Bow

Verified against the spelunky.ai port v0.1.10 on 27 October 2026.

Holding the attack key draws it, and letting go shoots an Arrow, faster the longer it was drawn; arrows fall as they fly and hurt monsters as thrown items do. A new Bow comes with 6 arrows, and ones that come to rest can be picked up again. Fully drawn, it can shoot a bomb arrow. Weapon Shops sell it, and Crates and buried blocks give it away.

The Bow is picked up like any item, crouching over it and pressing the attack key; a new one adds 6 arrows to the player's count, which shows under the hearts while he holds a Bow ^{[3] [4]}. While it's held:

• Drawing. Pressing the attack key, with arrows left, draws it, with a creak ^[5]. Holding the key draws it harder, by 0.2 per step a step up to 12, which takes 60 steps; the Bow's picture shows how far ^{[6] [7]}. With none left, the key shows "I'M OUT OF ARROWS!" ^[8].
• Shooting. Letting go shoots an arrow from 14 pixels in front of the player (from inside him, if a block is there), at 1 pixel a step plus the draw plus his own speed, at least 1, and uses up one arrow; the Bow can't be drawn again for 10 steps ^{[9] [10]}.
• Putting it down. Crouching, the key puts it down in front of him ^[11]. If he drops it drawn, stunned or teetering too long at a ledge's edge, it shoots as it falls ^{[12] [13]}.

An arrow is an item, and falls as it flies. Its own code gives it a gentle fall, 0.2 pixels a step faster each step, but the code all items share sets that to 0.6 at the end of its first step, so from its second it falls as fast as a thrown Rock ^{[14] [15] [16]}. In the clip, an arrow drawn for 40 steps leaves at 9 pixels a step, drops from a ledge onto a Snake and kills it. An arrow faster than 6 pixels a step that meets a wall sticks in it; a slower one bounces off ^[17]. One that's come to rest, slower than 1 pixel a step and not stuck, is picked up by walking over it with the Bow in hand, an arrow back each ^[18]. In the clip, a tap of the key drops one at the player's feet, and he takes it back ^[19].

The Bow goes with the player through a level's exit if he's holding it, and is in his hands on the next level, but doesn't count as new there ^{[20] [21]}. Arrows are kept from level to level, and a new game starts with none ^[22].

Pressing the bomb key while the Bow is drawn, with at least one bomb, readies a bomb arrow ^[23]. But until the Bow is fully drawn, every step of drawing turns it back into a plain arrow ^[6], so the key only works at full draw ^[16]. The bomb arrow explodes 80 steps after it was readied: in the air if it's been shot, or in the player's hands if he's still holding it ^{[24] [25] [26]}. It also explodes on hitting a monster ^[27]. Readying one in a shop angers the Shopkeeper ^[28].

Nothing takes a bomb for it: in the clip, a bomb arrow blows up beside a Caveman and kills it, and the player still has all four of his bombs ^{[29] [16]}.

An arrow hurts as any thrown item does, by the code all items share, while it moves faster than 2 pixels a step, and is used up by the hit ^[30]: 1 hit point to most monsters, and stuns a Caveman, a Hawkman, a Mantrap, a Vampire or a Yeti that isn't stunned already. A Vampire takes 3 more, 4 in all, as arrows are stakes to the code ^[31]. The Magma Man and monsters that can't be hurt take nothing, and a UFO blows up. The arrow hurts the monster nearest it rather than the one it hit ^[16]. A bomb arrow's blast takes 30 hit points a step, as a Bomb's does ^[32].

An arrow faster than 3 pixels a step hurts the player too, 2 hearts, once its first 10 steps are over ^{[33] [34]}.

A Weapon Shop stocks one only if the level hasn't got one already ^[38], and it adds 10% of the base price for each level past the second ^[39]. Shops are made from level 2 on ^[40], and level 16, Olmec's Lair, has none:

Every block of rock away from the level's edges that isn't gold and holds no gem has a 1 in 1200 chance of hiding an item, one of nineteen at random ^{[41] [37]}. The Moon bonus room's archery challenge is played with one. In custom levels, it's the level editor's tile } ^[42].

Paying for one, or carrying one out of a shop without paying, which angers the Shopkeeper, shows "YOU GOT THE BOW AND ARROWS!", and it stays in the player's hands ^{[43] [16] [44]}.

• Arrows by hand. An arrow can be picked up and thrown like any item; it hurts like any thrown item ^[45].
• Arrow Traps. A trap's arrows are the same arrows, and once they've stopped the Bow collects them like its own ^[18].

• An arrow falls as it flies, so a monster below a ledge can be shot from the ledge, as in the clip.
• A bomb arrow is a free bomb, but it has to be shot within 80 steps of readying it.

• The code for buying it has a commented-out line that would add 8 arrows; the arrows come from picking up a new Bow instead ^[46].
• The arrow's gentler fall, which the shared item code undoes, is the Pitcher's Mitt's slow fall for thrown items over again: both set one that lasts a step.
• The shop sells it as "BOW AND ARROWS" ^[47].