Bow Attack

Bow Attack, not to be confused with the attack stat, is a feature introduced in Dynasty Warriors 2. This function enables characters to indirectly attack enemies from afar with bows. By holding the R1 button, the camera angle switches to that of a first-person perspective view. During this mode, players are limited to aiming their targets with three types of arrow attacks depending on what button is pressed. The first type of attack is an ordinary shot fired by tapping. The second type is a charged shot activated by undefined which stuns any human unit hit by it. Last but not least, pressing while the Musou gauge is full fires a powerful shot enhanced by a portion of the shooter's own Musou.

The main limitation of the Bow Attack is the amount of arrows needed. Quivers and bundles of arrows can usually be found inside crates or by defeating First Bow units. Another thing to keep in mind is that some characters may do better at shooting targets than others. Obviously, those with high stats in archery are good at making full use of the advantages offered by this form of attack. Bows can even be used even when riding on mounts. Furthermore, it's also possible to move closer or farther by simply holding both L1 and R1. These additional movements may help players mobilize faster while drawing their bow at their intended target. Equipping certain items (such as the Fire Arrows, for instance) can imbue arrows with elemental properties, increasing their overall effectiveness.

This feature also appears in the first Samurai Warriors title. However, characters aren't restricted to using only bows in this game. Some can use different ranged weapons such as shurikens, cannon balls, bullets, etc. But from Samurai Warriors 2 onward, the Bow Attack has been omitted in favor of special moves unique to each playable officer. The Warriors Orochi series follows suit with more varied moves while Dynasty Warriors 6 and the following title convert the usage of bows into complete move sets. The feature itself eventually makes a comeback in Dynasty Warriors Next as one of the newly revamped gameplay mechanics for characters with projectile-based Musou attacks.

Strategy
The Bow Attack is most useful for sniping at enemy officers from a distance and causing them to fall from horses or elephants. It even allows players to attack them from behind the openings of certain walls. Aiming is not especially useful against crowds nor does it work very well in higher difficulty stages unless the character in control has a high amount of bow attack power.

While dueling in Dynasty Warriors 4, players are free to daze their opponents with charged shots so long as there's enough distance to fire well. Charged attacks involving bows do not consume arrows the player has in their inventory.

In Dynasty Warriors 5, characters like Huang Zhong, Xiahou Yuan, and Gan Ning can immediately switch to Bow Attacks after initiating their C1 attacks.