CurseForge · Minecraft mod
Perfectly Balanced Bows
Lightweight combat mod that adds proper bow crits!
Quick answer
Which Perfectly Balanced Bows release should I use?
Perfectly Balanced Bows 1.1 targets 1.20.1 with Forge. The project page does not say whether this file belongs on the client, dedicated server, or both. No extra mods listed for this file.
Where it goes
Is Perfectly Balanced Bows required on the client, server, or both?
The project page does not say whether this file belongs on the client, dedicated server, or both.
The source does not explicitly classify this release as client-only or server-only.
What else does Perfectly Balanced Bows 1.1 need?
Perfectly Balanced Bows 1.1. Change the file and its required mods may change too.
This file does not list any required mods. Do not add a library just because a different file uses it.
This file does not list any required or optional mods.
Before you install it
Add Perfectly Balanced Bows without breaking your instance.
Built for Perfectly Balanced Bows 1.1. Pick another file and the loader, install side or required mods may change.
- 01
Stick to this file
Use Perfectly Balanced Bows 1.1. It targets 1.20.1 with Forge; another release may have different loader, side or dependency requirements.
- 02
Bring the mods it needs
This file does not list any required mods. Do not add a library just because a different file uses it.
- 03
Put it on the correct side
The project page does not say whether this file belongs on the client, dedicated server, or both.
- 04
Pick the file you checked
Use the “Get this file” button beside Perfectly Balanced Bows 1.1. It opens that exact file at the source.
About this project
What does Perfectly Balanced Bows add?

"Perfectly balanced, as all things should be.."
🏹
Perfectly Balanced Bows is a lightweight and vanilla friendly mod that changes bows, currently it only does two things.
Bow Crits. Whenever you fire an arrow at full power, you have a small chance to turn your arrow into a crit arrow. If you hit a target with a crit arrow you will deal an extra 50% damage, additionally you have a higher chance of being granted a crit arrow if you are crouching!
Range Based Damage Fall Off. This is a small nerf to long-ranged bow combat to discourage fighting enemies from miles away with bow spam. Essentially the further you are the less damage your arrow will do with it only affecting damage when you are at least 20 blocks away from your target.
FAQ:
Will this work with modded bows? Yes! but only if they extend BowItem, which they very likely do.
Aren't there bow crits already in vanilla Minecraft? Yes, there is a feature called crits associated with bows in Minecraft, however all it does is give you a slight damage increase randomly when firing a bow.
It is a bit boring, this mod expands upon that concept by making bows produce proper critical attacks! By default this mod will disable Vanilla crits in favour of Perfectly Balanced Bows system!
Are suggestions allowed? Yes please! The goal is to make this mod a collection of misc features that make bows more interesting in combat.
Are there config options? Yes, you can configure most features of the mod in the config.
Future Plans:
More bow related features.
"Lucky Arrow" crafted with rabbits feet and gold that always land a crit!
Credits:
Kaupenjoe for his Forge Modding tutorials
Project description from CurseForge.
Pick your setup
Perfectly Balanced Bows by Minecraft version and loader
Choose the version and loader you play, then open the matching release.
Check the dependencies, then try the file in a copied instance before changing a world you care about.
Recent files
Perfectly Balanced Bows versions and loaders
Perfectly Balanced Bows 1.1
perfectlybalancedbows-1.1-1.20.1.jar
29 May 2025
Perfectly Balanced Bows 1.0
perfectlybalancedbows-0.1-1.20.1.jar
29 May 2025
Looking for an older file? The official CurseForge project page is in Resources.