Compound Bow

The bow built for armored targets

The Compound Bow is the late-game bow of ARK: Survival Evolved: "A high-tech bow made of durable alloy, can launch arrows at high velocity. Requires arrows to fire." It shoots the same Stone, Flame and Tranq Arrows as the Bow and Crossbow, but it is the only bow that can fire Metal Arrows, which is what makes it the choice against armored enemies. The Tek Bow is its successor.

Unlocking and crafting

The engram unlocks at level 79 for 40 engram points, and the bow is made in a Fabricator. The recipe:

• 95 Polymer (Organic Polymer or Corrupted Nodule also accepted)
• 85 Metal Ingot (or Scrap Metal Ingot)
• 75 Cementing Paste (or Achatina Paste)

Crafting takes 10 seconds and gives 5 XP. Our repair data lists 47.5 Polymer, 42.5 Metal Ingot and 37.5 Cementing Paste, half of the crafting cost.

How it performs

• Arrows fly faster and farther than from a Crossbow, but with anything other than Metal Arrows the Crossbow hits harder.
• Because tranquilizer torpor scales with damage, it is also the less efficient taming tool with Tranq Arrows.
• Draw the string to about 90% for full damage.
• Alt-Fire brings up a sight, though screen shake limits how useful it is.
• Metal Arrows bypass the damage reduction of Titans, which then take 3.3 times the damage, but not every reduction; wild Rock Elementals still resist them.

Durability, weight and loot

The bow has 55 durability and loses 0.1 per shot, which comes to 550 shots from a full bow. It weighs 12. It is also a common loot item: 314 crate types can contain it, including the Aberration Blue, Purple and dungeon crates.