Introduction
Welcome to our Bow Staff DPS Build guide for Throne and Liberty. Learn everything you need to know about the powerful all-in glass cannon build, dealing damage at the cost of sacrificing survivability.
Skills & Passives
Below are the Active, Passive, and Defensive Skills for the Bow Staff DPS Build. For insight on which order to level these Skills up, Check our Skill Upgrade Progression Section below. It’s important to note that there is a few good options and paths you can take with the build. As a result, the freedom truly is yours to explore past our own recommendations.
Active Skills
 | Inferno Meteor |  | Chain Lightning |
 | Zephyr’s Nock |  | Serial Fire Bombs |
 | Strafing |  | Inferno Wave |
 | Nature’s Blessing |  | Judgment Lightning |
 | Blitz |  | Ice Spear |
 | Inner Peace |  | High Locus |
Passives
 | Mana Amp |  | Roxie’s Arrowhead |
 | Flame Condensation |  | Sniper’s Sense |
 | Forbidden Sanctuary |  | Rapidfire Stance |
 | Asceticism |  | Frost Master |
Defensive Skill
Overtaker is the hands-down best choice of defensive skill available to the Bow & Staff weapon combination. The main reason for this choice is due to Bow Skills not counting as “Magic”, as a result of that, being silenced by Shadow Strike does not prevent the use of Overtaker. This allows you to have a defensive option versus assassins that a full magic combination does not have.
When defending against a Fury Attack stationary, Overtaker increases your defenses and Crit Hit Chance, stacking up to 5 times and changes into Agile Shot.
Agile Shot changes the defensive skill into the following:
- Standing still and casting Agile Shot deals large damage in retaliation to an attack.
- Using a directional key while casting Agile Shot deals less damage, however, has an 80% chance to bind a target.
Defending against a Fury Attack while holding a directional key changes Overtaker to “Swift Evasion”. Additionally, the next skill to land within 5 seconds critically strikes.
Swift Evasion changes the defensive skill into the following:
- Moves 8m in designated direction, increases all Evasion’s by 970 for 2 seconds.
Skill Upgrade Progression
Next, Let’s look at the order to prioritize upgrading your skills. We’ve focused on the most important skills to help guide you through skill progression to help get you started. It’s important to note that you will upgrade all skills to max eventually and that some Skills start at Rare or Epic Quality. However, some Active and Passive Skill are far more vital to push.
- Staff- Serial Fire Bombs (Uncommon to Rare)
- Staff- Chain Lightning (Uncommon to Rare)
- Bow- Zephyr’s Nock (Uncommon to Rare)
- Staff- Serial Fire Bombs (Rare to Epic)
- Staff- Chain Lightning (Rare to Epic)
- Bow- Zephyr’s Nock (Rare to Epic)
- Bow- Strafing (Rare to Epic)
- Bow- Nature’s Blessing (Rare to Epic)
- Staff- Inferno Wave (Rare to Epic)
- Staff- Inner Peace (Rare to Epic)
PASSIVE SKILL UPGRADE ORDER
- Staff- Mana Amp (Rare to Epic)
- Staff- Asceticism (Uncommon to Epic)
- Bow- Sniper’s Sense (Rare to Epic)
- Staff- Flame Condensation (Rare to Epic)
- Bow- Rapidfire Stance (Uncommon to Epic)
The Active & Passive Skills with the Bow and Staff build when gearing toward the DPS role can be quite flexible (for example, Decisive Sniping is a fantastic damage tool in PvE). However, for the sake of this guide we’ve put together the framework above to ensure you have a solid start! As a result, feel free to experiment after!
Attributes, Weapon Mastery, and Guardians
Attributes
In this section, we will go over recommended Attribute allocation, as well as the Weapon Mastery and Guardian usage for the build.
For this build, the main attribute is actually split between Wisdom and Dexterity. However, Perception can play a crucial role in the build too, if you have enough stat points from gear. Dexterity is important due to the increased Maximum damage threshold, Critical Hit Chance, Evasion and Attack Speed it provides. Wisdom similarly plays an important role, boosting Maximum damage dealt while providing Mana, Cooldown Reduction for more healing output and more. Perception, while the least important of the 3 stats can prove powerful when stacked. High Perception allows you to hit targets with higher levels of Evasion. Most importantly, however, is the increased range bonus provided upon reaching 50 Perception.
It is important as a glass cannon DPS to truly lean into the most offensive stats (Dex + Wis), however, as players begin to stack more Evasion – be prepared to increase your Perception or Hit on gear.
Starting out, however, we recommend the following:
NOTE: This Information does not include gear Bonuses
- STRENGTH – 10
- DEXTERITY – 30
- WISDOM – 30
- PERCEPTION – 19
Weapon Mastery
You can level up your Weapon Mastery naturally by just playing the game and using the weapon(s). The Weapon Mastery Trees for each weapon are as follows:
NOTE – Your first Weapon Mastery Point will be used to select the opening Node in each weapon.
Staff
- Destroy – 7 points
- Attribute – 5 points
Bow
- Check – 3 points
- Sniping – 9 points
Guardian – Lady Knight Kamarshea
Lady Knight Kamarshea is the perfect Guardian for a ranged DPS. This is due to the huge shield and cooldown speed the Kamarshea provides. However, with a Staff, this effect becomes even more powerful as a result of the shield scaling with your Maximum Mana. Kamarshea gives you the opportunity to play more aggressively without worrying about assassins diving you. Bow and Staff has a ton of Active Skills with no channel time, leading to a ton of instant cast uptime during the Guardian. Alternatively, in PvE, Shade Revenant Stheno is a great choice too for raw damage output versus bosses.
Gear
NOTE – Most Elite Resistance gear ALSO has a chance to drop from Precious Blessing Pouches that can be purchased daily from your Contract Vendor and the completion of some level 50 Contracts.
Weapons
IMPORTANT – You will want to level up RARE gear to 9+ before transferring progress to EPIC quality Gear.
Level 1-50+
| Name | Trait 1 | Trait 2 | Trait 3 | How to Acquire | |
| Main Hand | Elite Resistance Staff | Heavy Attack Chance | Hit | Critical Hit | Crafted – Lithograph from Various Sources & MSQ Reward |
| Off-Hand | Elite Resistance Bow | Heavy Attack Chance | Hit | Critical HIt | Crafted – Lithograph from Various Sources & MSQ Reward |
End Game (BIS)
| Name | Trait 1 | Trait 2 | Trait 3 | How to Acquire | |
| Main Hand | Toublek’s Thunderous Soul | Heavy Attack Chance | Hit | Mana Cost Efficiency | Paola’s Dimension Chest (Drops in all 50+ Dungeons or can be purchased with Dimensional Crystals) |
| Off-Hand | Toublek’s Strafing Bow OR Karnix’s Hell Bow | Heavy Attack Chance | Hit | Critical Hit | Paola’s Dimension Chest (Drops in all 50+ Dungeons or can be purchased with Dimensional Crystals). Toublek’s Strafing Bow, drops in Tyrant’s Isle Dungeon. |
NOTE – you can also use Queen Bellandir’s Domination Wand in the Staff slot. The item is difficult to acquire/Trait, but due to the Weapon Skill it is far superior to Toublek’s Thunderous Soul. This drops from the World Boss Worm – Queen Bellandir.
Armor
IMPORTANT – You will want to level up RARE gear to 9+ before transferring progress to EPIC quality Gear.
Level 1-50+
| Name | Trait 1 | Trait 2 | Trait 3 | How to Acquire | |
| Helm | Elite Resistance Visor | Max Health | Ranged Evasion | Melee Evasion | Crafter – Lithograph drops from Various location |
| Cloak | Elite Assassin’s Cloak | Max Health | Skill Damage Resistance | Bind Resistance | Crafter – Lithograph drops from Orc Spearmaster and Executioners (Akidu Valley) |
| Chest | Elite Resistance Plate Armor | Max Health | Melee Evasion | Ranged Evasion | Crafted – Lithographs Drop from Ruins of Turayne Zone from Gallu Mobs |
| Gloves | Blessings of Mother Nature Cloth | Max Health | Melee Evasion | Magic Evasion | Crafted – Lithograph Drops from Cave of Destruction |
| Pants | Elite Resistance Leather Pants | Max Health | Ranged Evasion | Magic Evasion | Crafted – Lithograph drops from Mitran or Pirate King’s Chest Crab |
| Boots | Elite Resistance Plate Boots | Ranged Evasion | Melee Evasion | Move Speed | Crafted – Lithograph drops from Grayclaw Butcher |
End Game (BIS)
| Name | Trait 1 | Trait 2 | Trait 3 | How to Acquire | |
| Helm | Reaper’s Black Mask | Ranged Evasion | Magic Evasion | Cooldown Speed | World/Guild Raid Boss – Adentus |
| Cloak | Elite Sharpshooter’s Cloak | Collision Resistance | Skill Damage Resistance | Silence Resistance | Drops from Abyssal Specter & obtainable from Lithograph Book |
| Chest | Miracle of Mother Nature’s Clothing | Buff Duration | Melee Evasion | Magic Evasion | Drops from Saurodoma Island Reptilian Soldier’s |
| Gloves | Reaper’s Hand of Death | Magic Evasion | Ranged Evasion | Magic Endurance | World/Guild Raid Boss – Cornelius |
| Pants | Grim Judicator’s Pants | Magic Endurance | Ranged Evasion | Magic Evasion | Drops from Abyssal Specter |
| Boots | Heavenly Arbiter Shoes | Magic Evasion | Melee Evasion | Move Speed | World/Guild Raid Boss – Nirma |
Alternatively, you can replace a couple of the stat-heavy pieces for more HIT if you’re struggling to land damage on high Evasion targets.
Accessories
IMPORTANT – You will want to level up RARE gear to 9+ before transferring progress to EPIC quality Gear.
Level 1-50+
| Name | Trait 1 | Trait 2 | Trait 3 | How to Acquire | |
| Necklace | Shock Trooper’s Resistance Necklace | Max Health | Skill Damage Boost | Buff Duration | Drops From Skeleton Lancer (Ruins of Turayne Zone) |
| Bracelet | Wild Resistance Bracelet | Max Health | Skill Damage Reduction | Stun Resistance | Dungeons – Roaring Temple and Cursed Wasteland |
| Ring | Lethal Fortune Ring | Max Health | Skill Damage Boost | Buff Duration | Crafted – Lithograph Recipe obtained from Lithograph Book |
| Ring | Crude Wind Band | Max Health | Skill Damage Boost | N/A | Uncommon Accessory Chest |
| Belt | Crude Vigor Belt | Bind Resistance | Skill Damage Resistance | N/A | Uncommon Accessory Chest |
End Game (BIS)
| Name | Trait 1 | Trait 2 | Trait 3 | How to Acquire | |
| Necklace | Shock Trooper’s Resistance Necklace | Max Health | Skill Damage Boost | Buff Duration | Lithograph Book and Drops from Skeleton Lancer |
| Bracelet | Beast King’s Gilded Bracers | Max Health | Skill Damage Reduction | Silence Resistance | Dungeons – Roaring Temple and Cursed Wasteland |
| Ring | Insightful Ring of Dimension | Max Health | Skill Damage Boost | Buff Duration | Crafted with Dimensional Crystals x 20 |
| Ring | Transcendent Magic Ring | Weaken Chance | Skill Damage Boost | Buff Duration | Crafted – Lithograph from Morokai (Raid Boss) |
| Belt | Skull’s Spectral Belt | Max Mana | Skill Damage Resistance | Stun Resistance | World/Guild Raid Boss – Malakar |
Tier 2 Gearing
Tier 2 Epic gear is a step up from the Tier 1 Epics you’ll find early on in Throne and Liberty. After obtaining your Tier 1 BIS gear, you’ll need to work towards your Tier 2 gear grind. Most Tier 2 gear comes as a reward from the new Tier 2 Dungeons, along with a Tier 2 specific upgrade material – Precious Growth Schema’s. There is a lot of powerful Tier 2 gear options, with powerful 2-set or 4-set bonuses. In terms of weapons, there is also game-changing options available to most weapon types. Below is our recommended Tier 2 pieces to target farm for the Bow and Staff:
Weapons
| Name | Trait 1 | Trait 2 | Trait 3 | How to Acquire | |
| Main Hand | Moonlight Bowstring | Heavy Attack Chance | Hit | Critical Hit | Tier 2 Dungeons or Crafted via Soul Shards |
| Off-Hand | Fallen Angel’s Rod | Heavy Attack Chance | Hit | Critical HIt | Tier 2 Dungeons or Crafted via Soul Shards |
Moonlight Bowstring is a fantastic Tier 2 bow to farm. The Moonlight Bowstring has incredible stats, providing 18 total attribute points and increased range! Additionally, the passive increases both you and your party’s attack speed within your Nature’s Blessing range. Fallen Angel’s Rod adds additional Function to your Ice Spear, allowing for more damage potential with the skill. However, Toublek’s Thunderous Soul is still a fantastic weapon and highly recommended.
Armor
| Name | Trait 1 | Trait 2 | Trait 3 | How to Acquire | |
| Tier 2 Piece (Helmet) | World Tree’s Mysterious Wreath | Cooldown Speed | Magic Evasion | Melee Evasion | Tier 2 Dungeons or Crafted via Soul Shards |
| Tier 2 Piece (Boots) | World Tree’s Winged Boots | Move Speed | Magic Evasion | Melee Evasion | Tier 2 Dungeons or Crafted via Soul Shards |
World Tree’s 2-set bonus provides a boon to your mana pool and Wisdom which is always nice. However, the main allure of at least the Helmet is the additional Heavy Attack Chance. Although, depending on how you can set-up your Reaper 2-set bonus across your gear, it can also be worth running the World Tree’s Mysterious Wreath along with the Abyss Slayer’s Rake Gloves. Both of these pieces do not synergize in terms of 2-set bonus, however, the mix of increased Heavy Attack Chance, Range and Stats in general is well worth it.
How to Play the Bow Staff DPS Build
This DPS build entirely focuses on glass cannon damage with little to no regard for survivability. As a result, this combination of weapons is extremely viable for PvE and PvP but can require additional mastery to wield effectively.
One key 2-spell combination you have as a Bow and Staff player that works in both PvE and PvP is the “infinite mana” combo. To pull this off, simply do the following:
- When you want to gain back mana and give your team some mana too, cast Nature’s Blessing (Epic)
- As soon as Nature’s Blessing is cast, immediately cast Inner Peace
The combined effects and percentage of mana regeneration gained from both skills instantly refills your mana bar in a pinch. Keep this in mind as this is important during PvE or extending large-scale PvP encounters!
PVE
This build is focused on dealing as much damage as possible throughout dungeons and the open world. The build excels in both single-target and multi-target combat. When dealing with multiple enemies, group them up with your party and follow a rotation similar to below:
- Serial Fire Bombs (x3)
- Inferno Wave
- Ice Spear
- Chain Lightning
- Judgment Lightning
- Inferno Meteor
The Ice Spear activates the Frost Master passive which modifies Chain Lightning and Judgment Lightning into AoE skills. The Serial Fire Bombs also increase most of your damage due to the Staff kit revolving around damage increases based on burn stacks.
For single-target fights, we recommend switching out Ice Spear and Inferno Meteor for Deadly Marker and Decisive Sniping. This change is especially helpful against bosses because you can focus all of your skills into one target. Apply Deadly Marker off-cooldown to assist yourself and your teammates in dealing as much critical strikes as possible. Decisive Sniping heavily increases your single-target DPS due to the reset passive, allowing you to re-cast up to 2 more times.
During PvE encounters, try your best to plant your feet and not move around too much (unless a mechanic forces you to), doing so lets you utilize two stationary passives “Asceticism” and “Rapidfire Stance”. Having both passives active provides mana regen, increased Heavy Attack Chance and Attack Speed! Finally, make sure to weave your instant casts such as Zephyr’s Nock and Strafing between your biggest cast windows.
PVP
For PVP, this build is used to deal damage through bursting enemy backlines, melting frontlines and “nuking” clumps of enemies. However, unlike a more “focused” build such as the Staff and Dagger, the Bow and Staff combination can heavily burst town single-targets too.
As a Bow Staff DPS build, your only focus is to dish out damage with as much uptime as possible. The first and foremost as expected, is to deal damage to the right targets constantly throughout a fight, launching Fire Bombs into clumps, landing Lightning skills on squishy targets while keeping a safe distance. A key focus of the Bow and Staff is knowing when to look for low health or “kill range” targets, and executing them with quick but powerful spells such as Zephyr’s Nock. As a Bow and Staff player, if you’re uncontested and allowed to free-cast, the amount of damage you output is incredible high. As a result, utilize the incredible range you have (especially when playing with both Toublek’s Thunderous Soul and Karnix’s Hell Bow) and rack up kills on the leaderboard!
Due to the range this particular build has, you can often find yourself planting your feet to become a “turret” of DPS. When you find these situations, make the most of the stationary-based passives “Asceticism” and “Rapidfire Stance”. Making use of both passives provides you with Mana Regen, increased Heavy Attack Chance and Attack Speed!
Meteor Nuking
Most large-scale compositions play with 1-2 “Bomb Squads” in Throne and Liberty. Your task as a Staff user is to time your Meteor cast with your other Staff players on an engage. The most important aspect here is to wait for your tank(s) to call their Green Ranger Guardian activation (which is an AoE Root) and then react to it immediately. As a Bow and Staff player, you can do the following for maximum nuke output:
- Channel Meteor on the correct location
- Consume an Attack Remedy mid-channel
Following the above allows you and your other Staff players to land incredible army-wiping damage when timed well. Should you find an opportunity to plant your feet and be stationary while fighting, make the most out of Asceticism and Rapidfire Stance. Both of these passives will not only speed up the process of the nuke but also give increased Heavy Attack Chance!
Ice Spear is a very flexible spell in PVP too. Using Ice Spear both offensively and defensively has its benefits. As a result of slowing in AoE, you can use Ice Spear to disengage AND engage into a clump. Additionally, Ice Spear triggers Frost Master in your Staff passives, allowing for Chain Lightning and Judgment Lightning to deal AoE damage.
Utility such as High Locus should be used before you cast any of your rotation to ensure your cooldowns are reduced.
Conclusion
That Concludes our Bow Staff DPS Build! For more Throne and Liberty content, news and guides, be sure to check out our Throne and Liberty Home Page