When you think of ranged weapons in swords and sorcery like in Elden Ring, you probably think of bows and arrows first, right? Indeed, Elden Ring has no shortage of bows, great bows and short bows for your ranged combat,
Something relatively light that can be fired with one hand? Then it looks like you need a crossbow, and while there aren’t as many on the Lands Between market as regular bows, you still have a few options. So here’s how to get a crossbow in Elden Ring.
Unlike the three types of regular bows that require both hands to wield, They can only function with one hand so that you can keep a melee weapon in your other hand just in case. In addition, if you’re dual-wielding a crossbow, you can aim down for extra accuracy. Crossbows also do more damage on average, and like arrows, there are different bolts for other condition effects and damage types, so you don’t have a shortage of choices.
Crossbows strike a good balance between attack power, weight, and ease of use. The only downsides to crossbows are the need to load the bolts manually; they are slightly more complicated to aim than bows, cannot be used with Ashes of War, and have a shorter span. As a result, crossbows are best for players who want a simple, low-cost ranged combat option.
Where can you get one of these mechanical wonders? There are several different crossbows that you can get in Elden Ring, but if you put some effort into it, the first one you get will most likely be a soldier’s crossbow. This is the basic crossbow used by various foot soldiers stationed around Limgrave. When you kill one of them, he will have a chance to drop it. Foot soldiers with crossbows can spawn almost anywhere.
While the soldier’s crossbow is a good starting weapon, you can get one of the best crossbows in the game relatively early. When you gain access to the Roundtable Hold, enter the right door and go down the stairs past the Hewg to find the Gargoyle Gate, which requires one Stonesword Key. Break open this gate, and you’ll find a chest containing a Black Keyed Crossbow.
