Ropecaster is your best friend. As a heads up,it and elements work the same way; fire till the gauge above the enemy fills up. Match elemental arrows to the canisters on the machines to gain quick advantages in combat. Save purple tier mods for late game weapons till you get the tinker skill. Take note that different types of bows and slings use different types of ammo, use that to change how you play. There are no terrible weapons (I personally don't like the Rattler or Tripcaster, but they are still good)