azuredge can instantly kill undead, just like the Mace of Disruption.
Also, if you use Teleport Field, ranged weapons enjoy a substantial power boost, as enemy fighters--which usually only have melee weapons--will be unable to even approach your fighters. Each casting of Teleport Field gives ranged attackers about 10 rounds of free attacks against melee enemies. Cast another Teleport Field, and even hasted enemies won't be able to touch your archers.
Bows have an extra attack per round, that is an advantage at the beginning. But later it is actually a disadvantage when melee character max out two-weapon style and get powerful off hand weapons. The melee one get the same attack per round, and have additional goodies provided by the offhand weapon.
For arrows and bolts, magic ones do not increase damage. Some throwing weapons do, but they have greater limitations in other ways.
No, mages show that ranged attacks has utility, not show improving utility as the game progresses. They are decreasing because everyone has more HP while their damage stays more or less the same.
EDIT: Actually, why don't we bring this to the "Unpopular Opinions" thread in the General Discussion forum? This sounds like the sort of discussion that belongs there. Though I don't know who's opinion would be the unpopular one (a lot of the posts there are surprisingly popular opinions).
13 is more than 3.5.
I took an archer using Strongarm (I like the damage boost) and Firetooth through ToB without much issue (not solo). Strongarm had more apr, but Firetooth enabled me to hit any +3 immune enemy when I had to.
Could some bows use a buff, especially Taralash (supposed to be an endgame ToB weapon)? Yeah, sure. Would +4 arrows/bolts be useful? Of course. Do ranged weapons suck? Nope.
They do fall into the unfortunate category of not being OP Kensai/Mage best-in-slot gear, though, so it's not surprising they get completely dismissed by some players.
For the rare 1-2 enemy that requires +4 you can equip a powerful sling with +4 bullets, and with a girdle of giant strength you can do 25+ damage per shot. With greater whirlwind the damage is obscene, if not a bit better thanks to strength bonus, than most end game bows.
Crossbows are not sucky, either. Right out of the Irenicus dungeon you can get a +1 fire damage crossbow from Ribald, or the fire tooth crossbow from WK. Especially Firetooth is so game breakingly powerful that I had a mod remove it from the store and give it to a randomised enemy.
My assassin/Fighter laugh out loud with his Tuigan bow and 5APR (10with IH) and thus 5 (10 with IH) times the on hit poison. Works as well with Gesen
And so does my ranged Kensai with his Firetooth dagger and his average 36 damage per hit, at range.
Not to mention the different kinds of ammo make ranged weapon a lot more versatile than melee weapons
No they don't, they really don't.
I've killed all the dragons in the game with bows/slings having the last shot. Quite annoying as I do try and thump them, but usually after a couple of hits, I'm running out of range chugging potions while the ranged fighters finish them off.
(obviously after taking down their defences with magic users)
Mazzy is so awesome she really should be the charname.
Baldur's Gate is much closer to Final Fantasy Tactics than to the original Final Fantasy. It's a game not just of turns, but of placement and location and positioning.
Ranged generally deals less damage than melee, but you can't ignore the fact that using ranged weapons generally means that your opponent is doing 0 damage in response to you! Melee can be kited or responded to by generally anything, but ranged weapons can do the kiting and avoiding the scary Vorpal hits or stunning hits or just generally absolutely nasty melee riding effects. It's generally the same reason that ranged damage is less than melee damage in MOBAs like DOTA and League of Legends. Being able to fight without taking any retaliation is just such a crazy advantage that the damage HAS to be lowered for anything resembling balance to occur.