The energy arrow is the answer to keeping the bow a practical weapon in a world where their are over shields.
The knock can feel the pressure of the bowstring as a archer draws the arrow, the arrowhead does not activate until a second and a half after the arrow has been fires, the arrowhead is made of the same plasma as found in a sangheilis energy sword/dagger treated by forerunner hardlight field benders turning it into hardplasma. While the archer is cloaked the arrow and the bow used to draw it are also cloaked, when fired the arrow decloaks after half a second, to the enemy this makes it appear like a plasma blade attacked to a flying stick with fletching just came out of thin air. The arrow shaft is made from titanium, so it is stronger and lighter weight then aluminum. When the arrow hits a armored solder with a over shield the arrow will punch through the over shield penetrate the armor and stick in the enemy. After a energy arrow is fired its blade cannot be deactivated and it will stick in what ever it has hit. After about 4 minuets the battery will drain and the blade will go out. However they can be recharged for another shot after this.
The fletching is usually made from the feathers of tavo'ian craftsmen who make weapons and armor. The arrows still bounce off a kig-yar's shield but the regular version can be drained after 3 or 5 hits depending on if they are direct hits or glancing blows. As Kig-yar bows are 40 pounds lightest and 120 pounds for strongest uses and the bows are almost silent to human ears from anywhere farther then 30 feet their only disadvantage in stealth is their bright blue give away light. Keep in mind if an arrow is fired at a enemy who is to close the arrowhead won't activate in time. Behind the arrowhead the generator piece is made from a small amount of hunter shield mettle to make the melting point to high for the generator to melt its self with the arrowhead. The battery runs through the hollow shaft from behind the head to behind the nock, and holds 4/5ths the amount of plasma energy as a plasma grenade. So long as an archer can load quick, aim well, and has good cover, he still presents a threat to anything close enough to be shot no matter what their armed with, so long as its nothing more heavy then personal forces.
It is also actually possible to fire an arrow from a rifle if you fill a bullet shell with gunpowder don't add a bullet muzzle load the arrow and then fire, causing the gunpowder going off to fire the arrow. The bang hitting the nock should still cause the arrowhead to ignite.