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Assassin’s Creed Valhalla provides players many different ways to play, and even the most melee-focused characters can benefit from having an effective bow at the right moment. There are several bows of each type to pick from, but these five include the best Light Bow, best Hunter Bow, and best Predator Bow in the game.
From seemingly easy to find bows that you can purchase from merchants to the secret and only recently discovered Nodens’ Arc, each of these bows stand out from the pack as powerful choices. While found at different points in the game, all of these can be further upgraded. These aren’t presented in a particular order as the best one for you will depend on how you play the game, but your best bow is likely to be one of these five.
It’s important to note that while efforts have been made here to represent true base stats and max stats independent of your character’s Skills and other upgrades, these numbers can vary a bit. When checking details for a weapon, AC Valhalla shows the current stats factoring in all active bonuses and shows the final calculation rather than the unaltered core stat.
As such, these stats may initially appear relatively low, but that’s because they’re as independent of other bonuses as possible. This included resetting all skills and shedding armor to calculate these stats, so the stats you have when using these weapons are likely to be higher depending on how far you are in the game.
1. Viper Bow (Light Bow)
When acquired, the Viper Bow is a second-tier Light Bow (Way of the Raven) that comes at Superior and already has two upgrade bars. That means you can continue to upgrade it two more tiers to Flawless and Mythical, and several more bars to increase the weapon’s stats.
Viper Bow Base Stats
- Attack: 48
- Speed: 67
- Stun: 85
- Critical Chance: 60
- Headshot Damage: 34
- Weight: 10
Viper Bow Max Stats
- Attack: 95
- Speed: 67
- Stun: 111
- Critical Chance: 75
- Headshot Damage: 52
- Weight: 10
After you’ve fully upgraded the Viper Bow, these are the maximum stats you’ll end up with. It’ll take ingots to upgrade to the next tiers, but lots of resources like iron ore, leather, and most importantly titanium to max it out.
Viper Bow Ability
- Increase Critical Chance after each hit.
- Stacks up to 10 times with a duration of 2 seconds.
- Bonus is +3 to +30 Critical Chance.
It’s this ability that really makes the Viper Bow shine. Light Bows by their nature have incredibly quick attack speed, unleashing arrows in a quick barrage. Think of the Viper Bow as the machine gun of Assassin’s Creed Valhalla.
With every hit, the Critical Chance will rise, so you want to unleash as many shots as quickly as possible. You’ll also want to upgrade your quiver because of the need for this bow to unleash so many arrows for maximum effectiveness.
Viper Bow Location
When it comes to finding the Viper Bow, you won’t have to look far. The item is purchased from merchants for just 500 silver, however it won’t immediately be available from merchants.
You’ll need to progress further in the game, the quickest way of doing this is upgrading your settlement and doing more pledge arcs. Fortunately, all merchants sell the same items, so you can check any merchant to see if the item is available to purchase.
2. Death-Speaker (Hunter Bow)
When acquired, Death-Speaker is a first-tier Hunter Bow (Way of the Raven) with a single upgrade bar. That means you can continue to upgrade it three more tiers to Superior, Flawless, then Mythical, and several more bars to increase the weapon’s stats.
Death-Speaker Base Stats
- Attack: 52
- Speed: 44
- Stun: 50
- Critical Chance: 64
- Headshot Damage: 59
- Weight: 14
Death-Speaker Max Stats
- Attack: 105
- Speed: 44
- Stun: 84
- Critical Chance: 81
- Headshot Damage: 79
- Weight: 15
After you’ve fully upgraded Death-Speaker, these are the maximum stats you’ll end up with. It’ll take ingots to upgrade to the next tiers, but lots of resources like iron ore, leather, and most importantly titanium to max it out.
Death-Speaker Ability
- Weak Point hits restore 25% of your Total Health.
With a full quarter of your health bar able to be restored, that makes this ability truly substantial. If you’re in a jam and need some health, Death-Speaker can be a great way to nail a Weak Point strike and heal yourself.
Death-Speaker Location
Just like the Viper Bow, you’ll acquire Death-Speaker by purchasing it through the game’s merchants. It’ll only cost you a meager 360 silver, so it’s even cheaper than the Viper Bow.
You can follow our guide to easy silver if you need to make the money to purchase it. If you don’t see it available with merchants, like the Viper Bow you’ll need to progress in the game and check back to see when it is for sale.
3. Nodens’ Arc (Hunter Bow)
When acquired, Nodens’ Arc is a fourth-tier Hunter Bow (Way of the Raven) with seven of ten upgrade bars. While it comes at max tier, you can still upgrade the weapon a few more times within your inventory to increase its overall stats.
Nodens’ Arc Base Stats
- Attack: 84
- Speed: 45
- Stun: 68
- Critical Chance: 74
- Headshot Damage: 72
- Weight: 15
Nodens’ Arc Max Stats
- Attack: 106
- Speed: 45
- Stun: 85
- Critical Chance: 81
- Headshot Damage: 79
- Weight: 15
After you’ve fully upgraded Nodens’ Arc, these are the maximum stats you’ll end up with. You won’t need any ingots as it arrives as Mythical, but you will need lots of resources like iron ore, leather, and most importantly titanium to max it out.
Nodens’ Arc Ability
- Increase attack the further you are from your enemy.
As great as it is to get a weapon that’s already Mythical Tier, Nodens’ Arc also comes with one of the most useful bow abilities in the entire game. This weapon’s attack will continue to increase the further you are from your enemy.
While sniping with a bow tends to be done using a Predator Bow in Assassin’s Creed Valhalla, this ability makes Nodens’ Arc an instant threat as a long-range Hunter Bow. It may take some practice to adjust to using it from a distance, but being able to nail a shot from far away can significantly improve your damage with this bow.
Nodens’ Arc Location
Nodens’ Arc is a secret weapon only recently discovered, and the official acquisition method isn’t even known just yet. However, this method is reliable so far and makes the bow available early on if you’re willing to head north.
In order to get Nodens’ Arc, you have to travel to a particular lake in the far north end of Eurvicscire shown in the map above. The easiest way to get there is to fast travel to Brunton Turret if you’ve unlocked that location, or head north from the nearest synchronization point you have available.
The area has a Suggested Power of 190, but if you’re careful and save often you can head there earlier because you don’t need to take out any enemies to acquire this weapon. Head to the small island in the lake and look for an Iron Ore deposit.
Just to be safe, make a manual save upon arrival. After doing so, attempt to destroy the deposit. Make multiple swings, but don’t mind the fact that it won’t break. Make another manual save, which you’ll then want to head into the menu and load.
After loading up, Nodens’ Arc should be placed in your inventory. Some have reported it takes repeating this a few times, but it worked on my first attempt. Assassin’s Creed Valhalla Narrative Director Darby McDevitt confirmed on Twitter this isn’t the intended method of getting the weapon, but the other way of acquiring it is not yet known.
While McDevitt’s comment that this can work for a speedrun seems to indicate they plan to leave this exploit in the game, you probably want to get this weapon as soon as possible. There’s still a chance this method is removed in a later update, so it’s best to secure this powerful weapon while you can.
4. Needler (Predator Bow)
When acquired, Needler is a first-tier Predator Bow (Way of the Wolf) with a single upgrade bar. That means you can continue to upgrade it three more tiers to being Superior, Flawless, and finally Mythical, as well as several bars to improve the weapon’s stats.
Needler Base Stats
- Attack: 66
- Speed: 25
- Stun: 43
- Critical Chance: 59
- Headshot Damage: 70
- Weight: 20
Needler Max Stats
- Attack: 122
- Speed: 24
- Stun: 86
- Critical Chance: 79
- Headshot Damage: 90
- Weight: 20
After you’ve fully upgraded the Needler, these are the maximum stats you’ll end up with. It’ll take several ingots to upgrade to the next tiers and lots of resources like iron ore, leather, and most importantly titanium to max it out.
Needler Ability
- Stealth headshot creates a Sleep Cloud around the body.
- Cooldown: 30 seconds.
As the Predator Bow is normally made for a stealth build, the Needler’s ability perfectly fits with with the ability to create a Sleep Cloud after a stealth headshot. This is great if you’re trying to take out two enemies from a distance, as a stealth headshot on one is likely to put the other to sleep. There is a significant cooldown, so don’t expect to unleash this too quickly without waiting in the shadows to try it again.
Needler Location
Just like the Viper Bow and Death-Speaker, you’ll acquire the Needler by purchasing it through the game’s merchants. It’ll only cost you 380 silver, so it’s cheaper than the Viper Bow but a bit more than Death-Speaker.
Again, you can follow our guide to easy silver if you need help making the money to purchase it. If you don’t see it on sale with merchants in game, progress further with the main story and upgrade your settlement to upgrade merchant inventories.
5. Bullseye (Predator Bow)
When acquired, Bullseye is a second-tier Predator Bow (Way of the Raven) with three of ten upgrade bars already unlocked. That means you’ll be able to upgrade it further to Flawless and then Mythical, as well as several upgrade bars to increase its overall stats.
Bullseye Base Stats
- Attack: 69
- Speed: 28
- Stun: 38
- Critical Chance: 63
- Headshot Damage: 74
- Weight: 18
Bullseye Max Stats
- Attack: 113
- Speed: 28
- Stun: 77
- Critical Chance: 79
- Headshot Damage: 90
- Weight: 18
After you’ve fully upgraded the Bullseye, these are the maximum stats you’ll end up with. It’ll take ingots to upgrade to the next tiers, but lots of resources like iron ore, leather, and most importantly titanium to max it out.
Bullseye Ability
- Stealth Headshot kill automatically spawns a trap.
Not unlike the Needler, the ability for the Bullseye is stealth-centric, but there’s a big difference between the two. Rather than bursting a sleep cloud from any stealth headshot, you need a stealth headshot kill to activate this ability.
Upon fulfillment of that, the death will automatically spawn a trap on that defeated enemy which can be activated if others go to check on the body. However, there’s no cooldown, so you can pull these off in quick succession if you’re able to stay hidden.
Bullseye Location
Unlike other bows in this list, the Bullseye is actually a reward looted from a very specific kill throughout the main story. Once you’ve assassinated The Arrow, a member of the Order, this will be your reward.
You can’t go after The Arrow early, as he’s encountered as part of the Firing the Arrow quest in the pledge arc that takes place in Lundun. That means you’ll need to progress through the main story and pledge arcs to get to this one, but it’s a worthwhile pursuit and one that’ll net you lots of experience along the way.
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