Advanced marksdwarf training guide - Revision history

108.85.197.99: /* Crossbow material */ move link to ~first~ mention of term ("weapons-grade")

2026-02-19T20:25:43Z

Crossbow material: move link to ~first~ mention of term ("weapons-grade")

108.85.197.99: /* Crossbow material */

2026-02-19T20:23:18Z

Crossbow material

108.85.197.99: /* Crossbow material */

2026-02-19T20:11:25Z

Crossbow material

108.85.197.99: crossbow material

2026-02-19T20:08:49Z

crossbow material

174.180.127.158: /* Squad training orders */

2025-12-30T14:51:41Z

Squad training orders

73.221.105.108: /* Stopping melee charges */

2025-12-23T08:55:49Z

Stopping melee charges

Magistrum: Removed mention of {{bug|2706}} since it is fixed as of version .50.08 when I tested it.

2023-06-19T21:07:45Z

Removed mention of {{bug|2706}} since it is fixed as of version .50.08 when I tested it.

71.14.64.46: /* Handling ammo */

2022-12-27T01:35:05Z

Handling ammo

LethosorBot: Tagging v50 page (52/4888)

2022-12-21T00:18:10Z

Tagging v50 page (52/4888)

LethosorBot: LethosorBot moved page DF2014:Advanced marksdwarf training guide to Advanced marksdwarf training guide over redirect: Migrating v50 page (37/4761) (content)

2022-12-20T02:51:22Z

LethosorBot moved page DF2014:Advanced marksdwarf training guide to Advanced marksdwarf training guide over redirect: Migrating v50 page (37/4761) (content)

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 Bottom line, against <u>un</u>armored opponents (i.e. most [[creature|animals]], [[Thief#Kobold thieves|kobold thieves]], [[undead]], etc.), all metal is overkill and will break bones and crush skulls with ease, and even wooden bashing weapons will pound with some authority. Against any armor, all metal works about the same as any other, while any anything less (i.e. wood/bone) will be mostly ineffective, end of discussion.
-This means that for crossbows (and all bashing weapons) any of the weapons-grade metals are going to be very close to the same, and ''far'' superior to anything wood or bone.  You can safely save your steel (and even iron and bronze) and use whatever metal(s) you have in surplus, and you're not hurting your marksdwarves by any amount that anyone would notice in game play. So, while wooden crossbows are admittedly a great early addition to your fortress defense, you definitely want to replace those before sending your marksdwarves out to face a [[siege]].
+This means that for crossbows (and all bashing weapons) any of the [[weapons-grade]] metals are going to be very close to the same, and ''far'' superior to anything wood or bone.  You can safely save your steel (and even iron and bronze) and use whatever metal(s) you have in surplus, and you're not hurting your marksdwarves by any amount that anyone would notice in game play. So, while wooden crossbows are admittedly a great early addition to your fortress defense, you definitely want to replace those before sending your marksdwarves out to face a [[siege]].
-To get more technical, bashing damage works differently than cutting or piercing; it relies on weight, but now also on the speed of the swing of the weapon - and ''lighter'' weapons are swung faster.  While Copper (density 8,930) is almost 14% heavier than iron or steel (both 7,850), that extra weight also makes a weapon slower to swing, effectively negating that advantage. Steel is the hardest of the [[weapons-grade]] metals, and may have a (very) slight advantage there, further offsetting any difference in density. But in current game mechanics, these differences become very, ''very'' slight (often less than 1%).
+To get more technical, bashing damage works differently than cutting or piercing; it relies on weight, but now also on the speed of the swing of the weapon - and ''lighter'' weapons are swung faster.  While Copper (density 8,930) is almost 14% heavier than iron or steel (both 7,850), that extra weight also makes a weapon slower to swing, effectively negating that advantage. Steel is the hardest of the weapons-grade metals, and may have a (very) slight advantage there, further offsetting any difference in density. But in current game mechanics, these differences become very, ''very'' slight (often less than 1%).
 This may not be ''technically'' true for wooden crossbows, where, for example, [[oak]] (density 700) is close to twice as dense as [[willow]] (at 390). However, the absolute densest wood, [[Blood thorn]] (1,250), is still less than than 16% the weight of any weapons metal. Unfortunately, swing speed does not become 6x as fast, meaning any wood is going to be painfully weak for melee by any measure. (For those curious, all [[bone]] is density 500, lumping it squarely in the same ineffective range as wood.)  Urist OakenBow is going to suck if it comes down to melee against anything armored, regardless.

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 ==== Crossbow material ====
-Bottom line, against <u>un</u>armored opponents (i.e. most [[creature|animals]], [[Thief#Kobold thieves|kobold thieves]], [[undead]], etc.), all metal is overkill and will break bones and crush skulls with ease, and even wooden bashing weapons will pound with some authority. Against armor, any metal works about the same, while any anything less (i.e. wood/bone) will be mostly ineffective, end of discussion.
+Bottom line, against <u>un</u>armored opponents (i.e. most [[creature|animals]], [[Thief#Kobold thieves|kobold thieves]], [[undead]], etc.), all metal is overkill and will break bones and crush skulls with ease, and even wooden bashing weapons will pound with some authority. Against any armor, all metal works about the same as any other, while any anything less (i.e. wood/bone) will be mostly ineffective, end of discussion.
 This means that for crossbows (and all bashing weapons) any of the weapons-grade metals are going to be very close to the same, and ''far'' superior to anything wood or bone.  You can safely save your steel (and even iron and bronze) and use whatever metal(s) you have in surplus, and you're not hurting your marksdwarves by any amount that anyone would notice in game play. So, while wooden crossbows are admittedly a great early addition to your fortress defense, you definitely want to replace those before sending your marksdwarves out to face a [[siege]].

@@ Line 50: / Line 50: @@
 Bottom line, against <u>un</u>armored opponents (i.e. most [[creature|animals]], [[Thief#Kobold thieves|kobold thieves]], [[undead]], etc.), all metal is overkill and will break bones and crush skulls with ease, and even wooden bashing weapons will pound with some authority. Against armor, any metal works about the same, while any anything less (i.e. wood/bone) will be mostly ineffective, end of discussion.
-This means that for crossbows (and all bashing weapons) any of the weapons-grade metals are going to be very close to the same, and ''far'' superior to anything wood or bone.  You can safely save your steel (and even iron and bronze) and use whatever metal(s) you have in surplus, and you're not hurting your marksdwarves by any amount that anyone would notice in game play. And while wooden crossbows are admittedly a great early addition to your fortress defense, you definitely want to replace those before sending your marksdwarves out to face a [[siege]].
+This means that for crossbows (and all bashing weapons) any of the weapons-grade metals are going to be very close to the same, and ''far'' superior to anything wood or bone.  You can safely save your steel (and even iron and bronze) and use whatever metal(s) you have in surplus, and you're not hurting your marksdwarves by any amount that anyone would notice in game play. So, while wooden crossbows are admittedly a great early addition to your fortress defense, you definitely want to replace those before sending your marksdwarves out to face a [[siege]].
 To get more technical, bashing damage works differently than cutting or piercing; it relies on weight, but now also on the speed of the swing of the weapon - and ''lighter'' weapons are swung faster.  While Copper (density 8,930) is almost 14% heavier than iron or steel (both 7,850), that extra weight also makes a weapon slower to swing, effectively negating that advantage. Steel is the hardest of the [[weapons-grade]] metals, and may have a (very) slight advantage there, further offsetting any difference in density. But in current game mechanics, these differences become very, ''very'' slight (often less than 1%).

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 === Crossbows ===
-Crossbows can be made with wood or bone at a bowyer's workshop, or metal at a metalsmith/magma forge. Metal crossbows can be forged out of copper, bronze, bismuth bronze, iron, steel, or adamantine. Quivers must be made of leather at a leatherworks. The base material of a crossbow appears to have no effect on the lethality of ranged bolts. However, when marksdwarves end up in melee, they will use their crossbow to bash.  This bash attack utilizes the hammerdwarf skill and deals blunt damage, thus it has been suggested to make dense metal crossbows.
+Crossbows can be made with wood or bone at a bowyer's workshop, or metal at a metalsmith/magma forge. Metal crossbows can be forged out of copper, bronze, bismuth bronze, iron, steel, or (not recommended) [[adamantine]]. Quivers must be made of leather at a leatherworks. The base material of a crossbow appears to have no effect on the lethality of ranged bolts. However, when marksdwarves end up in melee, they will use their crossbow to bash.  This bash attack utilizes the hammerdwarf skill and deals blunt damage, thus it has been suggested to make crossbows from the most [[density|dense]] material available. However, as of v50+, this difference in metal density has been minimized for combat bashing damage ''(see next)''.
 === Quivers and bolts ===

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 === Squad training orders ===
-Now, for the magic bit that gets them doing nothing *but* training. Open the schedule screen with {{K|s}} and look at the orders. The default is "Train, 10 minimium". '''This is WRONG!'''
+Now, for the magic bit that gets them doing nothing *but* training. Open the schedule screen with {{K|s}} and look at the orders. The default is "Train, 10 minimum". '''This is WRONG!'''
 [[File:default_training_order.png|400px|Default Training Order]]

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 Do '''not''' use the [[Scheduling#Stations|station scheduling order]]!
-When a dwarf has line of sight on an enemy, they'll do one of two things: run away; or run up and fight. While they're running up to the enemy, dwarves will shoot bolts if they have any, but then engage the enemy using their crossbows as hammers instead of shooting. Therefore, it's imperative that you create physical barriers which make it impossible for your marksdwarves to charge the enemy. Nothing else will suffice.
+When a dwarf has line of sight on an enemy, they'll do one of two things: run away; or run up and fight. While they're running up to the enemy, dwarves will shoot bolts if they have any, but then engage the enemy using their crossbows as hammers instead of shooting. Therefore, it's imperative that you create physical barriers which make it impossible for your marksdwarves to charge the enemy. Nothing else will suffice. The Siege update made marksdwarves much less eager to engage in melee combat.
 Some sources claim a Defend Burrows order may restrict marksdwarves to the area defined by the burrow. The full effectiveness of Defend Burrow orders at stopping a melee charge is unknown.{{verify}}

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 === Avoiding equipment issues ===
 The mining, wood cutting, and hunting labors have an "invisible uniform" that conflicts with military equipment. When these labors are enabled, a dwarf will drop all assigned military equipment when going off duty, and when ordered back on duty they spend extra time collecting their equipment, and may ultimately report without some equipment. For that reason, it is recommended that you disable mining, wood cutting, and hunting on all military dwarves.
 An "[[equipment mismatch]]" error sounds dire, but it's just a diagnostic message telling you that a dwarf's assigned equipment changed while the dwarf was en route to pick up the previously-assigned equipment. In almost all cases the dwarf will automatically collect the newly-assigned equipment without player intervention. One reported cause of frequent equipment mismatch spam is ammo stored in bins.
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 === Building archery ranges ===
-Thus, the first step is to build a room with a bunch of archery targets, it is recommended to build one archery target per filled squad position (multiple marksdwarves cannot train at the same archery target concurrently). The room must be large enough that the marksdwarf has a one-gap space between them and the target; some people just make their "barracks" 10x10, and put an ammo stockpile in it (reminder - disable bins in this stockpile). Notably, (and this is a change from previous versions) the dwarves ''must'' be able to walk up to the target; placing a channel in front of it will prevent them from training.
+Thus, the first step is to build a room with a bunch of archery targets, it is recommended to build one archery target per filled squad position (multiple marksdwarves cannot train at the same archery target concurrently). The room must be large enough that the marksdwarf has a one-gap space between them and the target; some people just make their "barracks" 10x10, and put an ammo stockpile in it. Notably, (and this is a change from previous versions) the dwarves ''must'' be able to walk up to the target; placing a channel in front of it will prevent them from training.
 Once you build your range ({{k|b}}-{{k|A}}), you must define it as a room ({{k|q}}-{{k|r}}). Make it so it touches the far wall, and don't worry, range rooms can overlap. You have to do this for each archery target. Make sure the shooting direction is correct! In addition, your marksdwarf squad '''must''' at minimum have train set on each archery target with ({{k|q}}-{{k|t}}). Again, only one marksdwarf can use a target at any given time.

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 === Handling ammo ===
 We're almost done. Go to the ammo screen.
 [[File:ammo_screen.png|400px|Ammo]]

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-{{Quality|Exceptional|21:40, 11 May 2015 (UTC)}}
+{{migrated article}}
 {{av}}
 [[Marksdwarf|Marksdwarves]] can be tricky to equip and [[training|train]] properly for the uninitiated - they often appear to refuse to use their [[crossbow]]s at [[archery range]]s. This guide goes into details explaining known bugs, and getting your marksdwarves to train properly, as well as going into details regarding various ranged weaponry.