Avelyn upgrade question

Ok, just a quick question; what is the best upgrade path for the avelyn? +15? lightning? other?

My char is a mage btw.

Thanks.

High INT builds (such as the one I use mostly) won't find that any upgrade path for crossbows will complement their stats. Assuming that you have low DEX/STR (I can't remember which one), you won't benefit very much from the scaling of a +15. I think the best upgrade path would be lightning because there are lightning crossbow bolts to complement this. Any other path and you'd end up with damage splitting (which is TERRIBLE)!

Just my take on the situation anyway.

Ok, so the lightning bolts can only be used by a lightning upgraded bow? I thought I could use them too with a normal upgraded bow...thanks btw for your reply!

Doesn't matter what stats you have, crossbow have preset damage, just like elemental weapons. Crossbows don't scale at all, unless you upgrade them to divine or magic, and I haven't even tested that either.

Just upgrade to lighting and use lighting bolts. It works well.

It is expensive though .
Lightning Bolts cost 700 each and the Avelyn fires three of them at once .

I think Crystal will give it the highest AR but im not sure if its even possible though

@ChizFreak: Thank you for noting that. I had no idea because I've never used anything other than the lightning upgrade path for crossbows.

TheBigLebowski wrote:Ok, so the lightning bolts can only be used by a lightning upgraded bow? I thought I could use them too with a normal upgraded bow...thanks btw for your reply!

You can use lightning bolts with any crossbow regardless of what upgrade path you choose. What Brotherbob and Chiz were saying is that if you make your CB lightning, and use lightning bolts, you'll only be doing one kind of damage, lightning, because both your CB and your bolts with be doing it. If you use say a magic crossbow and lightning bolts, you'll be doing physical damage, lightning damage, and magic damage, which means all the damage you're doing will be split between 3 different types and be affected to a greater degree by your opponents defenses, because it'll be a lesser number with each type, affected by 3 different defensive types. This generally results in less damage. Generally if your doing more uniform damage, affected by less types of defense, it'll result in higher damage output. So if you're using CB's lightning and lightning bolts are a good choice, or if you're using bows fire upgrades and fire arrows would work too. Get it?

I was actually just hashing this out in a thread the other day. Somebody brought up a good point that I had never considered before, that for an INT build a good choice might be a magic or enchanted bow in combination with moonlight arrows, which also do magic damage. I haven't tried it yet, but the logic makes sense.

PlasticandRage wrote:
I was actually just hashing this out in a thread the other day. Somebody brought up a good point that I had never considered before, that for an INT build a good choice might be a magic or enchanted bow in combination with moonlight arrows, which also do magic damage. I haven't tried it yet, but the logic makes sense.

I use a magic+10 black bow of pharis on my caster with moonlight arrows and can confirm that it rocks everythings socks off. It doesn't do purely magic damage, it pumps out like 330magic/130physical whcih is pretty beastly. Haven't tried with a composite bow but I suspect the damage would be crazy if you get close enough for full damage

PlasticandRage wrote:

TheBigLebowski wrote:Ok, so the lightning bolts can only be used by a lightning upgraded bow? I thought I could use them too with a normal upgraded bow...thanks btw for your reply!

You can use lightning bolts with any crossbow regardless of what upgrade path you choose. What Brotherbob and Chiz were saying is that if you make your CB lightning, and use lightning bolts, you'll only be doing one kind of damage, lightning, because both your CB and your bolts with be doing it. If you use say a magic crossbow and lightning bolts, you'll be doing physical damage, lightning damage, and magic damage, which means all the damage you're doing will be split between 3 different types and be affected to a greater degree by your opponents defenses, because it'll be a lesser number with each type, affected by 3 different defensive types. This generally results in less damage. Generally if your doing more uniform damage, affected by less types of defense, it'll result in higher damage output. So if you're using CB's lightning and lightning bolts are a good choice, or if you're using bows fire upgrades and fire arrows would work too. Get it?

I was actually just hashing this out in a thread the other day. Somebody brought up a good point that I had never considered before, that for an INT build a good choice might be a magic or enchanted bow in combination with moonlight arrows, which also do magic damage. I haven't tried it yet, but the logic makes sense.

This was a very useful reply. Thanks dude! I'll make it lightning then with l. bolts. There are no moonlight bolts sadly enough...otherwise I might have gone the enchanted path. maybe I will do that with another bow. Good to know. I have a ton of souls, because I stopped leveling.