Combat Bow

No Turning Back, an example of a combat bow.

"Now, Bows are long-rangers. You got the patience, and a Bow's as good as any Sniper."

— Banshee-44

Combat Bows are ranged weapons that use arrows to attack from various ranges depending on the bow. They were introduced in the Forsaken expansion for the first time in the Destiny series. Although they do not have rapid rates of fire like automatic gun weaponry, they are extremely useful for picking off single targets from a range.

Overview

History

"Will it involve archery?"
"Big old compound bows with all sorts of tactical knickknacks. I'll be the first woman in the universe to place a comsat in heliocentric orbit with a longbow."

— Mara Sov and Sjur Eido

Due to its simplicity, the bow was a fundamental aspect of early Reef history, as both a practical weapon during a time when supplies for firearms were low and as a tool for line-throwing and launching satellites. Sjur Eido was particularly well known for her skill with bows. The modern combat bow made its way to the Last City following the death of Cayde-6, with the VEIST foundry beginning to produce their own design.

From outside the Sol System, Psions are known to have made use of bows, and they may have played a part in their own history.

Gameplay

As would be expected from such a weapon, the combat bow plays somewhat differently to other weapons in the game. Instead of a rate of fire stat, bows use a draw time stat measured in milliseconds. Players must draw the bow by holding down the trigger, but arrows can be released early or even without drawing at the cost of lower damage, arrow speed, and a pronounced arc in arrow travel. When the bow is fully drawn, players can hold the charge for a short period of time until their Guardian loses their grip and is forced to shoot an arrow. Drawn bows can be released without firing by pressing the reload command. Compared to other weapons, combat bows fill a role in between scout rifles and sniper rifles, being a relatively low zoom primary ammo weapon with potential damage in between the two classes at the cost of a slow fire rate.

Combat bows can support the following intrinsic traits.

Intrinsic trait	In-game description	Further details
Lightweight Frame	Recurve Bow. Draw quickly and move faster while this weapon is equipped. (Reload command) Press: Use while drawn to cancel the shot.	Aside from faster draw times, Lightweight Frame bows have better stability, handling, and arrow nocking speed than their Precision Frame counterparts.
Precision Frame	Compound Bow. Longer draw time optimized for damage. (Reload command) Press: Use while drawn to cancel the shot.	Aside from slower draw times and better damage, Precision Frame bows have better accuracy than their Lightweight Frame counterparts.

Destiny 2 Year Two

Legendary

• Arsenic Bite-4b - Acquired from world drops.
• No Turning Back - Given to the player by Petra Venj during the Forsaken Campaign. Also acquired from world drops.
• Subtle Calamity - Acquired from world drops.
• The Spiteful Fang — Forged from the Izanami Forge (Black Armory)
• Tyranny of Heaven — Drops from the Last Wish raid. A curated version can drop from the Vault encounter.
• The Vow — Obtained through the Crimson Days. Comes fitted with a draw time masterwork.
• Hush - Obtained in Season Of Opulence from a quest done in Gambit. Comes fitted with an accuracy masterwork. Now available from the Monument to Lost Lights.

Exotic

• Trinity Ghoul
• Wish-Ender - Obtained by completing hidden objectives in The Shattered Throne
• Le Monarque

Destiny 2 Year Three

Legendary

• Accrued Redemption - Acquired from the Garden of Salvation raid.
• Point of the Stag - Season of the Worthy Iron Banner pursuit weapon. Comes fitted with an accuracy masterwork. Now available from the Monument to Lost Lights.
• Whispering Slab - Acquired from world drops.

Exotic

• Leviathan's Breath

Destiny 2 Year Four

Rare

• Holless-IV - Acquired from world drops.

Legendary

• Biting Winds - Acquired from Europa activities.
• Imperial Needle - Acquired from Battlegrounds activities.
• Wolftone Draw - Acquired from Season of the Lost activities.

Exotic

• Ticuu's Divination

Destiny 2 Year Five

Legendary

• Fel Taradiddle
• Lunulata-4b
• Strident Whistle
• Under Your Skin
• Whistler's Whim
• Whistler's Whim (Adept)

List of appearances

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• Destiny 2: Forsaken (First appearance)
  • Black Armory
  • Joker's Wild
  • Season of Opulence
• Shadowkeep
  • Season of the Undying
  • Season of Dawn
  • Season of Arrivals
• Beyond Light
  • Season of the Chosen
  • Season of the Lost
  • The Witch Queen
  • Season of the Risen
  • Season of the Haunted
  • Season of Plunder