How to use the Bocek Bow in Apex Legends

If anyone thinks a bow feels out of place in a futuristic, fast-paced PvP shooter, then they haven’t played with the Bocek Bow, the next addition to Apex Legends’ arsenal. It’s a marksman weapon designed to land precise shots at medium range—and it hits hard.

The Bocek doesn’t function like other weapons. It has its own ammo type, Arrows, which can be picked up from surfaces such as walls or cover. It’s also the first weapon in Apex to come with two hop-up slots at the same time. And when used carefully, it can be extremely deadly.

Basics: Damage, ammo, stats

The Bocek is a precision weapon with damage numbers that can make some sniper rifles jealous. It hits for 70 on a body shot and 122 on a headshot (without any helmets)—harder than the Longbow, albeit at a seemingly slower fire rate. It’s designed to be a mid-range weapon and can use scopes accordingly, including the 2x and the 3x.

The new weapon has its own unique ammo pool called Arrows. They’ll be “somewhat sparse” across the maps, according to lead game designer Daniel Klein, so legends have to be careful of their shots. Arrows stick to surfaces and even enemies, so players can retrieve them by walking to their location, which helps mitigate their scarcity. If you’re poking or fighting at range, however, the arrows may get lost for good in the map.

How to use the Bocek Bow

The Bocek has a bit of a learning curve since its draw time makes it a bit different from other weapons. Any player who can master it, however, will be a deadly force in the field.

Without any hop-ups, the Bocek works comfortably as a mid-range weapon. Its sight options make it easier to fire accurate shots from a distance on unsuspecting targets. The Bocek isn’t completely silent, but it’s quieter than the firearms in Apex—which should give you enough time to get an easy shot or two on the enemy squad before they know where the shots are coming from.

The Bocek’s slow-firing, high-damage nature makes missing a shot at close range particularly punishing. With an R-99, for instance, there’s more than enough time to adjust the crosshair after missing the first shot or two, and a Peacekeeper or Mastiff can still hit with extra pellets. With the Bocek, however, it’s all or nothing.

For that reason, the Bocek is a good pairing for weapons that perform well in close-to-mid range, such as submachine guns, shotguns, and assault rifles. The Wingman or the RE-45 can potentially be good secondaries, particularly with a Quickdraw Holster equipped.

Some weapons, on the other hand, can be redundant with the Bocek. The 30-30 Repeater and the G7 Scout, for instance, occupy a similar mid-range niche. In the same vein, the bow likely won’t be a common combination alongside snipers—at least not without a certain hop-up on the bow.

Hop-ups: Shatter Caps and Deadeye’s Tempo

The Bocek comes with two hop-up slots and two attachments to put them on. Shatter Caps adds spread to the arrows and essentially turns it into a mini-shotgun. The attachment offers tremendous value to the Bocek because it mitigates its weaknesses in close range without any drawbacks to its mid-range potential. This opens up a lot of flexibility to any loadout across all ranges. Players can even pair the Bocek with a sniper if they want to cover all ranges and are confident in their aim with the Bocek.

Deadeye’s Tempo, on the other hand, creates a cadence and a flow to combat that increases fire rate when shooting when the arrow is fully nocked. It has a bit of a learning curve, which becomes considerably steeper when enemies are firing at you, but it provides a noticeable improvement in the firing rate.

The Bocek will become available with the Legacy update, which lands on May 4 alongside the new Arenas permanent game mode and Valkyrie, Apex’s 17th legend.

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