Combat Skills: The Path of Might – Archery

Archery represents the skill and training needed to wield a bow effectively in combat. The greater your skill, the more deadly your shots. Your Archery skill improves when you damage enemies with a bow and arrows. The amount of increase is based on the damage that you do (minus any enchantments). Of course, only shots that hit their mark will count.

• Constellation: Path of Might
• Available Perks: 16

Available Archery Perks

1–5. Overdraw (5 ranks) ★

• Rank 1: Bows do 20% more damage.
• Requires: None
• Rank 2: Bows do 40% more damage.
• Requires: Archery 20, Overdraw 1
• Rank 3: Bows do 60% more damage.
• Requires: Archery 40, Overdraw 2
• Rank 4: Bows do 80% more damage.
• Requires: Archery 60, Overdraw 3
• Rank 5: Bows do twice as much damage.
• Requires: Archery 80, Overdraw 4

This perk provides a massive +20% bonus to your bow damage with each rank. This is a huge boost; make this perk your top priority whenever your skill level permits.

6–8. Critical Shot (3 ranks)

• Rank 1: 10% chance of a critical hit that does extra damage.
• Requires: Archery 30, Overdraw 1
• Rank 2: 15% chance of a critical hit that does 25% more critical damage.
• Requires: Archery 60, Critical Shot 1
• Rank 3: 20% chance of a critical hit that does 50% more critical damage.
• Requires: Archery 90, Critical Shot 2

When a weapon scores a critical hit, it deals 50% more damage. Statistically, this perk works out to a 5% boost in your average damage over time at Rank 1 and a 15% boost by Rank 3. That’s not insignificant, but Overdraw is still better.

9. Eagle Eye ★

• Pressing Block while aiming will zoom in your view.
• Requires: Archery 30, Overdraw 1

This perk allows you to snipe enemies more accurately from a greater distance. This is a great choice for stealth archers: Since you may get only one shot, make it count!

10–11. Steady Hand (2 ranks)

• Rank 1: Zooming in with a bow slows time by 25%.
• Requires: Archery 40, Eagle Eye
• Rank 2: Zooming in with a bow slows time by 50%.
• Requires: Archery 60, Steady Hand 1

This perk is useful for minimizing the chance that your target will move while you line up a stealth shot or for making sure an important shot hits its mark. It’s especially effective against dragons in the air; you’ll still have to lead your shot a little (i.e., aim at where you think the creature will be when the arrow arrives, not where it is when you fire), but this improves your odds of hitting them significantly.

12. Hunter’s Discipline

• Recover twice as many arrows from dead bodies.
• Requires: Archery 50, Critical Shot 1

A fine choice if you find yourself running out of arrows frequently or use a lot of high-end arrows. If you mainly use basic iron or steel arrows, take something else; they’re so cheap and so common that recovering more of them just isn’t worth the perk.

13. Power Shot ★

• Arrows stagger all but the largest opponents 50% of the time.
• Requires: Archery 50, Eagle Eye

Power Shot is surprisingly strong: In the time it takes an enemy to stagger and recover, you may be able to fire off another shot or two. The stagger will also interrupt an enemy’s charge or block, briefly giving you a clear opening. Or when all else fails, take that second or two to put some space between you and your opponent.

14. Ranger

• Able to move faster with a drawn bow.
• Requires: Archery 60, Hunter’s Discipline

15. Quick Shot

• Can draw a bow 30% faster.
• Requires: Archery 70, Power Shot

16. Bullseye

• You have a 15% chance of paralyzing the target for 10 seconds.
• Requires: Archery 100, Quick Shot OR Ranger

Bullseye gives you a chance to paralyze opponents with each shot. This is fantastic at medium and short ranges, where it can take an enemy out of a fight and allows you to finish them off quickly. It’s somewhat less effective at long range, since enemies fall over when paralyzed, making it more difficult (or impossible) to hit them again from that distance.

Racial Benefits

• +10 Archery
• Wood Elf
• +5 Archery
• Khajiit
• Redguard

Trainers

• Journeyman: Faendal, of Riverwood, in Whiterun Hold.
• Expert: Aela the Huntress, the Companions of Jorrvaskr, in Whiterun.
• Master: Niruin, the Thieves Guild, The Ragged Flagon, in Riften.
• Master: Sorine Jurard, in Fort Dawnguard, The Rift.

Other Resources

• The following quests can also increase this skill:
• Other Factions Quest: Rjorn’s Drum.
• Daedric Quest: Discerning the Transmundane.
• Dungeon Quest: Angi’s Camp: Composure, Speed, and Precision*.
• Solstheim Side Quest: Filial Bonds