The equal-skill opposed baseline is 65%. Ordinary bows and crossbows separately add up to 25 percentage points at Archery 100, so 100 versus defence 100 can reach 90% before other effects. Marksman Steady Aim adds 10 percentage points and 20% Armor Penetration after two stationary seconds at four or more tiles; applicable caps still apply. A miss consumes the charge, movement resets it, and penetration uses the stronger effect rather than adding to Armor Ignore. Full Plate adds 1.000 second after a successful ranged attack; mixed Plate scales by actual body coverage.
Archery
Combat · Skill guide
Controls accuracy with bows and crossbows and enables the Archer Codex path.
MAX SKILL120with Power Scroll
SKILL GROUPCombat
PVPSee rules
PVMYes
TRAININGSee route
How do I train this skill?
Recommended activities for Archery at each skill range.
View the training tableHow It Works
Hit targets with bows and crossbows. It is the accuracy skill for ranged weapon combat.
Skill summary, training and related paths
Power Scroll and cap information
Maximum skill: 120 with a matching Power Scroll. It starts with a 100 cap. Scrolls unlock 105, 110, 115 or 120; you still train the points and keep the same shared total of 720.
Understanding effective skill
Which value counts? These numbers use the effective skill: the value after applicable skill bonuses or penalties. This can differ from your trained base value. Bless changes your stats; it does not directly add trained skill points.
The Archer Codex uses Archery and Chivalry, with its own role, rank, accuracy, Momentum and supporting-skill calculations. Marksman Steady Aim is a different, player-combat effect. Full Plate adds 0.500 seconds after a successful ranged attack, after Momentum and the existing recovery floor.
Requirements
Use a bow or crossbow and matching ammunition. Player ranged attacks can fire at one tile but not at zero distance; normal line of sight, maximum range and recovery checks still apply.
How to use it, step by step
If a step says to use a skill, open your character window, choose Skills and use the button beside that skill. If it says to use a tool, double-click the tool in your backpack. Passive benefits work automatically.
- Equip a bow with arrows, or a crossbow with bolts.
- Select an appropriate enemy and attack from a valid distance with a clear line of sight.
- For the Archer PvM path, carry an Archer Codex and train Chivalry as well.
Shooting a bow or crossbow
Equip your bow or crossbow, carry its correct ammunition and choose an enemy in War Mode. Normal shots repeat automatically. Keep a clear line of fire and at least two tiles between you and the target.
For a normal shot, both conditions must be met: the weapon’s attack timer is ready AND you have stopped moving for at least 0.25 seconds. Stopping for 0.25 seconds does not make a bow fire every quarter-second. You do not hold a button to draw each ordinary arrow.
Example: a standard Bow, without speed bonuses or a Codex delay adjustment, fires every 3.75 seconds at current stamina 60, every 3.5 seconds at 90, and every 3.25 seconds at 120. Movement or a blocked shot can make the real wait longer. Crossbows have their own speeds. A special aiming or moving-shot ability follows its own rules.
What changes as your skill rises
Read the conditions above each table. A percentage may describe a chance, a damage component or a multiplier: those are different things. The other values stay fixed unless the table says otherwise.
What the skill affects: These numbers use the effective skill: the value after applicable skill bonuses or penalties. This can differ from your trained base value. Bless changes your stats; it does not directly add trained skill points.
Detailed formulas and comparison tables
Ranged accuracy against defence skill 100
No equipment accuracy, class ability or Codex modifiers. Equal opposed skills start at 65% before modifiers. This table includes Ironveil’s separate ranged accuracy addition and its 95% ranged ceiling; 90% is not the base formula.
| Effective Archery | Chance to hit |
|---|---|
| 80 | 74.17% |
| 90 | 82.08% |
| 100 | 90% |
Plate recovery after a successful ranged attack
The normal recovery, including weapon speed, Dexterity, Swing Speed Increase, Momentum and the existing floor, resolves first. This table shows only the additional Plate cost.
| Plate body coverage | PvP added recovery | PvM added recovery |
|---|---|---|
| 0% | None | None |
| 25% | +0.250 seconds | +0.125 seconds |
| 50% | +0.500 seconds | +0.250 seconds |
| 75% | +0.750 seconds | +0.375 seconds |
| 100% | +1.000 second | +0.500 seconds |
Ranged attacks add up to 25 percentage points to the ordinary opposed chance: +20 at Archery 80, +22.5 at 90 and +25 at 100 or more. The target’s defence and other effects still matter.
Plate coverage uses the actual equipped body locations: gorget 7%, gloves 7%, helm 14%, arms 15%, legs 22% and chest 35%. Every real Plate material and set uses the same rule.
The cost applies only when a shot is fired successfully and includes bows, crossbows, heavy crossbows, thrown ranged weapons and Moving Shot. Removing Plate cannot shorten an active recovery; equipping more Plate can extend it.
100–120 scaling: what you gain
100–120 scaling: what you gain
Only the skill in the first column changes unless the table says otherwise. Each extra trained point still uses one point from your shared total of 720.
In the combat calculations described here, progress above 100 counts at half strength against another player: 110 contributes as 105, and 120 as 110. Your trained skill stays unchanged. The same rule covers these calculations when fighting another player’s pet or helping a participant in player combat.
Ranged accuracy
Opponent defence is 100; no equipment or Codex accuracy. Includes the ranged addition and the 95% ceiling.
| Archery | Against a monster | Against a player |
|---|---|---|
| 100 | 90% | 90% |
| 110 | 95% | 92.71% |
| 120 | 95% | 95% |
At 120 you do not exceed the 95% chance ceiling. Against higher defence, extra skill may still matter. Archery also contributes to the separate Archer PvM formula with Chivalry.
Examples in play
Easy examples
A bow needs ammunition
Your Archery is high but your backpack has no arrows. The skill does not create ammunition. Supply the correct ammunition before attacking.
Skills that work with it
Advanced notes
Things to remember
- A bow and a crossbow use different ammunition.
- High Archery improves accuracy; it does not make every shot a guaranteed hit or unlock every Codex technique by itself.
Training and Skill Progression
TRAINING / SKILL PROGRESSION
One recommended activity for each skill range, with a short note on what you need.
Before you start: set Archery to Up and leave room under the shared 720-point total. Set an unwanted skill to Down if the total is full.
NPC training: when the trainer listed for this skill offers a lesson, the fixed price is 300 gold and the lesson can reach 50.0 if both the individual and total caps have room.
Training area: supported Academy actions receive 5× normal gain through 80.0. An action still needs to run a real skill check; the Academy bonus cannot make an automatic or blocked action train.
Beyond 100: consume the matching 105, 110, 115 or 120 Power Scroll first. A scroll raises only the individual cap; it grants no trained points and does not increase the shared 720-point total.
Recommended training
Repeat the single activity listed for your level. These are practical training choices; the ranges are recommendations, not new unlock requirements.
| Your skill | What to repeat | Quick note |
|---|---|---|
| 0.0–50.0 | Combat trainer lesson | Optional NPC lesson; 300 gold when offered and room under your caps. |
| 50.0–80.0 | Fight with a Archery weapon in the Academy | Use the matching weapon, or fight unarmed for Wrestling, against an eligible opponent. |
| 80.0–100.0 | Fight with a Archery weapon | Use the matching weapon, or fight unarmed for Wrestling, against an eligible opponent. |
| 100.0–120.0 | Fight with a Archery weapon | Use the matching weapon, or fight unarmed for Wrestling, against an eligible opponent. |
Rules and numbers
Archery is the primary weapon skill. Player shots work at one tile but not at zero distance; normal range, line of sight and timing still apply. Chivalry is the separate Ironveil role skill for PvM techniques. Successful ranged attacks gain a Plate recovery cost based on covered body locations: up to +1.000 second in PvP and +0.500 seconds in PvM for full Plate.
Listed amounts describe the stated conditions. Equipment, target rules, damage, healing limits and other effects can change the final result. An example of a chance is never a promise of the same outcome on every attempt.