Worked out · Valheim 1.0.17

Best bows

All Valheim bows ranked by damage per shot with the strongest arrows, with draw or reload time, and the best one you can make in each biome.

Strongest bow
Frostfire Bowwith Bloodgold Arrow
335per shot
First you can make
Crude Bow131 damage at max level
Meadows

Best bow in each biome

Of the bows you can make by then, the one that kills the biome's hostile creatures in the fewest hits, their weaknesses and resistances applied (every weapon by biome).

Biome	Best bow	Hits	Creatures
Meadows	Crude Bowwith Fire Arrow	4	4
Black Forest	Finewood Bowwith Fire Arrow	27	5
Swamp	Huntsman Bowwith Fire Arrow	52	9
Mountains	Draugr Fangwith Obsidian Arrow	29	4
Plains	Draugr Fangwith Silver Arrow	50	5
Mistlands	Spinesnapwith Frost Arrow	44	6
Ashlands	Storm Fangwith Frost Arrow	59	9
Deep North	Thunderblood Bowwith Bloodgold Arrow	72	9

All 12 ranked

Bow	From	Per shot	Own	Draw s	Per second	Block
Frostfire Bow92 Pierce21 Fire97 Frost25 Spirit	Deep North	335	235	2.50.5 at 100	670	3
Thunderblood Bow134 Pierce60 Lightning25 Spirit	Deep North	319	219	2.50.5 at 100	638	3
Nord Bow124 Pierce46 Spirit	Deep North	270	170	2.50.5 at 100	540	3
Root Fang94 Pierce10 Poison15 Spirit	Ashlands	219	119	2.50.5 at 100	438	3
Storm Fang94 Pierce10 Lightning15 Spirit	Ashlands	219	119	2.50.5 at 100	438	3
Ash Fang94 Pierce15 Spirit	Ashlands	209	109	2.50.5 at 100	418	3
Blood Fang94 Pierce15 Spirit	Ashlands	209	109	2.50.5 at 100	418	3
Spinesnap84 Pierce20 Spirit	Mistlands	204	104	2.50.5 at 100	408	3
Draugr Fang56 Pierce20 Poison	Mountains	176	76	2.50.5 at 100	352	3
Huntsman Bow51 Pierce	Swamp	151	51	2.50.5 at 100	302	3
Finewood Bow41 Pierce	Black Forest	141	41	2.50.5 at 100	282	3
Crude Bow31 Pierce	Meadows	131	31	2.50.5 at 100	262	3

"Per shot" adds the strongest arrow (Bloodgold Arrow); "per second" divides it by the draw time at skill 100. Every arrow by boss: best arrows & bolts.

Formula

Damage at max level = base + per level × (max level − 1), each damage type apart; chop and pickaxe left out of the rating (almost every creature ignores them).

Full combo = (combo hits − 1) × hit + hit × the last swing's multiplier; per stamina = combo damage ÷ (stamina × combo hits). Secondary attack = hit × its multiplier.

Bows and crossbows: the arrow's or bolt's damage is added to the weapon's. Full draw takes the draw time at skill 0, a fifth of it at skill 100; a reload takes half as long at skill 100.

Stamina and eitr per attack are at skill 0; skill 100 takes a third off (× 0.67) for every weapon alike, so the order doesn't change.

ItemData.GetDamage, Attack.DoMeleeAttack / FireProjectileBurst, Attack.GetAttackStamina, HitData.ApplyResistance in the code of Valheim 1.0.17.

Assumptions

Skill 50 in the weapon's skill, weapons at their max normal level, no stars on the creatures (a star doubles health, two stars triple it).
Every hit lands and only the primary attack is used; no backstab, no stagger bonus, no armor set or mead bonuses.
Area hits (staffs, sledges, atgeirs) are counted against one creature at a time.
Bows and crossbows fire the best arrow or bolt for the target you can make by then, at full draw.