Archery (Skyrim)

An archer is trained in the use of bows and arrows. The greater the skill, the more deadly the shot.

Archery is a skill in The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim and is one of the six skills that falls under The Warrior. However, Archery is heavily involved in The Thief's gameplay, especially with the Sneak skill. Archery skill is raised by the use of bows that the player can equip and use.

Archery is a skill type that has appeared in The Elder Scrolls II: Daggerfall as well, and It is similar to Marksman in that was in The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind and The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion. Archery, as opposed to Marksman, is considered a combat skill, not a stealth skill.

The bows will take longer to pull back but do more damage and holding the string back will not drain your stamina. The bow also acts more like a long-range high-precision high-damage weapon (contrary to the short to mid-ranged bows of previous installments), there are certain perks that allow you to zoom in, hold your breath and use pre-ballistic slow motion while aiming a bow.

Bows can be upgraded in the same way melee weapons can, the smithing perks for e.g. elven armor allow the player to create superior and exquisite versions.

When carrying too much weight to run, sneaking with a drawn and pulled-back bow slightly increases speed.

Books
List of books that can increase this skill:
 * Vernaccus and Bourlor


 * The Black Arrow


 * The Black Arrow, v2


 * The Gold Ribbon of Merit


 * The Marksmanship Lesson


 * Father of the Niben

Trainers
List of individuals that can increase this skill by giving them gold:


 * Faendal in Riverwood.


 * Aela The Huntress in Whiterun. (The Companions)
 * Niruin in Riften

Governing Guardian Stone: The Warrior

Bows
The following are the confirmed weapons that benefit from this skill:

Please Note: The Damage for each bow is quite diffrent e.g ebony bow leaves the dwarven bow for dead damage wise.

Note: Table still under construction

Named Bows
The details are subject to change as some are leveled items.


 * Dravin's Bow - Damage: 12-14 Weight: 7 Value 50 - Found below the Ragged Flagon.


 * Firinel's End - Damage: 13 Weight: 12 Value: 785 - Target takes 20 points of frost damage to Health and Stamina.


 * Froki's Bow - Damage: 6 Weight: 5 Value: 307 - Does 10 points of Stamina Damage.


 * Gauldur Blackbow - Damage: Weight: Value: - Absorbs 15 points of Magicka. Drops from Sigdis Gauldurson at Geirmund's Hall.


 * Nightingale Bow - Damage 20 Weight: 11 Value: 838 - freezes the target for x points" and "shocks target for x points.

Archery Perks
The following are the perks that become available to select as the skill is leveled up

Archery Tips

 * When using steady hand string your bow then zoom in long enough to fire then un-zoom while you re-string your bow again. This allows you to be a lot more accurate with your arrows while not losing as much stamina as you normally would from keeping zoom held in.
 * The aim on bows seems to be low. To hit a target in the head at middle distance, aim for the center of their chest. You may need to adjust lower if the target is closer.
 * Arrows make a noise when they hit walls and items. You can use this to draw enemy attention away fom you, allowing for sneak shots at an enemy's exposed back
 * If you have drawn an arrow, but do not wish to use it, there is a 'release' key (R default on PC, X on the Xbox 360, and Square on the PS3). Use it to save arrows and to avoid making unnecessary noise.
 * You can easily capture souls by enchanting a bow with the shortest duration soul capture spell (1 sec). Even with petty soul gems, you can get many uses from the enchantment.
 * You can find an Ebony Bow in the Lost Valkygg near Labyrinthian early game. The item is drastically better than any other bow available at the time. WARNING: At lower levels a shot from the Draugr Deathlord can be a one-hit kill, paired with his use of Unrelenting Force it's a hard fight.
 * Using the time-slowing zoom (Steady Hand) allows you to pop out from around a corner, take a shot, and pull back extremely quickly. This is a great way to stay stealthed when engaing multiple enemies in a dungeon. Keep in mind, there are some 'invisible wall' issues, so make sure the shot is well clear of any walls or items.
 * Using the Extra Effect perk, you can place a 1 second soul capture and another damaging enchantment on a bow. Coupled with the Star of Azura, this makes for a devastating combination.
 * There's a cabin in the southwest corner of the map by Falkreath that a woman named Angi lives in. She trains in archery for free by letting you shoot targets. Gains you several levels easily! (Confirmed: You'll find it on the ascending the mountain range from Falkreath. You'll level up your skills by shooting at targets, although it gets more challenging with each round.)
 * You can get infinite arrows by picking up arrows from NPCs practicing archery. One such example are Thrynn and other guys in the The Ragged Flagon - Cistern (Thieves guild ) in the city of Riften, you'll find him practicing archery starting at 10am. You can get better arrows by pickpocketing all the arrows and replacing them with better ones. See also - Solitude, because they starting shooting from 8am to 8pm. Don`t forget regularly take arrows, cause they vanish after a while.
 * One you have acquired Shadowmere from The Dark Brotherhood questline, you can turn the difficulty to maximum and continually shoot Shadowmere for quick archery leveling. Be careful however, as Shadowmere can be killed by your arrows. You can also summon a Frost Atronach for the same kind of leveling. This technique also works with the other combat skills (Two-Handed, One-Handed & Destruction)

See also:

Skill (Skyrim)