Crude Bow

The Crude bow is the first bow available in Valheim and one of the earliest ranged weapons a player can craft. It fires arrows, allowing enemies and wildlife to be attacked from a distance, and it deals pierce damage. Like all bows, it is tied to the Bow skill, which improves draw speed and damage as it levels. When fired while crouched, the shot receives the sneak attack bonus, making it especially effective against unaware targets.

The crafting recipe is unlocked after discovering Leather Scraps. It is made at a Workbench using 10 Wood and 8 Leather scraps. The Crude bow has a base durability of 50 and can be upgraded to quality 4. Each upgrade increases both durability and pierce damage, while also raising the repair station requirement.

• Quality 1: 50 durability, 22 pierce, 10 Wood, 8 Leather scraps, Workbench level 1
• Quality 2: 100 durability, 25 pierce, 5 Wood, 4 Leather scraps, 1 Deer Hide, Workbench level 2
• Quality 3: 150 durability, 28 pierce, 10 Wood, 8 Leather scraps, 2 Deer hide, Workbench level 3
• Quality 4: 200 durability, 31 pierce, 15 Wood, 12 Leather scraps, 3 Deer hide, Workbench level 4

Using a bow consumes stamina both while drawing and while holding the string at full draw. A circular aim indicator appears around the crosshair and shrinks as the bow is held longer; the smaller the circle, the more accurate and powerful the shot becomes. Moving while aiming is possible, but it increases stamina consumption. If stamina runs out before the shot is released, aiming is canceled. When aiming from a crouch, the character stands up to draw, and if stamina is exhausted during the aim, they remain standing rather than returning to crouch automatically.

The Crude bow is a very important early-game weapon because it makes hunting much easier, especially against Deer. It is also useful for shooting birds to obtain feathers. Since bows rely on projectile arcs, long-range shots should be aimed slightly above the target to compensate for drop. The weapon has no alternate attack; instead, blocking cancels the draw.

The Bow skill directly improves bow performance by shortening aiming time and increasing damage. At very high skill levels, bows can be drawn almost instantly, allowing rapid fire as long as stamina is available. Because of this, the Crude bow remains a practical training weapon early on, even before stronger bows become available.