Best ranged weapons in Rise of the Ronin

To become a samurai master in Rise of the Ronin, you need to be skilled at range as well as being adept with a sword. We’ve picked out the best ranged weapons to make you a god at any distance.

Sure, you can approach combat in Rise of the Ronin head-on with melee weapons, but why bother with that when you can pick off enemies from afar without breaking a sweat? Ranged weapons let you do this, and frankly, they’re a lot of fun.

Thanks to the technology at hand, there are a few options to consider in Rise of the Ronin. During my time with the game, I found these Sub-Weapons weapons stand head and shoulders above the rest, and I’ll explain why.

Every Sub-Weapons in Rise of the Ronin

In total, you will come across six types of ranged weapon in Rise of the Ronin: Bows, Rifles, Revolvers, Earthenware Balls, Shurikens, and a Fire Pipe.

There’s undoubtedly a great selection of gear here, but the problem is you can only have two main Sub-Weapons equipped at any one time. This means you have to be selective. I encourage you to try them all out for yourself to see what works best for you. In my opinion, though, there are two clear winners.

Best ranged weapons in Rise of the Ronin

The two best ranged weapons to use in Rise of the Ronin are Rifles and Bows. While there’s nothing wrong any of the other options, there several clear qualities that make Rifles and Bows the superior options.

Rifles

Between the Rifle and Bow, I enjoy using the Rifle the most because of how powerful each shot is. If you land a headshot with one of these bad boys, you’re almost guaranteed to kill most lesser enemies or deal serious damage to elite enemies and bosses, and there’s a good chance opponents you headshot will drop to the floor—giving you a quick opportunity to pounce and do some extra damage.

While Rifle shots are perfect for singling out undisturbed foes, don’t be afraid to whip out your Rifle in the middle of a fight—especially against bosses. Once you whittle down a boss to low health, you can finish them off by landing a few final Rifle shots.

Bows

Close second goes to the Bow, which, again, is another fantastic option in Rise of the Ronin that ticks virtually every box the Rifle does. The key difference between the Bow and Rifle is that you can use status-altering arrows to do additional damage and even debilitate enemies.

I found the Fire Pipe does excellent damage, but it’s a bit too cumbersome to be completely practical. Shurikens are great at interrupting enemies but don’t offer much damage potential. The Revolver is probably third on the list, but its capacity leaves much to be desired, and Earthenware Balls are only useful in particular scenarios and aren’t versatile enough.

We have many more of our best Rise of the Ronin tips and advice to get you through the arduous adventure. Not only that, but we van help you cure your ailments, and increase Bonds.