ToME: the Tales of Maj'Eyal

I used to think Archers were pretty wimpy, but now that I've gotten a few into the mid-game I've found that they get quite strong - being able to forge branded ammo as needed is very powerful. The problem is actually getting them to mid-game, because their damage output is hugely dependent on ammo and launcher quality.

So far I've come up with the following strategies for starting archers, in order of efficacy:

1. Magic devices. Buy wands of Manathrust or Noxious Cloud, and pump Magic Device skill first. This will get you pretty far pretty fast, but you have to be careful about running out of charges.

2. Scrolls of Blessing, Potions of Heroism, etc. These allow you to actually hit stuff with your bow and arrows, until you can start forging magical ammo. Their effect is pretty limited though.

3. Melee. With high STR characters, melee with a light weapon is good for a while. This isn't easy though.

Just putting this out there in case anyone else is having trouble starting an Archer

I haven't played many archers, but in my experience exploding ammo is incredibly effective. A pack of crebain in the swamp or trolls/gargoyles in the mountains plus exploders might give you a bunch of levels quickly.

It's hard to forge exploding ammo before mid-levels though, and it's expensive to buy it if it's available.

... Though actually I think ammo quality may depend on dungeon depth rather than character skill level. I'll have to check the code. If the former is the case, I may submit a patch.