There are 2 bows players can use in Core Keeper; however, they are not considered the best weapons in the game.
Core Keeper is a newly-released sandbox game that entails survival and crafting mechanics. It can be enjoyed as a single-player game, or cooperatively, with up to 8 players.
The game commences with a cutscene that explains the backstory of the player character. You will then be placed in a procedurally-generated network of caverns.
Players start in the Core Chamber which features the same starting enemies and resources for all players. In this area, you can craft torches to illuminate your path as you set out to discover other caverns.
As you progress in the game, you will accumulate a variety of items, including materials, resources, weapons, and consumables, amongst others.
Contents
Weapons
Weapons are offensive items specifically designed for defeating enemies and bosses in battle. Players can either use melee or ranged weapons. Melee is for close combat and ranged is for combat from a distance.
You can acquire weapons through various means at different stages of the game. Keep in mind that every weapon has a base damage statistic, which can be increased using statistic-boosting items. Weapons can be used by equipping them to a hotbar slot and pressing the assigned “Attack” button to deal damage to enemies.
Core Keeper: Bows
Even though weapons may seem like a simple aspect in the game, they are actually an essential part of it. This is because you cannot deal damage to enemies without a weapon slotted. Subsequently, you will not advance in the game.
One of the ranged weapons players can use is a bow, and the game has 2 types of bows for players to enjoy. It is unclear if the game’s developer, Pugstorm, will introduce additional bows to the game in the future.
Although most weapons can only be acquired by killing bosses, these two bows can be crafted. That being said, you need to accumulate specific materials to craft the bows. The table below outlines what resources are needed to craft each bow :
Bow | Icon | Description | Materials needed |
Iron bow | ![]() |
A sturdy bow with which you can shoot foes from afar | · 7 Iron bars
· A Gold Bar · 5 Wood |
Octarine Bow | ![]() |
A strange bow that enhances the way arrows fly, which accelerates shots | · 15 Octarine bars
· 15 Coral Woods |
The resources needed to craft these bows differ significantly. Since you can easily find the materials needed to craft an Iron bow, it can be said that it is less powerful than the Octarine bow. The table below indicates the bows’ statistics:
Bow | Range damage | Attacks per second | Range damage-per-second (DPS) | Bonuses |
Iron bow | 99-119 | 1.4 | 138.6-166.6 | Increases ranged damage by 17.9 percent |
Octarine bow | 149-181 | 1.4 | 412.5-502.5 | Increases ranged attack speed by 5.5 percent |
Where to craft the bows
Players should remember that both bows must be crafted in specific crafting stations. The table below outlines where players can craft the bows and describes each one:
Bow | Crafting station | Description |
Iron bow | Iron Anvil | This crafting station is great for crafting high-tier equipment and weapons |
Octarine bow | Octarine Anvil | A strange anvil for crafting extraordinary equipment and weapons |

In addition to bows, you can craft the following items at the crafting stations:
Crafting station | Items available for crafting |
Iron Anvil | · Iron Breastplate
· Iron Helm · Iron Pants |
Octarine Anvil | · Octarine Axe
· Octarine Helm · Octarine Breastplate · Octarine Shield · Octarine Pants |
Is the bow one of the best weapons in the game?
Although both bows have amazing statistics, they are not regarded as the best weapons in the game. However, this does not mean that players should not use them to defeat enemies. You may need to change to a more powerful weapon as the difficulty of the content increases as the game progresses.
The following weapons are the best in the game:
- Iron Sword
- Larva Spike Club
- Scarlet Sword
- Fireball Staff
- Blowpipe
- Hand Mortar
- Scarlet Dagger
- Poisonous Sickle
- Ancient Pickaxe
- Rune Song

Crafting
Crafting is one of the key activities in the game, as it allows players to turn raw materials into useful items. While exploring, you may discover an array of workbenches and stations, and each one serves a specific purpose.
The table below describes the different workbenches and stations:
Station | Description |
Cooking | Cooked foods made by combining two edible items into a dish |
Core and special crafting | These items, such as the statues in the Core, are crafted at vendors or fixed locations. |
Workbench crafting | Items crafted at a special station, such as a basic workbench |
Hand crafting | These items can be crafted directly from your inventory without a workbench |