Hand Crossbow
The Hand Crossbow is a one-handed light martial ranged weapon in Baldur's Gate 3 that deals 1-6 piercing damage and can support bonus-action dual-wielding builds.
Key Takeaways
Hand Crossbow is a light, one-handed martial ranged weapon whose main distinction is how well it supports dual-wielded ranged attacks.
Dual-wielding defines its role
Because it is one-handed and light, Hand Crossbow can be paired with another hand crossbow, letting the off-hand attack use a bonus action.
Its bonus action is valuable—and contested
The extra attack improves its action economy, but it competes with other bonus-action options and depends on having a second weapon equipped for the dual-wielding setup.
Martial proficiency matters
Hand Crossbow is a martial weapon. Characters without the relevant proficiency should not be treated as equally effective users simply because they can equip it.
Its availability is merchant-based
Hand crossbows can appear among merchant stock during the adventure, including merchants associated with the Myconid Colony and Last Light Inn; exact availability is context-dependent.
Magical variants change the comparison
Named variants such as Ne'er Misser, Firestoker, and Hellfire Hand Crossbow can add effects or attacks that make their individual properties more important than the base weapon alone.
It competes through action economy, not just die size
Compared with a conventional two-handed bow, Hand Crossbow offers a dual-wielding and bonus-action attack pattern, making its role especially relevant to builds that can exploit additional attacks or bonus actions.
Overview
In Baldur’s Gate 3, the Hand Crossbow is a light, one-handed martial ranged weapon whose compact profile supports dual-wielded ranged attacks and bonus-action follow-ups.
The Hand Crossbow occupies a distinctive middle ground among ranged weapons. It is less about a single powerful shot than about adding another source of ranged attacks to a character’s action economy. Because it is one-handed and light, a character can use two hand crossbows at once, letting the off-hand weapon contribute an additional attack through a bonus action when the relevant conditions are met.
That dual-wielding role separates Hand Crossbows from ordinary two-handed bows and crossbows. A conventional ranged weapon generally concentrates a character’s attacks through one weapon, while Hand Crossbows can support a repeated-fire setup built around several attacks in the same turn. This makes them especially relevant to characters whose class features, feats, or multiclass choices provide extra actions or bonus actions.
Their strongest identity is therefore tied to a build rather than to the unmodified weapon alone. The Rogue’s Thief subclass is a particularly important association because its additional bonus-action economy supports the off-hand attack pattern. Bards and Rogues also commonly appear in Hand Crossbow-focused multiclass builds, although the weapon does not require one specific class or a single mandatory setup.
The standard weapon is only the starting point for this playstyle. Named magical hand crossbows such as Ne’er Misser, Firestoker, and the Hellfire Hand Crossbow can add effects that change the value of individual weapon slots and the role of the finished loadout. Those variants should be evaluated separately from the ordinary Hand Crossbow: the base weapon is a broadly available foundation, while the named versions can supply distinct damage types, attacks, or build-specific benefits.
Statistics
This game publishes dice damage rather than 0–100 bars, so the verified damage, enchantment, weight and value are listed instead. Taken from the project's verified weapons database, not from generated text.
- Base Damage1d6
- Damage TypePiercing
- RarityCommon
- Weight0.9 kg
- Value50 gp
- Entry TypeStandard / enhancement variant
Figures verified against Consolidated Game Weapons Database.
Compared to similar piercing weapons
| Weapon | Base Damage | Damage Type | Enchantment | Weight | Value |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hand Crossbow | 1d6 | Piercing | — | 0.9 kg | 50 gp |
| Duellist's Prerogative | 1d8+3 | Piercing | +3 | 0.9 kg | 1300 gp |
| Crimson Mischief | 1d6+2 | Piercing | +2 | 0.9 kg | 640 gp |
| Knife of the Undermountain King | 1d6+2 | Piercing | +2 | 0.9 kg | 480 gp |
| Sword of Life Stealing | 1d6+2 | Piercing | +2 | 0.9 kg | 480 gp |
Damage is the dice expression; weight and value are the game’s own figures. From Consolidated Game Weapons Database.
How to Obtain
- Reach the relevant merchant: the Myconid Colony in Act 1 or Last Light Inn in Act 2.
- Have sufficient currency when the Hand Crossbow appears in the merchant's inventory.
- 01In Act 1, visit Derryth Bonecloak at the Myconid Colony in the Underdark and inspect her ranged-weapon inventory. A standard Hand Crossbow can appear among merchant stock, but the inventory is not a guaranteed fixed listing; if it is absent, revisit after a relevant inventory refresh or check another merchant.
- 02In Act 2, check Quartermaster Talli at Last Light Inn for another merchant-stock opportunity. This is an alternate purchase route rather than a guaranteed quest reward or boss drop, and availability can vary with merchant inventory and progression. No DLC, New Game Plus, or special unlock is required for the ordinary weapon.
Availability
Requires No DLC, NG+, difficulty, or story-choice requirement is established for the ordinary Hand Crossbow. Martial weapon proficiency affects effective use, not merchant availability.
Merchant inventories can include ordinary Hand Crossbows in locations such as the Myconid Colony and Last Light Inn. No single price should be treated as universal.
Mechanics and Handling
The Hand Crossbow uses the normal ranged-weapon attack pattern: it fires immediately rather than requiring a draw, charge, or reload cycle. Its one-handed and Light properties are the important handling features. A character can attack with one hand crossbow using their action, then use a second hand crossbow for an off-hand attack with a bonus action when the dual-wielding rules allow it. This gives the weapon a different action profile from two-handed ranged weapons, even when the individual shot is less substantial.
Dual-wielding and attack sequence
The weapon’s main mechanical distinction is that two Hand Crossbows can be equipped together. The second weapon supplies an additional bonus-action attack rather than replacing the action-based attack from the first weapon. Features that grant extra attacks or additional bonus actions can therefore increase the number of attacks a character makes with this setup, but the resulting performance depends on the character’s class features, ability modifiers, enchantments, and other equipment rather than on the base weapon alone.
Because the weapon is Light and one-handed, dual-wielding is a practical use case rather than a special weapon skill. A character who wants to preserve their bonus action for another feature may prefer to use only one Hand Crossbow or a different ranged weapon. The weapon can also be used normally when dual-wielding is not part of the character’s plan.
Ammunition, special actions, and magical variants
Hand Crossbows use bolts as their ranged ammunition type, but Baldur’s Gate 3 does not require the player to manage a conventional reload cycle between attacks. The weapon has no charge timing, spread pattern, throw recovery, or durability system that changes its handling during ordinary play. The base weapon also has no distinctive weapon action or status effect; its mechanical identity comes from its firing mode, Light property, and compatibility with a second Hand Crossbow.
Magical hand crossbows can change this picture. Items such as Ne’er Misser, Firestoker, and Hellfire Hand Crossbow add their own effects or actions, so those benefits should be evaluated as properties of the individual item rather than assumed for every Hand Crossbow. Feats and class features can further alter the value of close-range or dual-wielded attacks, but they do not change the base weapon’s lack of a draw or reload mechanic.
Upgrades and Variants
Strengths, Weaknesses and Best Uses
Strengths
- One-handed and Light, so it can be paired with another hand crossbow rather than occupying both hands.
- A second hand crossbow enables an additional ranged attack through the bonus action, adding value to characters that can spare that action.
- Its piercing damage works naturally with hand-crossbow-focused item and feat combinations, including Crossbow Expert and Bhaalist Armor.
- The weapon family has named magical variants with distinct effects, allowing the same dual-wielding framework to support different damage or utility roles.
Weaknesses
- Dual-wielding consumes the bonus action that many characters need for mobility, defensive abilities, or other class features.
- The strongest version of the playstyle depends on investment in ranged-attack support and bonus-action economy rather than functioning as a universally optimal choice.
- Ordinary hand crossbows lack the defining special effects of named variants, so their role can be less distinctive when used without supporting equipment.
- Characters without martial weapon proficiency may need another source of proficiency before using them effectively.
Best uses
- Dual-wielded ranged setups for characters able to make repeated attacks and spend bonus actions on off-hand attacks.
- Rogue and Bard multiclass builds, especially those using the Thief subclass or other features that improve bonus-action economy.
- Piercing-focused item combinations that amplify the weapon's damage profile, including setups built around Bhaalist Armor.
- A flexible ranged loadout where a named magical hand crossbow supplies a special effect while the second weapon adds another attack.
Compared With Similar Weapons
| Weapon | Base damage | Handling | Distinctive role |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hand Crossbow | One-handed; Light | Supports an off-hand hand-crossbow attack with a bonus action, making dual-wielding central to its role. | — |
| Ne'er Misser | One-handed; Light | A magical hand-crossbow alternative whose force damage and special Magic Missile-related benefit favour spell-oriented or multiclass characters. | — |
| Firestoker | One-handed; Light | A magical hand crossbow associated with burning-target synergy; it is more condition-dependent than the standard weapon. | — |
| Hellfire Hand Crossbow | One-handed; Light | A stronger magical alternative for stealth-oriented attacks, with a special effect tied to attacking while hidden or invisible. | — |
Used In
- Ne'er MisserA named magical hand crossbow associated with the Hand Crossbow family.
- FirestokerA named magical hand crossbow and related weapon variant.
- Hellfire Hand CrossbowA named magical hand crossbow and related weapon variant.
- Myconid ColonyMerchants in the Myconid Colony can offer hand crossbows.
- Last Light InnMerchants at Last Light Inn can offer hand crossbows.