TL;DR
- Stack Infinite Arrow III (+60%) and Infinite Arrow II (+40%) Abyss Gears in your bow to reach 100% arrow conservation — meaning you never use up arrows.
- Buy just one Explosive Arrow from the Back Alley Shop in Demeniss and fire it forever.
- The best bow for this build is the Divine Echoes Bow from Rockshard Valley Ruins — it has 5 Abyss sockets.
- Key skills are Marksmanship (at least Level 2), Focused Shot, and Evasive Shot.
- Slot Vigor III and Composure III in your armor to keep Stamina and Spirit topped up.
- This build destroys bosses, clears areas fast, and works well from mid-game onward.
There are a lot of powerful builds in Crimson Desert, but few feel quite as satisfying as shooting an endless stream of explosive arrows without ever running out. The Infinite Arrow Archer build does exactly that. You buy a single Explosive Arrow, socket the right Abyss Gears into your bow, and the arrow never gets consumed. You can fire forever.
This guide covers everything — the best bow, exactly which Abyss Gears you need, where to get them, which skills to prioritize, and how to play it effectively.
How Infinite Arrows Work in Crimson Desert
Crimson Desert has a system called Abyss Gears — special upgrade items you socket into weapons and armor. Several of these gears grant a percentage chance to not consume an arrow when you fire.

The three tiers are:
- Infinite Arrow I — +20% chance to not consume arrows
- Infinite Arrow II — +40% chance to not consume arrows
- Infinite Arrow III — +60% chance to not consume arrows
These stack. If you combine Infinite Arrow III (+60%) and Infinite Arrow II (+40%), you hit exactly 100%. Every arrow you fire comes back. You never run out. The build works with any arrow type you have equipped — so a single Explosive Arrow becomes infinite explosive arrows.
You can check out our guide on how to unlock Abyss Gears using the Witches system if you’re not familiar with how this system works yet.
The Best Bow for This Build — Divine Echoes Bow

Any bow technically works, but the Divine Echoes Bow is the best choice for this build. It has 5 Abyss Sockets. That’s the key. You need at least 2 sockets for the Infinite Arrow gears, and the extra slots let you add damage, crit rate, or survivability gears without sacrificing your infinite ammo setup.
The bow also comes with built-in bonuses to Attack, Critical Rate, and Attack Speed right out of the box. Those scale well with refinement at a Smithy.
Where to find it: Head to the Rockshard Mountain region. Look for the Rockshard Valley Ruins — the location sits above the second “E” in “Desert” on the world map. The bow is inside the ruins. It’s guarded, so come prepared, but you don’t need to fight your way through everything. Gliding in from above or using the terrain to your advantage can cut down on combat.
Getting Infinite Arrow Abyss Gears
You need both Infinite Arrow III and Infinite Arrow II to hit 100%. Here’s how to get each one.
Infinite Arrow II can be obtained by defeating Karanda, a boss in Pailune. She appears after you complete enough Pailune Faction Quests. Farm her until the gear drops.
Infinite Arrow III is crafted through the Special Synthesis system at the regional Witches. The Witches are scattered across the world. If you haven’t unlocked them yet, our full Witches locations guide has all the spots. The synthesis system uses materials and lower-tier gears to produce higher-tier ones, so gather everything you can from enemies and Abyss Artifacts as you progress. Bandit camps in Delesyia are one of the best farming spots for extracting materials quickly.
Once you have both gears, visit a Witch and pay silver to open two sockets in your bow. Then embed one Infinite Arrow III and one Infinite Arrow II. That’s your infinite ammo locked in.
Early game alternative: If you haven’t reached Pailune or Rockshard Mountain yet, you can stack three Infinite Arrow I gears (+20% each) and one Infinite Arrow II (+40%) to reach 100%. This uses 4 sockets and leaves only 1 free, so damage options are tight. It works as a placeholder until you can upgrade. A 4-socket bow from the Hernand merchant is enough to make this work in the short term. You can also check our best items early guide to bridge the gap.
The One Arrow You Need to Buy

Once your bow has the 100% no-consumption setup, go to the Back Alley Shop in Demeniss, just east of the castle wall. Buy exactly one Explosive Arrow.
That’s it. Equip it. You now have infinite Explosive Arrows. Every shot fires the arrow and returns it to your inventory. You never need to buy another one. The build works with any arrow type you swap to, but Explosive Arrows deal the most damage, so there’s no reason to use anything else in most situations.
For help navigating Demeniss, our Mysterious Energy — Demeniss City guide is a useful resource.
Skills to Prioritize
Marksmanship (Level 2 minimum)
Marksmanship is your core passive for ranged damage. It directly scales how much damage every bow shot deals. Getting it to Level 2 also unlocks Focused Shot, which is the most important active skill in this build. Keep investing here throughout the game.
Focused Shot
This is the build’s main damage tool. Aim with L2, then press L3 + R3 to enter Focused Shot mode. Time slows down. Mark targets with R1 — up to four of them. Release and fire. Each marked target takes a rapid, high-damage hit in quick succession.
Because you have infinite Explosive Arrows equipped, every shot in Focused Shot mode also fires an explosive. The damage output is enormous. This is what melts bosses.
Focused Shot uses Spirit. The more Spirit you have, the more times you can use it before needing to recover. Keep that in mind when choosing armor gears.
You can also upgrade Focused Shot further. Focus Precision Shot and Focus Evasion Shot are both worth picking up. Focus Evasion Shot lets you roll sideways while aiming and fire at the same time — great for staying mobile in boss fights without losing DPS.
Evasive Shot
Press Circle twice while aiming with L2 to sidestep an attack and fire at the same time. This keeps you shooting even while playing defensively. It takes a bit of practice but becomes second nature quickly.
Multi-Shot
Multi-Shot fires multiple arrows in a wide spread. It works well for clearing groups of weaker enemies but fires regular arrows even if you have Explosive Arrows equipped, so don’t over-rely on it for single-target boss fights. Use Focused Shot for bosses, Multi-Shot for mobs.
Imbue Element / Enhance Elements
Unlock Imbue Element at Level 2 to activate elemental effects on your arrows through the Axiom Bracelet. The Elemental Precision Shot upgrade from the red skill tree is also worth getting — it activates special effects from certain Abyss Gears like the Glowing Volcanic Bomb. These add fire damage and extra utility on top of your explosive arrow spam.
Our full guide on how to use elemental attacks and imbue elements explains the system in detail.
Armor Abyss Gears for This Build
Your bow slots are taken by the Infinite Arrow gears and (ideally) one or two damage gears like Destruction III or Insight III. Your armor carries the survivability and sustain gears.
Vigor III — Grants Stamina regeneration. You need Stamina to dodge, evade, and keep shooting. Without it, you’ll get caught flat-footed in extended fights.
Composure III — Grants +0.3 Spirit every second. Focused Shot drains Spirit fast. Composure III quietly keeps it topped up between bursts, meaning more uptime on your most damaging skill.
Spirit Transference — Also worth slotting if you have the socket space. Multi-Shot costs 10 Spirit per use, and Focused Shot pulls from the same pool. Spirit Transference is the single most important Abyss Gear for dedicated bow users in high-volume fights.
If you want to understand the accessories side of your build, our accessories guide covers what to aim for there.
How to Play the Build in Combat
The Infinite Arrow Archer build rewards smart positioning over tanking hits.
Against bosses, open with Focused Shot as soon as you see an opening. Mark as many targets as the skill allows (up to four hits on a single boss stacks up fast). Release and watch the damage roll in. When the boss attacks, dodge with Evasive Shot so you fire during the dodge. Repeat.
Against groups, use Multi-Shot to hit everything at once. Then pick off any surviving elites with Focused Shot. The Bow Kick (Triangle/Y while in aim mode) handles anything that rushes into melee range — it knocks enemies back and gives you space to re-aim.
Flying enemies are where this build truly shines. Bow users are naturally the best choice against airborne targets in Crimson Desert since melee weapons can’t reach. Explosive Arrows build the stun meter on flying enemies quickly, crashing them to the ground for a follow-up. Our guide on how to beat flying enemies has more tips for those encounters.
Don’t forget the Marni Laser Helmet as a combo tool either. Equipping it alongside this build gives you an extra burst option for moments when you need to hit multiple enemies simultaneously. See our guide on how to get the Marni Laser Helmet and upgrade it for the full breakdown.
Refine Your Bow
No matter which bow you’re using, always refine it at a Smithy. Refinement applies a base damage multiplier that boosts all your Abyss Gear bonuses on top of it. Push the Divine Echoes Bow to +10 as soon as you can. The damage jump is significant.
Our guide on how to upgrade weapons and armor covers refinement in detail, and our guide on how to reinforce equipment explains the broader enhancement system.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
Wrong Abyss Gear math. If you accidentally use Infinite Arrow II (+40%) and Infinite Arrow I (+20%), you only hit 60%. Your single Explosive Arrow will eventually get consumed and you’re stuck with nothing. Always double-check your socket totals before firing your only high-damage arrow.
Ignoring Spirit. Focused Shot is the engine of this build. If you don’t invest in Spirit through skills, Composure III, and Spirit Transference, you’ll run dry in long fights and be stuck firing basic shots. Get your Spirit sustain sorted early.
Using Multi-Shot in boss fights. Multi-Shot fires regular arrows even with Explosive Arrows equipped. Against bosses, it wastes your damage window. Use Focused Shot for boss openings and save Multi-Shot for clearing multiple weak enemies.
Skipping refinement. Raw attack power from refinement is what makes the Explosive Arrows hit hard enough to matter. Without +10 refinement on your bow, the build feels underwhelming. Refine first, then worry about min-maxing Abyss Gears.
More Crimson Desert Guides
- How to Get the Marni Laser Helmet & Upgrade It
- How to Use Elemental Attacks & Imbue Elements
- How to Get Focused Force Palm
- Best Skills to Level Up First
- How to Get Skill Points
- How to Respec in Crimson Desert
- Best Early Build
- How to Get Better Equipment
- All Characters & Companions Guide
- How to Get Max Stamina
- How to Get Max Health
- How to Dual Wield in Crimson Desert
- How to Beat Flying Enemies
- Keyboard & Mouse vs Controller
Crimson Desert is available on PS5, Xbox, Steam, and Epic Games Store. Visit the official Crimson Desert website for the latest news from Pearl Abyss.



