Bone Bow
Bone Bow is a light Shadow of the Erdtree bow found in Belurat, Tower Settlement. Its fixed Rancor Shot skill rapidly looses several spirit-guided arrows that bend toward a target, trading ammunition and per-arrow impact for mobile tracking pressure.
Key Takeaways
Bone Bow is a Shadow of the Erdtree light bow built around a fixed tracking skill rather than Ash of War customization.
Tracking-focused light bow
Its defining feature is Rancor Shot, which launches a pursuing spectral projectile and gives the weapon a distinct option against moving targets.
DLC availability
Bone Bow requires Shadow of the Erdtree and is obtained from a chest in Belurat, Tower Settlement, rather than from the base game's weapon pool.
Fixed progression
The bow uses the unique-weapon upgrade path with Somber Smithing Stones, and its fixed skill means it cannot be customized with Ashes of War.
Useful, but specialized
Its tracking skill can help maintain pressure on mobile enemies, while the lack of skill customization limits its flexibility compared with infusible standard bows.
A light-bow alternative
Compared with ordinary light bows, Bone Bow trades broader skill and affinity flexibility for its distinctive pursuing-shot utility.
Overview
Bone Bow is a Shadow of the Erdtree light bow built around a supernatural tracking attack rather than a conventional Ash of War choice.
Bone Bow is a ranged weapon in Elden Ring and a downloadable-content addition from Shadow of the Erdtree. It belongs to the light bow class, so its role is mobile ranged pressure: the user can attack while repositioning instead of committing to the heavier handling associated with greatbows. Its identity comes less from raw weapon statistics than from its fixed special attack, which gives the bow a distinct option for pursuing enemies at a distance.
The bow’s defining feature is Rancor Shot, a weapon skill that launches a projectile accompanied by hostile spirit effects. The attack is intended to pressure targets beyond the point of impact, making Bone Bow different from a light bow that relies only on ordinary arrows and a replaceable Ash of War. Because the skill is tied to the weapon, it should be evaluated as part of Bone Bow’s complete moveset rather than as a neutral platform for general bow customization.
Bone Bow occupies a specialized role among Elden Ring’s light bows. It can support players who value mobility, ranged harassment, and a more unusual projectile presentation, while its skill gives it a clearer identity than a purely interchangeable bow. That does not by itself establish that it deals the highest damage or has the greatest range; those decisions depend on reinforcement, attributes, ammunition, and the encounter. Its practical value is therefore tied to whether its skill and light-bow handling fit the player’s build.
As a Shadow of the Erdtree weapon, Bone Bow is relevant only in the expansion’s content and is not part of the base-game weapon roster. It is obtained during exploration of the Realm of Shadow rather than being introduced as a general early-game bow. The weapon is best understood as a specialized DLC sidegrade: a compact ranged option for players who want a fixed supernatural attack, not a universal replacement for every other bow or for bows chosen primarily for flexible Ash of War and ammunition setups.
Statistics
Elden Ring publishes no 0–100 stat bars, so this page lists the verified requirements, scaling and handling figures instead. Taken from the project's verified weapons database, not from generated text.
- CategoryBows
- Damage TypePierce
- Primary ScalingDex C
- Weight4.5
- SkillMighty Shot
- Str Req9
- Dex Req22
- How to ObtainDropped by bone bow-wielding enemies
Figures verified against Consolidated Game Weapons Database.
Compared to similar bows
| Weapon | Str Req | Dex Req | Weight | Primary Scaling |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bone Bow | 9 | 22 | 4.5 | Dex C |
| Erdtree Bow | 9 | 20 | 4.5 | Fai D |
| Serpent Bow | 9 | 20 | 4.5 | Arc D |
| Black Bow | 9 | 20 | 4.5 | Dex C |
| Horn Bow | 9 | 15 | 4.5 | Dex D |
Requirements, scaling grades and weight are the game’s own published figures. From Consolidated Game Weapons Database.
How to Obtain
- Defeat Starscourge Radahn to open access to Nokron, Eternal City.
- No DLC, vendor, quest, or NG+ requirement is needed; the fixed pickup is available in the base game once Nokron can be entered.
- The pickup is not tied to a known timed quest or irreversible choice, but it is collected only once per playthrough.
- 01Reach Nokron, Eternal City after defeating Starscourge Radahn and entering the crater south of Mistwood. From the Ancestral Woods area, follow the rooftops and ledges into the Night's Sacred Ground section of Nokron, then enter the building containing the loot. The Bone Bow is collected from a fixed pickup there; it is not a vendor item, quest reward, or enemy drop.
- 02Loot the item from the corpse inside the building. The pickup is guaranteed when reached and can be collected without completing a separate quest or defeating another boss. If you leave it behind, return to the same building before leaving the playthrough.
Mechanics and Handling
Bone Bow uses the light-bow attack pattern: it fires individual arrows rather than using a magazine, and its handling is built around choosing between rapid ordinary shots and a slower, committed skill attack. Its value is therefore shaped as much by arrow selection and positioning as by the bow’s displayed attack values.
Shot timing and projectile handling
Ordinary attacks release one equipped arrow at a time. A quick shot is useful for keeping pressure on a distant or lightly exposed target, while holding the attack to aim gives more control over placement. Arrows travel along a visible projectile path rather than striking instantly, so elevation, distance, enemy movement, and the weapon’s arc all affect whether a shot connects. Bone Bow does not use firearm-style reloading; firing consumes ammunition from the currently selected arrow slot.
Mighty Shot
Bone Bow has the fixed weapon skill Mighty Shot. The skill draws the bow more deliberately before releasing a single powerful arrow, making it better suited to a clear opening than to repeated close-range fire. Mighty Shot can penetrate the guard of a blocking enemy, so it provides a way to challenge shielded targets without treating every defended enemy as a target for ordinary arrows. Because the skill is tied to the weapon, Bone Bow is not a blank platform for replacing its Ash of War.
Ammunition and status application
The bow’s practical role changes with the equipped arrows. Standard arrows provide straightforward ranged damage, while compatible specialised ammunition can change the damage type or apply its own status effect; those properties belong to the ammunition rather than representing an innate Bone Bow buildup. Arrow supply must therefore be managed separately from the bow: carrying enough of the intended type matters for sustained ranged play, and switching ammunition can be more consequential than changing between ordinary shots and Mighty Shot.
Upgrades and Variants
Strengths, Weaknesses and Best Uses
Strengths
- Rancor Shot gives the Bone Bow a tracking projectile option, making it more forgiving against moving targets than relying entirely on manually aimed arrows.
- As a light bow, it supports mobile ranged play without committing to the slower handling associated with heavier bow classes.
- Its dedicated skill gives the weapon a distinct ranged role rather than making it only a stat-based alternative to ordinary light bows.
- It can contribute damage or status effects from a safer distance when an enemy is difficult to approach.
Weaknesses
- The Bone Bow still depends on an arrow supply, so sustained use requires ammunition management rather than only FP or stamina management.
- Its light-bow class does not provide the heavy projectile impact or stagger potential associated with greatbows and similar heavier ranged weapons.
- Tracking does not remove the need to choose appropriate targets: agile enemies, environmental obstructions, or targets with effective ranged defenses can reduce the practical value of Rancor Shot.
- Using its signature skill adds an FP consideration, making it less attractive for characters that invest little in Mind or rarely use weapon skills.
Best uses
- Use it for mobile PvE exploration when maintaining distance matters more than maximizing single-shot impact.
- Use Rancor Shot against moving or evasive targets that are awkward to lead with ordinary arrows.
- Pair it with an arrow type suited to the encounter when ranged status application or elemental damage is more useful than direct physical damage.
- Choose another bow class when the priority is maximum reach, heavy stagger, or the strongest conventional shot rather than guided utility.
Compared With Similar Weapons
| Weapon | Class / role | Distinctive mechanic | Skill flexibility | Best fit |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bone Bow | Unique Rancor Shot fires a pursuing projectile | Fixed skill | Players who value homing pressure and a distinctive ranged skill | — |
| Short Bow | Supports the light-bow moveset and quick firing patterns | Ash of War can be changed | General-purpose mobility and close-to-mid-range bow play | — |
| Composite Bow | Uses the light-bow moveset without Bone Bow’s unique projectile | Ash of War can be changed | Dexterity builds seeking a customizable light bow | — |
| Black Bow | Combines longbow reach with faster light-bow handling | Skill is changeable | Players wanting greater reach without giving up mobile bow handling | — |
Lore and Design
The Bone Bow is presented through its item description as a bow fashioned from human remains, with its skeletal construction supplying its defining visual and thematic identity. The description does not establish a named maker, owner, character relationship, or faction affiliation, so those connections should not be inferred from its appearance alone.
Its design belongs to Elden Ring’s recurring death imagery: the weapon turns bone and sinew into a functional ranged weapon rather than treating them as decorative motifs. That is a restrained thematic reading, not a documented statement of inspiration or developer intent. No separate official design commentary or development history is established here.
Trivia
- Bone Bow’s item description attributes its construction to skeletal militia and presents it as a weapon made from human bones. This gives the bow a direct association with Elden Ring’s animated skeletal enemies rather than merely using “bone” as a visual label.