There is nothing quite like the bow and arrow. Even in video games, its use takes more skill than most firearms, and the shorter range requires a level of stealth that will reward only the most patient and precise of players. In The Last of Us Remastered, it's a fun option on some of the easier difficulties, but an absolute necessity on Survivor and Grounded. Its usefulness travels far beyond simply killing Hunters and Clickers, with tricks that will help players escape even the most hopeless situations. Whether mastering this underrated weapon is a desire or must, here are five tips that will turn you into the ultimate archer.

Buy the Upgrades

When players are first introduced to the Bow during Chapter 4: Bill's Town, there aren't a lot of reasons to use it. While aiming, the projective arch makes long distance shots difficult, and it seems like most of your arrows simply snap in half on impact. The results can be discouraging.

Upgrading your Bow can massively improve the way it performs. You'll suddenly find yourself looking for places to take advantage of it, rather than thinking of it as a last resort. Whether it's the Reload Speed, Range or Draw Speed, each of the upgrades will make a noticeable difference in its ease of use. While we can't say for certain, players may also find that they are able to retrieve more of their arrows.

Devastating Power

There are certainly more powerful weapons than the Bow, but when it comes to balancing stealth and damage, there is nothing else like it. If you upgrade the Range, it's capable of silently taking down targets at long distances with one hit, and can even drop a Clicker with two body shots, or one montage worthy bolt to the head.

When it comes to Hunters, Soldiers, Runners and Stalkers, as long as they aren't wearing body-armor, one arrow will do the trick. This allows players to effectively clean out an entire area without making a sound, or needing to get too close. Think about the bookstore on Chapter 5: Pittsburgh, or the six Runners near the beginning of Chapter 8: The University. There are definitely more examples to be found, but those are two that provide perfect opportunities to let the Bow shine.

Not Just an Offensive Option

When players decide to fire up the Survivor or Grounded difficulties, the Bow is going to be their best friend. Its ability to take out the opposition silently is a massive benefit, but it also allows them to sneak past hoards of Infected without being detected.

To do this, players must equip the bow as they are in the crouched position. They don't have to fire the weapon, but with it simply in their hands, they will move at the slowest pace the game allows. This means there is little chance that the finely tuned hearing of a Clicker will pick up on their movements. Think about the tunnel in Chapter 10: Bus Depot, or the room full of Infected that Joel and Sam end up in during Chapter 6: The Suburbs as examples of where this advanced maneuver will come in handy.

Work the Body

Nobody will argue against the fact that scoring a long distance headshot is one of the best feelings in gaming. When it comes to the Bow in The Last of Us Remastered, multiply that feeling by 10. Still, as your unofficial combat advisors, we must urge players to do the responsible thing and aim for the body.

Do you remember the movie The Patriot that starred Mel Gibson and Heath Ledger back in 2000? In it, Mel Gibson gave his son a piece of advice. Aim small, miss small. Combat isn't about glory, it's about survival, and every shot you miss puts that in jeopardy. By aiming for the body, you are far more likely to hit your target, which may or may not kill them, but is still better than missing the mark altogether.

Beating a Dead Hunter

For anyone who used the Bow in The Last of Us Remastered, they know exactly what it's like to fire an arrow, then walk up to their prey and see that it's disappeared. Maybe it was luck, or maybe we just spend far too much time playing this game, but we figured out a trick to sometimes get your long-lost bolt back in your quiver.

First, make sure that everyone else who intends to harm you is dead, then approach one of the bodies where your arrow seems to have vanished. Start bumping into the corpse with your feet and tilt your head to the ground. Because the dead flesh seems to sometimes swallow the projectile, nudging the corpse ever so gently will often bring up the icon to retrieve the arrow. It's not 100 effective, but we guarantee that it will drastically decrease the amount of bolts that you lose.