Using a bow and arrow or crossbow in Elden Ring can sometimes be a little tricky to understand the controls. However, it’s important to know the controls for these weapons as they have the ability to aim and zoom for precision shots. In this guide we’re going to explain how to aim and zoom with bows and crossbows in Elden Ring.
The Basics of Bows and Crossbows in Elden Ring
In order to use the bow or crossbow in Elden Ring you need to have the item equipped, obviously. And this can be in your left or right hand as your primary or secondary item. If you are using a bow you will not be able to use any of your secondary weapons like shields in between attacks, however with the crossbow shields are a bit easier to use.
For either of these items you need to also have bolts, arrows, or great arrows equipped as well so that you have something to shoot.
Assuming that you’ve got all this down: You can shoot the bow, great bow, or crossbow just like you’re using any other weapon. You can either manually aim a shot (which is hard) or you can lock on to the target and the shot will track the target.
How to Aim with Bow and Crossbow
To manually aim you simply press the LB button / L1 Button. This will bring up a crosshair that you can use to line-up your shots. Since this item will effectively take the place of your shield or second weapon you actually use that button to aim the bow. On PC, you simply equip the bow that you want to aim with and Right Click to use two hands on the bow, and then right click again to bring up the aiming reticle.
And that’s all you need to know about aiming bows and crossbows in Elden Ring. For more tips on the game, check out our Elden Ring Guides section on AOTF.
