Crescent Moon vs Sagittarius — what’s the best bow in Remnant 2?

Bows are a viable choice in Remnant 2, and two stand out as exceptionally powerful.

Remnant 2 is a shooter through-and-through, and some fans have even called it “Dark Souls with guns.” But guns aren’t the only thing you can add to your arsenal. Remnant 2 also offers three distinct bow options, two of which are considered some of the best weapons in the game: Crescent Moon and Sagittarius. 

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But fans can’t seem to agree: Which Remnant 2 bow is best, Crescent Moon or Sagittarius? Other bows exist, like the Royal Hunting Bow, but the unique features of these two make them widely considered the best in the game. 

The Crescent Moon swept across Reddit and YouTube as a weapon of choice early on, but lately, players have been wondering if the Sagittarius might be the stronger option. The only way to figure out which bow is best is to put them head to head. This article will break down the advantages and disadvantages of each bow, and finally answer the question of which one is better.

Crescent Moon vs Sagittarius in Remnant 2

Crescent Moon

A screenshot showing the Crescent Moon longbow in Remnant 2.
The Crescent Moon Bow in Remnant 2. Screenshot via Dot Esports.

The Crescent Moon puts out a lot of damage, is pin-point accurate, and has a great stagger modifier and weak spot damage bonus. Its mod, Moonlight Barrage, lets players strike opponents with moonlight, which returns arrows to the quiver while healing them. Arrows can hurt enemies while returning to the quiver, giving the player a double-attack. It also upgrades reloading and firing speeds, and turns basic shots into charged shots. 

The Crescent Moon puts out less damage than the Sagittarius, and doesn’t have quite as good of a weak spot bonus or critical hit chance. However, players make up for this with mutators, rings, and relics, which increase the Crescent Moon’s fire rate. Mutators like the Supercharger increase fire speeds significantly and give charged shots a higher crit chance. The Gunslinger in particular is a great archetype to make up for this bow’s weaknesses.

It can’t be understated how fantastic the Moonlight Barrage mod is. The Crescent Moon also pairs well with the Hunter archetype—particularly if you use it as your primary archetype and the Gunslinger as your secondary to boost your critical chance. The Energy Diverter amulet is fantastic as well, since you can essentially always have a shield up and consistently dish out massive damage.  

This build easily makes up for the Crescent Moon bow’s shortcomings, positioning it as a contender for the strongest weapon in the game. 

Sagittarius 

A screenshot showing the Sagittarius in Remnant 2.
The Sagittarius bow in Remnant 2. Screenshot via Dot Esports

Part of the case for the Sagittarius longbow is already laid out above. Its damage output, weak spot bonus, and critical chance are all better than those of the Crescent Bow. 

On top of that, Sagittarius’ mod, Starfall, is nothing to sneeze at. It fires an arrow that summons a portal that rains down star fragments, each of which causes 50 damage to opponents. The star fragments fall in a fairly wide radius, making Sagittarius good for clearing out groups of enemies. 

As well as its superior base damage, it can also shoot faster than the Crescent Moon bow, making it perfect for tough bosses. 

A case against Sagittarius, however, is that its mod simply isn’t as good as Moonlight Barrage. Though the bow itself might objectively be better, and Starfall provides some good damage, Moonlight Barrage can be stacked with various ammunition types and builds to generate a ridiculously high critical chance and rapidly fire lots of charged shots. Sure, you can pair Sagittarius with powerful Hunter and Gunslinger mods as well, but you can’t stack effects quite as efficiently as you can with the Crescent Moon. 

Final Verdict: Crescent Moon 

At the end of the day, we consider the Crescent Moon to be the better bow of the two.

If you’re willing to put the work in to create a deadly build, you’ll be rewarded with one of the strongest weapons in the game. That said, the right weapon for you comes down to your style of play. If you’re a casual player who just wants to get through a run, the Sagittarius is also a great choice thanks to its high raw damage output and ease of use.

Author
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Christian Flynn
Christian Flynn (he/they) is a mixed race Puerto Rican writer and performer in NYC. He can be regularly seen performing in and producing comedy shows at the People's Improv Theater. His plays have been developed around the city.