It depends on what type of bow you use and whether you're AIMing your shots or not. Assuming someone's using a bow that doesn't have anything special beyond its enchantment:

-If one's aiming their shots, an arrow made out of a wood that's +20 or capped with a +20 metal and has been master fletched (making the arrow +25) is ideal if they're using a bow with a +25 enchant or below. This will get their endroll as high as possible for better crits. Technically, a master fletched, plain wooden arrow that's been ebladed would be better, but unless you can cast e-blade yourself, you end up having to mess around with different bundles when the e-blade starts wearing off (huge pain in the rear).

-If the shots are aimed and the bow's enchant is +30 or higher, flaring arrows from merchants become more attractive so long as: enchant of the bow + enchant of arrow = 50 or more

-For those that don't aim their shots, I would think that flaring arrows would generally be more attractive regardless of the bow's enchantment.

Personally, my sniping gnome been using the arrows with mechanical flares from EG until I run out of them just because I think they're cool and I'm not a min/maxer. The increase in death crits I'd get from the extra +5 of a master fletched arrow isn't huge and I love seeing those flares when they go off.

Starchitin

A severed gnomish hand crawls in on its fingertips and makes a rude gesture before quickly decaying and rotting into dust. A gust of wind quickly scatters the dust.

>>having to mess around with different bundles when the e-blade starts wearing off (huge pain in the rear).

Unattuned characters should be able to refresh existing without penalty! You may not get the element you're looking for each cast, but if you're refreshing it could be 'generic enough' to be successful.

Doug

Radeek carries a number of different arrows as well as 1 bundle of 25 heavy bolts (kneeling bonus for that really hard to hit invasion critter or hittable town-burning NPC). I carry a 10x longbow so my arrow choice isn't dictated by enchant as much as the flare/bless of the arrow. I used to fletch a lot of my own arrows just for the look; many years ago it was twilight grey faewood arrows with black fletchings. Now, with the additional paint colours, nicely coloured fletchings, and fletching razors that allow for the incorporation of flares, I pretty much create what I feel I need for the critter(s) I'm hunting.

I'm a huge fan of the mechanical arrows, the razor sharp arrows, and the cruelly barbed arrows, but I didn't use the latter two very often until I started shooting a fully enchanted bow (since they didn't have at least a 4x enchant). For the arrows that I fletch for my own use (which I need to do, thanks for the cruel reminder) I usually incorporate the grapple flares from my fletching razor and ahmdir blue paint, or some other colour with the ahmdir blue fletchings from one of my fletching bags.

During invasions I use plain wooden arrows that my wife's bard puts air flares on (I find air flares are the best all-around flare for my uses). I also keep a quiver in my landing locker just for invasions or warcamps, it has a bunch of fully charged, e-bladed, 100-count wooden arrows. When the bundles run low or the e-blade runs out I just drop whats left and move on to a fresh bundle. Also, if there's more than 1 archer in the same room, and they're also firing wooden arrows, most of the time I don't even bother gathering my arrows during invasions. This keeps me from having a small bundle of someone elses arrows in my hand at a very bad time.

General Radeek Andoran
Drakes Vanguard
Defender of Wehnimer's Landing
Black Raider of the Mir'Sheq

Only the dead have seen the end of war - Plato

http://radeekandoran.blogspot.ca/

http://thetehirchronicles.blogspot.ca/

Not sure about implosion, but lockers recognize a bundle as one item.

- Overlord EK

>You now regard Eorgina with a warm demeanor.