It's a wide, wild world out there.
The latest PlayStation 4-exclusive RPG Horizon Zero Dawn is genre-redefining. Its massive open world can be truly overwhelming, adding a sense of wildness to its thematic hunter-gatherer storyline. Developer Guerilla Games also imparted their action game expertise honed in their Shadowfall series into the combat mechanics of Horizon Zero Dawn. Those mechanical beasts? They can tear you and heroine Aloy apart if you lack the skills and knowledge.
So for beginners who plan to venture out into the wild world of Horizon Zero Dawn, here are some tips and tricks to survive the post-apocalypse.
Know The Terrain
Like in real-world, hunting in Horizon Zero Dawn involves tracking, laying traps, and ambushing your prey. Hunting is nothing if you cannot locate the beasts you want to put down. So it is of utmost importance that you know the lay of the land before you go hunting.
Each time you set out, recon the area and find the best points for you. Where is the highest elevation? Where are the tall grasses/ hiding areas/ stealth zones? What are the enemies and where are their paths? Where are the chokepoints and escape route? If you know these then the rest of the hunt lies in your arrow skills.
Craft Early, Craft Often
Speaking of arrows, you will be using a lot of these in-game. So whenever possible, fill your quivers with arrows of different types. So unlock them in your skill tree as soon as you can.
Of course, crafting arrows requires materials. Stock up as many materials as you can by farming, picking, or as quest rewards. Know the best places to get materials and your hunting career is off to a good start.
Dodge And Burn
In the wilderness of Aloy's world, the mechanical beasts rule. They are savage, fast, strong, and agile. One swipe from can deal a lot of damage. So you must master the art of dodging. Not only will you avoid the attacks, it can also put you on a prime position to hit the enemies' weak points. A perfect dodge roll behind an enemy then a quick strike of flaming arrows is always satisfying to behold.
Dismantle Enemy Parts
Speaking of weak points, you can break off certain monster parts if you land a perfect hit on it. Doing this has many advantages. A critical hit on a Snapmaw's cryo sac can deal more damage than normal arrows. Breaking of a Thunderjaw's machine gun not only disables this attack, you can use the gun yourself to rain hellfire on this T-Rex and kill it with its own weapon. If you master hitting the target's weak spots, then it is a great strength on your part.
Focus, Just Focus
How to spot these enemy weak points? Use your Focus. This skill not only allows you to scan an enemy and learn about its weaknesses. It also lets you see the breakable body parts. You will see these as glowing orange stuff on the monster's body. Hit them and hit them hard.
Complete Quests
Sure, you gain experience from bringing down enemies. But you can also get XP by completing quests. Horizon Zero Dawn is not an RPG without the mandatory bring-me or kill-this quests. So do these for a completely immersive role-playing. Plus, you get to read some side stories and earn rewards along the way.
For more information, check out Horizon Zero Dawn's official website.
