Bows

"Bows are ancient hunting weapons intended to propel projectiles farther and faster than the human arm. They’re possessed of solid killing power, and commonly fire faster than more complex ranged weapons, like crossbows."

- Game Guide

Bows are one of the classes of two-handed Ranged Weapons in the Diablo game series.

Diablo I
In Diablo I, bows have unlimited arrows and serve as primary weapon of the Rogue, who shoots bows with triple firing speed. Some monsters use bows too. They are the only ranged weapon in the game.

Diablo II
Bows are two-handed Missile Weapons in Diablo II. They are an alternate (faster, but less potent) choice to crossbows. Bows use arrows to fire (one per shot), while crossbows use bolts. Amazons specializing in ranged combat typically choose bows over crossbows, due to comparatively fast attack speed and low Strength requirements. Rogue Archer hirelings can equip bows in the expansion.

Like crossbows, bows are compatible with Amazon Bow and Crossbow Skills, magic and rare bows can have Amazon skill es and Dexterity es, and bow damage scales with the wielder's Dexterity, with each point of Dexterity equivalent to 1% enhanced damage.

The expansion also has a category of Amazon bows, which count as bows as well as Amazon Weapons. Neither rogue hirelings nor other classes may use Amazon bows.

Set bows
The set bows in classic are:
 * Vidala's Barb (Long Battle Bow)
 * Arctic Horn (Short War Bow)

There are no additional set bows in the Lord of Destruction expansion. (M'avina's Caster is classified as an Amazon bow.)

Bow rune words
The maximum number of sockets possible in a bow is 6.

Diablo III
In Diablo III, bows are mostly used by Demon Hunters, whose skills often require a ranged weapon to be equipped. Bows do not require ammunition, but can be paired with quivers. Bows are second only to hand crossbows in firing speed. Melee classes and s may not use bows, but can equip the Scoundrel with them.

As of Patch 2.1, all bows drop with Dexterity bonus only. Bows can roll bonuses to maximum Discipline as of patch 2.2.0.

Bows may not be transmogrified into any other item type.