Although there are plenty of champions in the marksman role and over 160 champions in the entire game, there is an unbelievably low amount of archers in League of Legends. Apparently, most ADCs in LoL prefer to use guns instead.
In fact, there are only four champions that use bows, or longbows to be exact, with one of them being Ezreal and his pseudo-magical-bow. And, out of the rest of the champions, only three champions’ weapon of choice is a crossbow.
This might come as a surprise to many players (including me), since bows are very common in other games and they can be very fun, too.
In any case, let’s dive deeper into the seven champions that use longbows or crossbows in League!
All LoL Champions with Longbows – Complete List
1. Ashe, The Frost Archer
Ashe is one of the very first champions that were released and she also is the first that comes to mind when we think about bows in League.
The Freljordian wields Avarosa’s True Ice Bow, which is also enhanced by Ashe’s Iceborn abilities. Therefore, she can enchant her arrows to slow enemies with her passive – Frost Shot or to shatter upon reaching an enemy and stun them with her ultimate ability – Enchanted Crystal Arrow.
Ashe’s bow originally manifests the true Avarosan power with its icy blue aesthetic. However, different skins have portrayed this mighty artifact weapon to be in different colors or even materials. Nonetheless, the magnificence of the fine weapon remains visible in each skin.
2. Varus, The Arrow of Retribution
The Darkin Varus is yet another marksman that wields a bow and arrow. Although previous visuals presented Varus’ bow as being a part of his Darkin form, his newer visuals show us that the weapon is separate from his body.
This champion’s lore is as complex as it can get. His body is a remade flesh that was released after being imprisoned for over a thousand years. Varus has imprisoned two human hunters, the lovers Valmar and Kai who are in a constant battle for control. However, they are forever bound to the Darkin’s body and his bow’s essence.
The longbow and its arrows are the primary sources of Varus’ damage. His Q – Piercing Arrow definitely lives up to its name and deals tons of damage, especially when combined with the stacks from Blighted Quiver.
According to the lore, Varus was imprisoned inside his bow for a very long time, before Valmar and Kai found him. Now he uses this exact bow to punish all those who are against him.
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3. Kindred, The Eternal Hunters
Kindred represents the unity of two spirits, two Gods of Death – Lamb and Wolf. The entity Lamb carries a bow that she uses to bring enemies to their mortal end, while Wolf hunts down the targets upon command.
The bow and arrow are a big part of this champion. Kindred’s abilities Q – Dance of Arrows and E – Mounting Dread are fired directly from Lamb’s bow, and Lamb also uses her bow and arrows when auto-attacking.
Each of Kindred’s skins has a different, unique style for the longbow. My favorite, however, would have to be Spirit Blossom Kindred’s bow look with its stunning flower details.
4. Ezreal, The Prodigal Explorer
Although Ezreal wields magic more than anything else, it is still worth mentioning that he also wields a magical longbow. His longbow is mostly visible in a few of his splash arts, especially for the skins Frosted Ezreal and Porcelain Protector Ezreal.
In-game, we can only see this magical weapon for a short duration. It’s only visible for a split second during Ezreal’s Q – Mystic Shot. However, while Ezreal is casting his ultimate – Trueshot Barrage, the bow becomes massive in size and is visible for longer.
In League of Legends magic is present in different ways for each champion, so I believe it’s okay to also take magical bows into consideration. Therefore, Ezreal is the fourth marksman on this list that wields a bow and arrow.
Read Also: The Most Unique Weapons in League
All LoL Champions with Crossbows – Complete List
1. Twitch, The Plague Rat
Twitch isn’t like any other rat you’ve seen. Not only does he stand on two legs like a humanoid, but he also wields a chem-powered crossbow. With his weapon, he shoots poisonous arrows that also deal damage over time.
Just like in real life, where rats are usually linked with contamination and filth, in League of Legends, Twitch’s favorite thing is to get his paws dirty. This is why the visuals of his abilities, including his bow and arrows, are all sickly green.
Twitch’s scariest ability is obviously his ultimate – Spray and Pray. During its duration, his arrows turn into bolts that have a much longer range. The enhanced auto attacks from his bow become the biggest nightmare for anyone that faces him.
Although a crossbow is Twitch’s original weapon, many skins of his have replaced it with a gun instead. For instance, some of the skins where Twitch doesn’t carry a crossbow are Gangster Twitch, Vandal Twitch, and Pickpocket Twitch.
2. Quinn, Demacia’s Wings
The ranger-knight Quinn is another champion from the marksman class that uses a crossbow as a weapon. Her bird-shaped crossbow is aesthetically in tune with Quinn’s feathery and bird-like visuals.
Quinn also has a bow quiver strapped on her back, completing her look as a true ranger-knight. However, most newer skins have omitted this detail, such as Star Guardian and Warden Quinn.
Still, Quinn’s crossbow remains bird-shaped throughout all her skins. Star Guardian even adds white feathered wings on the sides of Quinn’s crossbow, further emphasizing her title – Demacia’s Wings.
3. Vayne, The Night Hunter
The marksman Vayne shoots not with just one, but two crossbows. Her wrist-mounted crossbow is her weapon of choice when auto-attacking, which is the biggest part of this champion.
With the help of her wrist-mounted crossbow and her W – Silver Bolts, Vayne can deal bonus true damage on each third consecutive attack.
Her second crossbow is much bigger and heavier and only used for Vayne’s abilities E – Condemn and R – Final Hour. Otherwise, it is seen strapped on her back when she isn’t using it.
Some futuristic skins such as Project Vayne have depicted her crossbows in a completely novel and innovative style. Nonetheless, Vayne’s weapons still remain to be crossbows throughout all of her skins. Yes, even Battle Bat Vayne’s wrist weapon is a crossbow.
Conclusion
This list showed us a very interesting fact – all of the bow-wielding champions are marksmen, although not all of them are still actively played on the bot lane. Nowadays, champions such as e.g. Kindred and Quinn are off-meta bot lane picks, but their arrows are still as painful as ever.
It is also clear that there are very few bow-wielding champions in League of Legends. The sounds and visuals of a bow firing are just so appealing and satisfying to me, which is why I sure hope there will be more archers in LoL in the years to come.
Read Also: All Champions That Use Swords in League of Legends
