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Light Bowgun

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Heavy Bowgun.

Overview

The Light/Heavy Bowgun are two of three Gunner weapons. With their own special armor and Ammo, Gunner weapons are distinctly different from Blademaster weapons, with their own complexities and intricacies that must be mastered to become an adept Gunner. Gunner Armor, first off, has half the defense of Blademaster armor, enforcing the rule of firing from a range to prevent yourself from getting hit in the first place. In higher ranks, the low defense of Gunner Armor means even with it on, you are very liable to being one-hit killed by attacks that would leave a Blademaster still with a hefty bar of health.

There are three traits that should be considered when working with Bowguns. Reload Speed is how fast you can reload your Bowgun. Recoil is how much delay there is after firing a shot. Deviation is how much a shot will veer to the right or left of your intended target. Because of the highly individualized nature of each Bowgun, experiment around with different Gunner skills to come up with the perfect set!

The Light Bowgun and the Heavy Bowgun are very similar, differing in power and mobility. The Light Bowgun allows you to run while the weapon is unsheathed, and in return is weaker. The Heavy Bowgun, meanwhile, is incredibly powerful, but incredibly slow, crippling you down to a slogging walk if you do not sheathe your weapon. Thus, the Light Bowgun allows more wiggle room for positioning, but the Heavy Bowgun relies on very precise planning.

Pros (LBG)

• Great for inflicting status

• Can hop to the side and to the back, and still have access to a forward roll

• Rapid Fire allows shooting multiple shots at the cost of only one ammo

• Highly mobile weapon
  Pros (HBG)

• Very high raw power

• Siege Mode immobilizes you in exchange for firing off a huge volley of shots for enormous damage.

• Shield is attached that can block in an emergency
  Cons (LBG)

• Low raw power
  Cons (HBG)

• Heavy weapon, limited mobility

• Slow sheathing speed
  Cons (both)

• Maintaining Ammo stores can be very costly

• Gunner Armor has low defense

On Removing the Limiter

Rare 6 Bowguns and above get the opportunity to remove a part of the weapon known as the Limiter.

Removing the Limiter on Light Bowguns will give you a 10% attack boost, larger ammo capacity, and allows you to switch ammo types without having to reload, but you lose the ability to Rapid Fire and your overall movement speed is reduced.

Removing the Limiter on Heavy Bowguns will remove the ability to evade right after firing, makes you even slower, and removes Siege Mode, but you gain a 10% damage boost, larger ammo capacity, and your shield will become more durable. Depending on the situation for both Light and Heavy Bowguns, carefully consider if you want to take the Limiter off. It is not permanent, though, so don’t think so much on it that you get a headache!

Bowguns also come with multiple peripheral parts you can attach for a pretty penny. Experiment around, you can add and remove them to your leisure without having to use monster materials.

Usage Tips

Know the difference between the myriad of shots. Experiment around with what you like, and be careful when picking elemental shots. When using elemental shots, aim for the area of the monster that takes the largest hit. If you choose to use a Light Bowgun to inflict status, it’s highly recommended that you remove the Limiter so that you can switch between Ammo easily.

If you are using any kind of non-elemental, non-status ammo, there is an optimal range . Too close or too far and damage is cut. You will know when you are within this optimal range if the screen shakes as you fire.

Recommended Skills

Because Bowguns are so highly individualized, you will eventually have a myriad of custom armor sets for exactly the skills you need. To get you started though, here are a few good skills to have on hand universally. Evade Distance Up is preferred over Evasion+1/+2 because it increases your roll distance, which is particularly useful for the Heavy Bowgun which is otherwise heavy and has a slow sheathing time. Quick Sheathe is also great for the Heavy Bowgun to allow you to swiftly put your weapon away and run to reposition or avoid an attack. Status Attack Up and Elemental Attack Up are good for increasing the power of those respective shots. Depending on the Bowgun, recoil and precision skills will also be useful. Experiment to see what works best for you.