A tactical combat crossbow in reality.
A crossbow is a weapon consisting of a bow mounted onto a stock that shoots projectiles named bolts or quarrels at parabolic arcs. Their first major usage originates in China around 600 BCE. Although they see very little use in modern militaries, crossbows are still used for hunting and recreational target shooting. Modern crossbows can be mounted onto rifle receivers, allowing accessories such as optical sights to be easily added.
Battlefield 2
— In-game description
The crossbow is the name of two items in Battlefield 2: a handheld weapon, as well as the projectile it fires.
Weapon
The physical crossbow itself is considered a weapon in game-terms, much like the other gadgets. This is the handheld model of the crossbow itself, and shares the same localized name as the projectile it fires. It does no damage, and serves only to generate the projectile.
Projectile
Zip Lines, localized in-game as crossbow, are projectiles featured in Battlefield 2: Special Forces, issued to the Special Ops and Sniper classes of all factions.
They are used to move from a higher point to a lower one over a longer range than jumping with a Parachute. When using one, Right Mouse Button activates a crosshair that displays either a circle or a cross within the crosshair.
If the icon is a cross, it means the target is out of range. The Left Mouse Button is used to fire the Zip Line to the intended target. To zip down the line, press E. The zipline can be retrieved after use with G. If it is deployed but not used for a certain duration of time it will disappear and will not be retrievable.
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Battlefield 3
— Battlelog description
The XBOW is an improvised crossbow introduced in the Battlefield 3: Aftermath expansion.
According to a post in the Battlefield Blog, the XBOW is described as a jury-rigged weapon made from a malfunctioning M417 rifle, wire from a broken down car, scrap metal for the bow, and an optical sight like the Red Dot Sight or PKS-07 as shown in the trailer and preview screenshots.[1]
The XBOW, with a default Kobra sight, is unlocked after completing the assignment Sticks and Stones. The XBOW Scoped, with a PKS-07 sight, is unlocked by completing the Go Play Close Quarters assignment.
Aside from differences in targeting and scope sway, the two weapons are functionally identical.
Bolt Types
Standard bolts are the starting ammunition type. These three non-standard bolts are unlocked via assignments. Change fire rate (default V on PC, ↓ on consoles) switches between the bolt types. Bolts can only be changed after the bow is fully loaded.
There are three unlockable specialist bolts. The HE Bolt is a C4-tipped variant with higher drop, lower range and a small blast radius. The HE Bolt can also do damage to vehicles, varying depending on the type. Most helicopters will take enough damage to bring them near their disable thresholds, 36%. MBTs however, will take much less. The Scan Bolt, with its 10 meter radius, scans for enemies on the minimap similar to the T-UGS. The Balanced Bolt has less drop and higher velocity, giving the XBOW more marksman tendencies.
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Battlefield Hardline
A Zipline Crossbow appears again in Battlefield Hardline as an all class gadget. It functions similarly to its Battlefield 2 counterpart, but is more modernized with a customized optic that displays the distance to the target. It must also be aimed at a downward angle to actually fire, and is capable of killing players with one hit. It is referred to as the Zipline in all instances, again unlike its Battlefield 2 counterpart.
Trivia
Battlefield 2
- Both the zipline and crossbow share the same killmessage,
Crossbow. This is not visible in-game because neither item is capable of killing. However, the files are named differently (the crossbow itself isnsrif_crossbow).
Battlefield 3
- The lower part of the XBOW, the M417 receiver, has its ejection port, bolt release button, and magazine well taped shut.
- The XBOW is the only weapon in Battlefield 3 other than a Shotgun or Grenade Launcher that is capable of switching between different types of ammunition, and the only weapon aside from the mortar capable of doing so in the middle of gameplay.
- Without HD textures, the first bolt fired out of the XBOW has red fletching, while every successive bolt fired has white fletching in that life.
- The Kobra's reticle on the standard XBOW is misaligned towards the bottom of the sight. However, the bolt is still accurately shot wherever the reticle is aimed.
- The Crossbow and the Phantom are the only archery weapons in the series so far.