Weapon 8 leaked
The recent update to the Dauntless roadmap contained a few interesting things, but what stood out to me the most was the possibly leaked/teased Weapon 8...
First off, I didn't notice this until ohdogh pointed it out in his video:
Dauntless Roadmap Update - Journey Map (possible Weapon 8), Client Side Dodging and Cells 2.0
Secondly, do I think that this confirms the 8th weapon of the game to be a Bow?
It's definitely not unlikely now, but supposedly the weapon is still "in early development" so that could mean that they are still just kicking around ideas.
It's worth noting that the icon for the Bow doesn't really match the others, so it could just be an early placeholder, or even just a general weapon placeholder that has nothing to do with Weapon 8. There is even a caption for the image that reads: "This is an early concept with placeholder art. It is subject to change."
When I've previously thought about what kind of weapon I would like to see as Weapon 8, I have thought that a Bow would make a great addition that wouldn't overlap too much with the playstyles of other weapons (hopefully including the Repeaters). However, since the bow is a stable of Monster Hunter, I thought that it might be a bit unlikely, but now I'm not so sure.
Other ideas I have had includes a Whip, but that might end up overlapping with the Chain Blades. I've thought that they might make something completely different, that was focused on support. Perhaps a bit like the Hunting Horn in Monster Hunter. In any case, I hope that Weapon 8 will also be distinct from Monster Hunter, like the current weapons are.
I find the prospect of a bow interesting, and it could even be something that I would change to for my main. But if Arrows are going to be physics objects, with lag and enemy movements etc. etc. It might not be too enjoyable to play... but, hopefully they could still make it work.
Regardless if this is going to pan out or not, it's going to be a while before the weapon is released. Seeing as it is shelved in favor of Weapon Reworks, and we probably won't see the Sword rework until the season after the Umbral Escalation. Hopefully though, we will get confirmation within the next 6 months or so.
You can find the roadmap post here:
https://playdauntless.com/roadmap/improved-interface/journey-map/