No Rest for the Wicked Bows, Quivers and Bow Builds

Bows are main-hand weapons in the Together version of No Rest for the Wicked. Quivers modify their attacks, while Together Patch 1 added distance-based damage reduction and projectile gravity. A useful bow setup therefore depends on positioning, the bow's moveset, its quiver, its runes, and the resources needed to keep the whole setup working.

How Bows Work Now

Main-Hand Bows and Quivers

The official Together notes changed bows from off-hand to main-hand weapons. Individual bows can have different attacks, speeds, run attacks, and roll attacks. Together also added four elemental quivers:

• Blasting Quiver: changes bow attacks to explosive arrows.
• Freezing Quiver: changes bow attacks to frost arrows.
• Shocking Quiver: changes bow attacks to lightning arrows.
• Blighted Quiver: changes bow attacks to blighted arrows.

Those effects are official system descriptions. Whether one quiver is the strongest choice depends on the bow, runes, gear, and encounter; the available evidence does not support a universal quiver ranking.

Range Falloff and Projectile Gravity

Together Patch 1 reworked bow behavior so arrows deal full damage only within a certain range and gradually lose effectiveness farther away. It also introduced projectile gravity, causing arrows to curve downward near the end of their range. The official notes do not publish meters or a falloff curve, so this guide does not invent them.

In practice, maximum visible distance is not automatically the best firing distance. Use a range where the shot path remains reliable, then reposition before an enemy closes the space. Terrain can block a shot, and some enemies respond aggressively to ranged attacks.

Bow Comparison

The requirements, scaling, and rune columns below come from published local weapon records checked against the site's latest data version, Together Hotfix 9. The final column summarizes the supplied editorial and community review; it is not an official ranking. The table covers the seven researched candidates with enough information for a useful comparison, not every bow in the game.

The database records acquisition for these bows as researching. This guide therefore does not claim a drop location or acquisition route. Browse the neutral weapon database for all currently published records.

Which Bow Should You Use?

Strongest Supported High-Investment Candidate

Editorial recommendation: Lacquered Bow has the strongest current evidence among the researched bows for a high-investment setup. Together officially gave it Hunter's Mark: dealing different elemental damage builds stacks that improve critical chance, reduce stamina cost, and, at four stacks, increase physical damage. Its locally verified four elemental Arrow runes fit that identity.

That recommendation has limits. It requires 36 Dexterity in the local record, relies on maintaining elemental interactions, and remains subject to range falloff. Community reports about homing or quiver interactions are not treated here as official mechanics. See the Best Weapons by Playstyle for the cross-category recommendation.

Conditional Alternatives

Balak Talon is the better research candidate for a mobile, multi-arrow direction, while Twinkling Short Bow is a candidate for elemental experimentation. Both remain unassessed because the supplied evidence is not strong enough for a fixed tier. Short Bow has the lowest verified requirement among this comparison, but a lower requirement alone does not prove it is the best beginner bow.

Quivers and Their Effects

A quiver changes the projectile type of normal bow attacks. Choose one by asking what the complete loadout needs: elemental coverage, interaction with a bow identity such as Hunter's Mark, or a reliable basic attack when Focus is unavailable. Recheck the result when changing gear because a quiver does not operate in isolation.

The four elemental effects above are official. A claim that a particular quiver is best for a named bow would be an editorial or community conclusion and needs its own current testing.

Bow Runes and Patch Changes

Patch 1 reduced Multishot's damage, increased Skyfall Shot's Focus cost to 100, and increased Arrowstorm's area and damage radius. It also raised the run-attack stamina cost for Siren's Call and Pale Ash. These are balance changes, not automatic verdicts: a nerfed tool can remain useful, and a buffed tool is not automatically best.

Check that advice names its patch. Pre-Together material may describe bows as off-hand weapons, while pre-Patch-1 demonstrations may not reflect current range behavior or current rune costs.

How to Plan a Bow Build

Resources and Survivability

Confirm a bow's requirements and scaling before spending attributes. Plan for the stamina needed to shoot and reposition, the Focus needed for chosen runes, and enough defense to survive when range collapses. The Beginner Build explains how to keep an early setup flexible without publishing a fake stat allocation.

Rune and Quiver Synergy

Build around a repeatable loop rather than a single showcase shot. Check what the bow and quiver provide without Focus, which rune covers groups or creates space, and whether the setup can maintain its resource demands. For Lacquered Bow, varied elemental damage is part of the official Hunter's Mark identity, but the most effective gear package remains an editorial testing question.

Close-Range Responses

Every bow setup needs an answer for cramped rooms, aggressive enemies, and blocked sight lines. That answer may be a movement rune, a short reposition, or a defensive option supported by the rest of the build. The combat guide covers stamina and defensive timing in more detail.

Practical Positioning and Common Problems

Preserve sight of the target, room to respond, and awareness of the route behind you. After a shot, check the enemy's direction and the next firing line before committing again. Move before the enemy occupies its attack range, but stop retreating when the camera no longer shows nearby hazards.

Practise at several distances against a familiar enemy. Watch the arrow path, compare reliable hits rather than assuming a straight trajectory, and repeat with the intended quiver and armor equipped. If a guide supplies an exact range without a current source, treat it cautiously.

Frequently Asked Questions

Are bows main-hand or off-hand weapons now?

Bows are main-hand weapons in Together. Older guides that describe them as off-hand weapons use the pre-Together system.

What do quivers change?

Together's four verified elemental quivers change bow attacks into explosive, frost, lightning, or blighted projectiles. Their value still depends on the bow and the rest of the build.

Why do arrows deal less damage at long range?

Together Patch 1 introduced distance-based damage reduction. The official notes confirm gradual loss of effectiveness at longer distances but do not publish an exact curve.

Which bow should a beginner use?

There is no defensible universal beginner winner in the reviewed evidence. Short Bow has a lower verified requirement than the other bows in this comparison, but requirements alone do not establish availability, ease of use, or overall strength. Test its moveset before investing.

Is pre-Together bow advice still usable?

Only with caution. General positioning lessons may remain useful, but equipment-slot, quiver, rune, and range advice can be outdated.

Sources and Review History

• Mechanic basis: Together Update for main-hand bows, quivers, Hunter's Mark and new bows/runes; Together Patch 1 for range, gravity and named balance changes.
• Verified local fields: weapon names, requirements, scaling and recorded runes from the site's published weapon records.
• Editorial/community layer: candidate assessments are qualified and do not change the underlying database fields.
• Latest version checked: Together Hotfix 9. Hotfix 9 is the later verification point, not the source of the Patch 1 balance changes.
• Review date: 2026-09-08.