Utilizing bows in Tears of the Kingdom is an absolute must. And with the new ability to fuse so many different kinds of materials to your arrows, bows have become more powerful than ever!

Whatever your play style, you’re sure to have a couple go-to bows for those rough boss battles, or even just taking on a group of bokoblins. But if you need help knowing where to look for a good bow, I’ve put together a list of the top five best bows in Tears of the Kingdom. Read on to find out more!

5. Dusk Bow

In his classic Twilight Princess outfit, Link wields the Dusk Bow.

The Dusk Bow is a unique weapon in Tears of the Kingdom, with references to Twilight Princess. Among all of the ranged bows in the game, the Dusk Bow is certainly one of the best ones. Despite its uniquely detailed appearance, this bow is surprisingly easy to get, even for early game players!

Stats

• Base Power: 30
• Base Durability: 40
• Long Range

How to get the Dusk Bow:

• The Dusk Bow is hidden away in the tallest tower in the land (if you exclude the sky islands, that is). You may want to stock up on stamina wheels or food before your search, since finding this bow requires a bit of flying and climbing.
• Head to Hyrule Castle, and that’s right, you can access this area even in early game by flying down from the Lookout Landing Tower. Make your way to the middle of Hyrule Castle and up the tallest tower, just above the Sanctum. In the top section of the tower, there’s a chunk missing with a ledge for you to catch your breath, and also a spot to retrieve the Dusk Bow once every blood moon!

Why the Dusk Bow is one of the best:

• The Dusk Bow is one of the few ranged bows in the game with both impressive power and durability stats. It stands above the Phrenic Bow and many of the Rito bows, making for a strong ranged weapon that will help you at any point in the game.

4. Demon King Bow

The sleek Demon King Bow is the perfect accessory and weapon of death for every fashionista in Hyrule.

The first time you come across the dreaded Gloom Hands, you may want to make a run for it. But if you want to try your hand at getting a Demon King Bow, you’ll need to stick this battle out to the end.

Stats

• Base Power: 2 x the number of hearts you have, max of 60
• Base Durability: 42

How to get the Demon King Bow:

• At any point in the game, you might find yourself face to face with a group of Gloom Hands. Defeating this enemy will unlock a battle with Phantom Ganon, who typically holds some type of gloom weapon along with the Demon King Bow. Initially, these encounters and weapons are fairly rare, but later in the game, you’ll find yourself encountering them more and more.

Why the Demon King Bow is one of the best:

• The Demon King Bow is unique since the power level is based on the number of hearts you have. In early game, it may not be very useful if you don’t have many hearts yet. However, it is often still better than many starter bows in the game.
• In late game, when you have anywhere from 20-30 hearts, you’ll find that this bow packs a punch. Keep in mind that taking gloom damage will temporarily decrease the number of hearts you have, and will affect your bow power as well.

3. Royal Bow

The glorious hero of Hyrule stands at the ready with his Royal Bow and his stunning pink shorts.

As you progress throughout the game, and especially if you spend time ransacking Hyrule Castle, you’ll find yourself with a good supply of Royal Bows. You may also come across the Royal Guard Bow in this area, but while it has a powerful 50 damage output, it only has 20 durability, making the Royal Bow a much better choice overall for early or late game.

Stats

• Base Power: 38
• Base Durability: 60

How to get the Royal Bow:

• Royal Bows can be found all over Hyrule. Often they’ll be tucked away in chests, dropped from high-tier enemies, or scattered around Hyrule Castle. There is one Royal Bow that will respawn every blood moon at the back of the Sanctum, tucked on a ledge outside.

Why the Royal Bow is one of the best:

• The Royal Bow is extremely durable, has a good base power, and often has great durability, quick shot, or other power buffs that come with it. The drops for this bow become more and more common later in the game, but if you’re smart, you can find it early on too.

2. Great Eagle Bow

Link with the esteemed Great Eagle Bow, ready to face off against any foe.

Since most players will head to Rito Village for their first temple, this is a bow that can be found fairly early on in the game if you choose to take this route, but the materials to make it are a bit expensive. Despite this, the bow is extremely powerful and durable, making the extra sacrifice more than worth it.

Stats

• Base Power: 28 (x3)
• Base Durability: 60

How to get the Great Eagle Bow:

• Getting the Great Eagle Bow requires that you finish the Rito questline and Wind Temple first. Once this is complete, you can visit Teba in Rito Village where he will tell you that to get your own Great Eagle Bow, you’ll need to bring him a Swallow Bow (easily found at the flight range), five bundles of wood, and three diamonds. You can do this as many times as you want, assuming you can find a way to collect the pricey and rare diamonds to make it.

Why the Great Eagle Bow is one of the best:

• The Great Eagle Bow’s impressive power and durability combo is probably the best in the game, but with how expensive it is, it makes it hard to get for many players. As a special bow, it can’t be obtained with any additional buffs, but with such a unique design and powerful base damage stat, it’s certainly a bow you’ll want to get at least once!

1. Savage Lynel Bow

Dressed in the garb of the wild Lynel, Link proudly displays his prized weapon: the Savage Lynel Bow.

Just like in Breath of the Wild, the Savage Lynel Bow is acquired from only the toughest Lynels around. However, if you’re especially lucky, you’ll come across one of the few rare chests throughout Hyrule containing this powerful bow.

Stats

• Base Power: 32 (x3)
• Base Durability: 45

How to get the Savage Lynel Bow:

• To get your hands on the Savage Lynel Bow, you’ll have to defeat either a Silver or a White-Maned Lynel. These enemies are all around Hyrule, even in the Depths (typically underneath the stables aboveground). A lot of times, you’ll get a 3-Shot bow from this, but in some cases, you might get a 5-Shot.
• As a special note, having a Rock Octorok eat and spit out your 3-Shot Savage Lynel Bow has a chance of making it a 5-Shot Savage Lynel Bow.

Why the Savage Lynel Bow is one of the best:

• The Savage Lynel Bow comes with a base of 32 damage per arrow, meaning that a 3-Shot bow will do 96 damage, and a rare 5-Shot bow will do 160 damage. However, many Savage Lynel Bows will come with other durability or attack up buffs that make them even more ridiculously powerful.
• One of the best parts about these bows is that you can collect quite a few! These bows are most common in late game, and as you find out where the different Lynels are located, you can easily defeat one to get a spare bow.

Final Thoughts

Finding good bows to use in Tears of the Kingdom gets easier as the game goes on. The hardest part is deciding which bows to keep and which to throw away when you don’t have enough room. But guides like this are here to help you out and make sure you’re always using the best bows in the game!

You may also be interested in:

• [Top 10] Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom Best Fuse Materials
• [Top 5] Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom Best Shields
• [Top 10] Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom Best Quests