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Bow Shot is a Skill Gem in Path of Exile 2 that represents a classic ranged attack for Bow users. As a projectile skill, Bow Shot allows you to fire arrows with increased attack damage, making it an essential tool for early to mid-game ranged builds. While it might seem straightforward at first glance, its simplicity allows for a wide range of customization through support gems and synergies with various Bow-related passives.
Key Details of Bow Shot
Gem Type: Skill Gem
Skill Type: Attack, Projectile
Level Requirement: 6
Attack Damage: 153%
Requires: Level 18, Bow
Weapon Requirements: Bow
Damage Type: Physical (Scalable with Bow mods)
Projectile: Fires a single arrow that travels a distance and impacts enemies on hit.
How Bow Shot Works
Bow Shot is a basic projectile skill that fires a single arrow from your Bow at an enemy. It has a high attack damage multiplier of 153%, which makes it an efficient choice for dealing consistent physical damage with your bow. Upon firing, the arrow travels to the target and deals physical damage based on the attack modifier of the Bow, the player’s damage modifiers, and any applicable support gems.
Attack Speed: The attack speed is dependent on the weapon you equip. Bows tend to have moderate attack speeds, but this can be enhanced through passive skills, gear, or modifiers that increase attack speed with bows.
Projectile Mechanics: The arrow behaves as a projectile, meaning it travels through enemies, making it ideal for piercing through groups or line-of-sight attacks. The projectile can hit multiple enemies if there is enough room for the arrow to travel, and certain modifiers can allow the projectile to pierce or chain to additional targets.
Simple Attack: Bow Shot is an excellent starting point for a ranged attack build, as it doesn’t require complex mechanics to deal significant damage, especially in the early stages of the game.
Customization and Synergies
Though Bow Shot is a straightforward skill, its versatility comes from how it can be modified and enhanced through support gems and gear. The skill can be paired with several other Bow-related mechanics, allowing you to scale its effectiveness in a variety of ways:
Projectile Support Gems:
Consider adding Pierce Support to allow your arrows to pass through multiple enemies, increasing the skill’s effectiveness in crowd control scenarios.
Chain Support can cause the arrow to bounce from one enemy to another, further increasing its potential for AoE damage.
Damage Scaling:
Bow Shot benefits greatly from damage scaling, such as increased attack damage, physical damage, and critical strike modifiers. Skills like Elemental Hit, Physical Projectile Attack, or Void Manipulation can significantly boost the damage output of Bow Shot.
Critical Strikes: If you’re focusing on critical hit builds, support gems like Critical Damage Support and Faster Attacks can further enhance Bow Shot’s damage potential.
Attack Speed and Scaling:
As a projectile skill, Bow Shot benefits from enhancements to attack speed, allowing you to fire more arrows in a shorter time. Consider using Faster Attacks Support or equipping items that increase attack speed to boost your DPS output.
Haste and other buffs that increase attack speed can greatly enhance your effectiveness with Bow Shot, particularly in boss fights or high-mobility scenarios.
Pierce, Splitting, and Projectile Speed:
To further enhance the projectile’s effectiveness, Bow Shot can be used with support gems such as Projectile Speed, which allows the arrow to travel faster and cover more distance.
Splitting Arrow and similar skills can also alter the behavior of Bow Shot to target multiple enemies, expanding its usability in both single-target and AoE scenarios.
Tips for Using Bow Shot
Early Game:
Bow Shot is an excellent choice in the early stages of the game, where it provides solid physical damage at a reasonable mana cost. Focus on increasing your Bow damage through passive skills or gear to maximize the skill’s effectiveness. It’s a great skill for clearing mobs in the early acts and provides a solid foundation for transitioning into more powerful skills later on.
Mana Management:
Since Bow Shot is a relatively low-cost skill (just 10 mana per shot), it doesn’t require significant mana regeneration or mana leech to maintain. This makes it an ideal skill to pair with other costlier abilities or mana-consuming setups.
Follow-up Attacks:
For boss fights, Bow Shot can be used as a single-target attack. Use it alongside damage-boosting skills like Power Charges, Increased Physical Damage, or Critical Strikes to significantly ramp up its effectiveness in dealing with bosses or tough enemies.
Positioning and Kiting:
As a ranged skill, Bow Shot can be very effective for kiting enemies, especially in mob encounters where you need to keep your distance. Take advantage of the Bow’s range to attack from afar while avoiding direct contact with enemies.
Pros and Cons of Bow Shot
Pros:
Simple and effective for early to mid-game ranged builds.
High attack damage multiplier (153%) that scales well with physical damage.
Projectile skill allows it to pierce through multiple enemies in a line.
Low mana cost, ideal for sustained use in longer fights.
Synergizes well with many other Bow-specific support gems.
Cons:
Basic compared to more advanced Bow skills like Elemental Hit or Rain of Arrows.
Single projectile that may not be as effective in high-density mob packs without support gems like Pierce or Chain.
Requires Bow equipment, limiting the skill’s compatibility with other weapon types.
Conclusion
Bow Shot is a simple but powerful skill in Path of Exile 2 that caters to a wide range of Bow builds. It’s an excellent starting skill for ranged projectile setups, offering high damage and decent scalability through passive skills and support gems. While it’s not as flashy as some other ranged skills, its reliability and ease of use make it an invaluable part of many Bow and physical damage builds. Whether you’re just starting out in the game or using it as a foundational skill for further customization, Bow Shot is a key tool in any Bow user’s arsenal.