For full information about Crossbows and Bolts, click here to see Ranged - Crossbows and Bolts

The bolts that rangers use with their crossbows are predominantly made from metals, and hence to make bolts you will need a certain Smithing level depending upon what sort of bolt you wish to make. Fletching is useful when making bolts as it is not possible to make them work without first adding the flights (feathers). Equally, bolts may have a variety of tips attached, some of which allow the bolts to then be enchanted.

Below is a table showing the Fletching level required and the experience gained by attaching flights to your bolts.

* Blurite bolts are not available until you have completed The Knight’s Sword quest.
~ Silver bolts are crafted rather than smithed.

Bolts may also be tipped with gems, pearls, barbs and grapples; this is all dependent on the type of bolt you have, of course. To fletch tips use a chisel on the gem or pearl (barbed tips are available from the Ranging Guild; mithril grapple tips are smithed), and a number of tips will be made.

You can make most types of tip simply by using a chisel on the correct gem, and this will normally allow you to choose how many gems to convert into tips. In the case of dragonstone and onyx, though, your character’s natural reaction is going to be panic, so you will be presented with an option to change your mind.

Thankfully for those rangers who have saved up the vast quantity of tokkul to purchase an onyx from the TzHaar city, the same store there also sells onyx tips for quite a reasonable price.

Once you have tips, you can use them on bolts of the correct type to attach them. The primary use of gem-tipped and pearl-tipped bolts is to then enchant them, granting them specific powers, which you can read about here.

Note that when you put a tip on a crossbow bolt you may no longer poison it.

Click here to view the Fletching FAQs