How to Upgrade a Composite Bow in Ragnarok (Refining)
To upgrade a Composite Bow in Ragnarok, refine it with Oridecon at an NPC refiner or a player Blacksmith — each successful level adds flat ATK, up to +10, with success rate dropping the higher you push. Slot in cards separately for additional ATK, accuracy, or special effects.
Feeling like your Composite Bow in Ragnarok isn’t hitting as hard as you’d like? You’re not alone! Many adventurers find their trusty starting bows struggle against tougher monsters. The good news is, you can make your Composite Bow much, much better. It’s not as complicated as it might seem. We’ll walk you through exactly how to enhance its power so you can take down those challenging foes with confidence. Get ready to learn the simple secrets to upgrading your bow and boost your combat effectiveness!
Why Upgrade Your Composite Bow?
Your Composite Bow is a fantastic starting weapon, offering a good balance of damage and range. However, as you progress through the world of Ragnarok, enemies become stronger and more resilient. Simply relying on its base stats won’t cut it for long. Upgrading your Composite Bow is key to:
- Increasing Damage Output: Higher attack power means you defeat monsters faster, saving you time and potentially healing items.
- Improving Accuracy: A more accurate bow means fewer missed shots, which is crucial for conserving arrows and maintaining consistent damage.
- Adding Beneficial Stats: Enchantments can grant critical hit chance, critical damage, hit rate, and even elemental properties, tailoring the bow to your playstyle and specific enemy weaknesses.
- Unlocking Its Full Potential: Every piece of equipment has a ceiling. Upgrades help you reach that ceiling and stay competitive.
Think of it like sharpening a knife or tuning a musical instrument. A well-tuned weapon performs significantly better. Upgrading your Composite Bow is an investment in your character’s success and enjoyment in the game.
The Real Way to Upgrade a Composite Bow: Refining
Ragnarok Online doesn’t have a special “enchanting” system unique to the Composite Bow. The real mechanic is refining — the same system used to upgrade any weapon in the game, from a starter bow to end-game gear.
Refining uses Oridecon (the standard material for most weapons, including bows) at a refiner NPC in a major town, or through a player Blacksmith using the Weaponry Research/Upgrade Weapon skill — Mastersmiths get a better success rate than the NPC option, improving further with job level past job 50.
How Refining Works
- Scale: Weapons can be refined from +0 up to +10, with each level adding flat ATK.
- Material: Bring Oridecon (or the appropriate tier material for your weapon’s level) to the refiner.
- Success rate drops as you go higher: Early refines (+1 to +3 or so) are close to guaranteed, but the chance of failure climbs the further past that you push.
- Risk of breaking: Using Enriched ores to push past the normal “safe” refine threshold trades a better success rate for a real chance the weapon is permanently destroyed — along with any cards already slotted in it — if the attempt fails.
A failed non-enriched refine attempt below the safe threshold typically just consumes the material without destroying the bow, so most players stick to safe-level refines on gear they care about and save risky Enriched-ore pushes for equipment they can afford to lose.
Card Slotting: The Other Real Upgrade Path
Separate from refining, if your Composite Bow has an open card slot, you can insert a card obtained from monster drops, vendors, or events. Certain cards add significant ATK, accuracy, or unique effects, and this is just as important to your bow’s power as its refine level — the two systems stack.
Common Pitfalls to Avoid
Even with a guide, players new to refining can stumble. Here are the real mistakes to watch for:
- Pushing past the safe refine threshold on gear you can’t afford to lose: Enriched-ore refines improve your odds but carry a real chance of destroying the weapon (and any slotted cards) on failure.
- Refining before you know your build: A high refine on a starter Composite Bow is often wasted material once you upgrade to a better base weapon — consider refining your intended long-term bow instead.
- Ignoring player Blacksmiths: A Mastersmith’s Weaponry Research bonus can meaningfully beat the NPC success rate, especially at job level 70+.
- Forgetting cards are a separate system: Refining raises ATK; card slots add their own separate bonuses. Don’t neglect one while focusing on the other.
Q1: Can I refine my Composite Bow multiple times?
A1: Yes — refining is repeatable up to +10, with each successful attempt consuming more Oridecon and carrying a lower success rate than the last.
