Dying Light 2: How to Get the Bow & Crossbow

Much of Dying Light 2‘s combat is done up close and personal we devastating melee weapons like hammers, axes, and machetes. But what if you want to take a more ranged approach? How do you get the bow and, better yet, the crossbow? 

From the moment you enter Villedor, you’ll find gear that increases your ranged stats; some increase your damage with ranged weapons while others decrease the amount of stamina you use attacking from longer distances. Problem is, there aren’t any bows or crossbows to be found — for a while.

Note: Some readers have pointed out that you’re able to get bows from some vendors (seemingly randomly) before the missions outlined below. Over roughly 30 hours in the first half of Dying Light 2 across two playthroughs, I haven’t found a bow being sold at a vendor personally, but it appears possible. The purpose of this guide is to tell you when you definitely will receive a bow if you haven’t run across one yet. 

How to Get the Bow in Dying Light 2

Following just the main story quests, it’s likely you won’t get a bow for a long time in Dying Light 2. In fact, you have to play through the entire first area/half of the game, Old Villedor (which includes the territories of Trinity, Houndfield, Horseshoe, and Quarry End). 

You’ll go through 10 story missions. After completing Let’s Waltz! and entering the Downtown Metro, you’ll get a Pipe Bow and some arrows, among other things, as a reward. It doesn’t matter if you choose to go to Aitor or Sophie.

After this point, you’ll start coming across a lot more bows stashed away in the Central Loop and Old Villedor; again, I didn’t come across a single bow in about my dozen-plus hours roaming Old Villedor early on, but they began to appear much more often after Let’s Waltz!. 

As you explore, look in Bandit Camps, near Airdrops, and on rooftops/at the tops of towers. Also, loot everything you come across. Every once in a while, Vendors will sell bows at their shops, and you can find these marketplaces at Faction Hubs like the Bazaar or the Fish Eye. Again, as pointed out in the comments, some players grinding player levels in Old Villedor have come across bows at vendors, so be sure to check periodically.

You’ll eventually get another ranged weapon, the Paper Clip bow, during The Shoe story mission, and even better variants await as you level up your character rank. I’m running Nails, an Epic unique model that does 125 damage — and I picked it up near a crate climbing an Antenna. So keep an eye out.

The neat thing about bows is that they don’t need to be repaired like melee weapons. Bows do not have durability meters and will last as long as you want to use them. 

You can get different arrow blueprints for fire arrows, shock arrows, and more from Craftmasters (who also sell and upgrade weapon mods). Once you have those arrow blueprints, you can craft those arrow types in your crafting menu, pending you have the necessary materials.

You can change to different arrow types by selecting the bow and bringing up the weapon wheel. With weapon wheel up, you’ll notice you can cycle through the arrow types whenever you like. 

How to Unlock the Crossbow in Dying Light 2

The crossbow is perhaps one of the most powerful weapons in the game. It’s rapid-fire and shoots bolts, inherently packing more damage than arrows. It too can fire special ammunition types like fire, and neither does it degrade, meaning you don’t have to worry about modding it or finding another one. 

However, there’s only one way to get the crossbow in Dying Light 2 — and if you miss it, it’s gone. 

As you activate more facilities around Villedor, such as Water Towers and Electrical Substations, you’ll assign these locations to either the Survivors or the Peace Keepers. To get Municipal Services trophy or achievement, you must assign 7 facilities to one faction. 

The fourth Peacekeeper unlock is the crossbow, so assign 7 Facilities to the Peacekeepers if you want the crossbow and the accolade. Or if you don’t care about trophies and achievements, just make sure to unlock the fourth PK reward.

That’s all you need to know if you’re wondering how to get the bow and crossbow in Dying Light 2. Though neither looks as imposing as some of the grander melee weapons, they pack a punch and can bring down some of the biggest enemies in a flash. For more tips, head over to our Dying Light 2 guides hub right here.