I like that you end it with "this is my choice," not "this is better."

I personally prefer the crossbow but to argue that one is better than the other is to misunderstand the utility of both.

A friend and I actually made a crossbow for a school engineering project once. It had about a 60 pound draw weight with no power at all, but it felt awesome to shoot something we built from scratch!

In The Wheel of Time books there is actually a quite nice exploration of crossbows vs bows. It brings up the points of how you need to train longer for bows: The only group of prominent bow users by the end of the series are the "Two Rivers men" who are farmers and livestock herders who live in the woods and learn the bow from childhood to hunt. We never see anyone train to learn the bow but we see people training whole new armies of crossbowmen. in one of my favorite battles in book 11 a general who has to run with his army out of enemy territory, abuses the fact that they have new crossbows that shoot 8 bolts per minute instead of the common 3 per minute to make is army seem much larger by how many bolts they fire in a given time and information not traveling very well in that setting.

the main advantage of the crossbow is the low training needed and that it can be held ready rather than holding the bow at draw.

I like that you didn't just rag on the crossbow but actually compared the two with advantages and disadvantages.

Fascinating video, I always thought of crossbows as the medieval equivalent of guns, they shoot in a straight line with a lot of force, they can be reloaded without shooting, and they are shot via trigger. I never realised how versatile normal bows were though.

My fantasy for the two is different, and seemingly in line with the reality. Mastering the bow is about the archer, a skilled person who can take any bow and push it to it's limits, like how a brass instrument player learns how to make the instrument shapes sound so theycan use it intuitively. A crossbow user is never mainly a marksman when I make characters, they're a tinkerer. They make their tool and it becomes their baby, skill is reflectes in the weapon rather than it's use, although usually I also have the x-bow be tailored to the user to where others may struggle fully utilizing it. In a way it's more like a music producer, they may not play any analogue instruments, but they understand how to combine various sounds and effects to produce art, and often make their own instruments based on tweaking synths and effects. Neither is better, rather both are worthy disciplines thatrequire both discipline and experience.

Another important advantage of crossbows is that you can have it "ready" more or less forever before pulling the trigger when you want to shoot. An archer needs to first draw the bow and expose more of his body until an arrow can be shot. This makes crossbows a very effective defensive weapon if you're shooting from a wall during a siege for example. It's also why many crossbowmen carried comically large shields that were basically portable walls; such as the famous crossbowmen of Genoa.

This makes so much sense. In Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers, the Uruk-hai army uses crossbows, becasue their soldiers were literally born within the last few months. Where everyone else who had generations to train their archers, from the Gondorians to the Rhohirrim and even the Orcs, all use war bows.

I like the comparison between the two. Indeed, when I first started learning how to shoot a bow, I had no clue how to aim properly and my shots went everywhere BUT the target. Where bow archery is more of an art, crossbows and modern firearms (not counting the wildly inaccurate flintlocks), are more of a science. Where you shoot where the sights are aiming, and if you’re a little bit off, you make small adjustments and corrections based on where the shots are hitting. Makes them easier to learn than bows.

The real main advantage of crossbows is that they're better to use in movies for scenes where they want the guards to hold up the heroes, and just treat bows as if they're guns (running around with them drawn, holding it drawn for several minutes while the captain talks to the heroes etc)

I just love it how he’s constantly hanging from trees. It’s the last thing you expect (normally), there isn’t any reason to do it other than to show that he can do it, but there he is, hanging upside down a tree shooting a bow once again. 😂 I absolutely love it.

It's also important to remember that crossbows were historically created in an age and place where plate armor was making some people nigh-invincible (or so thought) and sieges were one of the major locations that weapon innovation needed to happen. For that bill, crossbows fit perfectly. Some schmuck who's trained for ten days can kill an armored target by shooting them in the chest from on top of a wall, thirty meters away. As well, the fact you pre-load crossbows makes them superior in a siege where you have plenty of time to reload behind a wall, but not necessarily to aim outside of cover. They're more bang for proverbial buck in terms of wood as well, which was actually a consideration in some of the longer sieges. So while bows are - if you're skilled - usually better in many cases, the specific scenario that crossbows were created in made them a hot commodity for the time. Hope this makes sense, and I know war bows can pierce some armors too, but at the time iirc it was mostly crossbows which were given the job. Let me know if there's anything you want to add!

Definitely appreciate the longer form! I came from your shorts looking for some arrow science and real-life testing, so I'd love to see more!

My day started very badly but your passion for archery helped me to feel better ! Your general chill attitude is real effective for those problems

I love the way you demonstrate what you're saying as you explain. I've learned so much about archery from this channel and it's awesome!

I love this channel. Not only are the topics covered interesting, but the tone is always light-hearted and non-judgmental. Oh, and the videos never waste our time with fillers, sponsors, or incessant talk, going straight to the point in fun yet educational ways.

Love it! Definitely down for more longer videos like this one. It never occurred to me that crossbows would be so much harder to load. Also, I highly respect your choice of doing what's more fun and skillful rather than what's "easiest and most efficient". Not that crossbows are even necessarily always that (depending on the skill of the archer)

You’re such an amazing educator! The Royal Armouries up in Leeds should totally hire you, your practical knowledge of bows is incredible.

Crossbows have a lot of advantages in specific scenarios: ambushes, very timing sensitive volleys, extreme long range arms racing in sieged situations, but most of all, having a prepared and immediate shot for assassination or indoor defensive situations. Don't get me wrong, I'd take a bow as well for general use, because they win out in a considerably longer and less niche list of advantages if we imagine any kind of varied combat

I love it when weapons reviewers/experts will inform you and comment on the differences in different types of weaponry, without belittling it. I love respectful informative education, with an awareness of bias! Thank you so much for this video!

I just wanted to thank you for your content & hard work you put into creating it! I've always wanted to learn archery, so your videos make me a little bit closer to my biggest dream. they inspire me and that's why I'm not giving up 🤧

All of my questions and history I needed to know answered instantly. Amazing video you should be very proud of your knowledge

Another thing of note would be the variables. You as a person are prone to variables such as the weather, your own health, injuries, what have you. This means that while yes, you can be doing worse than your average due to issues, it also means having a great day means you're even more likely to be good at what you're doing. A crossbow - as you said - is just as it is with the mechanisms in place. So you could be down with the flu but your bolt goes just as hard & fast as if you were at full strength. Again, having a great day means not taking advantage of that potential. Not to prioritise one over the other of course, just great to see the differences and appreciate both for what they are!

I agree completely. It's comparable to why muskets were used over bows: shorter training time due to ease of operation despite long reload time. Good archers are valuable, but were phased out in the standardization of the military :(

Awesome explanation! I'm so glad i found this channel randomly the other day

Honestly this channel is so underrated, really good content

Soeaking of this argument, I'd be interested in seeing you tackle some of the differences between different kinds of bows. Compound bows, for instance. What are the advantages/disadvantages of using a standard or recurve bow versus a compound bow?

You find crossbows often depicted in medieval siege scenes. The reason is, you can draw a crossbow and lie in wait behind cover until some head pops up on the other side. You cannot draw a bow and keep it drawn for a longer time, especially the more powerful war bows.

From admiring your knowledge to blushing with excitement when you shoot upside down, absolutely love your videos!

I always love your videos because of how resectfully you talk about literally anything. Even when something is impractical or not realistic, you don't blantly call it "stupid". And like in this video right here - you don't say which is better or worse. You showcased the strenghts and weaknesses of both weapons and left it for the viewers to chose their preffered one. That's great! I hope you get more and more viral, we need more educational channels like this. Not to mention that I'd love to see you collab with Shadiversity if they were to do a video related to archery ❤️

I have a Ranger character that gets disgusted at the mention of crossbows. He would be very pleased to see this video 😆

I'm suddenly reminded of a line from The Legend of Vox Machina when Vex gets tossed a crossbow while in a scenario where the party doesn't have their usual weapons, hers being a longbow: "A trigger? Ew."

Hmmm saw 2 shorts and this first youtube video (atleast i watched it as a youtube video and not a short) 3 out of 3 Videos i found interesting. I do enjoy this kind of content. I think you sir deserve another follower! and subbed! good job keep up the work

Great videos mate! Very entertaining & nerdy. Spot on

love how you explains both choices of weapon for fantasy setting, this takes me back to the very old game called "Battle Realms" There are 2 clans, and they take a different approach to archery the Dragon clan would train their archers. whereas the Serpent clan would take the shortcut and let their units use the crossbow instead they also mentioned in the game that archers were more skillful and respected for their arts. they're far from weak nor cowards. archer must possess great strength and courage to draw their bow and hold steady while the enemies are closing in. and they can't wear armors because they interfere with their delicate aims But the Serpent clan also bites back that archery took excessive training and they think strength would better be spent in the front lines. you can easily give crossbows to peasants, and they would be ready in days. not weeks. they also prefer it that their crossbowmen are cowards and quick to flee than fight. those crossbows aren't cheap after all

I appreciate the “my choice” bit. If either of these weapons were objectively better, the other wouldn’t have survived for us to know about it. It’s not like comparing 2 hammers either, it’s more like comparing a wrench vs a screwdriver. Similar result and function, different purpose and mechanism

Good vid, good length, clear pros and cons, and informational.

Realistically speaking, this is a really well made video.

Beautifully said.

What a great video explaining in details the big differences between bows and crossbows, without devaluating either ❤

I tried not to subscribe because I'm not really into archery. But your videos have been popping up for about a week now. You do a really good job at explaining archery and making it interesting. From my point of view some would call it useless knowledge, but I don't really consider any knowledge useless. You got a new sub off this video.

Excelent, and what a good edition and demonstrative explanation

Maybe I missed it, but also a crossbow's power decreases faster over range due to the lack of inertia in the smaller/lighter ammunition fired. So penetrating armor is going to be more consistent over distance with a bow, but more "front-loaded" with a crossbow.

I prefer the bow as well. Crossbows are great, too, I just would prefer a bow. Mostly because there is less maintenance and a total of 2 parts or so (not a compound fan)! Longer videos are great, this was a great video!

Another fantastic, and informative video.

Not only are your skill and discipline phenomenal, you're an excellent instructor and debater!

Thanks for the comparison! I was thinking of a sort of “cyber punk but medieval” world and one of the main cast of characters was going to be a sniper armed with a high tech crossbow. I went with a crossbow because I thought that the high draw weight of a war bow would hold her back, seeing as she’s not that physically imposing. I still think I’ll go with a crossbow, but this will allow me to depict her and her weapon with greater accuracy!

"If you want an army of war archers, the training time is reasonably measured in generations." That's a fascinating observation that I'd never thought about. In order for a country to have a military force of archers, you'd realistically need to have a culture of archery first. Fathers teaching their sons to use a bow, who teach their sons, etc.

Your presentation is top notch!

Educational and entertaining. Blumineck is the best!

I'd love to hear your thoughts on my personal favorite ancient ranged weapon, the sheppard's sling, or simply the sling. I think they are one of the most overlooked weapons in history. However, they take just as much, if not more, training to become proficient with them compared to bows. I like them for their simplicity. they're braided bits of rope that fling stones, or lead bullets if you get fancy with it :). @blumineck, could you do a video comparing these together too??

I could see them being used for heavy infantry. Just a quick shot from a 1-handed crossbow to pierce some nearby armour before engaging in melee.

Sir you are a very skilled archer. Your videos make me want to break out the compound bow and practice again.

I find it fascinating the concept that archers were trained across generations!

it's training time vs. Troop quality

Enjoyed the video just subbed will stick around for more

Damn, just when I think that the video is done, there's even more information. Very nice

I’ve played one character in DnD that used crossbows, because it’s harder to get the proficiency for a longbow, but short bows don’t deal a ton of damage, and she wasn’t really an archer type. We were going for a traditional dungeon delving thing, and at the time, being able to shoot from a long range was less effective than being able to react with your bow, which was made easier by having a crossbow that was already loaded.

Some advantages of the crossbow are also negated under some circumstances, high weight crossbows take almost as much time to reload as a ballista sometimes! I love them both, but for an archer character that needs to be versatile, I think you’re mostly fine with having your artificer make you an instant legolas, and just keeping it in your pack for a battle where you need it

The way dwarves are always depicted using crossbows is so cool! 'Cause they're so short but so strong

A fun and simple way of explaining and showcasing why its all preference.

You have been blessed by the youtube algoritme, for you just showed op in my recommendation and I love that

Crossbow, by virtue of having more parts, also has more points of failure. A bow, you have the bow itself, and the string. You have to physically snap the whole thing in order for it to stop working. A crossbow could jam, or part of it could malfunction, much easier, and then need repairing before it's useful again.

I remember hearing many of these very same points when reading Ranger's Apprentice way back then. It's so nostalgic to review these points again now

This feels more you then the DND video homie well done

Very informative vid cuz. I like the fact the you didn’t make your choice a bias decision but not only listed but showed the ways in which both can be good but ended with this is my choice.

This elf has obviously watched Top Gear his entire childhood spent in the woods, this is where he got both his archery (woods) and presentation (Jeremy) skills. I just love his manner and intonations

I like these videos a lot. They're very positive about their subject matters.

Thank you for providing precise argument both for and against, each weapon, and why you prefer one over the other. I too prefer the bow, over a crossbow.

I remember going to some summer camp place with my church or school as a kid. One of the activities available to us was the archery range. Although that was my only exposure to archery, I very much enjoyed it. Wish I had followed up on that interest...

God I NEED on of those tank tops, looks so great!

Thanks for outlining the important differences between the two.

concise, clever, fun. subscribed.

wow, you’re telling a question of ‘is this better than this’ once again comes down to preference and situation? mind blowing

Man, I love this channel and I don't even practice archery

I think there was a type of early crossbow called the “gastraphetes” from “gastro” meaning stomach, because you’d have to rest it on your stomach while reloading.

I like that your video is to the point where you immediately say the advantages and disadvantages of bows and crossbows. No need a lot of small talk but immediately to the point. You also didnt ask for like but i will still give a like anyway ❤

“My choice” is the best way to put it. Neither is objectively better, they’re designed for different scenarios

Thank you - that was very informative. If I hadn't subscribed to your channel already, I would do so now,

I love that you genuinely discussed pros and cons. If crossbows were garbage, we would likely not even be aware of the concept, because it wouldn’t have caught on.

When I was young, PBS had a ton of very weird random shows playing in the middle of the day. One I saw once was a medieval news show complete with commercials. This reminds me of the commercial for a crossbow.

I never considered the almost philosophical aspect of archery until now. Very interesting and insightful

Thanks! This is great information!

I love everything about archery and usually my fav caracters are archers I just found this channel and it makes me so happy I wish i knew how to use an a bow

“You’re not gonna reload it like Daryl Dixon” *proceeds to reload it exactly like Daryl Dixon does*

For those curious, the historical way that crossbowmen got around the "slow reload" issue was that crossbowmen usually worked in teams of people (especially during sieges). The crossbowman would fire their shot then get handed an already loaded new crossbow. They could have like 3-4 crossbows prepared in this way. And while being handed a new crossbow to fire, the rest of the crossbowman's team would be reloading the spent bolts. In this way, the rate of fire for a crossbow would be comparable to the rate of fire of a longbowman. This is likely where the idea of people having multiple single shot pistols came from (for example Edward Teach, Blackbeard)

Good analysis video. Helps me to understand the differences between crossbow and bow really well. Personally I prefer crossbows for aesthetic choice

Good video, good counterpoints very interesting watch

Very interresting thanks for sharing!

This is good information to know for the TTRPG world I'm putting together where crossbows see a lot of widespread use as the ranged weapon of choice (Bows taking a lot of training, and Blasting Wands being expensive, and guns just not existing) I'm mostly working around the limitations with engineering gimmickery, such as some models having multiple revolving barrels that can be reloaded with a quick crank instead of manually.

that upside down shot at the end was just a giant flex isn't it ? it was cool as fuck I give you that

The archer being most of the mechanism is a super interesting point. Way to think outside the box!

The immediate "How wrong are they, actually?" at the beginning of the video😂

I made kinda recently a video analysis of Resident Evil 4 Remake from the point of view of the crossbow that Leon uses. I learned so much about the history of it! I had no idea that one of the oldest crossbows is the Cho-Ko-Nu and, as you said, it was a weapon that anyone could use since, unlike a regular crossbow/pistol bow, it's a repeating one so you don't have that issue of the reloading since you can shoot many bolts, super fast and kinda accurately. The downside is that it wasn't as powerful as a regular crossbow and nowhere near good as a bow. In fact, this wasn't a weapon used in war at all, it was a defensive weapon used by peasents. The damage was low and it wasn't that accurate but if you have 20 or 30 people using it at the same time, it could be dangerous by just the sheer amount of bolts. Also, whether is a repeatin' crossbow or a regular one, one of the deadliest thing that you could do is coat the tip of the bolt with some type of poison and as long as one of those bolts hit you and creates a wound, you will eventually succumb to that poison!

Interesting notes. Now i wanna see your take on Bows vs Slingshots.

Two big things you didn't mention, that I feel are pretty important, are that crossbow bolts in flight tend to be less stable and lose energy faster than arrows, so they don't work as well at long distances, and that crossbows have the advantage of not exerting the user at full draw. IIRC crossbows were much more useful during sieges and the like, where a crossbowman could peek around the corner and shoot immediately, or shoot the peeking person before they go back in cover. Way tougher to do that with a bow. All in all, they are different weapons that have different uses. You wouldn't argue whether a sword or a spear is better, even though you can stab a bloke with both.

Dude's an absolute Legend!

Great video!!!