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What exactly is needed to craft bolts for a crossbow? I'm trying to play a hunter, and I ran out. The 4cc needed to buy them from the NPC is rather more than I can afford as is. I've been trying to figure it out for awhile now and--as it stands-- my lumberjacking and carpentry skills are better than my archery.

Help?

You can always buy in bulk from someone for less. A lot of things the NPC's sell are over-priced, really,

Archery is pain in the beginning.
It is easier to use fast weapons in the beginning like a sling (ask a tailor) or throwing stars (from your smith) until you gained a decent skill. You will use A LOT ammunition.
Bolts are more difficult to carve than arrows.
Don't trust NPCs. They are very very mean. Ask a carpenter instead.

Using a sling is by far the best option for the beginning.

It uses stone pebbles as ammunition - you can get 5 of those every time you break a stone slab, and another 5 (I think) if you keep breaking it.

If you find someone who's trying to build and is breaking stones, he'll have tons upon tons of waste pebbles which he'll probably just throw away - you can get enough pebbles to last you a lifetime

Ask a miner for stones for the sling. normally, when they cut stones, the Pebbles are waste and could be for free. Miners can be found in Silverbrand

Edit: Argh, overread Hadrian...