Horizon Forbidden West is closely related to the first part. Players familiar with the original will meet old characters and familiar mechanics. However, if this is your first game in the series, you might encounter some difficulties. In this guide, we have gathered all the information that would be useful for a newcomer to the world of the Forbidden West.
The first thing you'll encounter is the «fog of war». It disappears as you move, but there is a way to open the map quickly and completely.
There are no towers in Horizon Forbidden West, but there are Tallnecks — huge machines resembling giraffes or dinosaurs. Note that their icons are visible even on the closed map.
As in the first part, you need to climb onto their heads and hack the program. There are five such machines in the game. Capturing each is a small puzzle. For example, to climb onto the first one, you will need to move an old satellite dish, and for the Tallneck in San Francisco — look for missing parts.
Unfortunately, hacking the machines will not reveal all points of interest. Main objects, such as campfires, settlements, and ruins will appear, but many question marks will remain. You can only find out what hides behind them in person.
The size of the Forbidden West is daunting — walking from one edge to the other can take about an hour of real time. To speed up, use fast travel.
You can find travel packs at almost any merchant. Spend one, regardless of the distance, to instantly appear at any previously discovered point of interest.
There is a way to save on travel. As you journey, you will often find campfires. Near them, you can make a quick save or move without using packs.
Another option is rideable machines. At the beginning of the journey, not far from the settlement «Mountain Scrape», there is a herd of Chargers — something between horses and goats. Aloy already knows how to subdue such robots. Sneak up to one and hack its code. Now you have a means of transportation.
Significantly later, you will also get a flying hand-gliding pterodactyl, which will make air travel even faster.
The advantages of rideable machines are that they do not get tired, can be summoned with the press of a button wherever you are, and can carry Aloy away from any danger. If they get injured, spend shards to repair them, or simply override new ones.
Aloy can swim and dive, but her air supply will rapidly decrease underwater. Underwater exploration is very beneficial — there are many herbs and resources on the seabed.
As you progress through the story, you will unlock a portable rebreather that allows you to stay underwater indefinitely, and you will no longer have to worry about your oxygen supply.
Exploring the open world, you will sometimes encounter various objects — red crystals on walls or strange metal flowers. They block your way, and you have nothing to remove them with.
Most likely, you have not yet unlocked the necessary tool in the story. For example, the red crystals can be blown up with a special sparkler attached to the spear. To get such a device, complete the main quests, and when you are ready, return to the site and gain access to the locked areas.
On the world map, you might notice markers labeled as «Cauldrons». Some will need to be visited as part of the story, but there are also those you should explore on your own.
Cauldrons are ancient factories for producing machines. After overcoming a series of obstacles, you will reach the core, where, typically, a particularly vicious machine awaits. By dealing with the mini-boss, Aloy will gain new programs to override certain types of machines.
As you learn more about hacking programs, you can tame machines, making them your allies for a while. This mechanic is one of the main features of the game, but it's easy to miss if you're only following the main storyline.
Unlike the first part, even after completing all the Cauldrons, you won't be able to control every machine. For particularly rare specimens, you'll need to find additional parts and load them into the fabricator at Aloy's base. The device will also indicate which specific resources are needed for each type of robot.
Throughout the story, the heroine will acquire her own base and a team of allies. You cannot upgrade the camp, but as you progress through the story, more rooms will become available. Additionally, the appearance of the base will change over time.
There is no specific upgrade system for party members, but you need to regularly talk to them. Friends ready to talk will have a white exclamation mark above them. You shouldn't neglect this, as by finding out what concerns the allies, Aloy can receive personal quests.
The heroine has six development branches:
You can develop one or all directions at once. In any case, by the end of the game, even without thorough exploration, almost all abilities will become available.
Most skills are passive. Active ones are always tied to a specific type of weapon, so if you haven't found or bought it yet — it's better to acquire something more useful.
Aloy has two new stats that affect the combat system. As you progress in leveling up, you will receive some special attacks. Using them requires weapon endurance, which replenishes over time. You can determine its amount by the yellow bar at the bottom right of the screen.
Besides special attacks, in the leveling up process, there are buffs that give significant bonuses for a short period of time. For example, Aloy activates a shield or enhances all types of shots. The duration of such improvements is limited by the purple valor scale. It can be replenished by any active actions, so there's no sense in saving it.
The spear is the main and only melee weapon. It cannot be discarded, replaced, or upgraded (except for story upgrades). If you want to hone your skills — try participating in fighting competitions.
Note that Aloy cannot block attacks, so the only way to avoid damage in melee combat is to dodge.
In almost all matters related to machines, the focus will help. Scan the robots to see a small round menu, where you can select various weak points and analyze the opponent as a whole. It also provides information on which projectiles are best to use. Weak points can be marked to be highlighted even during combat.
By detaching various components, you not only gather more resources (many parts burn out after the machine dies) but also deal significant damage to the opponent faster.
Aloy can craft all arrows, projectiles, and other ammunition on the go at any time, even in battle.
However, for traps, potions, and equipment upgrades, a workbench is required. You cannot make weapons or armor yourself — they must be purchased.
The workbench also upgrades pouches, expanding the inventory.
Without a workbench, only coils and weaves, which improve several resistance stats, can be inserted into the equipment.
Merchants are available in every settlement or base. They are the only ones from whom you can buy armor and weapons. Sometimes equipment is given as a reward for quests, but this happens rarely. It's important to note that each merchant has their own assortment.
Most often, shards (money) alone are not enough to make a purchase. You will also need to give up certain parts. Moreover, sold items can be repurchased from any nearby merchant.
There are several ways to earn money. The most obvious is to open any chests and machine remains you come across.
Another option is to explore ruins and Precursor objects. There you will find many trophies — old world items that are only good for selling (broken watches, phones, and much more). This way, you can amass a fortune in record time.
Note that there is a «create activity» button at the bottom of the workbench menu or when trading. This is a very useful feature that slightly eases the regular grind. This way, you can make gathering necessary parts or ingredients into a side quest. The game itself will suggest the nearest pasture of the required machines.
Creating an activity will greatly help in gathering materials for the fabricator.
Initially, the inventory size is quite modest. It can be expanded by upgrading pouches. If there's no space left — all collected resources are automatically sent to the bottomless storage. These boxes can be found in major settlements. Regardless of the location, all your goods will be there, which can be returned to your inventory at any time, if there's enough space.
All equipment is categorized by colors — from gray to purple. Due to the changing assortment, finding a powerful bow can become a challenge. However, there's a secret that can significantly simplify your life.
Near Aloy's base, there's a small camp called Tennakt. It has just a couple of people and a bonfire. A woman will tell you about interesting places, and a merchant will offer something to buy.
It's precisely from him that you will find the best armor and weapons currently available. You'll be able to upgrade almost your entire arsenal at once.
For some purchases, you'll need parts from dangerous machines, which an unupgraded Aloy simply won't be able to defeat, but this will still be more convenient and faster than comparing the assortment of 50 merchants all over the world.