Crossbows in Valheim: Both Reload the Same, and Every Bolt Is Pure Pierce
Valheim's two crossbows reload at exactly the same speed. The Arbalest and the Ripper both take 3.5 seconds to load and, once the firing and readying animations are counted, can only be fired every six seconds. The Ripper is not a faster gun — it is +20 Pierce and a gem slot. And both share a structural weakness that bows do not: every bolt in the game is pure Pierce, and four of Valheim's seven bosses resist Pierce.
On sourcing. Iron Gate do not publish system documentation. The figures below come from the community wikis and can change with any patch.
Two Crossbows, One Reload Speed
| Arbalest | Ripper | |
|---|---|---|
| Damage | 200 Pierce (→ 209 at quality 4) | 220 Pierce (→ 229 at quality 4) |
| Reload | 3.5 s, ~6 s per shot | 3.5 s, ~6 s per shot |
| Stamina | 1/s while loading | 1/s while loading |
| Velocity | 200 m/s, 0° spread | 200 m/s, 0° spread |
| Backstab | ×3 | ×3 |
| Knockback | 210 | 210 |
| Materials | Wood ×10, Iron ×8, Root ×4 | Ashwood ×10, Flametal ×8, Morgen Sinew ×2, Bonemaw Tooth ×4 |
| Station | Black Forge level 1 | Black Forge level 3 |
Read that table row by row and the two weapons are nearly identical. Same reload, same stamina, same velocity, same perfectly flat 0° spread, same ×3 backstab, same 210 knockback. The only number that differs is damage: 220 against 200, a 10% increase.
The real reason to build a Ripper is the gems. Like most Ashlands-tier weapons it can be modified into one of three variants: the Wound Ripper (Bloodstone), the Storm Ripper (Iolite) or the Root Ripper (Jade) — which is how a crossbow finally gets a second damage type. Note that an upgraded Ripper does not keep its upgrade level when modified with a gemstone, so do the gem step before you sink materials into quality levels.
The Arbalest is a Mistlands-tier weapon — Wood, Iron and Root at Black Forge level 1, so it arrives as soon as the bench does. The Ripper is Ashlands-tier, needing Flametal, Morgen Sinew and Bonemaw Tooth and a level 3 Black Forge.
Every Bolt
| Bolt | Damage |
|---|---|
| Bone Bolt | 32 Pierce |
| Iron Bolt | 42 Pierce |
| Black Metal Bolt | 62 Pierce |
| Carapace Bolt | 72 Pierce |
| Charred Bolt | 82 Pierce |
Five bolts, one damage type, five tiers of the same thing.
Compare the arrow list. Arrows come in fire (11 Pierce + 22 Fire), frost (26 + 52 Frost), poison (26 + 52 Poison) and silver (52 + 20 Spirit). Bolts have no elemental split at all.
And bolts cannot be retrieved. Arrows can be picked back up off the ground; crossbow bolts cannot, so every shot is consumed permanently. On a long clearing run that is a real logistics difference — you are carrying ammunition you will never get back.
The Charred Bolt at 82 Pierce is the single highest-damage projectile in the game, matching the Charred Arrow. On raw numbers, crossbows are excellent.
The Structural Problem
Here is why the single damage type matters more than the damage numbers suggest.
Four of Valheim's seven bosses resist Pierce:
| Boss | Pierce |
|---|---|
| Bonemass | Very resistant (×0.25) |
| Yagluth | Very resistant (×0.25) |
| The Queen | Resistant (×0.5) |
| Fader | Resistant (×0.5) |
A bow escapes this. A plain crossbow cannot.
Against Bonemass, an archer loads frost arrows — the arrow's 52 Frost is multiplied by 1.5 while only its small Pierce half is quartered. A crossbow user has no frost bolt to load. Their 82 Pierce Charred Bolt becomes about 20 effective damage, with no alternative ammunition to switch to.
The gem variants are the only escape, and they arrive in the Ashlands — long after Bonemass and Yagluth. For the first four bosses, a crossbow is simply the wrong tool in two of the fights.
Two more handling notes worth knowing. Jumping and sprinting reset the loading progress, and blocking interrupts the loading animation entirely — so a crossbow is a weapon for a player who is standing still and not being hit, which is the opposite of what a boss arena asks of you.
When a Crossbow Wins
Crossbows are excellent wherever Pierce is not resisted, which is most of the game outside four boss arenas:
- Eikthyr — no resistances at all.
- The Elder and Moder — Pierce is neutral for both.
- Ordinary Ashlands enemies — Charred, Morgen and Fallen Valkyrie take physical damage without Pierce resistance.
- General overworld clearing, where 220 + 82 Pierce landing at 200 m/s with zero spread is a reliable one-shot on most things.
The flat trajectory is the underrated advantage. Bolts travel at 200 m/s in a straight line with no gravity drop and 0° spread, where arrows arc. At range, a crossbow simply hits what the crosshair is on.
And note the skill. Crossbows level the Crossbows skill, separate from Bows, and it is a strong one: up to +141% damage and −50% reload time at level 100. That halved reload is where the "fast crossbow" actually comes from — not from the Ripper, but from the skill. Note too that crossbow damage does not scale with draw like a bow's; only the skill increases it.
So the honest recommendation is to carry both. A crossbow for travel, clearing and long-range work; a bow with frost arrows for Bonemass, Yagluth, The Queen and Fader.
Practical tips
- Both crossbows reload in 3.5 s — about 6 s per shot. The Ripper is not faster.
- The Ripper's advantages are +20 Pierce and gem variants (Wound, Storm, Root).
- Gem-modify before upgrading — modifying resets the quality level.
- Every bolt is pure Pierce, and bolts cannot be retrieved after firing.
- Four of seven bosses resist Pierce; two of them very resistant.
- Jumping, sprinting and blocking all interrupt loading.
- The Crossbows skill gives up to +141% damage and −50% reload at 100.
Running your own Valheim server
A Ripper costs Flametal, Morgen Sinew and Bonemaw Tooth — Ashlands materials that take a defended outpost and a Drakkar to gather. A gamever Valheim server keeps that foothold standing for up to 10 players, so the materials one person hauls back are there for whoever builds the weapon. One-click backups protect an endgame workshop, and automatic updates keep client and server aligned.
Conclusion
Valheim's two crossbows are far more alike than their tiers suggest. The Arbalest and the Ripper both load in 3.5 seconds, both fire about every six seconds, both cost 1 stamina per second while loading, and both send bolts at 200 m/s with 0° spread, ×3 backstab and 210 knockback. The Ripper's advantages are +20 Pierce and the ability to be modified with Bloodstone, Iolite or Jade into the Wound, Storm or Root Ripper — do that before upgrading, because modifying resets the quality level. Bolts run Bone 32, Iron 42, Black Metal 62, Carapace 72 and Charred 82, all pure Pierce, and cannot be retrieved after firing. That single damage type is the structural flaw: four of seven bosses resist Pierce, two of them very resistant, and unlike a bow — which simply loads a frost arrow — an unmodified crossbow has nothing to switch to. The genuine speed upgrade is the Crossbows skill, worth +141% damage and −50% reload at level 100.
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