The argument has been made that Hunting bows in Assassin’s Creed Valhalla are basically the inferior version of Predator bows. While it’s true that Predator bows deal more damage, there are benefits to using Hunter bows where the Predator bows fall short. Light bows are another type that people use in the game, but most see enough of a difference between this type and the others, so it’s generally accepted that Light bows have separate value and aren’t as often compared against the other two. Though Hunter bows are neither as powerful as Predator bows nor as quick as Light bows, they do bring their own benefits to the table, so much so that they’re debatably better.
Can Be Used As A Stealth Bow
Considering Predator bows have the zoom feature and hit for more damage, they’re often referred to as the best stealth bows. However, many players have not found an issue using the Hunter bows for the exact same thing. If Hunter bows do enough damage, and you can still aim at targets that are farther away, the need for a Predator bow is less. It might be slightly less good for picking people off from a far distance, but in combination with the other attributes that make this bow superior, it may still be a better overall pick, regardless of if you’re a stealth player.
No Forced First-Person View
While first-person view may sometimes be beneficial (such as when aiming over a long distance while in stealth mode), this has been a major complaint that people have for the predator bows overall. Just because it’s useful sometimes does not mean it’s always preferred. Having the forced first-person view makes the Predator bow relatively useless (or at the very least, difficult) in closer combat. Why not rely more on bow that still does a decent amount of damage but remains in the third person?
More Arrows Without Needing To Loot
There’s nothing worse than constantly being out of ammo. In Valhalla, if you’re using the Predator bow, you will need to constantly be looting in order to get more arrows for your weapon. It's probably the number one way in which the Predator bow is a pain. Luckily with the Hunter bows, you don’t have to rely on this method, making them much less tedious and time-consuming to use.
Feels Like Using A Bow, Not A Sniper Rifle
This isn’t to say that some don’t enjoy the feel of a sniper rifle bow. It can be fun and useful when trying to get headshots on enemies from a distance. But if you’re a fan of the good, old-fashioned bow and arrows, the Predator bows feel way too much like using a sniper rifle. Considering the genre of the game, it can throw some players off realizing that one of the weapons functions more like a gun than a bow. If you’re playing a game about Viking legends in general, there’s a good chance you didn’t start playing the game with the expectation of a sniper bow.
Powerful Enough
The Hunter bows are not quite as strong as the Predator bows, but most do not seem to find this to be an issue. Unlike with Light Bows, Hunter Bows still do a fairly decent amount of damage. If you can still get the job done just fine with the Hunter bows, what’s the point of switching to a bow that’s slower, has less arrows, and forces the first-person view?
Faster
As every gamer knows, power isn’t everything. This is the reason that so many people prefer swords over great swords. It’s great to have a weapon that does a lot of damage, but if it takes forever to swing the sword or shoot the bow, that greatly takes away from the weapon’s effectiveness. Considering Hunter bows are faster, you’d usually do more damage with a Hunter bow than a Predator bow anyway, aside from one-shot picks.
Conclusion
Hunter bows are the most wholesome bows in the game. While the other two types have their niche benefits, Hunter bows are the most reliable after running through the cost-benefit analysis.