PC Crossbow vs compound bow

I've never taken to either the compound or the crossbow. Both just "feel wrong" to me. The compound bow less, but still. I get I'm not the same as others, but I'll probably be making level 5 normal bows and applying mods rather than using the more powerful versions.

 
The crossbow has too much range, hits with too little impact and the handling makes it seem like it is designed specifically to get you killed.

If you are not in a completely safe position it's a death trap.

 
At least they aren't making you wait to crank it like you should be if you actually made the thing from scrap.

 
Crossbow should become a viable option as a filler between bow and guns again. That was a nice progression path in game with a logic rate of increasing damage while you level.

 
The crossbow has too much range, hits with too little impact and the handling makes it seem like it is designed specifically to get you killed.
If you are not in a completely safe position it's a death trap.
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For me, the crossbow is the preferred weapon for stealth. With the 2x scope I can deliver very precise head shots. With the bow I cannot aim so exactly. Besides it happens to me with the bow often that I get stuck in the target mode. Not good if I have a feral zombie on my heels.

And with the exploding bolts the crossbow is a serious weapon in the horde night.

 
Crossbow should become a viable option as a filler between bow and guns again. That was a nice progression path in game with a logic rate of increasing damage while you level.
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In A16 and before, I rarely used a firearm. The crossbow was always sufficient and with the exploding bolts I could kill many zombies in the horde night. Besides the deers always flew so beautifully when I accidentally had an exploding bolt loaded. :)

 
ALL bows and crossbow suck at the moment. Compound bow isn't that much better than a wooden bow and yet it's considerably harder to repair on the go and both bows suck for being slow and unreliable at longer distances, both bows are probably the worst weapons to use in situations when you have to deal with several zombies at once in which case it's better to just give up and run away if possible. Crossbow used to be a decent weapon for stealth as well as a decent backup weapon even in those situations when you're running away from horde, you used to be able to take down some zombies to remove the biggest threat to get more time for retreat, however for several Alpha versions it's been cursed with the double reload bug TFP doesn't care about fixing, which puts usability of this weapon on the same level of compound bow if not even lower.

 
Seems that everybody is forgetting about the explosive bolts, just saying ;)
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Probably because explosive projectiles in A17 didn't work properly in the beginning. That was fixed in the meantime but you still have to invest points in the perk to get them to work the same way as in A16.

I loved the explosive bolts. You could turn a horde of running zombies into a horde of crawling zombies. :)

 
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The main purpose of mods should be to add more fun to the game, not to fix its bugs.
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I just added a 0 to the mag size to see if it would work. It does, and it is fun.

mind you, without a scope, the stack of bolts blocks your view. (fine)

Damage... well, I thought most of the weaps were wussy so cranked it.

Went too far in a few cases, but it is amusing to me, and the drawbacks make it worth it.

EG don't use the shotgun on meat critters, it gibs them. no meat. same for a full burst from the machinegun. (not ak47)

the ragdoll effect is hilarious too.

explody bolts were great, and are not bad now. just expensive to make.

 
Are you saying that too much range would be a disadvantage?
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I mean that a crossbow has far less range than a longbow which would give some differentiation between the arrow-based weapons.

60 feet versus 300 feet of range according to YouTube.

A crossbow allows a novice to use larger bolts compared to what they could draw back with a longbow.

It's like Hellboy; he's a terrible shot but his handgun uses really big bullets. :)

 
I've rethought the crossbow. I now use the compound at low levels and switch to the crossbow for high levels. You can put a scope on the xbow, there is WAY less arrow drop and I one shot zeds in the head easily. I never use it with a lot of zeds cuz I just pull out a pistol for that. The arrow drop/scope advantage with the xbow changes it to be better than the compound for me. And yes, explosive bolts too.

 
I agree with Ryan. The crossbow is my go-to choice for ranged combat. It took a lot of getting used to after swapping from the bow but nowadays it feels second nature. Even without a scope I feel like I can hit every shot I fire.

 
I HATE the compound bow's sights.

Just on that alone, I can't use it with that giant circle ring in the way of your view.

Personally, I always mod the game so that the base bow and crossbow can compete with other weapons mid-late game in situations with lower enemy counts.

The base bow I make fire faster with higher quality bows so you can pull some legolas stuff.

The crossbow I make much more powerful so it knocks back enemies and can kill them with 1 shot.

Vanilla though, I generally don't like any of the bows because the zombies can usually close the distance before I can take them out. I'm generally using either melee or a gun. Then again I'm still playing a16 so this stuff might have changed in a17.

 
I mean that a crossbow has far less range than a longbow which would give some differentiation between the arrow-based weapons.60 feet versus 300 feet of range according to YouTube.
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Err...so, Tom Brady can throw a football over 4x farther than a proven instrument of death once outlawed by The Church?

-Morloc

 
I use the compound bow from early game all through late game, once you get used to the arrow drop you can snipe heads with it in sneak mode reliably and a modded up bow with steel arrows performs just as good as a crossbow damage wise, late game your perception and boom headshot perks should be max or close to max to where it doesn't matter,

You should always be aiming for head shots on zombies.

IMHO the crossbow is terrible all around.

 
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