Bows: are they underpowered?

asuran scan and triple shot both have cast times. for triple shot, it's close to 2 seconds as it is a standard bow attack. therefore, you did not kill your target in 1 second. Ya, rly.

I agree that the bow has good interrupting capacity; I disagree that it's a particularly great degen spreader - in that it's not the bow that does that. Apply Poison can be used with anything, granted the bow and spear are the only ranged weapons, hence their usefulness in spreading conditions. The bow skills themselves are largely lousy at spreading conditions, with the exception of crippling shot, and there are only two conditions that can be "spread" via preparations, one can be used with any weapon, bleeding can be spread either via Melandru's Arrows or Barbed Arrows. How often do you see bleeding being spread that way though?

Bows can inflict daze, cripple, bleeding, burning (via elites) and poison (via elite bow attack, or via apply poison for any weapon); daze and burning aren't spreadable, cripple is only via an elite, posion can be spread via apply poison by anyone.

Given how strong condition removal is, and the heal party-type skills that have become prominent (LoD, paragon skills etc.) spreading degen isn't really that strong - sure, it can help, but you are handing out heals to some extent versus condition removal, and the pressure is easily handled by most any team - I don't buy that it's particularly great.

Every other weapon can deep wound, all but hammers can bleed and cripple, only bows, daggers and spears give viable dazes really, unless you use Awe with a hammer, burning can be delivered by spears in a non-elite manner, Poison can be done via apply poison by any X/R, or by bows and daggers, weakness by hammers and axes (and any melee weapon via melee attacks), blind by hammers and daggers, hammers and daggers can KD, as can melee weapons via melee attack skills.

So, in the age of pressure via conditions being handled more easily and condition handling skills being buffed, which is handier - spreading a bit of degen or the ability to deep wound/knockdown? I get why bows don't have a deepwound - it'd make spiking with them so nasty, but paragons have deep wound at a range, and the assassins have gotten a ton of deep wound delivery systems.

To me, the condition argument doesn't wash. I'll agree that they disrupt effectively - that's certainly true. Distracting/Savage are what allows the bow to function in essence. Back before LoD and various other pressure relief skills spreading poison was powerful, now it's ok. Giving up an elite to spread bleeding is unlikely, and barbed arrows is simply inferior to apply poison.