Tomb Raider: All Bow Upgrades (& Which Are The Best)

Tomb Raider can take players through a harrowing adventure if they don’t take time to craft bow upgrades. Even though Lara Croft can mold herself to be a formidable fighter, there are some things that players need to know about her most trusted weapon.

The Tomb Raider franchise was first introduced to the world in 1996 with the Playstation and Sega Saturn consoles along with the PC. She was considered a unique globe-trotting, treasure hunting, and tough-as-nails heroine that was embraced among gamers worldwide. Since her departure in 1996, she has reached an iconic status that’s akin to respectable mascots across different platforms.

Even though the Tomb Raider franchise has had quite a few installments, there was a “rebirth” with Lara Croft and her adventures in 2013 by Crystal Dynamics. This new entry introduced a grittier and more vulnerable Lara as she’s forced to trek across an ominous island that’s peppered with all manners of danger. There were light RPG elements introduced that can be only be utilized at base camps. Here is where players will find a few different ways to level up. This was down by either spending skill points or salvage points.

Where to Find Lara Croft’s Bows and Arrows in Tomb Raider

When it comes to upgrading Lara Croft’s bow, salvage is what players need to focus on. This game can be a bit stingy with finding salvage, so it is recommended that players go off the beaten path and find crates. Thus, looting enemies is also a good alternative if players find themselves in a pinch. It is also worth pointing out that there are a couple of upgrades obtained just by playing the campaign. Even though players can experiment with Lara’s bow to see what’s most suitable with their playstyle, there are upgrades available that are considered more effective than others.

As the game progresses, players will manage to find or craft; fire, explosive and penetrating arrows. Even though there are different projectiles to sort out, Tomb Raider also had an assortment of different bows that come with different upgrades on their own. The first bow Lara Croft will come across will be the makeshift bow. It can be obtained early in the campaign when Lara pries it off a dead body hanging off a tree in the Coastal Forest. It comes with two upgradeable slots. Players will need to keep collecting salvage in order to unlock ‘reinforced limbs’ and ‘wrapped string’. ‘Reinforced limbs’ allow for an increased range for your arrows while ‘wrapped string’ helps with a faster rate of fire.

• Reinforced limbs – 250 salvage
• Wrapped string – 200 salvage

The next bow that will be needed on Lara’s quest will be the recurve bow. Players will need to find three distinct parts to build it. Parts for weapons are randomly generated throughout the map and opening different crates and looting dead bodies is key to finding them. Once you find all the parts and accumulated enough salvage, simply find a base camp and go to the ‘Survivor’ tab in your upgrade menu and pick your desired slot on your bow. The only upgrade for this bow is the ‘Key Ring Trigger’ which stacks on the ‘Wrapped String’ upgrade to further increase the firing rate.

• Key Ring Trigger – 250 salvage (wrapped string required)

The third bow that will be found in the compound bow. It can be found at the galleon at the Shipwreck Beach location. Jonah will give it to Lara automatically before she goes off on her next mission. It comes with the ‘Napalm Arrows’ and ‘Plaited String’ upgrades. The ‘Napalm Arrows’ increases fire damage with the fire arrows and also spills fire all over the place upon impact. The ‘Plaited String’ upgrade increases projectile damage.

• Napalm Arrows – 350 salvage
• Plaited String – 250 salvage (reinforced limbs required)

The last bow that Lara will come across will be the competition bow. Similar to getting the recurve bow, exploring the map and collecting salvage through dead bodies and crates will ultimately unlock parts for it. It comes with three upgradable slots that unlock two of the most powerful arrows in the game. The ‘Explosive Arrows’, ‘Penetrating Arrows’ and ‘Stabilizing weight’. The ‘Explosive Arrows’ are great for clearing out groups of enemies and clearing out debris, meanwhile ‘Penetrating Arrows’ comes in handy for taking out armored enemies. The ‘Stabilizing Weight’ upgrade improves accuracy and increases damage.

• Explosive Arrows – 650 Salvage
• Penetrating Arrows – 300 Salvage
• Stabilizing Arrows – 650 Salvage (plaited string required)

The Best Upgrades to Use.

Although there is a lot to choose from when it comes to upgrading Lara’s bow, sometimes it’s not possible to unlock everything in a single playthrough. Therefore, narrowing down the best attributes for Lara’s bow can grant an edge in combat. As early as possible, obtaining the ‘Wrapped String’ upgrade with the makeshift bow can easily turn the tides. Players will be able to silently headshot enemies from afar with ease. Thus, players will be able to stack the upgrade with the ‘Key Ring Trigger’ upgrade, later on.

Since getting the rope and fire arrows happens automatically by playing the story, the next logical step would be getting the ‘Napalm Arrows’ with Lara’s compound bow. Fire is Lara’s best friend not only in combat but for exploration, as well. Toward the end of the game, Lara will have to fight soldiers that are clad with armor. The ‘Penetrating Arrows’ are the most effective with taking them out, especially with head-shots. Although ‘Explosive Arrows’ can be handy, players can work in explosions using ‘Napalm Arrows’ via explosive elements in the environment.

Even though some players will prefer to stick with firearms throughout the campaign, others depend solely on Lara’s bow. It is all dependant on the mood of the player. Being observant of Lara’s surroundings and finding as much salvage as possible is paramount. It’s not easy being a treasure hunter and developing a sense of survival takes practice.

Tomb Raider is available now for the PS4, PS3, Xbox One, Xbox 360 and PC.

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