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{{version031}}
{{weapon
|name = Arbalest
|weight = 15.0
|skill = Ranged Weapons
|damage = 16
|accuracy = -2
|basedelay = 19 (190%)
|mindelay = 10 at 18 skill
|hands = 2H
|size = Medium
|ranged = Yes
|acquirement = 10
}}
{{flavour|A large piece of machinery used for firing bolts, braced with steel and cranked with a windlass. It takes some time to load and fire.

----

"(TELL enters with his crossbow) 
W. TELL: 
My precious jewel now, -my chiefest treasure- 
A mark I'll set thee, which the cry of grief 
Could never penetrate,-but thou shalt pierce it- 
And thou, my trusty bowstring, that so oft 
For sport hath served me faithfully and well 
Desert me not in this dread hour of need,- 
Only be true this once, my own good cord, 
That hast so often wing'd the biting shaft:- 
For shouldst thou fly successless from my hand, 
I have no second to send after thee."

-Friedrich Schiller, _Wilhelm Tell_, IV, iii. 1804. 
trans. Sir Theodore Martin, 1898.}}

{{crawlquote|This weapon falls into the '[[Ranged Weapons]]' category. It is a two-handed weapon.}}

'''Arbalests''' are moderately powerful [[ranged weapon]]s. They have a high damage per hit, but fire slowly, with a [[mindelay]] of 1.0 turn (rather than 0.7 turn of most weapons).

==Strategy==
Arbalests are a mid-game ranged weapon. They are occasionally found on [[list of orcs|orcs]] and [[naga sharpshooter]]s, and often found on [[yaktaur]]s inside [[the Vaults]].

[[Longbow]]s fire faster, making them safer to use (it's easier to react to enemies, less likely to be double-turned). However, arbelests outdamage longbows until moderate levels of skill,and can continue to outdamage against high AC foes or if the body armour penalty is high. If you want to go heavier, [[triple crossbow]]s are your end goal. If you want more defenses, [[hand cannon]]s are just as strong, but allow the use of a [[shield]].

{| class="prettytable" style="border:none; margin:auto; padding:0; text-align: center"
! || Image
|-
| '''Mundane''' || [[File:arbalest1.png]]
|-
| '''Magical''' || [[File:arbalest2.png]]
|-
| '''Artifact''' || [[File:arbalest3.png]]
|-
! || [[Unrandart]] arbalest
|-
| '''[[Damnation (unrand)|Damnation]]''' || [[File:Urand damnation.png]]
|}

==History==
*Prior to [[0.30]], arbalests had 17 damage.
*In [[0.29]], arbalests' stats were nerfed (previously: 18 damage, +2 accuracy) and they were affected by the [[Ranged Weapons#History|ranged weapons rework]] that applied to all launchers, including the removal of the dedicated [[Crossbows (skill)|crossbows skill]] and physical [[bolt]]s necessary to fire.
*Prior to [[0.15]], [[Crossbows]] only contained one type of weapon called the [[Crossbow (item)|crossbow]]. They were split into arbalests, [[hand crossbow]]s, and [[triple crossbow]]s.

{{weapons}}

[[Category:Crossbows]]

Arbalest - Revision history

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