What is the Bow, and what is it used for?
In a game like Green Hell where every wound can be fatal, keeping yourself out of an enemy’s reach puts you at a huge advantage. Bows allow players to hunt, fish, and fight from a distance without throwing away their melee weapon.
This guide will walk you through how to craft Bows in Green Hell and offer tips on how they can be used.
How to craft a Bow in Green Hell
As useful and powerful as a Bow can be in a survival situation, they are remarkably easy to craft and come in two varieties: Bamboo and Wood. Both variants require only two materials to create.
You can craft a Bow with the following:
- 1 Long Stick
- 1 Rope
OR
- 1 Long Bamboo Stick
- 1 Rope
Long Sticks can be collected after cutting down a small or medium tree, and Long Bamboo Sticks can be acquired by slashing through bamboo clusters. Both resources will require at least a basic tool, such as a Stone Blade or Stone Axe, to harvest. Rope can be gathered by collecting Liana vines hanging from large trees.
Once you have the appropriate resources, you can craft a Bow by following these steps:
- Opening the radial menu (by holding the
Ckey) - Select crafting from the options
- Drag the long stick or long bamboo stick and the rope to the crafting rock from the backpack
- Press the craft button above the crafting rock
Note: The crafting menu can also be opened from the inventory sidebar or by holding the alt-select button (default RMB) over one of the ingredients and pressing craft.
How to equip the Bow
The Bow can be found in the tools tab of the inventory and occupies one of the four standard tool slots (numbered 1-4). It can be equipped at any time by pressing the number key corresponding to the slot this tool occupies.
Tips and tricks for using the Bow
Bows can be drawn by holding down the attack button (default LMB.) The crosshair will contract, and your aim will improve as it is drawn back. Releasing the attack button will fire the arrow. To cancel a shot when it is drawn, press the block button (default R.)
It should be noted that bows naturally have an unholy amount of sway when drawn. Increasing the archery skill will not improve this, though it will increase damage and decrease draw time.
Players can steady their aim when a bow is drawn by holding the run button (default Shift.) Note that steadying your aim will rapidly drain your stamina, so make sure you have sufficient energy.
Arrows fired from a bow that strike an animal or native warrior in the head will typically kill them instantly, so practice your aim. Fired arrows that don’t break can be recovered from the ground or whatever they stick into. Harvesting a carcass with arrows stuck in it will automatically recover them.
Arrows are chosen randomly from the backpack and cannot be swapped manually. However, players wishing to change their loaded arrow type can repeatedly bring up their watch, causing the bow to be “stowed” and thus randomly selecting another arrow.
Crafting a bow is required to unlock the Bow Trap blueprint in the notebook.
Bamboo and wooden bows share all the same stats with the exception of weight. Bamboo bows are somewhat lighter than wooden bows but cannot be used to craft the fire bow.
Crafting recipes that use the Bow
A Wooden Bow can be used in the construction of an advanced fire-starting tool that can greatly ease the stamina cost of producing an ember:
- Fire Bow
What ammunition can it use?
Bows, Tribal Bows, and Bow Traps can use one of three types of arrows as ammunition: Arrows, Metal Arrows, and Tribal Arrows.
1. Arrows
Arrows are standard projectiles that deal moderate damage and fly relatively straight. Arrows can be crafted with the following:
- 1 Small Stick
- 2 Feathers
2. Metal Arrows
The metal arrow is an improved projectile that deals more damage than a standard arrow. Metal arrows can be crafted by combining the following:
- 1 Small Stick
- 2 Feathers
- 1 Rope
- 1 Metal Arrowhead
3. Tribal Arrows
Tribal arrows are non-craftable projectiles that can be found or taken from enemy archers. They deal more damage than craftable arrows but do not fly as straight or as far.
Final thoughts on the Bow
An ideal addition to the arsenal of every hunter, fisherman, or warrior. The Bow in Green Hell offers a more reliable method of killing animals and gives players a huge leg-up on all of the enemies and predators Creepy Jar has added to the game. In fact, a Bow and some arrows are usually among the first items we craft, and we suggest you follow our lead.
Looking for some more pointers to help you survive Green Hell? Check out our 10 Tips for Getting Started or our walkthrough on How to Survive Your First Day.
