Bloodskal Blade vs Auriel's Bow for a pure archer build

[NordOfSolitude]

I'm planning a new playthrough where I actually commit to being a bow-only character, and I keep flip-flopping between going Dawnguard or Dragonborn for the endgame weapon. Yeah I know Bloodskal is technically a greatsword, but hear me out - the projectile effect is basically an arrow so it counts.

Auriel's Bow obviously has the better base damage and the sun damage is clean, plus the Bloodcursed Arrows are a neat utility tool even if they're kind of situational. But Bloodskal's shockwave effect actually scales with your One-Handed skill, and I'm wondering if stacking it with archery perks would even work or if the game just treats it as a melee weapon and ignores my bow investment entirely.

Has anyone actually tested this? I don't want to get 40 hours in and realize I've been gimping myself. Also curious which DLC area feels better to grind through on a pure archer - the Forgotten Vale or Apocrypha? I know Apocrypha's got those tentacle things that are kind of a pain at range.

 

[DragonbornVet]

The Bloodskal Blade thing won't work the way you're hoping. It's a greatsword, full stop - the projectile is just a visual effect tied to the weapon itself, not to your archery tree. You'd be leveling One-Handed instead of Archery, and none of your bow perks (Impact, Critical Shot, Steady Hand, whatever you're running) would apply to the shockwave. It's a cool weapon but it's basically a melee build pretending to be an archer build, which defeats the whole point if you want to stay pure bow.

Auriel's Bow is the clear pick for what you're actually trying to do. Base damage is solid, sun damage procs reliably, and the Bloodcursed Arrows let you cheese certain encounters (the ones where you know what I mean). You get to stay in the Archery tree the whole time, stack your perks properly, and the weapon actually rewards your skill investment.

As for DLC grinding - Forgotten Vale is way more archer-friendly. Apocrypha's got those flying tentacle things yeah, but also the Lurkers and Seekers are tanky enough that pure bow can feel sloggy if you're not running high damage perks. Forgotten Vale's mostly Falmer and the occasional Chaurus, which die faster to arrows. Plus the location itself is less of a maze.