Bow or Rifle??

[ROBOxROBERTS]

As I am somewhat new to TLD, (day 75 I think) what do most of you grizzled survivors prefer. Rifle or bow? Also, I’m playing on the PS4 console. 

[Patrick Carlson]

1 hour ago, ROBOxROBERTS said:

As I am somewhat new to TLD, (day 75 I think) what do most of you grizzled survivors prefer. Rifle or bow? Also, I’m playing on the PS4 console. 

Welcome @ROBOxROBERTS! In my most grizzled moments, I reach for the rifle. Looking forward to see your around the forums. 

[ROBOxROBERTS]

Thank you so much!!

[JAFO]

7 hours ago, ROBOxROBERTS said:

As I am somewhat new to TLD, (day 75 I think) what do most of you grizzled survivors prefer. Rifle or bow?

Bow.

It's silent, the ammo is much more plentiful, and, because it requires more skill, gives a much stronger sense of satisfaction when you succeed.

[KinoUnko]

bow. Rifle is just too damn heavy. for one empty rifle I can carry a bow plus dozens of arrows.

[Riotintheair]

The bow. The rifle is heavy and the sway at high fatigue seems much worse on the rifle. Also I remember the great bow shots I've made... Like nailing a wolf dead from the top of a hill from 50 yards in ML as he came between two trees. I couldn't make that shot twice to save my life, and I've missed many easier shots, but that was art - I'd just painted my TLD masterpiece.

[Simone Else]

i prefer the bow, but only after lvl 5 so you can fire it while crouched.  but its still good up to lvl 5, it has a faster bleed out rate than the rifle does. plus its alot lighter

[Mroz4k]

Bow all the way. Rifle only for the change of pace every now and then. I found that rifle is only really good if I have time limit on something that I need doing, and I don't mind logging a heavy piece of hardware with me. Also, if I decide to stay out of my base for a long time and manage to break all my arrows in that time, I also happen to pick a rifle if I find one since I often have a couple of bullets, just to have some form of self-defense.

But I usually don't even use rifles in the beggining of the game. I will often live off carcasses I find in the first few days of the game, while my bow building materials are curing.

Rifles are excellent for challenges, like Whiteout or the Escape.

[omoon66]

9 hours ago, Mroz4k said:

Rifles are excellent for challenges, like Whiteout or the Escape.

Um, what Escape? I haven’t played in a few weeks, was there an update? A community challenge? Or something else?

[Mroz4k]

On 10/21/2017 at 7:28 PM, omoon66 said:

Um, what Escape? I haven’t played in a few weeks, was there an update? A community challenge? Or something else?

Nah, I thought it was fairly obvious what I meant - just couldn't remember the proper name - hopeless rescue. Basically the same thing.

[The_Materialist]

I usually only carry the bow when travelling and exploring. I haven't fired a gunshot in a 100 days I will use it when bear hunting later. The higher chance of a critical hit is definitly a bonus but the bow leads to faster bleed out times and ammo is very abundant. 

 

So bow.

[Prestermatt]

Bow for me, both because of the weight issue and the fact that I actually have an easier time hitting with it.  I'm not good with the rifle scope.

But I will say that I like the "feel" of the rifle better when I have it equipped.  It feels more solid, ready for anything.  The team did a good job on that.

[Simone Else]

i like the rifle in some situations, like if im hauling a stinky load of meat,  and more than 1 wolf comes around.. even if you miss your shot they all go running and can buy some time. 

[Riotintheair]

7 hours ago, Prestermatt said:

Bow for me, both because of the weight issue and the fact that I actually have an easier time hitting with it.  I'm not good with the rifle scope.

But I will say that I like the "feel" of the rifle better when I have it equipped.  It feels more solid, ready for anything.  The team did a good job on that.

Agreed - the feel of the rifle's heft and the loading and unloading animations are really awesome (especially when loading one bullet at a time). 

[nicko]

The rifle is great for quicker easier kills, but the weight of carrying it around can hinder you.

For me this is why I try to leave a rifle at each map, then carry the lighter bow on my travels.

[ingrobny]

I'm using mostly the bow,  5 arrows kills a bear and the bow is lighter than the rifle, so you can have it on you at all times, after 146 days survived i'm level 5 in archery and level 3 in rifle firearm, the bow is better when you get to level 5 in archery, because you can use it while you are crouching .

Edit.

I have 170 bow shots and 9 rifle shots in 146 days.

[JAFO]

12 hours ago, ingrobny said:

5 arrows kills a bear

One arrow kills a bear.

Using more is just damaging your arrows unnecessarily.

[JaySovereign]

Bow. Getting to skill level 5 so I can crouch while using it is super satisfying, plus I get to learn a ton of neat tricks. Having the gun just feels a little unfair to the wildlife. I want to work for my meal and materials.

[nicko]

52 minutes ago, JaySovereign said:

Bow. Getting to skill level 5 so I can crouch while using it is super satisfying, plus I get to learn a ton of neat tricks. Having the gun just feels a little unfair to the wildlife. I want to work for my meal and materials.

oh I didn't know you get to crouch when level 5, will have to try that next.

[Mroz4k]

On 10/23/2017 at 8:39 PM, Simone Else said:

i like the rifle in some situations, like if im hauling a stinky load of meat,  and more than 1 wolf comes around.. even if you miss your shot they all go running and can buy some time. 

Even then, as long as you have arrows, you can handle a bunch of wolves simply by throwing down a piece of bait, then take them out with the bow as they attempt to approach it. But you are correct that to some regard, firing a rifle shot makes them all go running for a bit. But not for long - as soon as they get out of detection range, they will become calm again and will hone in on you once more thanks to your powerful smell. If you really want to handle them safely, you will need to dispose of them. Or learn how to trick them as some people here have learned to handle the wolf noses in an interesting fashion like zig-zagging.

9 hours ago, JAFO said:

One arrow kills a bear.

Using more is just damaging your arrows unnecessarily.

Yea, again, people grossly underestimating the bleeding. A shame, to use more than a single arrow. Probably the statement was about an "instakill" which is also not true, since the damage the arrows make depends on the animal part that got hit and on the archery skill of the person. 

One shot, one kill, that is how it should be.  :3