7 Days to Die: How to Craft and Use the Compound Bow

Learn how to craft and use the Compound Bow

Bows in 7 Days to Die are agile, quiet, deadly ranged weapons perfect for stealthy takedowns and fighting on the move. If you want a top-notch bow with all the benefits of modern engineering, take a look at the Compound Bow. This carbon hunting model can reload quickly, maintain its accuracy while mobile, and even punch through armor with the right ammo.

This guide will walk you through crafting a Compound Bow in 7 Days to Die and offer advice on utilizing it best.

How to craft a Compound Bow in 7 Days to Die

This is one of the few weapons in the game that won’t require metal to craft, but you’ll still need some solid skills and a good supply of components. You’ll need to have reached the fourth tier of the Bows crafting skill and have access to a Workbench before you can successfully assemble this weapon. The amount of crafting materials required will depend on the quality of the bow being constructed:

• Bow / Crossbow Parts can be found by scrapping non-Primitive Bows and crossbows, searching weapon chests and gun safes, or may be purchased from traders.
• Scrap Polymers can be collected by searching household or industrial containers or by breaking down items made of plastic or rubber.
• Leather can be obtained by carving up animal carcasses or scrapping leather furniture such as couches, car seats, and office chairs.
• Duct Tape can be crafted by combining Glue and Cloth Fragments or found in parts containers.
• Springs can be crafted or salvaged from rusted vehicles, machinery, and furniture.
• The Bows crafting skill can only be improved by finding and reading issues of the Bow Hunter skill magazine.

Compound Bow Overview

Base Stats

Ammo

The Compound Bow can only fire Arrows, of which there are 5 kinds: Stone, Iron, Steel, Flaming, and Exploding. Arrows function very differently than bullets, and a bow’s performance may vary dramatically based on its quality and the type of ammunition loaded.

Stone Arrow

Crafting Stone Arrows will require the following materials:

• 1 Feather
• 1 Wood
• 1 Small Stone

Iron Arrow

Crafting Iron Arrows will require the following materials:

• 1 Feather
• 1 Wood
• 1 Iron Arrowhead

Steel Arrow

Crafting Steel Arrows will require a Workbench and the following materials:

• 1 Steel Arrowhead
• 2 Scrap Polymers

Flaming Arrow

Crafting Flaming Arrows will require a workbench and the player to have read the Ranger’s Guide to Archery Vol. 5 perk book, as well as the following materials:

• 1 Steel Arrowhead
• 2 Scrap Polymers
• 2 Gun Powder
• 5 Cloth Fragments
• 1 Animal Fat

Exploding Arrow

Crafting Exploding Arrows will require a workbench and the player to have read the Ranger’s Guide to Archery Vol. 2 perk book, as well as the following materials:

• 1 Steel Arrowhead
• 2 Scrap Polymers
• 8 Gun Powder
• 1 Duct Tape

Mods

The Compound Bow accepts the following mods. Note that only one mod of any category may be attached at a time except accessory mods.

• Bowstring: Polymer String
• Accessory: Cripple ‘Em, Arrow Rest, Structural Brace
• Tech: The Hunter, Rad Remover
• Grip: Ergonomic Grip

Tips and tricks for using the Compound Bow

As a member of the Bow weapon class, the Compound Bow scales in power with the player’s Agility attribute and the Archery perk.

Standard arrows (stone, iron, and steel) increase in damage, range, velocity, and armor penetration as the quality of the material increases. The only benefit lower-quality ammunition provides is a lower crafting cost. Flaming arrows fly slower but apply a deadly burning effect to enemies they hit, dealing significant damage over time, and may also be used to trigger inert explosives. Exploding arrows don’t fly nearly as far or as straight, but the stick of dynamite attached to them causes a dangerous explosion on impact that can kill tough targets or wipe out crowds in a single shot.

Unlike bullets, most arrows and crossbow bolts can often be retrieved from dead enemies or whatever else they stick into. Of course, you aren’t going to be able to retrieve exploding or burning ammunition, but standard ammunition can typically be retrieved and reused. Ammo stuck into a dead body that has despawned or left too long in the environment will eventually turn into brown bags and drop to the ground, making them easier to see and retrieve.

The Compound Bow is a highly effective stealth weapon and automatically deals double damage to unaware targets. Furthermore, firing this weapon produces very little noise, allowing it to be used near sleepers without waking them. Even arrows landing near unaware targets are unlikely to alert them to your presence, assuming you are properly hidden. Remember that this stealth bonus is only triggered when the player is crouched.

This weapon boasts a surprisingly high damage value that can be further improved with better ammunition. When utilized from stealth, this damage value jumps even higher and can even be used to kill armored or feral enemies with a single shot to the head.

The major downside to this weapon is its draw time. Though bows can be reloaded rather quickly, the player must reload, aim, and draw their bow between each shot. It’s a bit of a process, but one that will quickly become second nature to bow users. Draw and reload speed can be increased by equipping the Ergonomic Grip mod.

Unlike other weapons, bows must be drawn before they can be fired. To draw the bow, hold down the attack button rather than pressing it. A green bar will appear beneath your crosshairs and quickly fill as the weapon is drawn. Releasing the attack button will fire the bow, and doing so before the weapon is fully drawn will fire off a slower, less powerful shot. When aiming and firing, be sure to release the fire button before the aim button, or your accuracy will decrease as you fire.

Depending on the projectile velocity of your weapon and the ammo loaded into it, players will likely need to adapt to leading moving targets by a larger margin than with guns, as it may take a moment for the projectile to reach where you aim. Projectile velocity can be increased by loading in higher quality ammo or attaching the Polymer String modification.

In addition to a slow-moving projectile, arrows fired from bows will also drop faster than bullets fired from most guns. When firing at enemies from long-range, players will likely need to aim slightly above their target to still land a hit. However, bolts and arrows benefit from a much longer damage falloff range. That means that even though it may be more difficult to hit an enemy from long range, chances are the arrow or bolt will still deal full damage if the player does land a hit.

Though much more mobile and adaptable than a crossbow, we still recommend caution when utilizing a bow in close quarters or when facing crowds. The player should attempt to remain on the move and clear of enemies when fighting in such situations with a bow. We suggest aiming for headshots to make each arrow count as much as possible before the player reloads and draws again.

Final thoughts on the Compound Bow

A hunter’s dream and a zombie’s nightmare. This powerful hunting bow is an ideal companion for stealth players, combat archers, and hunters alike. The Fun Pimps designed this bow to be as close to a modern-style polymer bow as possible, and we have to say they did a pretty decent job.

Looking for some more pointers to help you survive Navezgane? Check out our 10 Tips for Getting Started or our in-depth Beginner’s Guide.