Ask a Bowman Thread.

People are gonna give you different opinions, especially if it comes to wanting the most beneficial to your damage increases (seen lots of debate over that).

Personally, I got SE to 10, then BE to 9 and then Hurricane to 11. This was influenced by how hard it used to be to get SE20, but yeah. If I could have done it without worrying about books, I would have gotten SE to 30 first. Back then I was the main Bowman for a popular Zak group, so it was vital. I also play around with friends a lot, and I like having maxed SE for them. I realize it's not the most bang-for-your-buck first skill to max, though.

If you're not partying very much, I would go for some BE and Hurricane before maxing SE.

I've mostly been running around solo lately (though CKPQs and such are becoming more common) so I think I'll probably work on the other skills then. Wanna get at least 130 by the time Time Temple is out so I can start all the quests.