Who needs a sword and a shield when one can always just turn their targets into a pin cushion with arrows? While the standard caricature of a video game hero typically carries a sword (for fantasy mediums), some prefer a safer way of combat. Such is the case for thebow and arrow. It’s only one of the most clever ways that humans have invented when it comes to hurting one another or other species.
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Even so, there aren’t many characters in video games that prefer archery. That’s why the handfulfew of them stand outas master marksmen. They also share a lot in common with one another: most are not that good in melee combat (at least when compared to other video game icons). Still, when it comes to making an arrow fly straight and true, these video game characters with bows never miss.
8Atreus (God Of War 4)
It’s no longer a secret by now that Atreus' real name is Loki. That very well means he’s fallen quite far from the tree as an apple since he’s certainly no Kratos be it in personality, physique, or fighting style. Atreus is primarily a bow-user and a good one, especially for someone his age.
While most of his arrows don’t outright kill the tough enemies of the Norse mythos inGod of War 4, they provide a valuable form of crowd control or finishers for his father. To that end, he complements Kratos' raw melee fighting style well, acting as his auxiliary and sometimes even getting his father out of a bind.
7Ganyu (Genshin Impact)
There are many bow users inGenshin Impactbut none of them are on the samelevel of monstrosityas Ganyu (at least damage-wise). She’s arguably the current most powerful character inGenshin Impactright now (at the time of writing), and this came as a surprise.
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Because in the lore, she gravitates more toward herother professionas a government secretary. But she’s essentially more than 2,000-years-old so she supposedly got a lot of practice when it comes to combat. Thus, it’s safe to assume that Ganyu has become a master ranger who can snipe enemies from a mile away and turn their whole clan into shaved ice.
6Lara Croft (Tomb Rader Series)
The old Lara Croft from the earlyTomb Raidergames was more of a gun-nut, but her latest trilogy reboot explored her roots and origins. So instead of a gun-toting magazine cover hottie, she became a more grounded and realistic survivalist. And a survivalist’s preferred projectile weapon is none other than a makeshift bow.
Lara’s not just a good bowman, she can also make her own bows and arrows regardless of the environment she inhabits in a given game. All she needs are some sticks and rejected branches in order to turn into the world’s deadliest archeologist, also themost destructive.
5Garrett (Thief)
Garrett has always been the main character of theThiefseries, and he’s not that greatat killing. He’s a thief, after all, not an assassin. Even most of his arrows tend to be non-lethal and have multiple utilities apart from just taking out guards or distracting them.
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Garrett can fire off arrows that magically cover an area with water or inexplicably eject a rope on impact in order to help him scale buildings. This kind of craftiness on his utilities alone makes him the equivalent of Batman for the medieval fantasy genre.
4Connor Kenway (Assassin’s Creed 3)
Most of the Assassins inAssassin’s Creedgames are every man (or women) who can practically do everything from espionage to sailing. They’re masters of several combat styles and are usually more powerful than even some of the best and most promising warriors in history. So it’s not surprising that one of them, Connor Kenway, is also a master marksman.
Out of all theAssassin’s Creedprotagonists, Connor Kenway stands out for his bow skills despite the series containing literal gods such as Alexios or Kassandra. This is also because Connor was raised among Native Americans and trained from his childhood to be proficient with a bow at least for hunting.
3Leliana (Dragon Age: Origins)
Leliana fromDragon Age: Originsis a different breed of archer altogether. She can be good at anything if players want. This archetype for Leliana also extends to her lore as she was alsoonce a spy, a bard, a nun, and later on, the equivalent of a Pope inDragon Agemythos.
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But inOrigins, Leliana joins the party rather humble as some kind of warrior nun. She’s instantly proficient in the Archery skill tree but can easily branch out to other Rogue class specialties. Whichever the case, Leliana is a master death-dealer— someone who will slash an enemy’s throat or snipe their eyeballs from a hundred yards away and still be coyor likeableafterward.
2Aloy (Horizon Series)
Growing up, it seems Aloy didn’t choose the bow, but rather, it was one of the few ways she could survive or thrive in her post-apocalyptic world. Because most of the enemies in theHorizongames are robot dinosaurs with metal carapace. Primitive as they are, Aloy’s ilk are not dull enough to fight such creatures of steel with wooden spears.
But through a rough and independent childhood, Aloy honed herself into one of the most promising archers in her world and also in gaming history. Of course, she’s only as good as the players allow her to be, but her ingenuity with arrows, as well as experience with hunting make her a sharp deadeye.
1Hanzo (Overwatch)
Hanzo Shimada fromOverwatchis another good one. Players don’t have to try out this character in order to have an inkling of his role in the team-based competitive shooter. Hanzo is a straightforward DPS or damage character capable of dishing out some lethal hit-and-run tactics.
This samurai ranger from the future also has numerous arrows of varying purposes or technology at his disposal. This allows him to change up his attack methods to suit the situation. When it comes to fancy shots, he takes the cake here; not many other video game archers can turn their arrows into spinning dragons.
