Bow — Far Far West Weapon Guide
Complete guide to the Bow in Far Far West. Charge-based, horseback-friendly sidearm with Overdraw and Ultra Draw Jokers for ranged burst, AoE, and gold farming.
The Bow — sometimes called the Horse Bow because you can fire it from horseback — is a charge-based secondary built around a single, deliberate shot. Its magazine is effectively 1: you charge and release rather than spray. A quick draw fires a cheap, low-cost arrow; a full draw releases an explosive shot that scales hard with charge time and with the Bow's two unique Jokers. That charge dependency makes it a precision and utility pick rather than a panic-fire weapon, and its horseback usability is what sets it apart from every other sidearm in the kit. Like all non-starter secondaries, it takes 6 Fragments plus 300 Gold to assemble at the Gunsmith. For a full sidearm comparison, see our best sidearms ranking.
Stats Overview
| Stat | Value | Rating |
|---|---|---|
| Damage | Charge-scaled | High burst on full draw |
| Range | Long | Excellent accuracy |
| Magazine | 1 (charge-and-release) | Deliberate, not rapid |
| Mounted | Usable on horseback | Unique among sidearms |
| Special | Overdraw / Ultra Draw | Cone or single massive arrow |
Why Use the Bow
- High single-shot burst on a full draw
- Fires from horseback — the standout sidearm for mounted play
- Charge level scales the explosive shot directly
- Strong inside spell-heavy builds that want big elemental fields
- Doubles as a farming tool with the right element (see below)
How the Charge Works
The Bow rewards patience. Tapping fire gives you a cheap arrow for poking or finishing low-health targets; holding for a full draw produces the explosive shot that carries the weapon. Because the magazine is just one charge-and-release, every shot is a decision — you are not holding a trigger, you are picking a moment. On horseback this is a real strength: you can kite at range, charge during the ride, and release a heavy arrow without ever dismounting, which is why mounted and spell-heavy builds favor it.
Element Choice
The Bow flexes between two jobs depending on the element you imbue.
- Acid or Electric — for big elemental fields. These are the picks for mounted and spell-heavy builds that want each charged arrow to drop a large setup-and-trigger zone. Electric also plays into Portal duplication if your spell tree leans that way.
- Fire — for utility farming. A fully charged Fire arrow one-shots ghost houses and breaks gold veins, which makes it the go-to for farming runs. If your priority is clearing ghost houses fast or cracking gold veins for resources, imbue Fire.
That farming utility is a big part of why the Bow earns its Tier A, situational rating — it is not just a combat tool, it is a resource tool.
Best Joker Cards
The Bow has exactly two unique Jokers. Note that Focus Shot is not a Bow card — it belongs to the Long Ranger — so don't build around it here. Everything beyond the two uniques is a generic damage Joker picked by rarity.
| Card | Type | Effect |
|---|---|---|
| Overdraw | Unique | A ~2-second charge fires a 3-arrow cone |
| Ultra Draw | Unique | A ~4-second charge fires one massive explosive arrow |
| Headbang | Mythic | +20% weak-spot damage |
| Weak Link | Prime | +35% weak-spot damage, −35% on normal hits |
| Glass Cannon | Legendary | Generic damage Joker |
Overdraw and Ultra Draw define the two ways to play the Bow. Overdraw turns a medium charge into a 3-arrow cone, which is your answer to grouped enemies and your best path to spreading an elemental field wide. Ultra Draw goes the other direction — a longer 4-second charge for a single massive explosive arrow, the pick for cracking tough single targets, ghost houses, and gold veins. You generally commit to one playstyle: cone coverage with Overdraw or single-arrow burst with Ultra Draw. For where these sit against other cards, see our best Joker builds guide.
Weaknesses
- The charge window punishes panic-fire — it is bad as a reactive tool
- Weak for rapid trash clear compared to a spray sidearm
- Needs its unique Jokers to reach full potential
- Situational: great mounted or farming, awkward in tight reactive fights
Recommended Pairings
| Primary | Why It Works |
|---|---|
| Long Ranger | Keeps the whole loadout ranged and precise |
| Leveredge | Precision primary paired with a precision sidearm |
| Quad Cylinder | Flexible all-rounder that covers the Bow's slow reactive gaps |
Solo vs Co-op
Solo, the Bow is a tempo weapon — charge between threats, release on the dangerous target, and lean on a faster primary for the in-between. Fire imbue lets a solo player self-sustain resources by farming ghost houses and gold veins on the same run. In co-op, the Bow is a strong opener and a field-layer: charge an Acid or Electric arrow into a chokepoint so teammates trigger the detonation, or take the farming role on resource runs while the squad covers you during charges.
Upgrade Priority
- Charge speed — faster full draws mean more Ultra/Overdraw shots
- Damage — multiplied by charge level on every release
- Weak-point damage — compounds with Headbang on charged hits
For where the Bow lands against everything else, see the weapon tier list.
