Duplex Bow
The Duplex Bow is a Yiga Clan weapon that fires two arrows at once, making it useful for increasing damage potential and experimenting with arrow-based tactics.
Key Takeaways
The Duplex Bow is a Yiga Clan multishot bow whose defining value comes from producing a two-arrow volley rather than from a uniquely high displayed attack.
Two arrows per shot
Its defining mechanic is firing two arrows simultaneously. The volley can improve damage potential and makes the bow useful for applying arrow-based effects, while still operating as a bow rather than a separate ammunition type.
Arrow economy matters
A multishot bow turns one shot into multiple projectiles, but arrow fusions and special effects still need to be evaluated separately from the bow itself. The Duplex Bow does not make every fused-arrow combination equally efficient or equally useful.
Yiga-linked availability
The most direct acquisition routes are defeating Yiga Clan members and checking Yiga-controlled locations, including the Yiga Clan Hideout and Yiga Clan Maritta Branch. It can also appear through exploration in areas such as the Hyrule Field and Gerudo Desert Depths.
A practical utility bow
Its two-projectile volley suits elemental, status, and other utility arrows when creating several simultaneous impacts is more valuable than using a single stronger projectile.
Limited by its per-arrow power
The Duplex Bow is less powerful than a Savage Lynel Bow in raw multishot output, so its main justification is accessible two-shot utility rather than competing with the strongest late-game bows on damage alone.
Its progression is contextual
The bow's practical performance changes primarily through arrow choice and eligible weapon modifiers or maintenance, not through a separate canonical fused-bow variant. Arrow effects should therefore be discussed as loadout choices rather than as permanent weapon forms.
Overview
The Duplex Bow is a Yiga Clan bow in The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom that fires two arrows with each shot. Its paired-projectile design gives it a distinct role among ordinary bows, especially when one arrow is fused with a useful material or when a target can be struck by both projectiles.
The Duplex Bow is a standard ranged weapon associated with the Yiga Clan, rather than a unique, legendary, or DLC-exclusive arm. Its defining behaviour is multishot: drawing and releasing it produces two arrows at once. That makes the bow more than a simple upgrade over a single-shot weapon, because its value depends on whether both arrows connect, how the player uses arrow Fusions, and how quickly the available arrow supply is consumed.
In ordinary combat, the bow can serve as a flexible mid-progression multishot option. Two projectiles can improve the payoff of a well-placed shot, but the Duplex Bow should not be treated as universally superior to stronger single-shot bows or to other multishot alternatives. Its practical performance changes with distance, target size, projectile spread, the chosen arrow material, and whether the encounter allows both arrows to land.
The Duplex Bow also matters because its two-arrow behaviour interacts with Tears of the Kingdom's arrow-Fuse system. A fused arrow effect is not automatically equivalent to a second independent attack, so the useful question is whether the bow's multishot behaviour supports the material and purpose at hand. Elemental, utility, and area-affecting materials can make the paired shot valuable, while scarce materials may make repeated multishot use an inefficient way to spend ammunition.
Players encounter the Duplex Bow through Yiga-related content and locations, including Yiga Clan members and Yiga-controlled places such as the Yiga Clan Hideout and Yiga Clan Maritta Branch. It can therefore appear as a practical reward or acquisition while following Yiga-related exploration, rather than requiring a special late-game story state. This page distinguishes the bow itself from its arrows and Fuse materials; those are supporting systems, not separate versions of the Duplex Bow.
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Statistics
Attack and durability are the game’s own published values, not a 0–100 scale. Taken from the project’s verified weapons database, not from generated text.
- Durability18
- Range40
- ClassRanged
- Trait2-shot bow; consumes one arrow per shot
- ConditionStandard
- Compendium#465
Figures verified against Consolidated Game Weapons Database.
Compared to similar bow weapons
| Weapon | Durability | Class | Range |
|---|---|---|---|
| Duplex Bow | 18 | Ranged | 40 |
| Dusk Bow | 40 | Ranged | 40 |
| Royal Guard's Bow | 20 | Ranged | 30 |
| Great Eagle Bow | 60 | Ranged | 40 |
| Demon King's Bow | 42 | Ranged | 30 |
Attack and durability are the game’s own published values. From Consolidated Game Weapons Database.
How to Obtain
- No DLC, NG+, or platform-specific requirement is needed.
- Reaching the Yiga Clan Hideout or Maritta Branch may require passing their guards; wearing the Yiga armor set is the intended way to move through Yiga-controlled facilities without immediately being treated as an intruder.
- The merchant route depends on the relevant Yiga location being accessible; no universal purchase price is stated here because shop stock and prices should be verified against the applicable game data.
- 01Travel to the Yiga Clan Hideout in the Gerudo Highlands. After entering the hideout, check the Yiga-operated weapon stock and nearby interiors for a Duplex Bow. Access to the hideout is not locked behind a DLC, New Game Plus, or special difficulty mode.
- 02Defeat Yiga Clan members who are using Duplex Bows. Yiga fighters encountered in the hideout, at the Yiga Clan Maritta Branch, and in other Yiga-controlled camps can provide the bow as a dropped weapon when they are carrying one. The enemy's equipment determines whether this route produces a Duplex Bow, so not every Yiga encounter is a guaranteed source.
- 03Search Yiga-controlled areas in the Depths, including the Gerudo Desert Depths and Hyrule Field Depths, for additional Yiga encounters. This is a repeatable recovery route because defeated enemies return after the game's normal world-reset cycle; the bow is not a one-per-playthrough reward and is not missable.
Availability
Requires No separate stat, proficiency, difficulty, NG+ or DLC requirement is documented.
The Duplex Bow is part of the standard Tears of the Kingdom weapon pool. Its availability is tied to Yiga Clan encounters and Yiga-controlled locations rather than a limited-time or mode-specific stock.
Mechanics and Handling
The Duplex Bow’s defining behavior is its two-shot volley: one bow release produces two arrows instead of one. This is a multishot property, not two separate attacks requiring two releases. The arrows leave the bow together but travel as separate projectiles, so the second shot can miss even when the first connects. At close to moderate distance, the spread is useful for increasing the chance of a hit or striking a broader target; at longer distance, spacing between the projectiles makes precise single-target placement less consistent.
Each volley consumes one ordinary arrow from the player’s stock, rather than requiring a separate arrow for each projectile. The bow has no magazine and no reload animation. Its resource limit is therefore the player’s arrow supply, while the weapon’s normal draw-and-release rhythm remains unchanged. Holding the draw continues to support the usual aimed bow behavior; the Duplex Bow does not gain a separate charge attack or a special release input.
The two projectiles are resolved as separate hits. This matters against large targets, exposed weak points, and nearby groups, but it does not guarantee that both arrows will strike the same target. The bow is most reliable when the target occupies enough space to catch both shots or when Link is close enough for the spread to remain small. Against a narrow distant weak point, a single-shot bow can be easier to place accurately even when its individual shot has a different strength profile.
Two-arrow spread and targeting
The Duplex Bow’s multishot pattern is the main handling distinction to account for. Its arrows do not behave like one combined projectile: each has its own flight path and can hit, miss, or connect with a different target. The pattern is consequently valuable for crowd pressure and large enemies, while precision shots on small or distant targets require careful positioning. The bow should not be treated as a guaranteed damage multiplier, because terrain, target movement, and projectile separation can prevent both arrows from connecting.
Draw, range, and projectile behavior
The Duplex Bow uses the standard bow draw: Link can fire quickly without fully aiming or hold the draw to improve shot control. It has no confirmed weapon-specific charge stage, recoil system, or alternate firing mode that changes the two-arrow pattern. Arrows remain subject to normal travel time and trajectory, so the multishot effect does not remove the need to lead moving targets or account for distance. Its practical reach is therefore governed by ordinary bow aiming and projectile behavior rather than a separate lock-on or homing property.
Arrow Fuse interaction
Fuse materials are applied through the arrow-firing system, not by changing the Duplex Bow into a different roster weapon. A fused arrow fired from this bow produces the Duplex Bow’s two-projectile pattern, allowing one consumed arrow material to support a multishot attack. The resulting effects still depend on the chosen material: elemental, utility, explosive, and other arrow effects should be selected for the target and situation rather than assumed to be interchangeable. Materials that create a hazardous blast remain risky at close range, because the extra projectile does not make Link immune to the effect.
Durability and limitations
The Duplex Bow has ordinary weapon durability behavior for a bow. Repeated firing consumes its durability over time, and the two-arrow volley should not be described as two separate durability costs without a verified weapon-specific test. It has no blocking, parrying, thrown-return, weapon-skill, or conditional trait mechanic of its own. Its advantage is concentrated in the multishot pattern: it can improve hit coverage and make some arrow effects more practical, but it also consumes durability and arrows while offering less control over a single narrow point than a conventional single-shot bow.
Upgrades and Variants
Strengths, Weaknesses and Best Uses
Strengths
- Fires two arrows with one shot, increasing the chance that a close or medium-range volley connects with the target.
- Multishot volleys can apply a fused arrow's effect to multiple projectiles, making one elemental, utility, or explosive arrow more impactful than it would be from a single-shot bow.
- Its two-projectile pattern is useful against large enemies or clustered targets, where both arrows can strike the same target or nearby enemies.
- The bow's multishot behavior does not require carrying a separate ammunition type; it remains compatible with ordinary arrows and arrow materials.
Weaknesses
- The two arrows spread apart, so the full volley is less reliable against small or distant targets unless Link closes the gap or aims carefully.
- A volley is more difficult to place precisely than a single projectile, which reduces its value for long-range precision shots and narrow environmental targets.
- Fused materials with large area effects can be excessive at close range: the duplicated projectiles may waste the material's potential or expose Link to hazards such as explosive blasts.
- Its advantage depends on both projectiles contributing to the encounter. Against a target that is moving quickly, partially concealed, or too far away, the extra arrow may miss rather than provide a consistent benefit.
Best uses
- Use it for close- to medium-range burst against large enemies, groups, or targets that are easy to hit with both projectiles.
- Choose it when a single fused arrow needs broader coverage, such as applying an elemental effect across multiple nearby targets or using an explosive effect against a cluster.
- Pair it with careful positioning and a clear line of sight rather than treating it as a universal replacement for a precise long-range bow.
- Prefer a single-shot or more specialized bow when the task requires accurate distance shots, minimal material consumption, or controlled placement of one projectile.
Compared With Similar Weapons
| Weapon | Multi-shot behavior | Distinctive comparison | Best suited to |
|---|---|---|---|
| Duplex Bow | A two-shot bow with the Yiga Clan’s multi-shot design; its smaller volley is easier to manage than higher-count alternatives. | Players who want multi-shot arrow Fusion and elemental applications without committing to a three- or five-arrow bow. | — |
| Lynel Bow | Produces a larger volley than the Duplex Bow and is obtained through Lynel-focused progression rather than Yiga encounters. | Multi-target attacks and stronger multi-arrow applications when Lynel access is practical. | — |
| Savage Lynel Bow | Offers the largest standard volley among these bows and is a stronger high-output alternative, but its acquisition is tied to tougher Lynel encounters. | Maximizing a single shot’s arrow count for burst damage or powerful arrow effects. | — |
| Great Eagle Bow | A three-shot Champion weapon that provides a larger volley than the Duplex Bow while occupying a more specialized progression path. | Players seeking a three-shot bow as part of a Champion-weapon collection or a broader multi-shot loadout. | — |
Lore and Design
The Duplex Bow is closely associated with the Yiga Clan. Its item description presents it as a bow favored by the clan’s skilled archers, giving the weapon a clear factional identity rather than treating it as an ordinary Hyrulean bow. That association also fits its distinctive construction: the bow is designed to release two arrows in a single shot, a feature that separates it from standard single-arrow bows.
The twin-arrow design is the Duplex Bow’s principal piece of documented weapon identity. In lore terms, it suggests specialized equipment developed for Yiga archers, while in play it gives the weapon a recognizable role among bows without establishing a separate named character, historical event, or larger canonical relationship. No documented developer commentary or official development history is established here, so claims about real-world inspiration, the identity of its maker, or the Yiga Clan’s specific engineering process should not be treated as canon.
Trivia
- The Duplex Bow returns from The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, where it was likewise associated with the Yiga Clan. Its recurring presence makes it one of the Yiga’s recognizable weapon designs across both games.
- The bow’s paired-shot behavior is built into the weapon rather than being created by a Fuse material or a special arrow type. This distinguishes it from ordinary bows modified only through ammunition effects.
- The Duplex Bow is among the weapons associated with Tears of the Kingdom’s item-duplication glitch history. That use belongs to version-specific exploit documentation, not to the bow’s intended acquisition or combat design.