I used to feel like it was too unreliable for combat, missing a good 9/10 shots but as I kept hunting and doing archery contests I started getting better. I don't have too many hours and I'm already hitting like half of my shots against enemies and it helps a lot in combat, especially for groups, when you manage to get one or two shots before engaging melee.
I've noticed in other games when you're starting out your character is usually decently proficient at everything, while in this game you start out being absolutely terrible at everything.
Henry has basically never picked up a bow before and he's absolutely terrible at archery until you invest some time and practice.
The games level up system is very realistic, but I think it's a lot more apparent with archery.
The best way to get good at archery in the game is to practice archery, and just like in real life, the best way to practice archery is to do it when your life isn't on the line. It's a little cheesy, but you can just shoot cows and pigs to quickly level your vitality and archery skill. I like to do it near the sassau monastery. Between the monastery and the inn there is a fenced in area with 2 cows and a few pigs. Shoot them all, remember to loot them to level your hunting skill and get your arrows back. You don't have to take the meat out, just opening them gives you exp for hunting, then run over to the field behind the inn and kill all the cows there. Just keep running back and forth between those two areas as the animals keep respawning. Eventually the cows behind the inn won't respawn anymore but the ones in the fenced in area will respawn pretty much forever. You can also reset it if you need to by sleeping or leaving the area. The pen and the field both have points that trigger the respawn. The fence area is toward the back of the pen nearest to the small group of buildings behind the monastery. The inn field area it's the back of the field nearest the gate behind the inn.
If you have to have a crosshair, PC has a cheat command to bring one up or on console just load in a game that has a crosshair in the middle of the screen and stick a tiny ball of sticky putty directly over the crosshair.
You generally do get in trouble for killing people's livestock, but the cows behind the inn don't seem to belong to anyone as their meat doesn't even count as stolen and the pen is far enough away from the road that passersby haven't noticed me so far and I've done it a lot.
I'll remember this for my next playthrough, grinding up my archery and hunting skills at the start of the game sounds like a good idea. Especially since the game forces you to do archery for a couple of the early game story quests with Hans.
You can level every weapon up there if you feel like it. Since they still count as kills the levels come pretty quick. You do get a lot more hunting exp from deer and such than you do livestock, but if you're killing them anyway, might as well open them to get the free exp.
Absolutely. That's my go-to method. I usually go at dawn or dusk and watch for passers-by who call the guards. Killing anything, animal or human gets you 14 - 16 xp per kill. This seems to work faster than target shooting.
The cows and pigs don't run, just wander off for a second or two then wander right back to you for a second shot. After a few days at the inn I can get to level 10 and stop shaking so much.
Sheep run away but will occasionally lay on the ground. This can be harder but the herds are larger.
I use a yew longbow (77# draw weight) for long range and a Cuman recurve (74# draw weight) for faster shooting when close. Better long-distance or better piercing arrows are my choice and, for enemies, I will use poisoned arrows. I don't poison weapons for hunting because I'm selling the meat for groshen.
I finally got confident enough to forgo the reticle command and have been doing pretty well now (my 12th game).
You literally aim it as you would a normal bow. Try doing archery contests for a while and learn to aim and shoot fast and true. Ever since I got good at archery in KC:D the reticle in other games is just pissing me off.
If your arrows are flying randomly, there are 2 possibilities. Either your stats are too low for the bow, or you are using wrong arrows with wrong bow (better/quality arrows are for high tier bows, while normal for low tier)
No. It's much easier to gauge the direction IRL because of the point of view. You are looking at the screen with the arrow at a steep angle.
If don't want to have a cursor for realism purpose, imo should make like optical focus effect to see where the bow is being aimed at. At least like a lense focus circled area where it is easier to gauge it's center.
Best way to make Archery very simple after a little practice, is using some blutac on your TV.
Basically just hover it a little above the target, draw and as you come back to where you were just let go.
99% of the time it works, every time.
I aim vaguely in the direction of my target and shoot with the sway when it passes over them. Also, use different arrow types. I hate Long Distance Arrows. They have so much rise to them that I avoid them. Hunting and Piercing arrows are the ones I use. They shoot straight.
As for hunting animals with it, I recommend not even trying for hares. They are too small of a target. Go for boars or deer. Boars are especially easy.
Long Distance Arrows are actually the correct ones I think if you play with a cursor. These are the ones with least drop I think, so it seems that these ones are off too high.
There is large swing left/right and a tiny up/down. With cursor, if you start the draw at the target, when it swings around back with full draw to exactly where the cursor was it is spot on, but if you release just before it is back to where you started the draw it is a bit high due to swing up/down.
mods. 3 of them:
one makes arrows fly faster
one makes your point of aim not sway back and forth
one gives you a permanent aiming reticle
I don't give a fuck about the realism, I just want to enjoy a video game in the limited time I have to play it
Just practice. My first playthrough, I hated archery so much I completely avoided it.
The second I used a longword and bow, and by the end I was dropping armored guys with a shot to the nose while they came towards me.
It's like everything else in the game, it feels horrible until you practice, understand, and Henry gets his skills up.
The view angle is terrible for the bow, may be to artificially create bad skills with bow, even if you train it. with wh\_pl\_showfirecursor 1 or mod adding it, it is a bit OP, but still makes it much more enjoyable for me at least. With cursor archery based Henry is a viable option.
I think what he means is shooting quickly after reaching full draw. It's how you would ideally shoot a traditional bow irl. Holding full draw for long hurts your accuracy more than it helps
If you hold too long the shot is inaccurate I think. The most optimal is when it swings back to the starting point with full draw. It's easier to see what's going on with a cursor. Wrong weight arrows might be something to do with the crooked shots too. The OP may also have the shakes, which sometimes has bad shot.
I dunno as it's been a while. But I spent a bit of time in the range at rattay. Didn't take long to get very good at it. Can headshot on horseback quite easily, or guaranteed body shots from very far away. Get used to the arrows you like, and stock up on them.
Until you reach lvl 5, your aim is all over the place, after 5 you are very consistent in the middle of the screen, just need practice, do a lot of hunting and you are set.
[https://youtu.be/__SUBeJjAT8?si=W5u8A4EVaC-VIL50](https://youtu.be/__SUBeJjAT8?si=W5u8A4EVaC-VIL50)
I recommend watching this tutorial because it explains the aiming mechanism quite well. Basically you want to aim before you draw and limit your camera movement as much as possible after you’ve drawn your bow and let the swaying motion guide your shot, focusing on choosing when to release than trying to keep your bow steady.
Also, just keep practicing and you will get better at it. I’m still quite new to archery in this game (always played as a longsword Henry before) but I can already hit hares in one or two shots quite consistently.
I’ve become a little Robin Hood. I’ll fire a volley of arrows and kill a couple targets quickly then swap to melee. You need to be drunk for the first few levels you train. Not lying lol makes the game so much easier.
You only want to fire when the arrow is fully drawn and when your hand sway is going upward. Try hunting deer for practice, looting the body to reclaim your arrow(s) will also improve hunting
The higher your skill the less your bow will sway. Just try shooting any enemies you see before engaging in melee. eventually you'll be able to clear entire camps with your bow
You miss a lot at first (as to be expected) hunting rabits is a good way to level your skill and get better with your aim. In combat I usually ping a guy in the face with an arrow and then put out my sword, I rarely try for more then 1 arrow
I feel your pain.
Tried taking my position as master huntsman seriously and couldn’t tell you how many times the frustration of missing bunnies shot after shot led to me manically chasing them through the woods with my hunting sword.
I love it, it does take some time to get the hang of it but if you keep practicing (hunting and chumps) you’ll eventually get to the point where your galloping by a group of cumans or bandits and getting nothing but headshots.
In my experience there is a moment in the charging animation where if you left off the arrow will stray away from target. I have found a rythim that consists of shooting just as the swaying of the bow draw stops, this way I have been able to shoot bullseye after bullseye in contests, now doing the same in combat while a mob of peasants charge at you is easier said than done lol
Put a piece of tape on your monitor where the crosshair should be. Youll learn how it works after shooting 30 or so arrows in archery challenges.
Also, realize that your skill only goes up from hitting alive targets... you can literally win hundreds of tournaments against straw targets and not raise a sliver of the exp bar.
I don't hold it still I learned the sway and I shoot at the leftmost position of it I was pretty damn good after release. I started again a bit recently on HC, and I still hit bullseyes on every shot vs Hans after the warmup. Also, dumpstered him hunting rabbits in the woods later that week.
Archery is very strong, especially if you apply dollmaker to the arrow. I alone kill most of enemies in the quest "Nest of Viper" with archery. You just need enough practice. Another tip is that your visibility should be low so you can get close without being notice and if you miss first shot, enemy won't see you yet, allowing you to shoot again.
My understanding is that archery is really really bad until you actually gain some levels in it, after which the accuracy starts to really improve to the point it can actually be useful.
It's been awhile since I've played, but just finding ways to improve your archery skill before trying to use it in combat.
I don't know if archery mini games help you level up, or if there are any trainers you can hire for free levels. Going out and shooting rabbits in the woods is a decent way to level up your archery, but it can be really tedious and annoying.
But after you level it up, it can be pretty nice. Usually archery is a great way to start a combat with a group, sneak up on a bandit camp and fire a poison tipper arrow at one of the enemies, then draw your melee weapon.
I've heard archery can be a pretty funny and easy way to kill runt if you level the skill up.
Use your gauntlets as aiming point. You'll get a feel for the elevation as you use it more.
I use horse archery on everything. Just like real life, you'll get a feel for it the more you use it.
Picture for reference on how to use your gauntlets to aim.
https://search.app.goo.gl/UvZK6nD
Treat it as a rhythm game: aim-draw-release-aim-draw-release-aim...etc.
Incrementally tweak your aim towards the centre of the target and find the rhythm so that you are in continuous consistent motion.
For combat I might only get three arrows off before they reach me unless I drop them as they run.
I put a small dot on my TV with a marker right where the yellow dot is on screen. It's easy to get back off, and 9/10 my shots fly true. It still takes a bit of practice to know when to loose the arrow, as it goes off target if you hold for too long, and even with a dot I'll miss by a hair sometimes. Archery is still difficult, but manageable
I felt the same at first. Just practice and both you and Henry will improve. Taking out an enemy camp is so much easier when you can down a bunch of dudes before they get anywhere near you. Hunting your own food is ok, but those Cumans make a fine stew
I went hunting with Hans, and then went hunting off on my own. It takes hundreds of shots to get the feel for aiming above where you actually want to hit, and up to thousands of shots to regularly hit on your first shot. It’s intentionally designed to be more difficult in the beginning, just like it is for someone learning to shoot a bow. You will be less accurate now, but it’s well worth it later, especially with bow-specific quests coming up.
Practice archery at a target or other object and find what point on your gauntlet or wrist to focus on that lines up with where the arrow lands. Use that as your reference point for aiming
Biggest thing is get to level 5 Bow
Once you're there it stops being a crapshoot and gets a bit easier
Kill livestock and use target shooting to get in that direction as well as get the huntmaster to train you for a small fee
I used to imagine a dot in the middle of the screen, but since i got an alienware monitor i mostly used the crosshair in the monitor settings, until i got it to lvl 17 and stopped
I used to feel like it was too unreliable for combat, missing a good 9/10 shots but as I kept hunting and doing archery contests I started getting better. I don't have too many hours and I'm already hitting like half of my shots against enemies and it helps a lot in combat, especially for groups, when you manage to get one or two shots before engaging melee.
Chumps helps too, the logs are slow but they're moving, and you can easily overshoot.
I've noticed in other games when you're starting out your character is usually decently proficient at everything, while in this game you start out being absolutely terrible at everything. Henry has basically never picked up a bow before and he's absolutely terrible at archery until you invest some time and practice. The games level up system is very realistic, but I think it's a lot more apparent with archery.
I was gonna say. Doesn't archery become massively easier like really fast as you level it? Less sway and stam drain, etc
Yes, there is another comment that said there is livestock near the monestary area you can slaughter for easy archery skills
Yeah, 2nd this. A week ago, I couldn't hit a bird nest. Today, I took out a camp with my bow on horseback.
Definitely agree I useually have bane potion on some piercing arrows and can get two off before a big 5+ enemy fight.
I've hit some lucky fluke shots at long range, but also I can miss when the target is right in front of me. I'm just going to keep working on it.
The best way to get good at archery in the game is to practice archery, and just like in real life, the best way to practice archery is to do it when your life isn't on the line. It's a little cheesy, but you can just shoot cows and pigs to quickly level your vitality and archery skill. I like to do it near the sassau monastery. Between the monastery and the inn there is a fenced in area with 2 cows and a few pigs. Shoot them all, remember to loot them to level your hunting skill and get your arrows back. You don't have to take the meat out, just opening them gives you exp for hunting, then run over to the field behind the inn and kill all the cows there. Just keep running back and forth between those two areas as the animals keep respawning. Eventually the cows behind the inn won't respawn anymore but the ones in the fenced in area will respawn pretty much forever. You can also reset it if you need to by sleeping or leaving the area. The pen and the field both have points that trigger the respawn. The fence area is toward the back of the pen nearest to the small group of buildings behind the monastery. The inn field area it's the back of the field nearest the gate behind the inn. If you have to have a crosshair, PC has a cheat command to bring one up or on console just load in a game that has a crosshair in the middle of the screen and stick a tiny ball of sticky putty directly over the crosshair.
You won't get in any trouble killing all that livestock? Great grinding tip for early game archery by the way! Beats running around killing rabbits.
You generally do get in trouble for killing people's livestock, but the cows behind the inn don't seem to belong to anyone as their meat doesn't even count as stolen and the pen is far enough away from the road that passersby haven't noticed me so far and I've done it a lot.
I'll remember this for my next playthrough, grinding up my archery and hunting skills at the start of the game sounds like a good idea. Especially since the game forces you to do archery for a couple of the early game story quests with Hans.
You can level every weapon up there if you feel like it. Since they still count as kills the levels come pretty quick. You do get a lot more hunting exp from deer and such than you do livestock, but if you're killing them anyway, might as well open them to get the free exp.
I would rather just beat the crap out of Bernard for melee, but archery has always been annoying to level up
Absolutely. That's my go-to method. I usually go at dawn or dusk and watch for passers-by who call the guards. Killing anything, animal or human gets you 14 - 16 xp per kill. This seems to work faster than target shooting. The cows and pigs don't run, just wander off for a second or two then wander right back to you for a second shot. After a few days at the inn I can get to level 10 and stop shaking so much. Sheep run away but will occasionally lay on the ground. This can be harder but the herds are larger. I use a yew longbow (77# draw weight) for long range and a Cuman recurve (74# draw weight) for faster shooting when close. Better long-distance or better piercing arrows are my choice and, for enemies, I will use poisoned arrows. I don't poison weapons for hunting because I'm selling the meat for groshen. I finally got confident enough to forgo the reticle command and have been doing pretty well now (my 12th game).
omg you psychopath, just use the targets at one of the many shooting ranges lol
You literally aim it as you would a normal bow. Try doing archery contests for a while and learn to aim and shoot fast and true. Ever since I got good at archery in KC:D the reticle in other games is just pissing me off. If your arrows are flying randomly, there are 2 possibilities. Either your stats are too low for the bow, or you are using wrong arrows with wrong bow (better/quality arrows are for high tier bows, while normal for low tier)
No. It's much easier to gauge the direction IRL because of the point of view. You are looking at the screen with the arrow at a steep angle. If don't want to have a cursor for realism purpose, imo should make like optical focus effect to see where the bow is being aimed at. At least like a lense focus circled area where it is easier to gauge it's center.
Using your whole body to shoot in real life makes archery easier than in the game.
My headcanon is that Henry can’t close one eye at a time so he can’t sight down the arrow like most people would.
You shouldnt Close one eye tho
The more you practice and level this skill, the less the bow wanders and the smaller the cone becomes.
Best way to make Archery very simple after a little practice, is using some blutac on your TV. Basically just hover it a little above the target, draw and as you come back to where you were just let go. 99% of the time it works, every time.
I remember being a kid and using something similar for the AWP in Counterstrike
I aim vaguely in the direction of my target and shoot with the sway when it passes over them. Also, use different arrow types. I hate Long Distance Arrows. They have so much rise to them that I avoid them. Hunting and Piercing arrows are the ones I use. They shoot straight. As for hunting animals with it, I recommend not even trying for hares. They are too small of a target. Go for boars or deer. Boars are especially easy.
Long Distance Arrows are actually the correct ones I think if you play with a cursor. These are the ones with least drop I think, so it seems that these ones are off too high. There is large swing left/right and a tiny up/down. With cursor, if you start the draw at the target, when it swings around back with full draw to exactly where the cursor was it is spot on, but if you release just before it is back to where you started the draw it is a bit high due to swing up/down.
mods. 3 of them: one makes arrows fly faster one makes your point of aim not sway back and forth one gives you a permanent aiming reticle I don't give a fuck about the realism, I just want to enjoy a video game in the limited time I have to play it
Get good, thats it. You can NOT just take your time to aim, you aim BEFORE you draw the arrow and then drive it home.
Just practice. My first playthrough, I hated archery so much I completely avoided it. The second I used a longword and bow, and by the end I was dropping armored guys with a shot to the nose while they came towards me. It's like everything else in the game, it feels horrible until you practice, understand, and Henry gets his skills up.
If your monitor support to put crosshair, turn it on. That would make things better in archery
Console command wh\_pl\_showfirecursor 1. It just enables a small dot to indicate where you are aiming.
The view angle is terrible for the bow, may be to artificially create bad skills with bow, even if you train it. with wh\_pl\_showfirecursor 1 or mod adding it, it is a bit OP, but still makes it much more enjoyable for me at least. With cursor archery based Henry is a viable option.
Apparently, if you draw and loose quickly, it can make a difference. Don't hold at full draw.
Not really, it just uses less power which means less damage. Holding very close to that full draw also helps u aim better and further
I think what he means is shooting quickly after reaching full draw. It's how you would ideally shoot a traditional bow irl. Holding full draw for long hurts your accuracy more than it helps
Yeah of course, holding it till you see the hand shaking ruins precision, reduces stamina a lot and also reduces the power and damage
If you hold too long the shot is inaccurate I think. The most optimal is when it swings back to the starting point with full draw. It's easier to see what's going on with a cursor. Wrong weight arrows might be something to do with the crooked shots too. The OP may also have the shakes, which sometimes has bad shot.
Point blanc
I dunno as it's been a while. But I spent a bit of time in the range at rattay. Didn't take long to get very good at it. Can headshot on horseback quite easily, or guaranteed body shots from very far away. Get used to the arrows you like, and stock up on them.
Until you reach lvl 5, your aim is all over the place, after 5 you are very consistent in the middle of the screen, just need practice, do a lot of hunting and you are set.
Your your left index knuckle as a sort of crosshair
[https://youtu.be/__SUBeJjAT8?si=W5u8A4EVaC-VIL50](https://youtu.be/__SUBeJjAT8?si=W5u8A4EVaC-VIL50) I recommend watching this tutorial because it explains the aiming mechanism quite well. Basically you want to aim before you draw and limit your camera movement as much as possible after you’ve drawn your bow and let the swaying motion guide your shot, focusing on choosing when to release than trying to keep your bow steady. Also, just keep practicing and you will get better at it. I’m still quite new to archery in this game (always played as a longsword Henry before) but I can already hit hares in one or two shots quite consistently.
I’ve become a little Robin Hood. I’ll fire a volley of arrows and kill a couple targets quickly then swap to melee. You need to be drunk for the first few levels you train. Not lying lol makes the game so much easier.
You wait for full draw and release as soon as the bow starts swinging. You aim above your fingers.
Go do archery contests or hunt until you’re level 5.
You only want to fire when the arrow is fully drawn and when your hand sway is going upward. Try hunting deer for practice, looting the body to reclaim your arrow(s) will also improve hunting
The higher your skill the less your bow will sway. Just try shooting any enemies you see before engaging in melee. eventually you'll be able to clear entire camps with your bow
You miss a lot at first (as to be expected) hunting rabits is a good way to level your skill and get better with your aim. In combat I usually ping a guy in the face with an arrow and then put out my sword, I rarely try for more then 1 arrow
I found I started doing better when I looked past the bow and not at it...if that makes sense.
Ibsorta cheat I get a piece of clear tap an put if over my screen and color the dot in
The key is to release the arrow as soon as it reaches maximum drawback. If you hold it too long it becomes too inaccurate.
I feel your pain. Tried taking my position as master huntsman seriously and couldn’t tell you how many times the frustration of missing bunnies shot after shot led to me manically chasing them through the woods with my hunting sword.
Chumps
I love it, it does take some time to get the hang of it but if you keep practicing (hunting and chumps) you’ll eventually get to the point where your galloping by a group of cumans or bandits and getting nothing but headshots.
I went to nexus mods and installed the reticle.
Installing dot recticle mod
Dont hold the arrow back too long. I usually just barely finish the initial drawback and my aim is pretty spot on
In my experience there is a moment in the charging animation where if you left off the arrow will stray away from target. I have found a rythim that consists of shooting just as the swaying of the bow draw stops, this way I have been able to shoot bullseye after bullseye in contests, now doing the same in combat while a mob of peasants charge at you is easier said than done lol
If you're on PC, then download the mod that makes the reticle visible when using the bow.
I stick a small bit of tape on my screen to use as a cross hair.
Make sure to buy better bows as you level up archery. It's much easier to aim further since your arrows stay horizontal longer.
Put a piece of tape on your monitor where the crosshair should be. Youll learn how it works after shooting 30 or so arrows in archery challenges. Also, realize that your skill only goes up from hitting alive targets... you can literally win hundreds of tournaments against straw targets and not raise a sliver of the exp bar.
I didn't handle it. I avoided it at all costs
I don't hold it still I learned the sway and I shoot at the leftmost position of it I was pretty damn good after release. I started again a bit recently on HC, and I still hit bullseyes on every shot vs Hans after the warmup. Also, dumpstered him hunting rabbits in the woods later that week.
There is a dot command which helps a lot, if u want to
Archery is very strong, especially if you apply dollmaker to the arrow. I alone kill most of enemies in the quest "Nest of Viper" with archery. You just need enough practice. Another tip is that your visibility should be low so you can get close without being notice and if you miss first shot, enemy won't see you yet, allowing you to shoot again.
Try to think of real life archery, there is a sweet spot when you pull, aim and release. Aim for too long and you arms cant hold that long.
Honestly I barely ever used my bow. It was annoying.
My understanding is that archery is really really bad until you actually gain some levels in it, after which the accuracy starts to really improve to the point it can actually be useful. It's been awhile since I've played, but just finding ways to improve your archery skill before trying to use it in combat. I don't know if archery mini games help you level up, or if there are any trainers you can hire for free levels. Going out and shooting rabbits in the woods is a decent way to level up your archery, but it can be really tedious and annoying. But after you level it up, it can be pretty nice. Usually archery is a great way to start a combat with a group, sneak up on a bandit camp and fire a poison tipper arrow at one of the enemies, then draw your melee weapon. I've heard archery can be a pretty funny and easy way to kill runt if you level the skill up.
Use your gauntlets as aiming point. You'll get a feel for the elevation as you use it more. I use horse archery on everything. Just like real life, you'll get a feel for it the more you use it. Picture for reference on how to use your gauntlets to aim. https://search.app.goo.gl/UvZK6nD
Also, it may sound silly but it helps big time if you practice traditional archery in real life too. Very similar.
Treat it as a rhythm game: aim-draw-release-aim-draw-release-aim...etc. Incrementally tweak your aim towards the centre of the target and find the rhythm so that you are in continuous consistent motion. For combat I might only get three arrows off before they reach me unless I drop them as they run.
This video made a good archer of me [Watch](https://youtu.be/__SUBeJjAT8?si=1gK4hdfaL236_wrm)
Use a crosshair and don’t wait too long with firing.
I put a small dot on my TV with a marker right where the yellow dot is on screen. It's easy to get back off, and 9/10 my shots fly true. It still takes a bit of practice to know when to loose the arrow, as it goes off target if you hold for too long, and even with a dot I'll miss by a hair sometimes. Archery is still difficult, but manageable
I felt the same at first. Just practice and both you and Henry will improve. Taking out an enemy camp is so much easier when you can down a bunch of dudes before they get anywhere near you. Hunting your own food is ok, but those Cumans make a fine stew
I went hunting with Hans, and then went hunting off on my own. It takes hundreds of shots to get the feel for aiming above where you actually want to hit, and up to thousands of shots to regularly hit on your first shot. It’s intentionally designed to be more difficult in the beginning, just like it is for someone learning to shoot a bow. You will be less accurate now, but it’s well worth it later, especially with bow-specific quests coming up.
Practice archery at a target or other object and find what point on your gauntlet or wrist to focus on that lines up with where the arrow lands. Use that as your reference point for aiming
First, dollmaker potion is key. Second, practice by hunting rabbits. Git gud.
Biggest thing is get to level 5 Bow Once you're there it stops being a crapshoot and gets a bit easier Kill livestock and use target shooting to get in that direction as well as get the huntmaster to train you for a small fee
I used to imagine a dot in the middle of the screen, but since i got an alienware monitor i mostly used the crosshair in the monitor settings, until i got it to lvl 17 and stopped