Archery ( Skyrim ) Archery is one of three offensive weapon - based skills in . The Archery skill is raised by and governs the use of bows and crossbows . Archery benefits from The Thief Stone ( Though it appears under the warrior stone on the skill tree simply because it is the last thief stone affected skill on the warrior side , such as enchanting is on the mage side ) . Users of the skill , such as archer s and hunter s , are trained in the use of bows and arrows . The greater the skill , the more deadly the shot . Archery provides low health and lightly armored characters the means to engage foes from a safe distance and allows repeated sneak attacks . Types of bow . Bows . A bow is a flexible , bent or curved ranged weapon , strung taut from end to end with a string . Arrows are nocked into the string and then drawn . The string is then released , propelling the arrow forward . The weight of the bow dictates the effort required to pull the string back , or " draw . " The heavier the bow , the longer it will take to fully draw . The longer the amount of time taken to fully draw a bow , the more damage a shot will do , and the faster and farther an arrow will travel . While a bow is drawn , movement is reduced significantly . Bows can be found in stores all over Skyrim . Most stores that sell them are dedicated to selling ranged weapons , mostly carrying both bows and arrows as well as certain light armor a character may use . Many different creatures carry variants of bows , including the draugr found in most dungeons and caves in Skyrim . Some bandits , which can be found in places ranging from camps to keeps , also carry bows and arrows . Bows , like swords , get stronger depending on what they are made of . Crossbows . A crossbow consists of a bow mounted horizontally onto a mechanical stock . The bow string is pulled back onto a catch which holds the string taut . A bolt is then loaded into a groove in front of the catch . When a lever located at the bottom of the stock is pulled , the catch is released and the bow string pushes the bolt forward . Crossbows are slower to reload than most bows are to redraw , but they shoot projectiles at a higher velocity than most bows . They still however have the same reduction of speed while reloading . Crossbows are useful for stealthy characters , thanks to their high damage . The slightly lower rate of fire when compared to standard bows is less important when a character is able to kill their target on the first hit . The Crossbows are generally more expensive than their bow counterparts . Range . There are two types of ranges for both bows and crossbows , arc range and maximum range . Arc range . The arc range varies between each type of bow and crossbow . It is directly proportional to a bow ' s / crossbow ' s firing velocity . Bows always fire in an upwards arc , propelling the arrow slightly upwards . A bow with a high firing velocity will have a long arc range . When fired from a high velocity bow , the arrow will continue traveling in an upwards arc for a longer period of time , and will eventually start to drop and arc slightly downwards . After this , the arrow will eventually come to a point in which it drops steeply and its horizontal speed decelerates immensely . If in the air for a long enough period of time , the arrow will have lost all horizontal velocity and fall completely . This works similarly for crossbow bolts , however when bolts are fired they are not propelled in an upwards arc . Instead , they will travel straight from the Crossbow . Because they don ' t travel in an upwards arc , they will begin to drop immediately and will enter a steep downwards arc much earlier than that of any arrow . Maximum range . The maximum range is a range that is universal for both bows and crossbows . It is the maximum range an arrow or bolt will travel from the Dragonborn before it stops doing damage . This range usually occurs around 60m - 65m . At this point , all arrows and bolts will do no damage to the target , regardless of whether or not the target is in rendering range of the archer . Arrows and bolts that hit a foe past this range will most often clip through them and continue traveling until hitting an object ( i . e . a tree , the ground , etc . ) . A non - hostile character will not become hostile when this happens , however an already hostile character will immediately begin to look for the Dragonborn if the projectile lands close enough . Books . The following is a list of skill books that can increase this skill : Trainers . List of individuals that can increase this skill by giving them gold : Archery weapons . The following are the confirmed weapons that benefit from this skill . Damage , weight , and value are base values , independent of skill level and perks . Crossbows . " All crossbows are craftable and are a part of only " Perks . The following are perks that become available to select as the skill is leveled up : Leveling Archery . The equation governing skill gain in Archery is thought to resemble something like this : Thus , this relies on a damaging hit being scored . Therefore , to gain experience , the target must have health points , and that the attack must take away health ( so no experience is gained if they nullify damage with a block or dodge ) . Upon a damaging hit , the skill experience gained is based on the Base weapon damage and the Base ammunition damage . Therefore an excellent bow and arrows with high damage will level the skill most rapidly " per shot , " but if the goal is to achieve the most leveling " per enemy " then basic iron arrows will provide the most total skill since the portion of the damage absorbed by the target ' s armor still counts toward the skill . The equation ignores perk increases , sneak multipliers , damage boosts from enchantments , or fully drawing the bow . As a result , firing arrows rapidly into a target will yield just as much experience per shot as a full or overdrawn shot . This will therefore result in more experience being gained from a single target , and faster gain , by using quick and weak shots ( and poorer quality arrows ) , since the target will survive more of them . The division by x is to represent that the base damage is not directly translated into skill experience . Currently , the actual value is unknown . A Bound Bow will also allow one to increase Archery , as well as provide free arrows . One method of leveling is to sneak attack the Greybeards at High Hrothgar . Find one of the Greybeards ( preferably in the main area meditating ) , behind them at short distance , and simply shoot over and over ( waiting a few seconds between shots yields sneak attacks , which will train Sneak at the same time ) . This can also help leveling Restoration with the use of the Healing Hands spell . ( Using melee or magic will result in angering them . ) Another good target for training is Shadowmere , who has very high health , cannot die permanently , and will not fight back . However , this method requires significant progress in the Dark Brotherhood quest line . Another way to quickly level Archery also requires joining the Dark Brotherhood . Upon entering the Falkreath Sanctuary , jump onto the ledge that oversees the pool and training area . This can be done by jumping from the nearby staircase . Once on the ledge , wait until Veezara sits on the ground , completely in view , and then enter Sneak mode and shoot him . As it is unlikely that anyone will see this , it ' s possible to fire constantly , training both Archery and Sneak steadily . A similar technique can be used on Cicero . A different method is to visit the special archery trainer , Angi , who lives in a cabin in the southwest corner of the map by Falkreath . She trains in archery for free by letting the Dragonborn shoot at targets with special practice arrows . Completing her training will grant a total of six free levels . This is best done with a high Archery skill , since like any other trainer , each boost bumps the Dragonborn ' s skill up to the next level , ignoring the experience required to reach it . Training with her at level 94 will allow maximizing the skill , skipping the final six levels , which would normally require the greatest amount of time to complete . A free method of training would be to train with Niruin in the Thieves ' guild . He is a master trainer , and can train you up to level 90 , though after 50 his training can be expensive . It is suggested to approach him while he ' s in bed and have 800 gold with you , so you can wake him up , train , let him lie back down , then steal the gold from him . While boosting your archery , this also levels your pickpocket skill . Doing this is suggested with Niruin because even if he catches you stealing , he will not become hostile with you . This can also be done with companions that train archery , allowing you to take your money back .