# NPC not using crossbow

**URL:** <https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/t/npc-not-using-crossbow/24977>\
**Category:** The Garage\
**Created:** [October 18, 2020, 12:52pm UTC](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/t/npc-not-using-crossbow/24977 "2020-10-18T12:52:10Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 8\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![M1nks](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/discourse.cataclysmdda.org/m1nks/32/8247_2.png) [@M1nks](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/u/M1nks)\
**Post date:** [October 18, 2020, 12:52pm UTC](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/t/npc-not-using-crossbow/24977/1 "2020-10-18T12:52:10Z")

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I’ve recently returned from a good few months away and I’m getting used to all of the changes. Mostly good/more realistic ones but I’ve picked up an NPC who was carrying around a crossbow which he doesn’t use - or, to be more exact, he doesn’t use in the way it should be used. He just waits until things get close and then he bludgeons them to death. Or tries to. Mostly he just stands there and bleeds while I do it.

His strength isn’t wonderful and he has no abilities at all (despite spinning me a yarn about the thousand or so zombies he had killed before we met. Little liar) but he should be able to shoot a loaded crossbow. I

What gives?

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**Author:** ![PALU](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/e56c9b/32.png) [@PALU](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/u/PALU)\
**Post date:** [October 18, 2020, 1:15pm UTC](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/t/npc-not-using-crossbow/24977/2 "2020-10-18T13:15:20Z")

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Never tried a crossbow, but a staff sling wielder has proven somewhat tricky to get to work somewhat properly. I’d check and recheck the engagement orders to ensure he isn’t set to engage only when adjacent, plus the other setting.

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**Author:** ![Junknown](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/9fc348/32.png) [@Junknown](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/u/Junknown)\
**Post date:** [October 18, 2020, 1:29pm UTC](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/t/npc-not-using-crossbow/24977/3 "2020-10-18T13:29:16Z")

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> [@M1nks](#):
>
> His strength isn’t wonderful

This might be the culprit; standard crossbows require strength of at least 8 to be able pull the trigger.

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**Author:** ![M1nks](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/discourse.cataclysmdda.org/m1nks/32/8247_2.png) [@M1nks](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/u/M1nks)\
**Post date:** [October 18, 2020, 2:59pm UTC](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/t/npc-not-using-crossbow/24977/4 "2020-10-18T14:59:05Z")

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His strength is 8.

I saw some issue in github about this problem. It was months ago but it hasn’t been resolved so it might be an established bug. I would have expected to see more comments from affected players but perhaps it’s rare to give NPCs crossbow/bow weapons?

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**Author:** ![PALU](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/e56c9b/32.png) [@PALU](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/u/PALU)\
**Post date:** [October 18, 2020, 5:20pm UTC](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/t/npc-not-using-crossbow/24977/5 "2020-10-18T17:20:29Z")

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A bow (given to a sufficiently strong companion) seemed to work about the same as a staff sling given my fairly limited experience (I realized the PC can run, but I can’t figure out how to get companions to do so, so I stopped using companions).

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**Author:** ![M1nks](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/discourse.cataclysmdda.org/m1nks/32/8247_2.png) [@M1nks](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/u/M1nks)\
**Post date:** [October 18, 2020, 6:13pm UTC](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/t/npc-not-using-crossbow/24977/6 "2020-10-18T18:13:10Z")

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At the moment he’s using a barbed wire bat after i gave up on the whole ranged weapon thing. I’ll probably try again later on once I’m more of a badass and a useless companion isn’t a literal case of life or death (in CDDA).

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**Author:** ![Tazeell](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/discourse.cataclysmdda.org/tazeell/32/4576_2.png) [@Tazeell](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/u/Tazeell)\
**Post date:** [October 19, 2020, 1:52am UTC](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/t/npc-not-using-crossbow/24977/7 "2020-10-19T01:52:44Z")

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I assume you went through all the companion settings and ensured all his settings allowed him to attack with ranged weapons and could attack enemies not attacking him directly.

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**Author:** ![M1nks](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/discourse.cataclysmdda.org/m1nks/32/8247_2.png) [@M1nks](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/u/M1nks)\
**Post date:** [October 19, 2020, 6:59am UTC](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/t/npc-not-using-crossbow/24977/8 "2020-10-19T06:59:30Z")

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Yes, also the aiming rules. In the end I was letting him shoot without aiming and not worrying hitting me. He just stood there 🙂