I remember how utterly useless they were in Morrowind. Is it worth using in this game?

With long-range sneak attacks, very good. Not really otherwise.

If you can aim well, they can be very useful. They were not so much in Morrowind because of the hit or miss chance.

Just don't be cheap and start kiting your enemy.

With a bow, when sneaking, I can take out some enemies in one shot. If you're not sneaking, it can become tedious. So, if you want to use bows effectively - other than for pulling - I suggest you take sneak. Like other have said, you can kite and that works when you're engaged with an enemy... however, I find it a little silly and, when you're in a tight place, you're only going to have to kite backwards, in which case you can often times run into things and get stuck between a wall and your enemy. :shrug:

Just get sneak... you'll be able to take out most mages with one shot. :hubbahubba:

My long term character only carries one weapon and it is a bow. That said, she does back it up with some illusion magic.

If you are patient and take the time to learn how to optimize them, they are wonderful. I do suggest augmenting them with either some magic or a blade as back up, but bows make a fine primary weapon.

Yes, the bow is incredibly good. My Wild Elf character uses only a bow (poisoned) and Restoration magic. No other weapons or magic.

Kind of funny, though. I played one character in Morrowind who mastered the bow and stealth, and it was every bit as good as Oblivion. It's just a harder learning curve in that game, and the aiming procedure is just a bit different. You have to adjust a lot for differences in elevation, and the adjustment is not intuitive.

Agree with Acadian and glargg. I LURV my bows! And poisons and sneak ... and and and. But, I see a lot of posts lately on how they svcked in Morrowind too. And I loved them there I think even more, so maybe I have no clue LOL

You could try the Stealth Overhaul Redux or Faster Arrows mods to make the bow usage feel better.

Bow is, in my opinion, a bit too OP. Most people say it's weak in comparison to other methods of combat, but I've always found it to be quite charming.

Without sneak attacks, and just focusing purely on "normal" attacks, using a bow is hardly viable. Most enemies rely on melee attacks, meaning that you'll have to back-peddle all the time, and you cant exactly use a bow when backed into a wall. With sneak attacks and poisons however, it is a very viable method of attack.

They are far too weak for me to see the point in using them as a primary weapon, but, as many have pointed out, you can make up for that with sneak attacks, poison and enchantments.