Magic shortbow

Magic shortbow
Released							25 March 2002 (Update)
Members							Yes
Quest item							No
Properties
Tradeable							Yes
Equipable							Yes
Stackable							No
Noteable							Yes
Options							Wield, Drop
Examine							Short and magical, but still effective.
Values
Value							1,600 coins
High alch							960 coins
Low alch							640 coins
Weight							1.36 kg
Grand Exchange
Exchange							842 coins (info)
Buy limit							18,000
Daily volume							239,517
View real-time prices
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Advanced data
Item ID							861

The Magic shortbow is a bow that requires level 50 Ranged in order to use, and is one of the few shortbows in the game with a Special attack bar. The bow has an attack range of 7. Longrange increases attack range by 2.

To make this bow, players must use a magic shortbow (u) on a bow string. This requires 80 Fletching, and grants 83 experience. They can also be received from hard clue scrolls, or as a rare drop from spiritual rangers.

The Magic shortbow can be imbued by using a magic shortbow scroll on it to make a magic shortbow (i). The imbue increases its ranged attack bonus to +75 and lowers the special attack cost to 50%.

The magic shortbow is often the most powerful ranged weapon available to mid-level players. Because of its fast attack speed and ability to fire rune and amethyst arrows, it is usually the most effective ranged weapon for completing slayer tasks. The rune crossbow is a viable alternative for players who desire a shield, the special effects of enchanted bolts, or the easy availability of broad bolts.

Despite its low max hit, the magic shortbow is popular for player killing due to the ease of stacking its damage with a more powerful melee attack for a knockout blow.

Attack bonuses
+0		+0		+0		+0		+69
Defence bonuses
+0		+0		+0		+0		+0
Other bonuses								Slot
+0		+0		+0%		+0		List
Base attack speed							Range
							7 squares

Combat styles

Category: Bow	Combat Style	Style type	Weapon Style	Experience	Invisible Boost
	Accurate	Ranged	Accurate	Ranged and Hitpoints	+3 Ranged
	Rapid	Ranged	Rapid	Ranged and Hitpoints	+1 Attack speed
	Longrange	Ranged	Longrange	Ranged, Defence, and Hitpoints	+3 Defence and +2 Attack range

Special attack

A player performing the magic shortbow's special attack, Snapshot.

This weapon also has a special attack, Snapshot, which will shoot two arrows in rapid succession, using 55% of a player's special attack energy. While the in-game tooltip states that Snapshot has reduced accuracy, it actually likely has an accuracy boost of ${\frac {10}{7}}$ or about 43%.

Snapshot uses a custom form of damage calculation that does not take into account offensive Prayers (such as Eagle Eye) when determining a player's maximum Ranged hit, but its accuracy is still affected.

Creation

Requirements

Skill		Level	XP
Fletching		80 (b)	83.3
Members		Ticks	2 (1.2s)

Materials

Item		Quantity	Cost
	Magic shortbow (u)	1	741
	Bow string	1	94
Total cost			835
	Magic shortbow	1	842
Profit			7

Products

Item		Members	Skills	XP	Materials
	Magic shortbow (i)		None	None	1 × Magic shortbow 1 × Magic shortbow scroll

Item sources

For an exhaustive list of all known sources for this item, see here.

Source	Level	Quantity	Rarity
Reward casket (hard)	N/A	1	1/27.1
Spiritual ranger	115–158	1–2	1/128

Used in recommended equipment

Rank	Method
5	Barbarian Assault/Strategies (Ranged)
2	Ecumenical key/Strategies (Ranged)
2	Hunter training (Staff of the dead)
2	Hunter training (Dinh's bulwark)
3	Kalphite Queen/Strategies (mid-game players (phase two))
2	Slayer task/Suqah (Ranged (North))
4	Ultimate Ironman Guide/Equipment

Comparison between other ranged weapons

Name		level required	Ranged attack	Ranged strength (Max ammo)	Price	Notes
	Twisted bow	85	+70	+20 (+80)	1,466,868,660	Has a passive effect where the higher the target's Magic level is, the more accurate and damaging the bow becomes. Uses arrows as ammunition up to and including dragon. Offers an attack speed of that of a longbow.
	Bow of Faerdhinen	80	+128	+106	100,439,074	Has the highest ranged bonus of any ranged weapon, including a +106 Ranged Strength bonus. Receives noticeable damage and accuracy bonuses if worn alongside pieces of crystal armour. Has the furthest attack range of any bow or crossbow in the game (tied with composite bows and the crystal bow) of 10 squares. When created, the bow starts off at 10,000 charges and degrades. The bow can be upgraded to the bow of Faerdhinen (c) to stop it from degrading.
	Zaryte crossbow	80	+110	(+122)	412,290,897	It is the only crossbow that grants defensive bonuses. One of two crossbows with a prayer bonus, along with the Armadyl crossbow from which it is crafted. Has a special attack which provides double accuracy on the next shot and guarantees the special effect of any enchanted bolts used if it hits. Costs 75% special attack energy. Its passive effect strengthens the effects of enchanted bolts by 10%.
	Venator bow	80	+90	+25 (+85)	47,924,888	Has a passive effect when charged with ancient essence that allows arrows to ricochet to nearby targets when in a multicombat area. Uses arrows as ammunition up to and including dragon. Has an attack speed of 5, between that of a shortbow and a longbow.
	Toxic blowpipe	75	+30	+20 (+55)	1,918,633	Requires Zulrah's scales (up to 16,383) and any unpoisoned darts to charge. Ranged strength bonus stacks with the darts that are used to charge the blowpipe (up to +55 ranged strength with dragon darts). Has an attack speed of 3 (same as darts) in a non-pvp encounter or 4 in a pvp encounter (same as shortbows). Offers a special attack where accuracy is increased by 100% and damage is increased by 50%, and heals the user by half of the damage dealt. Costs 50% special attack energy. Has 25% chance to inflict venom on an opponent.
	Heavy ballista	75	+125	+15 (+165)	576,047	Has the second highest ranged bonus of any ranged weapon, including a +15 Ranged Strength bonus. Requires completion of Monkey Madness II to equip. Only accepts javelins as ammunition. Ava's devices will not retrieve fired javelins, nor can they be picked up. Offers a special attack which increases accuracy and damage by 25% each for one shot. Costs 65% special attack energy.
	Dragon hunter crossbow	70	+95	(+122)	59,959,607	Offers the third highest one-handed Ranged attack bonus in the game, outclassed only by the Armadyl and Zaryte crossbow. Increases accuracy and damage by 30% and 25% respectively when fighting draconic creatures.
	Armadyl crossbow	70	+100	(+122)	48,361,650	Has a slightly longer attack range than other crossbows. One of only two crossbows that offer a prayer bonus, the other being the Zaryte crossbow. Offers a special attack where the player's accuracy and enchanted bolts activation chance for that shot is doubled. Costs 50% special attack energy. One-handed, allowing the use of an off-hand shield or god book.
	Crystal bow	70	+100	+78	352,921	Offers a ranged strength of +78. Neither consumes nor requires ammunition. Has an attack speed of 5, between that of a shortbow and a crossbow. Has the furthest attack range of any bow or crossbow in the game (tied with composite bows and the bow of Faerdhinen) of 10 squares. Receives noticeable damage and accuracy bonuses if worn alongside pieces of crystal armour.
	Webweaver bow	70	+85	+65	21,192,489	Upgraded version of the Craw's bow, which requires the fangs of Venenatis to create. Must be charged with revenant ether to be fired, but it does provide its own ammo, similar to the crystal bow. While charged, an additional 50% ranged accuracy and damage boost is applied when attacking any NPC in the Wilderness. This effect will stack with a Slayer helmet or a Salve amulet and their variants, but not both simultaneously. This makes it the strongest ranged weapon in the Wilderness. Has a special attack that hits an enemy four times in succession with increased accuracy, each dealing up to 40% of the player's max hit, along with a chance to inflict poison, starting at 4 damage. Costs 50% special attack energy.
	Karil's crossbow	70	+84	(+55)	97,383	One of the fastest crossbows, together with the hunters' crossbow. Can only fire bolt racks, which cannot be retrieved by an Ava's device. If worn with the rest of Karil the Tainted's equipment, it offers a set effect which lowers the target's Agility level (only works on players). Wearing an amulet of the damned together with the whole equipment set grants a 25% chance for an attack to hit twice, in which case the second hit will inflict half the damage of the first. Like all Barrows equipment, it degrades and will fully degrade after 15 hours of combat. It is repairable.
	Dragon crossbow	64	+94	(+122)	1,610,308	Offers the fourth highest one-handed Ranged attack bonus in the game, outclassed by the Zaryte crossbow, Armadyl crossbow, and dragon hunter crossbow. Offers a special attack where the player can hit any target in a 3x3 area, while in a multicombat area, making it one of three range weapons that can hit multiple targets. Costs 60% special attack energy.
	Rune crossbow	61	+90	(+115)	9,954	Offers the fifth highest one-handed Ranged attack bonus in the game, outclassed by the Zaryte crossbow, Armadyl crossbow, Dragon hunter, and dragon crossbows. It is considerably cheaper than the Armadyl and dragon hunter crossbows.
	Craw's bow	60	+75	+60	20,682,731	Must be charged with revenant ether to be fired, but it does provide its own ammo, similar to the crystal bow. While charged, an additional 50% ranged accuracy and damage boost is applied when attacking any NPC in the Wilderness. This effect will stack with a Slayer helmet or a Salve amulet and their variants, but not both simultaneously. This makes it the second strongest ranged weapon in the Wilderness, surpassing the damage output of a toxic blowpipe with dragon darts. Shares the same bonuses as the magic shortbow (i) with the ranged strength of dragon arrows.
	Dark bow	60	+95	(+60)	856,343	Offers the fifth highest Ranged attack bonus in the game, behind the bow of Faerdhinen (+128), heavy ballista (+125), the Zaryte crossbow (+110), and the crystal bow and Armadyl crossbow (+100). Has the ability to shoot two arrows at a time. The slowest weapon in the game, with an attack speed of 9 (5.4 seconds). Offers a powerful special attack, which if used with dragon arrows increases damage dealt by 50% with a minimum hit of 8 (30% with any other arrow type with a minimum. hit of 5). Costs 55% special attack energy.
	Magic shortbow	50	+69	(+55)	842	The only shortbow to offer a special attack, which fires 2 shots in rapid succession but with reduced accuracy. Costs 55% special attack energy. Can be imbued with a magic shortbow scroll, increasing its ranged attack bonus to +75 and lowering the special attack cost to 50%.
	Magic shortbow (i)		+75		107,780
	Magic comp bow	50	+71	(+55)	4,752	The only composite bow to offer a special attack, which is guaranteed to hit the target but is not boosted by damage-boosting prayers or the Slayer helmet (i). Costs 35% special attack energy. Shares this special attack with the magic longbow. Is slightly more accurate than the magic longbow and 1 tick faster (1 tick slower than the shortbow), while keeping the same attack range of the longbow.
	Seercull	50	+69	(+55)	18,746	Has slightly less accurate but otherwise identical stats to the magic comp bow. Has a special attack that targets mages by lowering their Magic level, costing 100% special attack energy.
	Magic longbow	50	+69	(+55)	1,319	The only longbow to offer a special attack, which is guaranteed to hit the target but is not boosted by damage-boosting prayers or the Slayer helmet (i). Costs 35% special attack energy. Shares this special attack with the magic comp bow. Like all longbows, is 2 ticks slower than the magic shortbow, in exchange for 3 additional attack range. Unlike the magic shortbow, cannot be imbued.
	Adamant crossbow	46	+78	(+100)	1,118	Offers the sixth highest one-handed Ranged attack bonus in the game. Has an attack speed equal to that of longbows and an attack range equal to that of shortbows. Because of the slower attack speed and the potential for overkill from its higher max hit, it deals less damage over extended periods than the magic shortbow, and should be used primarily when additional defence is needed through the use of a shield, or if enchanted bolt effects are needed.
	Chinchompas	45 (Grey)	+45	N/A	Varies	One of the three ranged weapons that offers the ability to hit more than one opponent at a time (similar to burst or barrage Ancient Magicks), the others being the special attack of the dragon crossbow, with a similar attack, and rune thrownaxe, with a ricochet type attack. Regarded to be the best way of training Ranged, but at a very high cost. Has an attack speed of 4 (the same as scimitars, maces, and whips). If a player dies with chinchompas equipped or in their inventory, they will disappear, as they are live animals.
		55 (Red)	+70	+15
		65 (Black)	+80	+30
	Salamanders	30 (Green)	+20	(+16)	38	Unique and versatile two-handed weapons that facilitate the use of all three combat styles.
		50 (Orange)	+29	(+22)	117
		60 (Red)	+47	(+31)	71
		70 (Black)	+69	(+49)	251
	Dorgeshuun crossbow	28	+42	(+49)	2,599	Is one tick faster than most other crossbows, and it is able to fire bone bolts, which are significantly cheaper than most other ammunition of similar strength.
	Throwing knives	40 (Rune)	+25	+24	Varies	Have high damage output, but are significantly more expensive compared to other low-level options.
	Shortbows	40 (Yew)	+47	(+49)	386	Offer slightly less damage output than using rune knives, but are a lot cheaper.
	Darts	30 (Adamant)	N/A	+17	Varies	Are cheap, deal decent damage and are easy to buy from the Grand Exchange. Adamant darts have comparable damage output to using a shortbow with rune arrows, so players should use whichever is cheaper.
	Dwarf multicannon	N/A	N/A	N/A	760,573	Can be set up and used alongside other weapons for passive Ranged damage and experience. Cannot be set up in all areas. Has a static max hit of 30 with cannonballs and 35 with granite cannonballs. Derives accuracy from player's current attack style (Ranged while ranging, Melee while meleeing, and whichever is higher with powered staves) while rolling against the target's Ranged defence.

Changes

Date	Changes
26 January 2005 (update)	The item was graphically updated.

Gallery (historical)

29 March 2004 ⁠– 26 January 2005	26 January 2005⁠– present