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[C4lv1n]

I've just recently started using siege engines, I managed to train a pair of Legendary operators (One of which also makes the parts) using the regular, catapult at a wall method. I then set up a pair of balistae pointed down my main coridoor. I then got a chance to test them out when a goblin siege showed up. I had plenty of headless bolts but I started an order of 30 iron arrowheads to do some more damage. The first wave got captured in my cage traps, by then the iron arrow heads were put together, and I started loading only one of the balistae with the iron ones to give me a reference. I started them shooting at the goblins and there was no dicernable difference. Each shot killed one or two goblins, but a dead goblin is still a dead goblin, overkill is my favorite kind of kill, but it seems useless. The only way I can think it would make a difference would be against megabeasts, but even then, an all wood bolt will severly injure the dragon or whatever, and then the bolt that comes down range a couple seconds after is going to take it out, even if the iron (Or even steel) bolt can kill it in one hit, I'd prefer to use the 2 wood as aposed to 1 wood and one iron, and then you're still using 2 wood if the bolt is steal.

Ok so this question post sorta turned into a rant, but are metal arrowheads useless?

[CheaterEater]

For the most part, yeah. They do allow you to plow through more enemies before the bolt breaks, but that's generally not an issue (with a wooden bolt, I've heard it's about six enemies, and I have no idea for tipped bolts).

[Bishop36]

Would tipping a flying sharp tree trunk with steel make you and the 4 guys behind you even more dead?

[Cruxador]

With the new version, a wooden ballista bolt will likely not kill a Bronze Collosus. Steel likely will.

No real point in the current version, though.

[Safe-Keeper]

They look cool. They're dwarven. What more do you want ?

[Jake]

At this point siege weapons are kind of problematic anyway, as the quality of their components allegedly affects their accuracy and you can't sell the pieces; even if you have him practice with ballista arrows, who has the hundred and fifty-odd logs it takes to get one siege engineer up to a level where he can produce something useful?
Not that I'm entirely convinced that any actual aiming is taking place, seeing as the "Fire at Will" command doesn't mean what I thought it meant when I first built a ballista.

One that pointed out across my wood stockpile. That didn't end well.

[Jimmy]

Your carpenter didn't happen to be named Will, did he?

[Satarus]

You gotta do something with all that extra iron.  Plus if you do adventure mode and grab a few of them, IIRC they will do extra damage it you throw them.

[LegoLord]

Make four bolts from adamantine, and then set up the range to be rimmed with channels and walls so that when they stop you can recover them.  Not really useful, but awesome.

[backflip]

Too bad siege ammo can't be decorated.  Decorated with elf skulls and meanacing spikes of carp bone are win++.

[Rafal99]

Siege operators are easy to train, but siege engineers usually aren't. I make one dwarf spam ballista parts until he trains enough and make exceptional parts for all siege machines I plan to build.
As for wooden ballista arrows, from my observations an armored goblin hit by it dies less than 50% of the time, always gets crippled very badly but only sometimes it is insta-kill. And since I prefer to get enough wealth to attract sieges every season, I get as much iron as my smelters can melt, so I have enough to make some iron ballista arrow heads too, thats the dwarven way to do things.