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[WordsintheWater]

No I don't think it's a grind fest. It's just.. odd. It's possible it's just so different than other games I'm having issues with it. It really depends on the area too. I can't kill the hawks if my life depended on it but some of the other creatures I can take down. I'm trying to adjust my play style, it's also possible I am impatient and don't want to think before I start shooting things.. so. Don't let my irritation sour your view of the game

I mean if you're just gonna shoot everywhere and not pay attention to where you're shooting this games combat will be a chore. Whole point is to find the weak points, also use different types of arrows, not just the regular ones. If you fire a couple of Tear Arrows into a Glinthawk it will bring them crashing down so you can critical hit them with your melee weapon. Using ice on the enemies makes the armor brittle and you can do double the damage. The Glinthawk has a pouch in the middle of its body hit it a few times and it will freeze the Glinthawk and any other enemies in the vicinity.

 

[ElfArmy177]

As a fellow die hard Kings Field fan(Which means your in your 30's right don't get stuck in old patterns hahaha

This may entirely be my issue lol

 

[TheExecutive]

Maybe I'm using the wrong arrows then I dunno. The giant elephant looking things with the green canisters filled with fluid on their back that shoot fire... I just counted 15 before I died and I was not half way. So... I dunno

I think they are called bellowbacks and they are a huge pain in my ass. I think they are susceptible to freezing but I don't have a good bow to do that right now which hurts me in the fights.

 

[-griffy-]

Maybe I'm using the wrong arrows then I dunno. The giant elephant looking things with the green canisters filled with fluid on their back that shoot fire... I just counted 15 before I died and I was not half way. So... I dunno

Shoot the green sacks with fire and they go boom, taking a big chunk of health with them.

 

[Prithee Be Careful]

I find dark souls combat rewarding. This is just bullshit unless you can get better gear out of luck. There is a difference between difficulty that's fair and unfair, and this walks a very fine line. Animations are so laughable it's ridiculous, especially giant head aloy as a child in the beginning.

Combat can be great sometimes and utter bullshit the next. Enemies are easy as hell if you have better weapons, which takes any skill away from the game and forces you to grind for gear instead. I dunno, not a horrible game but definitely not a 9 or a 10. I think the graphics blinded people from flaws in the game..

Most of your argument hinges on the idea that you get massive buffs from armour and weapon drops that are totally random, which isn't even remotely true.

Gear drops aren't based on RNG, so you don't need luck for better weapons, just shards and machine parts. Gear power isn't a huge factor in bringing down the creatures and won't make a huge difference, even in the late game. What matters most is understanding the enemy and using the right tools. There's no luck element in this, simply good prep, thoughtful strategy and basic skill.

You have to play the game by its own rules and - much like Souls game - a stubborn refusal to engage these systems and rules in favour of playing how you think it should, will lead to seemingly unreasonable difficulty pattern.

 

[Twilight Gap]

I think they are called bellowbacks and they are a huge pain in my ass. I think they are susceptible to freezing but I don't have a good bow to do that right now which hurts me in the fights.

USE THE NOPE CASTER

SECRETLY BEST WEAPON

 

[mf.luder]

This what I was saying earlier though...Corrupters,scanning says Body weak to fire,I hit it with a fire arrow from a purple bow and I do 4 damage...? sometimes it just doesnt work...another example,I do the tutorial for my new purple bow,knock off 10 plates from mechanics...I hit a Strider on his canister plate and it works,it counts as a knocked off plate but on the Corruptors,I hit the plates during all the fight with the same bow and it never took them down...what am I missing here...?

Hit it multiple times for the unit to catch on fire or overheat. The icon will fill up and then a white circle will tick away indicating how long the effect is lasting.

 

[Capella]

I went the more stealth route and traps with my skills so maybe I screwed myself out of having extra power

You don't even need the double or triple notched arrows to take them down. About 3 fire arrows will have them down on the ground and you can critical strike them.

 

[Apt101]

The Stalker is definitely my favorite enemy to fight. The bigger ones get annoying when it comes to that collision thing but the Stalker has so many tricks up its sleeve that it feels like more of a boss battle.

I'm only 30% in and I can't imagine the game ever boring me.

Stalkers can be cheesed pretty easy if there is some concealing weeds about 30 yards away from their trap. Set it off, then run and hide. Pick off their ranged components, and they just scutter left-and-right while you arrow them down.

 

[Combichristoffersen]

USE THE NOPE CASTER

SECRETLY BEST WEAPON

Nopecaster? Is that when you meet a bunch of high level enemies, turn around and audibly say nope?

 

[LastMinuteHero]

I mean if you're just gonna shoot everywhere and not pay attention to where you're shooting this games combat will be a chore. Whole point is to find the weak points, also use different types of arrows, not just the regular ones. If you fire a couple of Tear Arrows into a Glinthawk it will bring them crashing down so you can critical hit them with your melee weapon. Using ice on the enemies makes the armor brittle and you can do double the damage. The Glinthawk has a pouch in the middle of its body hit it a few times and it will freeze the Glinthawk and any other enemies in the vicinity.

Triple actually if you freeze them

 

[Incendiary]

OK. Look lol I've been playing games a long time... If I can beat dark souls no issues there is no reason I couldn't play this with the required skill. If I have to put 40 arrows into an enemies "weak point" then it's gear stats over skills.

Uh....what? Note that each weak point has specific weaknesses. Some weak points are good to target with arrows - sometimes you want to use an explosive sling or maybe shock the shit out of it. Also use the ropecaster to tie them down so you get a better shot. Or put down a trip wire to lure them into for stun + critical hit.

Also for the love of God - I love Souls games but can we stop with the "if I can play a Souls game I have skill and can beat hard things?" Souls games have their own skills and strategies and patterns associated with them. They don't translate to having the skills to be good at every game ever made.

 

[Primethius]

I went the more stealth route and traps with my skills so maybe I screwed myself out of having extra power

You don't need the double/triple notch. That just makes it faster. Two or three fire arrows will bring down a Glinthawk regardless.

 

[KINGofCRA5H]

The Stalker is definitely my favorite enemy to fight. The bigger ones get annoying when it comes to that collision thing but the Stalker has so many tricks up its sleeve that it feels like more of a boss battle.

I'm only 30% in and I can't imagine the game ever boring me.

Well, you're in for a treat. The game just gets better and better as your skills and arsenal grow. Behemoths? Not a problem. Corrupted Thunderjaw? Easy.

 

[Rap2thaMoon]

Does it bother any one that you don't leave any footprints in the snow and probably sand?

And that there so few houses you can enter? Meridian especially, it doesn't really feel like a big city and it's maybe slightly bigger than a single city in say Skyrim and with fewer buildings to go into.

And the world itself doesn't feel quit lived in as in other RPG's, people just wander around in a driftless kind of way and lot's of people lifting boxes for some reason.

The game itself is fantastic and yet it still has thing that kinda bother me.

 

[kriskrosbbk]

What was the deal with the processed metal blocks? I have 137 of them.

 

[Fix-It Felix. Jr.]

Jesus, Rockbreakers are fucking terrifying! I honestly prefer to fight more Stormbirds than fight this things again.

That's how I felt until one of the characters told me that they

Spoiler

won't find/attack you underground if you're standing still.

The first battle I had with a Rockbreaker after that was considerably easier than the one in

Spoiler

the quarry.

 

[Twilight Gap]

Stalkers can be cheesed pretty easy if there is some concealing weeds about 30 yards away from their trap. Set it off, then run and hide. Pick off their ranged components, and they just scutter left-and-right while you arrow them down.

Is stealth cheesing though?

 

[WordsintheWater]

Triple actually if you freeze them

Thought it was double, my mistake

 

[shiba5]

No I don't think it's a grind fest. It's just.. odd. It's possible it's just so different than other games I'm having issues with it. It really depends on the area too. I can't kill the hawks if my life depended on it but some of the other creatures I can take down. I'm trying to adjust my play style, it's also possible I am impatient and don't want to think before I start shooting things.. so. Don't let my irritation sour your view of the game

Just wait until they get close to the ground, tie them down, and then beat them to death. There are other ways to kill them, but this is my favorite.

 

[HStallion]

Does it bother any one that you don't leave any footprints in the snow and probably sand?

And that there so few houses you can enter? Meridian especially, it doesn't really feel like a big city and it's maybe slightly bigger than a single city in say Skyrim and with fewer buildings to go into.

And the world itself doesn't feel quit lived in as in other RPG's, people just wander around in a driftless kind of way and lot's of people lifting boxes for some reason.

The game itself is fantastic and yet it still has thing that kinda bother me.

Sounds like most every open world game. Most random NPC's are just wandering around aimlessly and doing generic activities based on their location. I think its hard to get around this problem unless you craft some incredible wide ranging AI system that covers all NPCs and gives them more believable and realistic daily routines and actions or you have the developers hand craft everything about the random NPC's like they did in Shenmue.

 

[Twilight Gap]

Honestly this was GOTY for me the minute I shot a goose out of the sky.

Fuck geese.

 

[Ruthless_Barbarian]

What was the deal with the processed metal blocks? I have 137 of them.

Sell them.

 

[Kin5290]

What was the deal with the processed metal blocks? I have 137 of them.

Use them to trade for machine parts (lenses and I believe hearts) from a merchant in Meridian.

 

[WordsintheWater]

That's how I felt until one of the characters told me that they

Spoiler

won't find/attack you underground if you're standing still.

The first battle I had with a Rockbreaker after that was considerably easier than the one in

Spoiler

the quarry.

Dude really? I'm about at 90% completion and that never occured to me. Would have made that battle way easier lol

 

[z4chc3na]

I'm sure this has been asked already, but are the Lodge weapons considered to be better than the Shadow ones?

 

[Apt101]

Is stealth cheesing though?

Well it's not really stealth. They "see" you, with their red status. They just don't seem to have the logic baked in to charge and engage you. Or run and hide. Instead they just dance around while you pick them apart.

 

[VpomRurd]

I'm sure this has been asked already, but are the Lodge weapons considered to be better than the Shadow ones?

They are better, the stats are slightly higher (5 higher IIRC).

 

[Twilight Gap]

Does it bother any one that you don't leave any footprints in the snow and probably sand?

And that there so few houses you can enter? Meridian especially, it doesn't really feel like a big city and it's maybe slightly bigger than a single city in say Skyrim and with fewer buildings to go into.

And the world itself doesn't feel quit lived in as in other RPG's, people just wander around in a driftless kind of way and lot's of people lifting boxes for some reason.

The game itself is fantastic and yet it still has thing that kinda bother me.

It does bother me that so many buildings in meridian are blocked off and there isn't all that much to discover inside.

 

[LordofPwn]

i'm quickly approaching level 50 lvl 45 right now i think, but my main quest is only levels 14 and 15, lol.

 

[Trickster]

Yea I was in the desert area trying to get passed ag roup of Shell-Walkers, who chased me into Ravagers, who chased me into Longhorns, who chased me into Snapmaws, who I couldn't kill because I was out of ammo and health, having just fought the Thunderjaw and 3 Stalkers. I was pretty much fighting them all simultaneously.

No health, no potions, half of my ammo is depleted and two of my weapons are Uncommon.

Roped them all down one by one, chipped off their compotents, overwrote some other guys and brought them into battle to act as decoys.

Did I mention I had no health?

All of this happened in the span of 30 minutes. This game is nothing if not rewarding.

Probably depends on what part of the game we're talknig about when discussing how rewarding it is.

The combat I agree is very satisfying/rewarding.

Exploration however? Not rewarding. I felt no desire to run in a random direction just to explore like I did in games like Witcher 3 or Skyrim. Quests are pretty much all gotten by talking to npc's in cities, and other than all the typical collect-a-thon stuff, there isn't really much of interest to discover by trekking around the world

 

[Twilight Gap]

Well it's not really stealth. They "see" you, with their red status. They just don't seem to have the logic baked in to charge and engage you. Or run and hide. Instead they just dance around while you pick them apart.

Huh that's interesting. I hadn't noticed anything like that as far as I can remember. Everything else seems to charge at you if it has a direct line of sight.

 

[Prithee Be Careful]

Does it bother any one that you don't leave any footprints in the snow and probably sand?

And that there so few houses you can enter? Meridian especially, it doesn't really feel like a big city and it's maybe slightly bigger than a single city in say Skyrim and with fewer buildings to go into.

And the world itself doesn't feel quit lived in as in other RPG's, people just wander around in a driftless kind of way and lot's of people lifting boxes for some reason.

The game itself is fantastic and yet it still has thing that kinda bother me.

Yup, I actually fully agree here. I've put over fifty hours into the game and when I think back to Mother's Heart, Cradle, Crown... honestly they all run together in my head. The settlements are honestly the least interesting part of the game and there's very little in them that hands in my mind.

When I think back on The Witcher 3's settlments, I can think of specific characters and people that lived there and, though I thought it was a good thing that HZD dispensed with small talk between you and merchants, actually, it make them more forgetful.

I actually loved in The Witcher that I'd built up a relationship with my favouritre craftsmen and that they knew me by name. LIttle touches like challenging them to a game of Gwent helped ground them as real people in the world.

If I had complaints it would mostly be in these areas. I also wish that gear and equipment was dotted around different traders in different parts of the map. As it stands, yon can pretty much get the whole catalogue of gear from a single trader in Meridian. I'd prefer to have to travel around to find different traders with differnet gear, ice gear from the Banuks, Shadow gear from Sunfall - even if the buffs weren't that significant, it'd make the world feel more varied.

 

[Twilight Gap]

Probably depends on what part of the game we're talknig about when discussing how rewarding it is.

The combat I agree is very satisfying/rewarding.

Exploration however? Not rewarding. I felt no desire to run in a random direction just to explore like I did in games like Witcher 3 or Skyrim. Quests are pretty much all gotten by talking to npc's in cities, and other than all the typical collect-a-thon stuff, there isn't really much of interest to discover by trekking around the world

Yea I was responding to the combat discussion.

I'm still fairly early in the game so I don't know what extent the exploration stuff goes. From what you're saying, that does indeed sound disappointing and I've noticed it at times. But the combat is a huge part of why I play any game and part of why this appeals to me more than a lot of other titles.

 

[Apt101]

Huh that's interesting. I hadn't noticed anything like that as far as I can remember. Everything else seems to charge at you if it has a direct line of sight.

Yep. Seems to be a problem with only them. For example, if you disable snapmaws, those crocodiles, and try that with them, they will charge.

 

[Chance]

I did a mission last night against a human base with a lot of robodinos available for overriding, and stormed the place with a small army of giant steel chickens - sorry, Longlegs.

After the mission, I'm harvesting my overridden allies and I get to the last one, down in a courtyard. I put a few hardpoints into him and he's down to like a pixel of health, and he starts squaking like he's trying to talk and shakes his head left to right. My battle chicken was begging for its life, saying "no! No! No! Please no! Haven't I been a good chicken?!"

You have, robochicken. You have been a very good boy.

I eased the tension on my bow, and left him there, shaking and sparking.

Good robochicken.

(Jazzy hands!)

Horizon!}

 

[WordsintheWater]

Does it bother any one that you don't leave any footprints in the snow and probably sand?

And that there so few houses you can enter? Meridian especially, it doesn't really feel like a big city and it's maybe slightly bigger than a single city in say Skyrim and with fewer buildings to go into.

And the world itself doesn't feel quit lived in as in other RPG's, people just wander around in a driftless kind of way and lot's of people lifting boxes for some reason.

The game itself is fantastic and yet it still has thing that kinda bother me.

The things that I want in a sequel is for more things to do in a city and to be able to enter more houses.

 

[TheExecutive]

i'm quickly approaching level 50 lvl 45 right now i think, but my main quest is only levels 14 and 15, lol.

What does actual leveling get you in this game? Does it increase your stats someplace?

 

[Primethius]

What does actual leveling get you in this game? Does it increase your stats someplace?

Only + 10 health and 1 skill point per level.

 

[MegaSackman]

Dude really? I'm about at 90% completion and that never occured to me. Would have made that battle way easier lol

Queen's Gambit side quest, a character mid quest tells you that. It's also a pretty cool side quest.

 

[Trickster]

Yea I was responding to the combat discussion.

I'm still fairly early in the game so I don't know what extent the exploration stuff goes. From what you're saying, that does indeed sound disappointing and I've noticed it at times. But the combat is a huge part of why I play any game and part of why this appeals to me more than a lot of other titles.

The combat, creature designs, graphics and main story still come to together to deliver an excellent game, so it's not like I think the game is bad by any stretch.

 

[TheExecutive]

Only + 10 health and 1 skill point per level.

I figured it wasn't much because I haven't been noticing a difference.

 

[Miniature Kaiju]

One thing about combat in Horizon is that, while better gear and mods DO help a bit and make things faster if you're fighting the right way, they're completely worthless if you're approaching the enemy the wrong way.

And most enemies have quite a few different strategies to them, some that rely on brute forcing your way with tearblast and hardpoint arrows, some that rely binding the enemy down, some that use elemental combos - mix and match.

 

[Twilight Gap]

The combat, creature designs, graphics and main story still come to together to deliver an excellent game, so it's not like I think the game is bad by any stretch.

I gotchya. I'm not gonna imply it's perfect in any way but it's hooked me in ways open world games have struggled to. I don't know if there will be a sequel or any kind of updates to the game, but I'd like to see where this IP goes from here.

 

[shiba5]

I like how at level 50 with the best weapons and armor the game can still fuck me up if I get overly casual with it.

 

[Straight Edge]

For stalkers I just rope cast them then critical melee, heavy melee knock down, critical, melee and a final heavy melee.

 

[____]

What does actual leveling get you in this game? Does it increase your stats someplace?

I think honestly it's just to unlock skill points so that you can increase your skill set.

 

[MegaSackman]

Probably depends on what part of the game we're talknig about when discussing how rewarding it is.

The combat I agree is very satisfying/rewarding.

Exploration however? Not rewarding. I felt no desire to run in a random direction just to explore like I did in games like Witcher 3 or Skyrim. Quests are pretty much all gotten by talking to npc's in cities, and other than all the typical collect-a-thon stuff, there isn't really much of interest to discover by trekking around the world

Well, there are a couple of quests you find by exploring that are not given by npcs.
There are several outpost the game don't make you to go and you find a lot of lore there (like the theory of every tribe regarding the fall of the old ones), one fort in particular have a different quest than all others.

 

[HStallion]

Well, there are a couple of quests you find by exploring that are not given by npcs.
There are several outpost the game don't make you to go and you find a lot of lore there (like the theory of every tribe regarding the fall of the old ones), one fort in particular have a different quest than all others.

I think the way the game is designed and the focus of it is what makes it fun to explore for me. For example in a game like Skyrim I find much of the gameplay to be a chore and tend to complete those things more like a checklist than actually wandering about and searching for things. The fact that the moment to moment gameplay in Horizon is so well crafted and tightly designed means just running around and getting into fights is more rewarding to me than if that random trail into the mountains had a chest at the end with a War Bow +5. The game is far more conducive to meandering through the world than a lot of others just because of how good it feels to move and act in the game itself.

 

[Xeteh]

For stalkers I just rope cast them then critical melee, heavy melee knock down, critical, melee and a final heavy melee.

Stalkers also get shocked very easily.