The Black Bow can anchor a mobile archer build after level 100, but it rewards a different approach from a bow built around heavier individual shots. It meets the longbow label while using the Light Bow moveset on foot, and its Barrage skill trades per-shot output for a rapid string of arrows. Get it from Leyndell before defeating Maliketh if you want it on your current character.
What the Black Bow does well
The Black Bow’s identity is its firing cadence and mobility. Its item description says it can be wielded similarly to a shortbow, and the weapon reference lists the Light Bow moveset while on foot. That makes it a natural fit if you want quick follow-up shots and room to reposition rather than treating every arrow as a slow, high-commitment attack.
The weapon reference lists 70 physical attack power, weight 4.0, and requirements of 8 Strength and 20 Dexterity. Its listed scaling is Strength E and Dexterity D. These are listed weapon values, not a damage ranking or a guarantee of how much damage a particular character will deal; upgrades, target defenses, and other conditions matter.
Elden Ring Wiki’s Black Bow reference reproduces the in-game description: “Longbow carved from black wood to resemble a blade. One of the most difficult bows to master. The blade-like body of the bow is light and cuts through the air. Though a longbow, it can be wielded similarly to a shortbow.”
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How Barrage changes your shots
Barrage readies the bow and fires a rapid succession of arrows. The cited skill reference reports each Barrage shot at 80% of weapon Attack Power and 75% of base status buildup, with a cost of 2 FP and 13 stamina per shot. The Black Bow reference likewise describes Barrage shots as weaker than normal shots but faster. These figures are from a community-maintained reference accessed October 8, 2026; check the current game version before relying on exact performance for a particular patch, mode, arrow, or target.
The practical decision is whether the extra firing cadence serves your encounter. Barrage can make repeated hits and status application part of your plan, but each shot has lower reported damage and buildup than a full-strength shot, and the skill consumes FP and stamina as it fires. A fast sequence is not automatically the best damage-per-second choice: no controlled comparison establishes that Barrage is always superior to normal shots or other bow skills.
Rank #2
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Build decisions after level 100
Meet the requirements, then choose your damage investment
Start by meeting the Black Bow’s listed minimums of 8 Strength and 20 Dexterity. Dexterity is a reasonable offensive direction because the weapon’s listed Dexterity scaling grade is higher than its Strength grade. That grade alone does not establish an optimal allocation, however; the available figures do not provide a controlled damage comparison or an exact stat target for level 100 and beyond.
Set survivability around your risk tolerance
Choose Vigor and Endurance according to how often you expect to take hits, the armor you want to wear, and how much stamina your preferred firing rhythm consumes. There is no single allocation established here that fits every level-100-plus character, encounter, or playstyle.
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Decide what role the bow should fill
- Favor mobility and quick follow-ups: use the Black Bow’s on-foot Light Bow moveset and its rapid firing skill as the core of an active, repositioning playstyle.
- Favor stronger individual shots or a different ranged role: compare another bow on its own listed damage, range, moveset, skill, and acquisition requirements. Those alternative-specific values are not established here, so the Black Bow’s listing alone cannot prove it is the best bow for every build.
- Build around status: account for Barrage’s reported 75% of base status buildup per shot alongside its faster cadence. The ratio does not by itself prove how quickly a particular enemy will succumb; target resistance and the arrows used also matter.
- Manage resources: consider the skill’s reported FP and stamina costs in the encounters where you intend to use it, rather than assuming rapid fire is free.
Where to find the Black Bow—and when to get it
The Black Bow is on a corpse on the rooftops in the lower district of Leyndell, Royal Capital. The location reference’s route starts from Avenue Balcony and crosses nearby rooftops. Its key missable condition: defeating Maliketh before collecting the bow makes it unavailable to that character until a new Journey.
- Reach Leyndell, Royal Capital, and locate the Avenue Balcony Site of Grace.
- Use the nearby rooftops to cross into the lower district, following the route toward the corpse described in the Black Bow location reference.
- Collect the bow before defeating Maliketh if you want to use it on this character.
How to evaluate the Black Bow against another bow
Rather than choosing by a single attack-power number, compare what the weapon asks you to do in combat:
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- Does its moveset let you stay mobile and fire follow-up shots at the pace you want?
- Are you prioritizing damage per shot and range, or the Black Bow’s quicker firing pattern?
- If status is part of the plan, how do per-shot buildup and firing cadence interact with your intended arrows and target?
- Can you sustain the skill’s FP and stamina demands in the encounters that matter to you?
- Does the other weapon’s acquisition timing or upgrade-material path fit your progress better?
The available references do not establish a best-in-slot ranking, a tested level-100 stat spread, or a latest-patch comparison. Bandai Namco’s official Patch 1.04 notes are an official historical source, but they do not establish the current patch status of Black Bow or Barrage.
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