How to Make Bows and Arrows in Runescape

Fletching is a relatively simple skill in Runescape, but one with a lot of possibilities. It can boost the power of many ranged weapons when used to make ammunition.

It is easy to make a ranged based Runescape character, but to get the full benefit from the combat options using the bow and arrows, darts, or crossbows in Runescape, a character must learn how to make his own ammunition and bows.

There is more to the bow than just firing it at the enemy in Runescape. The following guide will take the player through the basics of what he needs to know about the fletching skill. All skills in Runescape follow a simple pattern of using the skill to gain experience and gaining levels in the skill after a certain experience threshold has been reached.

Like many of the skills in Runescape, a characters gains experience by using it. Higher fletching skill allows a character to make better bows and arrows. Woodcutting and smithing complement this trade skill nicely.

Making Arrow Shafts in Runescape
The process for making arrow shafts and bows is similar. To start making arrows or a bow, a Runescape characters needs logs to cut into shafts or the bow staff. Once he takes a knife to the log that will become a shaft, he must apply arrows to the shaft to earn fletching experience. Using higher quality wood results in better quality ammunition. Darts can be made through a similar process, but a player must complete a quest called The Tourist Trap.

Crossbow bolts cannot be made using the fletching skill, but a player can use the fletching skill to apply tips to the ends of bolts that increase the damage he can deal with a crossbow.

Using Fletching to Make Bows
The process character used to make a bow differs from the one to make arrows because instead of attaching feathers, the player must attach a bow string. A character mus use flax to create a bowstring. The arrow creation process gives a character fletching experience as soon as the arrow as completed, but experience is gained in two steps when fletching is used to make a bow. You gain experience from making bows in two parts. The first half is received when the bow is made and the second is made when the string is attached.

You will need to make the string however. This is done by spinning flax that can be found south of the Seers' Village, according to the Global Runescape website. The higher the quality of the wood used to make a bow and arrow, the higher quality the end product will be.

The progression of bows and the total experience gained from crafting each can be found below.

Shortbow – 15
Longbow – 20
Oak Shortbow – 33
Oak Longbow – 50
Willow Shortbow – 66.5
Willow Longbow – 83
Maple Shortbow – 100
Maple Longbow – 116.5
Yew Shortbow – 135
Yew Longbow – 150
Magic Shortbow – 166.5
Magic Longbow – 183
If a character does not have the required fletching level to make one of these bows, the Runescape client will tell him before he attempts to make a bow, arrow, or darts.

Bows in Runescape Can be Used to Gain Magic Experience
Fletching can be used to make bows and arrows, but a Runescape character can also magic experience from used bows if he knows the procedure. Using a bow to gain way falls outside of the scope of this fletching guide. Fletching can be a moneymaker in Runescape, but its most important use is to boost the damge of the weapons a person uses.