The Longbow delivers Throne and Liberty's hardest ranged opener: Steady Aim into Decisive Sniping is a genuine burst from complete safety. The Gauntlets are what happens when that doesn't finish the job. The honest position is that this pairing has a superb first move and less follow-through than the Crossbow or Dagger versions, because the Longbow gives you no way to close the distance you just created.
This is the most situational Gauntlets pairing on the list, and it's worth understanding exactly why before you commit to it. Here's the straight version.
What the build is
The Longbow is the game's sniper — Strafing and Brutal Arrow for sustained poke, Ensnaring Arrow to slow a target down, and Steady Aim into Decisive Sniping for a very large single hit. It scales off Dexterity and Perception, and it is at its best when nothing can reach you. The Gauntlets, from The Frozen Divide: Nix, are the exact opposite: a Strength-scaling brawler whose Eclipse of Blood window only pays out in sustained melee contact. The two do combine — Ensnaring Arrow slows a target so you can actually reach it — but neither half is helping the other as much as it would in other pairings.
Why players run it
- The hardest opener in the family — Steady Aim into Decisive Sniping starts fights at a real deficit for your opponent.
- Ensnaring Arrow is the bridge — slowing a target is the closest thing this build has to a gap-close.
- Safe PvE pulling — you can start every fight from range and only commit when you want to.
- Rarely seen — opponents won't have a read on it.
How to play it
Play the Longbow half properly and treat the Gauntlets as the closer, not the plan. Open from maximum range, land the big shot, and use Ensnaring Arrow the moment the target starts moving toward you or away — that slow is the only bridge you have, and without it you are walking into melee under fire. Split Dexterity and Perception for the ranged half and take enough Strength that the melee finish isn't a coin flip. The reason this sits below the Dagger and Crossbow pairings is simple and worth saying plainly: it has no gap-close. If you want the Gauntlets to be your primary weapon, one of those two is the better home.
The honest trade-off
✓ Why to run it
- Largest single opening hit of any Gauntlets pairing.
- Ensnaring Arrow gives you at least some way to control distance.
- Very safe in PvE — every pull starts on your terms.
- Unfamiliar to opponents, which is worth something in PvP.
△ Honest caveats
- No gap-close at all — the weakest answer to the Gauntlets' core weakness.
- Three-way stat split with little overlap.
- Squishy the moment the ranged phase ends.
- Outclassed by Gauntlets + Crossbow at almost exactly the same job.
Kit for a ranged opener
The opening shot is a precision task and the follow-up is a reaction test. Accuracy first, reachable bindings second.
Quick answers
Is Gauntlets + Longbow good in Throne and Liberty?
It's the most situational Gauntlets pairing. The Longbow opener is the hardest in the family, but the combination has no gap-close, which is the Gauntlets' main weakness — Crossbow or Dagger do the same job better.
What stats should Gauntlets + Longbow prioritize?
Dexterity and Perception for the Longbow half, plus enough Strength to survive the melee finish. The three-way split is the build's main structural weakness.
Why is it rated below the Crossbow pairing?
Both aim to soften a target at range then finish in melee, but the Crossbow brings Nimble Leap to close the gap. The Longbow only slows the target with Ensnaring Arrow.
Is it good for PvE?
Yes, genuinely — opening every pull from long range is safe and forgiving, and the melee finish speeds up kills. Its weaknesses show up mainly in PvP.