I can attest to the problem the TC has because this is an issue I'm having, too.

There is SOMETHING broken with archery ATM, specifically when sneaking and shooting enemies from very long distances.

You can replicate this problem very easily.

Simply be sneaking and take a shot at something difficult to miss, such as a mammoth from a VERY long distance away. You will be doing no damage to it, nor will you receive a "sneak attack bonus" message.

Exactly, I really hope it's easy to fix and that it gets attention.

Well that wasn't a response to anything you said anyways but i understand that not everyone has run into this. It doesn't mean you have to be an ass like the guy i qouted. I use a bow with a fire enchantment so i know when i do hit. I don't have a problem with aiming i almost always hit my target. I can hit running targets and long range target. Sometimes for no reason though i will not be able to hit a target. It doesn't happen often but i do run into times where i have fired 50+ arrows at different trajectories and they will not hit. I make sure to check everytime i do this too. It might have to do something with sneak because they also just sit there not moving. Normally when you miss the mob still becomes aware they are being shot at and will move around. When this happens they just sit there never moving.

I've had the situation you are refering to once, it was the Thalmor at the North Watch keep or whatever, it was like they were chained in their patrols until I entered, which I had to do due to the archery bug.

It's not an issue with arcing. When I aim for the sternum of a giant and the arrow passes right through it there is no issue with aiming I assure you.

I'm surprised and disappointed that there was no Mount&Blade style aiming based on skill. Seemed like everyone loved it over the current system.

The arc of Arrows doesn't make any sense to me, and long range shots are so impossible that I pretty much quite trying to make them. Sometimes I will shoot at a target full power and watch the arrow fall short of them, and they aren't all that far away. Other times I will try a very long range shot, aim the shot just above thier head to allow a miniscule arc and it will sail over their head. Other times due to poor weather conditions I can't even see where the arrow goes so I can't adjust my aim.

I am confident that there are long range glitches and I came to this conclusion very very early on, before I visited riverwood the first time. I spent half an hour trying to shoot the same enemy at long range and never hit him no matter where I aimed. I know he was in range because I could see the arrow hit the cliff face far behind him and fall to the ground.

That said, I love archery still. Sneaking up on a target and getting into medium range then putting a few arrows in them before they get to you is fun. Sniping just doesn't work.

I was under the assumption there is a maximum range on archery that we're experiencing.

I don't know exactly, but there have to be a perk for zoom?

Yes, there's a zoom perk, as well as one that slows time while zoomed so you can aim more effectively. I don't think the archery thing is that bad, it just makes sneaking terribly important.

I've noticed this, too. There seems to be a maximum effective range for arrows. I've literally sat on a hillside and fired countless arrows at a mammoth down in the valley below (while sneaking). They seem to be aware something is going on as the "hidden" eye becomes partially open, but it seems I'm not doing any damage? I don't think it's a question of my aim, as I sat there for a good 30 minutes, trying to adjust my shot as to get a damage bar, but nothing. Tis a shame, really.

I don't think there is an effective range for arrows, cuz sometimes I can hit enemies a LONG distance away and sometimes this bug happens when enemies a way closer.

What type of distance do you speak of? I'm speaking of MAX draw distance, to the point where I have to zoom for them to even be rendered on my screen. Mind you I'm playing on 360, so a PC users draw distance is probably larger.

Playing on a PC and can confirm what you are saying, at a certain distance there it seems as though the target is invulnerable. because I'll find the arrows behind the target. I've been to the bandit toll that was in the youtube video and I think that's about the distance for the wall. I have zoom BTW OP didn't

It's as I thought...
Hopefully Bethesda becomes aware of this "glitch" (if it's an actual game mechanic, I'd be most disappointed) and take proactive steps in fixing it. After all, arrows should simply not be rendered useless after a certain distance. That would take away a lot of the fun that comes with using a bow. I look at a bow as a tool that can and should be used for longer distance sniping (when the time permits), not something limited to close and medium range encounters.

People who use marskman a lot but haven't encountered this bug haven't been very ambitious with their archery range.

I agree. I'm going to experiment more and see if I can make a breakthrough on this issue. Hopefully, were all just doing something wrong. I fear that is not the case, though.

Related issue: I've stopped shooting people in the head since the arrow "misses" more often than not, but maybe headshots don't do extra damage anyway?

I to have encountered this unfortunate bug. It seems to be connected to sneak as well. I have even shot someone on the other side of my target.

And don't criticize my aim. I routinely take hawks on the wing. Some can't even be seen without eagle do to the draw distance.

I noticed the overshot at close range early on. Had to get over that for close range head shots. But nothing a little practice could remedy.

Point is, something is up with this.

I've noticed at close range that you must aim a little below your desired target area, as the arrow rises before it drops, much like a bullet. So if you desire a head shot, you must aim for their neck.

I've encountered this same thing. I thought the same thing ( that i was overshooting trying to estimate arrow drop), but had the same result (clumps of 6 arrows or so stuck in wood directly behind the target) as some of the other posters. i eventually just sneak closer and get the hits, but I really enjoy doing the long range sniping. Its midly annoying to keep missing when the arrows go through their chests.

I'm tired of people saying there is no arrow drop in Skyrim. Almost all my mid range kills are aimed a bit over their head, farther away, quite a bit more over their head. I know it's a bit OT, I've just got some stupid comments on the YT video I posted.

But the problem is not the arrows, it's simply because the AI is toggled off...I mean, if it moves, you can kill, no matter how far away it is. The things you can't kill is targets which stands still, just like if the AI had been toggled off.

As my initial post seems to be overlooked, I'll repeat it's idea:

There is a perk called Bow Overdraw (or something) in the Archery skill tree. Maybe you need that perk to achieve distant kills?

My bow overdraw perk is currently 3/5, I'll max it when I'm able to. Still, it does not make a difference. Close range, yes. But when your arrow fails to register ANY damage at long ranges, a perk which increases an arrows damage output is rendered useless.

Not sure what to make of this, i have done very long range sniping from the mountains overlooking a large forsworn camp, can't remember the name but its the one that had a wyrmwall with two hagravens guarding it. Anyway, i was making those shots, in sneak, from very long distances while they were walking their patrols in some cases. The only times i've noticed this issue is when i'm fairly close actually and i'm not convinced its a bug because it appears to me like the arrow rises and tails off the right very slightly.