Horizon Zero Dawn: Beginner's Guide & Best Tips

Introduction – Why This Game Owns

Look, I've been playing games since my thumbs had calluses from NES controllers. I've seen open-world fatigue, I've burned out on "climb tower, reveal map" nonsense more times than I can count. So when I say Horizon Zero Dawn is one of the few games that respects your time while still kicking your ass, I mean it with my whole chest.

What makes it special? It's not just the robot dinosaurs, though yeah, that sells itself. It's that every fight feels like a puzzle. You're not some god-slaying demigod out of the gate – you're a scrappy hunter with a sling and a spear who gets absolutely folded by a Watcher if you're careless. I've died more times to a Stalker in the jungle than I did to any Dark Souls boss, and I'm not kidding. The game forces you to think: "Do I set a tripwire here? Should I override that Ravager and let it cause chaos? Is my fire arrow even gonna do anything against this Glinthawk?" That decision-making is the juice.

I love it because it doesn't hold your hand after the first two hours. The world is gorgeous, the story actually made me tear up (I'm not saying more – play it), and the combat system rewards prep work and creativity. I hate that I can't climb everything like Breath of the Wild – you'll find yourself staring at a ledge thinking "can I get up here?" Nope. Fall damage. Go around. But that's a small gripe. Bottom line: this is a 10/10 game that'll eat 80 hours of your life and you'll thank it.

Getting Started / First Steps

So you just woke up as a red-headed kid named Aloy, you've got a Focus, and the game is about to drop you into the wilds with a sling and a stick. Here's what I actually wish someone told me before I wasted my first few hours gathering berries like a chump.

1. Your Focus is not optional – spam it constantly.
The tutorial tells you to use it, then you forget, then you walk face-first into a herd of Broadheads and get trampled. Make a habit of hitting the Focus button every time you enter a new area. It highlights weak points, resource nodes, enemy patrol routes, and datapoints that fill in the lore. I missed the entire backstory on the first guy I killed because I never scanned his corpse. Don't be me.

2. Get the tripcaster ASAP.
I know the game throws a bow at you and says "go get 'em." But the tripcaster (available at the first merchant after you reach Mother's Heart) is your best friend for the first 10 hours. Lay down a line of fire or blast traps before you pull enemies. I spent my first three attempts at the Corrupter fight (the tutorial boss in the Embrace) just spamming arrows and getting wrecked. The tripcaster turns that fight into a joke: set three wire traps, lure him through, watch his health bar vanish.

3. Don't hoard your skill points – there's no respec.
You get skill points from leveling up and completing quests. I'm a notorious hoarder in RPGs (what if I need this later??), and I sat on 15 points for way too long. You can't respec – at all. Spend them wisely, but spend them. The Hunter tree first: grab Concentration (slows time while aiming – makes sniping weak points trivial) and Tinker (lets you remove coils from weapons – huge for experimentation). After that, Lure Call in the Prowler tree is a lifesaver for stealth.

4. Scavenge everything, but prioritize machine parts.
Berries and wood are everywhere. What you actually want are machine hearts and lenses – they're used to buy better weapons and outfits from special merchants. Don't sell them for shards, even if you're broke. I sold a Snapmaw heart once, and then had to hunt that frozen bastard for 40 minutes to get another. Learn from my pain.

5. Don't rush the main story after the Proving.
The world opens up after you leave the Nora lands. There's a side quest called "The Hunter's Lodge" that unlocks near Meridian – do it early. It gives you a very good bow and teaches you about machine weaknesses without the main quest pressure. I rushed to the final act once and was under-geared for the last boss. Took me two hours of grinding. Take your time.

Core Mechanics & Progression – How the Game Actually Works

Alright, you've got the basics. Let's talk about how the game really ticks under the hood. The tutorial barely explains half of this stuff, and it's the difference between feeling like a god and feeling like you're throwing pebbles at a tank.

Elemental states are the meta – but not all elements are equal.
Fire, freeze, shock, corruption, and poison. Here's the real scoop:

• Fire – Great early game against machines weak to it (Strider, Grazer, Sawtooth). But later, most big machines resist it heavily. The Flamethrower does 45 base DPS but ramps to 120 after 3 seconds of continuous fire – still decent, but not your main tool. My take: Overrated in the late game.
• Freeze – This is the king. Freeze a machine and your physical damage (bullets, arrows, spear) does triple damage. Yes, triple. A Rattler with freeze ammo is basically a "delete enemy" button. I beat the final boss by freezing it three times and unloading. This is the single most important mechanic in the game.
• Shock – Stuns machines for a few seconds. Fine, but against big groups, you're better off freezing one and killing it fast. I mostly use it on humans and small watchers.
• Corruption – Makes a machine attack its friends. Sounds awesome, but it's slow to apply and expensive (Blaze shards). It's a meme build, not a strategy. Skip it until you're bored.
• Poison – does periodic damage. Sounds good on paper, but the damage is pitiful. I spent my first run trying to stack poison and got destroyed by the second boss (the Sawtooth in the proving grounds) every time. Poison on a Sawtooth takes 15 seconds to fill the gauge, and then it deals maybe 80 damage total. That's awful. Don't bother.

Your weapons are tools, not upgrades.
Most games give you a "better bow" that does +10 damage. Horizon gives you weapons with different ammo types. A Hunter Bow fires normal arrows (good for hunting small animals and damage), War Bow fires elemental arrows (best for applying freeze/shock), Sharpshot Bow fires precision arrows (massive damage, long range, but slow). So you don't just upgrade a weapon – you buy multiple bows for different jobs. By mid-game I carried three bows, two slings, and a tripcaster at all times. The weapon wheel is your friend.

Armor mods matter more than the armor itself.
All armor has base resistances, but the real power comes from weave coils (weaving mods) you slot in. A Nora Protector outfit with three +20% melee resist coils makes you a tank against human enemies. The Shield-Weaver armor (you'll find it in a late-game side quest) gives you a rechargeable shield – it's broken, get it before the final mission. But my personal pick? The Carja Silks with stealth coils. I could walk within 10 feet of a Longleg and they never noticed me. Felt like Solid Snake with a spear.

Progression loop: learn weakness → prep gear → fight → loot → upgrade.
Every new machine you encounter should trigger a Google or a Focus scan. The machine catalogue in your notebook tells you which parts to shoot off (e.g., Thunderjaws have a heart on their chest – shoot it for extra damage, and a blaze canister on their back – blow it up for massive fire damage). I always mark what I need to farm and then hunt those machines specifically. Your hunting log tracks kills – efficient grinding.

Expert Tips & Tricks – The Stuff You Only Learn After Hours

This is the good stuff. I've got about 200 hours across two playthroughs, and here are the secrets the game won't tell you.

2. Override machines, don't just fight them.
You can override some machines after leveling up (it's a skill in the Prowler tree). A Ravager (a big cat-like machine with a cannon) is a godsend – override it, and it fights for you while you pick off smaller stuff. The Stormbird is even better, but you need a late-game override. In the meantime, a Broadhead mount is faster than any horse – call one from a campfire. I rode a Broadhead across the entire map and it never bucked me off.

3. Use the environment as a weapon.
The world is littered with blaze canisters (red barrels), power cells (blue boxes), and fire pits. Shoot the red canisters when a machine is near – instant explosion. There's a bandit camp near the DLC area where you can shoot a single box and wipe out 7 guys. Also, tall grass is your best friend – I once kited a Thunderjaw into a canyon and shot it from above while it couldn't reach me. Use the terrain.

4. The "Ropecaster" is a noob trap for bosses, but a god-tier tool for farming.
The Ropecaster (a weapon that ties down machines) is useless for damage. But against Behemoths (big bull machines) or Rockbreakers (underground diggers), tying them down lets you whack their weak points for free damage. I used it to farm Behemoth hearts for the best armor – tie, shoot, loot, repeat. Took 30 minutes to get 3 hearts, but I never died.

5. The DLC weapons are better than the base game's – but expensive.
If you own the Frozen Wilds DLC, the Stormslinger (lightning pistol) is absurd. It does 50 shock damage per shot and stuns most machines in 3 hits. But it costs 24 Blaze per reload. Stock up on Blaze before you go north. Also the Improved Shield-Weaver from a DLC quest is even better than the base game version. Do the DLC after level 30 – it's tough but worth it.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

I've made every mistake in this game. Here's what killed me the most times, so you don't have to repeat my stupidity.

• Not checking the "Hunter's Lodge Challenges" for free rewards. There's a board near Meridian with hunting trials. Completing them gives mod boxes (free coils) and rare items. I didn't touch them until my second playthrough and missed out on a purple mod that would've saved me hours of grinding.
• Fighting machines head-on without a plan. This is not CoD. You can't shoot a Thunderjaw in the face and win. I learned this the hard way when I tried to brute-force a Thunderjaw at level 15 and got stomped 12 times. Now I always scout with Focus, find a high ground, and set traps. Patience wins.
• Ignoring the "Treatment" potion. The game gives you a Health Potion early. But there's also a Resistance Potion (you craft it) that cuts elemental damage by 50% for 30 seconds. Against the final boss (which spams fire and shock), I kept dying until I popped one. It's a game-changer. Recipe is at any merchant.
• Not selling extra animal skins. There's a carry limit on some resources (wood: 99, Blaze: 200). But animal parts (Fox Skin, Boar Gut) have a 100 limit – if you hit it, you can't pick up more. I filled my inventory with 80 Rabbit Skins and had to drop them. Sell the excess. You'll still have plenty for upgrades.
• Relying on stealth against corrupted machines. Machines under corruption effect can detect you from twice the distance. I once tried to sneak past a corrupted Glinthawk and it spotted me from 80 meters. Literally ran back to a campfire. Just shoot them from afar or use corruption arrows to turn them on each other.
• Overlooking the "Travel Pack" fast travel. The game gives limited fast travel from campfires. But you can craft Travel Packs (10 Ridge-Wood) at any workbench – they let you fast travel from anywhere. Always carry 5-10. I got stuck in the DLC zone with no campfires nearby and had to run 15 minutes back. Never again.

FAQ

Q: What difficulty should I play on?
A: Start on Normal. Hard is doable but machines become damage sponges – you'll have to shoot a Watcher 8 times in the head. If you're experienced with action games, Very Hard is fine, but the early game is brutal. I played on Normal my first run and it felt balanced. No shame in lowering it if you're frustrated.

Q: Is the DLC (Frozen Wilds) worth it?
A: Absolutely. It's about 15-20 hours of content, better weapons, and a harder area. The story is also great (connects to the main game). But wait until you're level 30+ – the first machine there (a Scorcher) killed me in two hits at level 25. Bring freeze arrows.

Q: What's the best weapon loadout?
A: My end-game kit: Banuk Striker Bow (faster firing, good for damage), Adept War Bow (freeze + shock arrows), Sharpshot Bow (precision for sniping), Icerail (DLC – freeze cannon, destroys groups), and Ropecaster (for big enemies). For armor: Shield-Weaver with resistance weave mods.

Q: I'm stuck at a boss. What do I do?
A. First, scan it with Focus to find its weakness. Most bosses have a "heart" or "core" you can shoot. Second, craft resistance potions for its element. Third, use tripwires before the fight starts – I placed 10 blast wires at the entrance to the Deathbringer arena and it lost half its health immediately. Fourth, if you're still struggling, go do side quests and level up. The game's intended to be explored.

Q: Any secret or easter egg I should know about?
A: Yeah, in a cave near the Grave-Hoard (northwest of Meridian), there's a power cell that unlocks the Shield-Weaver armor if you collect 5 total. Look up a guide for locations. Also, you can find a Banuk Totem in the DLC that gives a permanent +10% ranged damage buff. Not a secret, but easy to miss.

Q: Can I romance characters?
A: No. There are flirty moments with a guy named Erend (a drunk Oseram) and a literal Sun King (Avad), but nothing happens. The game's focused on Aloy's journey, not romantic subplots. That said, the ending with Rost (her father figure) is more emotional than any romance I've seen in gaming. Just saying.

Q: Should I finish the main story before side quests?
A: I recommend doing side quests up to the point where the main story says "Point of No Return." The game tells you before the final mission (you'll get a warning). I did all side quests and got a special ending scene. Worth it. Also, some side characters show up in the final battle if you helped them. That's always satisfying.

And that's it, hunter. Go out there, override some machines, and don't die to a Watcher like I did on my first 10 minutes. You've got this. Now if you'll excuse me, I'm gonna go replay it on Ultra Hard and cry again.