The Long Bow is where most Skyrim archers begin. It is the lowest-tier bow in the game: a plain, straight design with just 6 base damage and a weight of 5. In return it is the lightest bow available and draws faster than the heavier options.
It sits outside the forging tiers and cannot be crafted. Most players replace it quickly with a Hunting Bow or better, but it is not entirely useless: with high Smithing, good arrows and archery perks that boost damage by percentage, its quick draw keeps its damage per second competitive with many heavier bows.
Stats
| Type | Bow |
|---|---|
| Skill | Archery |
| Material | Wood |
| Damage | 6 |
| Weight | 5 |
| Value | 30 gold |
| Speed | 1 |
| Stagger | 0 |
| Critical damage | 3 |
| Add-on | Base game |
| Item ID | 0003B562 |
Where to find
- Given to you with 12 iron arrows near the end of the escape from Helgen.
- Common in bandit camps, even at higher levels.
- Sold by general goods merchants and blacksmiths.
- Sometimes found in chests.
Crafting and upgrading
This weapon cannot be crafted at a forge – you have to find, loot or buy it.
Improving at a grindstone: 1 × 
Firewood. The Arcane Blacksmith perk doubles the improvement.
Compared with other bows
Base stats of all regular (unenchanted) bows in Skyrim, weakest first:
| Weapon | Damage | Weight | Value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Long Bow | 6 | 5 | 30 |
| Hunting Bow | 7 | 7 | 50 |
| Ancient Nord Bow | 8 | 12 | 45 |
| Imperial Bow | 9 | 8 | 90 |
| Orcish Bow | 10 | 9 | 150 |
| Nord Hero Bow | 11 | 7 | 200 |
| Dwarven Bow | 12 | 10 | 270 |
| Falmer Bow | 12 | 15 | 135 |
| Forsworn Bow | 12 | 11 | 145 |
| Elven Bow | 13 | 12 | 470 |
| Nordic Bow | 13 | 11 | 580 |
| Supple Ancient Nord Bow | 14 | 18 | 235 |
| Falmer Supple Bow | 15 | 20 | 410 |
| Glass Bow | 15 | 14 | 820 |
| Ebony Bow | 17 | 16 | 1440 |
| Stalhrim Bow | 17 | 15 | 1800 |
| Daedric Bow | 19 | 18 | 2500 |
| Dragonbone Bow | 20 | 20 | 2725 |
Tips and notes
- Temper it with Firewood – yes, firewood. No Smithing perk helps, so going beyond Flawless needs Smithing above 100 via potions or enchanted gear.
- It is the only bow that does not vibrate in your hand when fired.
- Fast-drawing bows get more out of percentage perks like Power Shot and Bullseye, but less from flat sneak bonuses like Deadly Aim. Froki’s Bow, Zephyr and Auriel’s Bow share its draw speed with more damage.
Stats from the Skyrim LE 1.9 master files (Skyrim.esm, record LongBow). Values are base values before perks, smithing improvements and enchantments.
