I got through the pit easily enough, using two melee types. But when I tried several points into a bow and tried using it later, around level 8 and after, I simply didn't get many hits or much effectiveness per hit. I'm still thinking what makes a bow or crossbow palatable in the game is a PC's personal stats rising high enough to make it effective, rather than any points invested at an early level when the personal stats are still too low to help.
