Archery and hunting in Among the Trolls
The bow's handle stays in your inventory even when it breaks, arrows are crafted from sticks, and crouching slowly is how you get close to alert deer.
Hunting in Among the Trolls is a resource system dressed as a tradition. The developers say it plainly: hunting is designed first as a practical tool for gathering resources and managing hunger, and the choice of bow or spear says something about Anna's relationship with the forest. Practically, it is your protein supply and your main reason to craft.
The bow that never disappears
Anna starts with the bow's handle already in her pack. Weapons break in this game, and the bow is no exception, but the handle itself never leaves the inventory: when the bow breaks you search the world for resources and rebuild it. The intent, in the developers' words, is that the bow feels like a long-term companion rather than a throwaway item, which ties weapon progression directly into exploration and scavenging.
Arrows are a resource of their own, crafted from the sticks you collect. That makes ammunition management simple: pick up sticks constantly, craft in batches, and never set out on a hunt with four arrows.
The spear
The spear is the other hunting weapon, and it doubles as a throwing weapon. Like everything else it comes out of crafting, and it was part of the demo's balancing pass — spear throw damage was rebalanced in the fourth demo hotfix, which is worth knowing if you are carrying over habits from the demo.
Practising for free
Behind grandfather's cabin is his target range. It exists so you can mess around with the bow, find out what distances work, and get used to aiming before hunting for real. It is the cheapest skill investment in the game:
- Shoot at known distances and watch the drop.
- Practise a fast second shot, because a wounded deer does not wait.
- Test how far you can shoot before accuracy becomes luck.
Hunting deer and other animals
Deer are described as a good food source and they are highly alert. The method the developers describe is straightforward: crouch and move slowly to keep animals from spotting you, so you can get into position and take a good shot rather than running in.
| Step | What to do | Why |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Find sign of animals, then stop moving | Movement is what gets you seen |
| 2 | Crouch and close the distance slowly | Ranged hunting needs a clean angle |
| 3 | Wait for a clear shot at the body | Wounded prey flees and wastes arrows |
| 4 | Cook what you take | Raw food is far less useful than meals |
| 5 | Leave the rest of the herd alone | Respect is tied to Lykky |
What weapons change in combat
The bow is also your ranged option in fights, and the spear can be thrown. Neither solves a pack on its own. Enemies in this game have their own attack patterns, some hunt in packs and others ambush, and the bow is at its worst when something is already in your face. Use range to soften a group, then reposition rather than standing still.
Sources
- Devlog #8 "Hunger and Faith" (the bow, arrows from sticks, crouching, deer, the target range): Steam news archive
- Demo hotfix #4 (spear throw damage rebalance): Steam news archive
- Store page: Among the Trolls on Steam
Game imagery on this page is official promotional material, used for reference.
