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

Learn how to craft and use the Primitive Bow

In most survival games, a simple bow and arrows can be crafted with few supplies and little effort. 7 Days to Die is no different, so if you need a ranged weapon right here, right now, then the Primitive Bow will do. Crafted from just some thatch and a branch, this low-tier weapon can put an arrow in a target (most of the time), but it certainly won’t do it well.

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

How to craft a Primitive Bow in 7 Days to Die

The Primitive Bow is a weak, basic weapon simple enough to create that making one is part of the tutorial:

• Wood can be gathered by chopping trees or shrubs or by reclaiming wooden structures and furniture.
• Plant Fibers can be gathered from the ground, tall grass, shrubs, or found in trash piles.
• The Bows crafting skill can only be improved by finding and reading issues of the Bow Hunter skill magazine.

Primitive Bow Overview

Base Stats

Ammo

The Primitive 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 Gunpowder
• 1 Duct Tape

Mods

The Primitive 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 Primitive Bow

As a member of the Bow weapon class, the Primitive 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 Primitive Bow is a decent 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, this stealth bonus is only triggered when the player is crouched.

This weapon boasts a somewhat low damage value, but its damage can be improved with better ammunition. When utilized from stealth, this weapon is much more effective and can even be used to kill basic enemies with a single headshot.

The Primitive Bow isn’t very accurate, suffers from a short effective range, and takes a moment to draw before firing. 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 that will quickly become second nature to bow users. Draw and reload speed can be increased by equipping the Ergonomic Grip mod. Accuracy can be improved by adding the Arrow Rest mod. Unfortunately, nothing can be done to increase its range.

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-moving, 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 land a hit still. 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.

The Primitive Bow is slow and inaccurate, making it a poor choice for close-quarters combat 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 Primitive Bow

It’s crude, it’s weak, and it’s inaccurate. That said, being able to fight from range without causing a racket already puts you ahead of most of the enemies you’ll be facing in 7D2D. The Fun Pimps made it possible for players to fashion weapons for themselves from materials found in the wild, and truly that is what it means to be an adaptable survivor. Seriously, though, switch out this bow for something better as soon as possible.

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.