Bests Bows?

[Nexus_Limitless]

What do you think are the best bows? Until I got the Wave Bow, the Zenith was my best bow. After getting Rosenbogen, been using that until I got the Crystal.

After getting the True Ice Bow from Shiva and upgrading it to the Diamond Bow, its become my most powerful, despite its secondary stats not being the most desirable. Accuracy and Skill Speed.

Are the Zodiac Weapons until the Yoichi Bow really all outclassed by the Diamond Bow, with pre-Nexus forms all outclassed by the Rosenbogen as well? Is it worth using slightly weaker bows for the desired Crit instead?

Also is it worth getting the Ironwork's Magitek Bow? Since the Diamond Bow doesn't give crit either and all the Zodiac Weapons seem subpar enough I have something way better long before the next upgrade; I'm thinking the Magitek might be the next logical stepping stone bow to get until I have the Dreadwyrm Longbow.

So High Allagan, Magitek, Yoichi and Dreadwyrm are the only Bows better than Diamond Bow?

[ZhycranaDranix]

Shiva bow is wot m8 but the easiest to obtain out of the bottom group you just named...... Yoichi takes the cake just because of customization with Dread giving a +2 weapon dmg and Magitek upgraded giving a plus 1

So Dread, Mag, Yoichi

But all content up till now can be done with i120+ or i115 with a very good group.......

But yes those are the only bows better than the Crystal

[DoubleD]

What do you think are the best bows? Until I got the Wave Bow, the Zenith was my best bow. After getting Rosenbogen, been using that until I got the Crystal. After getting the True Ice Bow from Shiva and upgrading it to the Crystal Bow, its become my most powerful, despite its secondary stats not being the most desirable. Accuracy and Skill Speed.

Are the Zodiac Weapons until the Yoichi Bow really all outclassed by the Crystal Bow, with pre-Nexus forms all outclassed by the Rosenbogen as well? Is it worth using slightly weaker bows for the desired Crit instead?

Also is it worth getting the Ironwork's Magitek Bow? Since the Crystal Bow doesn't give crit either and all the Zodiac Weapons seem subpar enough I have something way better long before the next upgrade; I'm thinking the Magitek might be the next logical stepping stone bow to get until I have the Dreadwyrm Longbow.

So High Allagan, Magitek, Yoichi and Dreadwyrm are the only Bows better than Crystal Bow?

Yes, I highly recommend getting the Magitek if you are not interested in going for a Yoichi Bow (Yoichi Bow with good stats is not sub-par btw). You might get booted from anything above a T12 party if you bring a 115 Shiva Bow with you.

Dreadwyrm >>> Yoichi (Dex/Crit) = 130 Magitec >> 120 Magitec > Completed Nexus > High Alagan >>>> 115 Shiva Bow

[Nexus_Limitless]

The completed Nexus no longer just gives Dex/Vit/Skill Speed/Accuracy? Site I looked at, stats were pretty much the same as Ice Bow, except it didn't list any stats other Dex/Vit values. I would like to complete it with how much time I've put in already, but does it become more of a grind with each level? Getting Atma was a big grind with getting the Atma from Fates of almost every area, now its even more of a grind to get to the next upgrade. Then there is still 2 forms before Nexus. Does it get better after the next upgrade? Finishing 9 Books takes forever...

[DoubleD]

The completed Nexus no longer just gives Dex/Vit/Skill Speed/Accuracy? Site I looked at, stats were pretty much the same as Ice Bow, except it didn't list any stats other Dex/Vit values. I would like to complete it with how much time I've put in already, but does it become more of a grind with each level? Getting Atma was a big grind with getting the Atma from Fates of almost every area, now its even more of a grind to get to the next upgrade. Then there is still 2 forms before Nexus. Does it get better after the next upgrade? Finishing 9 Books takes forever...

It's something I would recommend if you had the time for it.
If you really want to bank on obtaining the Dreadwyrm, bow, you really won't need it. Dreadwyrm bow is very strong, but will be outdone by a very small margin with the ZW 135 upgrade that's coming later this month. Dreadwyrm is pretty much RNG, and ZW is time (and a pain in the butt).

Completed nexus (and nexus in the process) can be upgraded with the stats you please, based on how much gil you are willing to invest in it.

But once again, either of these is probally going to take awhile, so I do recommend getting the upgraded Iron Works if you can. It is so much better than 115 Shiva weapon.

[Nexus_Limitless]

When they release update, they will release new primal and other high end weapons. Do you think Zodiac will ever be the best if mastered compare to gainable loot from difficult battles or tomes, rather than grind endlessly for each Zodiac upgrade? Top end Primal is pretty close and raid bow is better. Wave Bow i95 was good for its level, better than a lvl 100 Zodiac. It wasn't until I got the Weathered Rosenborg I replaced Wave Bow. Now it isn't until I got Diamond Bow I'm replacing the Rosenborg.

By the time you get upgrades for Zodiac, it seems to be of been outdated for a while. Is every new level a massive grind?

[Kitkat]

Yes, every update is a massive grind from Animus~>Yoichi, but can be done with the patience to. I have Yoichi myself and wouldn't give it up for anything else aside from Dreadwyrm to be perfectly frank. The customization is just that important to the bow, and once it does get the next update it will be the best option until the expansion comes out.

[Eumenide]

The dreadwyrm bow is just a beast but the delay on it can make quad-barraging a bit hard. After that I would put a crit/det yoichi bow since the +51 SkS on the magitek bow makes me cry inside

[MrCookTM]

When they release update, they will release new primal and other high end weapons. Do you think Zodiac will ever be the best if mastered compare to gainable loot from difficult battles or tomes, rather than grind endlessly for each Zodiac upgrade? Top end Primal is pretty close and raid bow is better. Wave Bow i95 was good for its level, better than a lvl 100 Zodiac. It wasn't until I got the Weathered Rosenborg I replaced Wave Bow. Now it isn't until I got Diamond Bow I'm replacing the Rosenborg.

This is not correct. i100 relic (animus) was better than i95 wave bow. i100 rosenbogen was better than animus due to secondary stats, but novus already outclassed the upgraded i110 rosenbogen if semi-properly customized. Nexus outshined high allagan and neither true ice bow nor diamond bow ever stood a chance. So basically raid weapon > current relic stage > primal weapon, that's how it's always been after major content updates, though only for the first time a new raid weapon is realeased. At a certain point relic will be > raid weapon. That's how it has been when nexus was released (better than HA) and how it will most likely be when the new relic upgrade releases at tuesday next week (better than dreadwyrm if the relic goes i135).

[Tex_Mex]

Yep, all of the zodiac weapons stuff is a grindfest, there is no way around it. (Unless they nerf the grind when they release Heavensward, which is the only way I will ever level a nexus past ilvl90)

You have to remember that the Zodiac weapons are designed with casual players in mind. They are for people who cannot, or do not want to participate in end game raiding. There will always be equivalent or better weapons than zodiac weapons available from end game raids.

And to be honest, T10 and T11 can be beaten by parties with all ilvl110 weapons. My raid completed T11 for the first time a month ago with all i110/115 weapons, and now half of us have our magitek weapons. Not until T12 does the content get hard enough to really need stuff ilvl120 or above.

So if you don't feel like grinding for your yoichi bow, then skip it. It is completely unnecessary and IMO a waste of time, but to each their own. Some people have the time to spend on it and don't mind the grind.