Reqs Question

do reqs really matter? like if you have 10 marksmenship, would there be a difference between a bow with req 7 and a bow with req 10? (both max dmg, clean)

Not to sure but in my experience the higher your number the more damage done by the weapon. Having a hammer with say req 7 hammer mastery character with a 10 attribute there appears to be more consistant damge in the higher numbers. The only time though I know that req come into effect is when attribute points are lower than the weapon req. Then the weapon will act like a lesser weapon.

for weapons there's two things you have to look at:
the req of the weapon
and your attribute

in essense there's no different between a 7 req bow and a 10 req bow with 10 marksmanship. HOWEVER you may do the full damage of the bow, you arent doing the most damage you can.

12 in a weapon attribute nets you full damage potiential you could say with whatever weapon it controls. only meeting the req of the weapon only gets you the full damage of the weapon (ie: 15~28 damage with a bow)

To clarify what Thanato said:
First, what's your Marksmanship? If you are below the minimum requirements for the weapon, then you will do damage as if it was a Starter Bow. If you meet the requirements then the game will calculate damage based on the bow's attributes, which in this case is 15-28.

If you meet the requirements, then the game takes into account how much Marksmanship do you have. Here's a chart on the relationship of attribute level and damage.

Link to original page

So overall, if you have a high enough attribute for both of them, it won't matter. If you need those attributes in another skill line, then the 7 bow will be more useful to you.