2021 update: I am trying the following mod in my current playthrough and I think it achieves the same goal (make bows less annoying in a high damage set up) without removing them entirely from consideration: https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/33089

Nerfs all the bows, crossbows, arrows, and bolts in Vanilla, both dlcs, and Immersive Weapons.

Essentially I run an insanely difficult skyrim where most weapons oneshot you and then rely on dodging and blocking to survive. Bows (especially crossbows) are nearly impossible to dodge, leading to some frustrating oneshots. This might also be useful if you want to force yourself to avoid playing as a stealth archer.

This mod changes the damage of every projectile and bow to 1. There are no scripts and the ai will continue trying to use the bows like normal. I simply filtered for anything containing bow in its name or id and changed the dmg to 1, so it is possible some items did not get nerfed.

The required files:
Skyrim
Update
Dawnguard
Dragonborn
(I modified IW bows, but it does not show up as a master so maybe it can be used without IW. Have not tested and will not support this though).


This should be install-able/uninstallable in the middle of a play-through with no consequences, but I am new to modding so I take no responsibility if this ruins your 100 hour save.

By Yegie aka Sergey1357

Version 1.0:
Initial Release