Crossbow builds are secretly the most fun Dawnguard weapon and nobody runs them

[DragonbornVet]

Playing through Dawnguard again on my 6th or 7th playthrough and I'm using crossbows for the first time instead of just defaulting to bow or melee, and honestly? They're way more satisfying than I expected. The reload animation is slower but the damage per shot actually feels heavy, and there's something about the visual feedback that makes each hit matter more than spamming arrows.

The bolts are craftable too which I forgot about, so you're not totally dependent on loot. Paired with some decent smithing and the perks that boost crossbow damage, you can actually make a viable build that isn't just "stealth archer but worse." The vampire hunting angle makes sense thematically too - feels like you're actually prepared for Dawnguard instead of just showing up with whatever you had lying around.

Has anyone else actually committed to a full crossbow playthrough? Or does everyone just grab them once, shoot three times, and go back to bows because the animation feels clunky?

 

[ScrollsOfTamriel]

I did a crossbow-heavy run a couple playthroughs back and yeah, the damage per shot really does hit different. The slower fire rate forces you to actually aim instead of just holding down the button, and paired with the perks that boost bolt damage you get this satisfying crunch on impact that bows don't quite match.

The crafting angle is huge too - I think people sleep on that. Once you've got a decent smithing level you can pump out steel bolts basically for free, which takes away the "I'm running out of ammo" anxiety that sometimes creeps in with bows. And bolts are heavier so you can carry way fewer and still feel equipped, which matters if you're doing a survival-ish playthrough.

Thematically for Dawnguard I get what you're saying, but honestly crossbows feel good against anything tanky - dragons, giants, heavy armor enemies. The stagger is real. Only place they felt clunky was in tight dungeons where bows' faster fire rate lets you kite better, but that's more a playstyle thing than a weapon thing.

What perks are you running? I don't remember if there's a dedicated crossbow damage perk or if you're just stacking the general ranged stuff.