Is there ANY benefit to enchant on a ranged weapon?

[LargoKeyWest]

I'm a level 11 Artificer, and summon my own arrows. For NOW, they are only +3, so its to my advantage to continue using a +5 repeating heavy crossbow. But when I can make my own +5.. is there ANY benefit at all to the enchant on my crossbow? If nothing else, it saves me resources when crafting up new weapons for use in various situations..

Folks input would be really helpful, thanks

[Lonnbeimnech]

Generally no, but with an artificer...

Artificer Battle Engineer I

Usage: Passive

Cost: 4 action points

Progression: 16 action points

Requires One of: Point Blank Shot, Weapon Focus: Bludgeoning Weapons, Weapon Focus: Piercing Weapons, Weapon Focus: Slashing Weapons, Weapon Focus: Ranged Weapons, Weapon Focus: Thrown Weapons, Power Attack.

Requires All of: Artificer Crossbow Damage I, Artificer Crossbow Attack I, Artificer Damage Boost II

Available to Artificer class level 6

A workshop is not for you - you prefer to provide logical and technological support on the front lines. You gain 10 hit points, reduce arcane spell failure from armor by 10%, and have a +2 to both confirm critical hits and critical damage (before multipliers). Any weapon you wield in your main hand gains a +2 enhancement bonus (which stacks with the Enchant Weapon spell), and you gain the ability to enchant your crossbow to instantly reload itself, allowing you to lay down incredible amounts of fire for a short period of time.

The 10% reduction to arcane spell failure from armor does not appear to affect the arcane spell failure from warforged plating.

So a +5 repeater would become a +7, but +5 bolts would still be +5

[msdesign]

Don't forget that ranged weapons and arrows effects stack, if they are different (if xbow gives "good" bonus and arrows have "icy burst", for example). So don't look only at the numbers, try to have a good base xbow as a general purpose, then enchant your own weapon with fire, ice, acid, and you have a nice mix to throw at monsters.

If you have a holy burst xbow... plus an icy burst arrow... now enchant your weapon with acid.... The mob you hit should get:

Holy Burst + Icy + Acid, with the highest number bonus you have (arrows or xbow). Pop a turret and party is on fire

[brian14]

A nit -- I don't think icy burst (or any "burst") arrows and bolts exist. So example above can be Holy Burst + Frost + Acid.

Or Holy Burst + Frost + Frost if you are fighting Velah. Elemental Weapons spell stacks with like enchantment.

[Missing_Minds]

Enchant also stacks towards universal spellpower as I recall.