The missile weapons skill is a thief skill that governs all ranged combat in MUME. Unlike melee weapons, ranged weapons require appropriate ammunition to function — you cannot fire a bow without arrows.

Ranged weapons and their ammunition

Weapon	Ammunition	Speed	Damage
Elven shortbow	Arrows	Very fast	Average
Orkish shortbow	Arrows	Very fast	Average
Light crossbow	Bolts	Average	Average
Crossbow	Bolts	Slow	Massive
Sling	Round stones	Fast	Very little

Ammunition types

• Arrows: ash arrow (poor accuracy, little damage) · war arrow (awful accuracy, more damage)
• Bolts: bolt · blackened bolt · metal-cased bolt (strongest)
• Stones: round stone (weakest option, but free and abundant)

Usage tips

• Higher missile weapons skill improves accuracy and partially offsets poor accuracy ratings on some ammunition.
• Keep ammunition in a container to save inventory slots; you can load from a container directly.
• Ranged attacks work at range — you can shoot mobs before they close to melee distance.

Missile weapons deal additional essence damage when used against creatures of the opposing side.

See also

• Ranged weapon — Full list of ranged weapons.
• Newbie Guide to Missile Weapons — Detailed beginner guide.

Skills
Warrior	Bash · Charge · Kick · Endurance · Parry · Rescue · Cleaving weapons · Concussion weapons · Slashing weapons · Stabbing weapons · Two-handed weapons · Unarmed
Ranger	Bandage · Climb · Ride · Swim · Wilderness · Awareness · Track · Command · Leadership · Dark oath
Thief	Attack · Backstab · Dodge · Escape · Hide · Sneak · Envenom · Pick · Search · Steal · Missile · Piercing