Weaponsupporting

Horn Bow

Horn Bow is a physical-and-magic bow found in Siofra River near the Hallowhorn Grounds. It rewards Intelligence-supported archery, works especially well with magic arrows, and uses Mighty Shot for deliberate long-range openings.

Importance

supporting

Elden Ring · weapon

Key Takeaways

Horn Bow is a standard bow distinguished by its built-in magic damage, making it a ranged option for characters that want more than a purely physical projectile attack.

Built-in magic damage

Unlike a purely physical bow such as the Longbow, Horn Bow deals a split physical-and-magic damage profile. That gives ranged attacks a second damage type, while allowing enemies with strong magic defenses to blunt part of its output.

Uses the bow moveset

Its core handling centers on aimed shots, quick shots, arrow selection, and projectile travel rather than firearm-style magazines or reloads. Its default weapon skill is Mighty Shot, which rewards deliberate charged attacks.

Requires Strength and Dexterity investment

Horn Bow is intended for characters meeting its Strength and Dexterity requirements; it is not a substitute for a pure spell catalyst or a weapon whose damage is governed only by Intelligence.

Found in Siofra River

The weapon is acquired as an exploration pickup in the Siofra River area rather than as a routine shop purchase or a standard enemy-drop reward.

Standard reinforcement path

Horn Bow follows the regular Smithing Stone upgrade route, allowing its base weapon performance and scaling to improve through reinforcement without treating its magic component as a temporary buff.

Its split damage is also a limitation

The physical and magic portions are checked against different defenses, so the bow's distinctive damage profile is not automatically superior against every target. Its main advantage is damage-type flexibility, not a universal damage ranking.

Overview

Horn Bow is a standard bow in Elden Ring that combines ordinary ranged attacks with innate magic damage. It is a useful early-to-mid progression option for characters who want a bow with an Intelligence-friendly damage profile rather than a purely physical alternative.

The Horn Bow belongs to Elden Ring's regular bow class rather than its unique or Somber-upgrade weapon groups. Its defining trait is the split between physical and magic damage built into the weapon. That gives it a different role from straightforward physical bows: its performance is not determined solely by Dexterity, and its damage profile can remain relevant for characters already investing in Intelligence.

It uses arrows and supports the normal aimed and quick-shot bow functions, while its weapon skill is Mighty Shot. The skill gives the bow a deliberate, charged attack option rather than changing it into a separate spellcasting tool. Arrow choice still matters, and the Horn Bow does not make every arrow type interchangeable or remove the resource considerations attached to ranged combat.

The bow is especially notable for characters who want ranged access without abandoning a magic-oriented build. Its split damage can help a player maintain a ranged option alongside sorceries or other Intelligence-scaling equipment, although the exact result depends on reinforcement, attributes, arrow choice, enemy defenses, and any active affinity or buffs. Those variables make the Horn Bow's role more useful to describe as a damage-profile choice than as a universal upgrade over other bows.

Horn Bow is available in the base game and is not a Shadow of the Erdtree weapon or a separate DLC variant. It occupies a practical niche for players exploring Elden Ring's underground areas and building toward a mixed physical-and-magical loadout. Compared with a simpler physical bow, it offers a more specialized option; compared with dedicated magical ranged tools, it remains an ammunition-based bow with the handling limits and resource demands of that weapon family.

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.

Category
Bows
Damage Type
Pierce
Primary Scaling
Dex D
Weight
4.5
Skill
No Skill
Str Req
9
Dex Req
15
How to Obtain
Enia at Roundtable Hold

Figures verified against Consolidated Game Weapons Database.

Compared to similar bows

Weapon	Str Req	Dex Req	Weight	Primary Scaling
Horn Bow	9	15	4.5	Dex D
Erdtree Bow	9	20	4.5	Fai D
Serpent Bow	9	20	4.5	Arc D
Black Bow	9	20	4.5	Dex C
Bone Bow	9	22	4.5	Dex C

Requirements, scaling grades and weight are the game’s own published figures. From Consolidated Game Weapons Database.

How to Obtain

Before you start

Access to the Siofra River area through the Siofra River Well; no boss, quest, DLC, or NG+ requirement is needed.
The Horn Bow is a one-time pickup per playthrough, but it is not normally missable and can be collected after progressing elsewhere.

01Enter Siofra River through the Siofra River Well in Mistwood, then reach the Siofra River Bank Site of Grace. From there, locate the large staircase leading toward the Hallowhorn Grounds.
02Search beneath that staircase for a corpse. Loot the corpse to receive the Horn Bow; this is a guaranteed fixed-world pickup, not an enemy drop or quest reward. It remains available if collected later.

Mechanics and Handling

Horn Bow is handled as a conventional bow: its attacks consume arrows one at a time, and the player can fire quickly or hold the shot for a stronger, more deliberate release. It does not use a magazine, reload animation, or firearm-style recoil cycle. Arrow choice therefore changes the practical role of the weapon, while ammunition consumption remains the main resource concern. Lock-on is useful for ordinary targets, but manual aiming is better when placing shots at a specific body part or attacking across uneven terrain.

Split damage and projectile handling

Unlike a purely physical bow, Horn Bow includes innate magic damage in its attack profile. This makes its ordinary arrows deal a mixed damage result rather than turning every shot into a separate spell projectile. The split is part of the weapon's damage behavior and remains distinct from temporary buffs or special arrow effects. It does not grant homing, automatic tracking, multishot, or a universal advantage against every enemy; target defenses and the selected ammunition still matter. As with other bows, projectile travel and gravity require the player to account for distance instead of treating every shot as an instant hit.

Mighty Shot

Horn Bow's weapon skill is Mighty Shot. The skill replaces the normal firing action with a charged attack: the player draws the bow, waits for the stronger release state, and fires a more forceful arrow. This is most useful when there is time to prepare a shot, such as against an exposed enemy, a large target, or an opening after a predictable attack. It is less convenient at close range, where the draw window can leave the user vulnerable. Mighty Shot is a deliberate single-projectile attack, not a volley, and its use still consumes the equipped arrow.

Ammunition and combat rhythm

Horn Bow has no weapon-specific passive status buildup or return mechanic. Its combat rhythm is instead defined by spacing, line of sight, arrow selection, and deciding whether a quick shot is safer than charging Mighty Shot. A shielded or rapidly advancing enemy can make repeated charged attacks impractical, while elevated positions and long sightlines give the bow more opportunity to use its ranged damage safely. The bow does not require durability management during ordinary combat; its practical limitation is access to suitable arrows and the time needed to draw before committing to a powerful shot.

Upgrades and Variants

Strengths, Weaknesses and Best Uses

Strengths

Its innate magic damage gives ordinary shots a mixed physical-and-magic profile, allowing the Horn Bow to pressure targets that do not heavily resist both damage types.
Mighty Shot provides a charged, high-impact option for deliberate single-target attacks rather than requiring a separate Ash of War.
It uses standard bow ammunition, so its special damage profile does not depend on carrying a unique weapon-specific resource.

Weaknesses

Split physical and magic damage is tested against two defenses, so the Horn Bow can perform less efficiently against targets that resist either component than a more specialized bow would.
Its fixed Mighty Shot limits skill customization and prevents the bow from adopting another Ash of War's utility or damage profile.
The charged attack requires time to aim and release, making it a poor fit for close-range pressure, rapidly moving targets, or situations where repeated quick shots are safer.

Best uses

Use it for ranged single-target pressure when innate magic damage is more useful than a purely physical bow profile.
Keep it as an opening or spacing tool for encounters where a charged Mighty Shot can be prepared before the enemy reaches melee range.
Choose it when you want a conventional bow with built-in magic damage and do not need to customize its weapon skill.

Compared With Similar Weapons

Compared With Similar Weapons
Weapon	Class and role	Damage profile	Default skill	Customization
Longbow	Primarily physical damage; its arrows determine additional damage	Mighty Shot	Regular bow reinforcement path; compatible with changeable Ashes of War and affinities	—
Composite Bow	Primarily physical damage; relies more on rapid firing and arrow choice	Barrage	Regular bow reinforcement path; compatible with changeable Ashes of War and affinities	—
Albinauric Bow	Primarily physical damage; arrow choice supplies other damage types	Mighty Shot	Regular bow reinforcement path; compatible with changeable Ashes of War and affinities	—

Lore and Design

Item-text significance

The Horn Bow’s item text describes it as being fashioned from the horn of a great beast and imbued with magic. This establishes the weapon’s fantastical construction and provides an in-world explanation for its magic-infused arrows, but it does not identify the beast or connect the bow to a named character, faction, or historical event.

Beyond that description, no documented developer commentary or official design history is established for the weapon. Its visual resemblance to real-world horn bows is not, by itself, evidence of a specific cultural source or intended inspiration.