Up until lvl 62, the bow and crossbow have the same casting time speed. The crossbow, however, does more damage, so it would be advised to use a crossbow.
At lvl 62, the archer can (and needs to) buy a passive called superior marksmanship. This gives more damage and higher cast speed time to your character WHEN USING A BOW only.
So most people use their reset at that level. You should indeed always be aware of where you want to go with your skillbuild (though you can always buy a reset with w(c) coins).
Don't know if you know this website, but you can, among other things, try making a skillbuild for any level.
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