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Horizon Zero Dawn |OT| The Land After Time

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wouwie

Member
I never play RPG games (not a fan of loot, crafting, collecting,...) and very little open world games but i figured i would give this game a try. So far i've played about 12 hours (currently level 13 iirc) and i'm having a surprising amount of fun.

I'm not good at the game though (playing on normal) and i imagine i'll get in trouble later on with the difficulty. I'm still starting to sweat whenever i go into the outfit/weapon/crafting/modification/trade menus since i've never really done that in other games so it's kind of hard to know the best way forward. It's all a bit overwhelming in that department. But i'm actually enjoying the game quite a bit and i'm determined to make the best out of it and hopefully finish the game (still a long way to go).
 

Mesharey

Member
Is there a way to check if you did all side missions before the final mission?

I only have the challenges now, 3/15 and they're kinda boring.
 
so I am up to the mission
where I found olin's house and got the mission to find the dudes sisters killers
How far into the game am I? How long would it take to complete from there.

I am finding it getting better and more engrossing all the time. I am also finding it hard to stay on track because of how pretty the game is.
 

Wollan

Member
so I am up to the mission
where I found olin's house and got the mission to find the dudes sisters killers
How far into the game am I? How long would it take to complete from there.
35-40% into the main campaign I would say.
The latter part you mentioned is strictly not part of main campaign but it's good stuff.
 

SilentFlyer

Member
Is there a way to check if you did all side missions before the final mission?

I only have the challenges now, 3/15 and they're kinda boring.

There are total of
14
errands,
22
side quests. If you're going for platinum and want to get
All Allies Joined
trophy, you have to complete these side quests/errands.
A Moment's Peace
A Daughter's Vengeance
Sun and Shadow
Honor the Fallen
Sunstone Rock
Hunting for the Lodge > Hunter's Blind > Deadliest Game > Redmaw
Traitor's Bounty > Queen's Gambit
 

KZObsessed

Member
Fought my first group of Snapmaws and it was awesome, but so far nothing comes close to my fight with a Stormbird. It was probably the most epic enemy encounter I can remember in a game. Was like some crazy CG movie. Then after that I spotted a Thunderjaw just roaming about and I thought "I'm gonna 'ave 'im". Took 2 goes but he went down a lot quicker than the Stormbird if you just use his disc launchers. Although both my kills for the Thunderjaw and Stormbird were stolen by some random Carja soldier! I was pissed! Got some good loot though. Playing on Hard was definitely the way to go.

I've been so preoccupied with exploring/hunting that I've barely progressed the main story. Gonna focus on main story tonight so I don't get burnt out. I have reached Meridian which was a pretty epic journey but the city itself was a little disappointing. Looked massive and gorgeous but inside it was smaller than I expected, with just a few merchants and guys to give you some sidequests. I was expecting/hoping it would be a huge city with missions within itself like in the Witcher but it's more of a hub that just sends you back out into the world. Makes sense in the context of this game, but I was just hoping it was something else.

Overall though, everything so far has been fantastic. The world is so enjoyable to explore even if there's no physical reward for doing it most of the time. The combat is the best in any open world game with each large encounter like an epic boss fight. Even the weakest aspect of the game, the human combat, can be amazing in large battles with robots thrown in the mix. The bandit camps are probably the least enjoyable aspect of the game but I still enjoy sneaking around headshotting and stealth killing people.

I'm just sick of work getting in the way of Horizon time.
 

black070

Member
Game reached 89 on MC. 101 Reviews.

fckya.gif
 
Game reached 89 on MC. 101 Reviews.

It has been a 9~9.5/10 game so far for me. The only weakness I've found were the combat vs humans, and sidequests that could've be better. Some cutscenes wasn't also well directed too, but this is me asking for something as good as ND's direction.
 
S

Steve.1981

Unconfirmed Member
...I'm still starting to sweat whenever i go into the outfit/weapon/crafting/modification/trade menus since i've never really done that in other games so it's kind of hard to know the best way forward. It's all a bit overwhelming in that department...

It's a good idea to upgrade your resource pouch as far as you can, so you can hold a lot of stuff, and only sell parts that the info column tells you have no other use outside of, "Sell to Merchants", as you'll need certain machine parts and materials to trade for better gear.

As a general rule to begin with, blue gear is better than green and purple is better than blue.

It's really helpful to scan each new machine you discover and check the information in the notebook for tips on how to fight them, weak points etc...
 

Rhaknar

The Steam equivalent of the drunk friend who keeps offering to pay your tab all night.
Any reason not to buy these
purple Shadow
versions of the weapons?

Shadow Sharpshot, hunter and tripcaster
all available at this outpost on the way to
Meridian
, and Im pretty sure I can afford all of them.
 
I can' live without my handy ropecaster. People who never use it are insane.

Sharpshooter I went with Damage. Allows it to be a great Utility weapon for when you fight human enemies.

For all your Tear needs use Hardpoint arrows they will get close enough to the same amount of Tear as the Tear arrows on Sharpshooter Bow with 3 Tear Mods, They Shoot faster and they dont cost wire to craft.

My Setup is

Hunting/Human encounters
Sharp shooter- Damage Mod to 1 shot Animals and most humans

Swap with
Shadow Ropecaster + 3 Handling Mods

Regular Encounters
Shadow Hunter Bow + 3 Purple Tear Mods, its a bonus if you can find Tear +Fire
Shadow CaJa Bow + 3 Freeze or Corruption Mods (Freeze from Distance
Shadow Tripcaster + Elemental Mods of your choice, typically Damage is good but Handling +Shock can also be handy when you are running trying to use your tripwires to create seperation between you and an enemy.

My hunting bow is filled with fire mods as lots of machines are very prone to it. Maybe I should get a second hunting bow then?

Hardpoint arrow is indeed useful for tearig parts off machines, but it' not really accurate from distance. I usually use it only to finish them off.

Any reason not to buy these
purple Shadow
versions of the weapons?

Shadow Sharpshot, hunter and tripcaster
all available at this outpost on the way to
Meridian
, and Im pretty sure I can afford all of them.

You should get them as soon as you can, they'll come in handy for very a long time. Both are actually the best ones and you won't need to upgrade ever again.
 
I really can't wait for a sequel, and I haven't even finished this one. The world is just so beautiful, and the robot dino combat is so fun. Only a few things could make this game better. Some things I hope they do in the inevitable sequel:

• Flesh out side characters more. Having played the Witcher 3, the side quests haven't been as memoriable (so far) as that game. I'm truly enthralled by the world, it's back story, and some of its characters, but they can do always improve (especially when their is a clear path to said improvement).
• Characters should actually roam the world (like in Skyrim but hopefully not as glitchy). It'd make the world feel more lived in. Imagine
marching in Sona's war party, seeing them have a great battle, and then depart in formation back to Mother's Craddle as you depart.[/spoilers] That would feel better than them teleporting or having duplicates that are strapped to the earth.
• Expand the cities and dedicate a significant portion of gameplay to urban environments. Some of the best parts of the Witcher 3 were in cities. It could vary the game up some and make the city feel more alive and interesting. Why can't I go into the majority of the buildings of this game? Let alone the city's buildings. Why can't I explore the sewers, palace, and beyond. No notable intercity landmarks?
• Improve on the human AI. Make them more interesting to fight, give the bad guys some dialogue to say while I'm stalking them. Give them personality and tactics so I feel like I'm hunting an actual human and not canon fodder.
• Rip a page out of Naughty Dog's book and depend less on prerendered videos to display the story and certain action sequences. The cutting from gameplay or cutscene takes me somewhat out of the immersion, granted this is an issue with any game with cutscenes.
• Improve the parkour. They already have the best elements of Assassin's Creed's horizontal traversal, just make it climbing (vertical traversal) more challenging and widespread (in cities, mountains, everywhere). They could probably do something where you have to craft some climbing materials for climbing mountains (while standing on the ground) that have a limited life and random Uncharted like occurances.
• Facial Animations (nitpicking)

All-in-all amazing first game in this series. Considering I disliked Killzone passionately, I was surprised to fall in love with Horizon so quickly and passionately. I'll never doubt Guerilla again.
Agree with all. Giving living schedules to RPGs increase greatly the inmersion (see how beloved are Ultima VII, Elder Scrolls or now BoTW, all of them with NPCs AI living schedules).
Besides, the Decima Engine with so many sub-systems diserves to have a NPC living schedule module!.
Also, the lack of interiors is a pity.
I would also improve human fight system making it more similar to games like NIOH, with a lock system, a block system and giving importance to the animation momentum.
Graphically I would add they have to improve the water graphic technology. Is the only weak spot in their rendering engine. I loved the water effects in Witcher 3 (whose only weak point in my opinion as an RPG is the lack of the mentioned NPCs AI schedules).
And a nitpick, get rid of that flash effect that accompany the arrows being fired. It makes firing arrows more arcade and less satisfying.
 

BiGBoSSMk23

A company being excited for their new game is a huge slap in the face to all the fans that liked their old games.
This may be a little OT but I'm finding HDR to be really dim at night in certain areas. I can't make out any detail in the dark.

Does anybody know of a way to keep HDR rendering on while the picture mode stays in "Game"?

"HDR video" has a bit too laggy of a response time as well.
 

SilentFlyer

Member
Any reason not to buy these
purple Shadow
versions of the weapons?

Shadow Sharpshot, hunter and tripcaster
all available at this outpost on the way to
Meridian
, and Im pretty sure I can afford all of them.

Yes buy them. They have 3 mods slot and are better than rare bows.
 

mrklaw

MrArseFace
From what I see buy back option is just like an undo for that session not if you needed things later on. I'm a completionist and everything maxed out so far, and I'm planning to get the new weapons and outfits later in the game and I don't wanna regret or grind/farm for items later. I'm at level 33 and still at
Maker's End
in the story btw.

I read on some articles that those desert glasses and braiding stuff are valuable to keep but til now I don't see any purpose of them that's why I explicitly mentioned them on my post so if anybody finished the game got all the weapons including the
lodge versions
and many outfits will give me a direct answer if they ever used them or not

I sold the braidaunt and fairly shortly afterwards required it for I think a weapon purchase (but not sure).

I would guess that any resources that are 'trade or sell at merchants' instead of just 'sell' means that at least one is needed for something you buy. Would be nice if there was some indication if you've bought everything possible with that resource - so you're safe to sell them
 
Any reason not to buy these
purple Shadow
versions of the weapons?

Shadow Sharpshot, hunter and tripcaster
all available at this outpost on the way to
Meridian
, and Im pretty sure I can afford all of them.

If you have the shards, get them. All of the shadow weapons are upgrades to carja weapons. They each have one extra coil slot and an extra ammo type (except the ropecaster).
 

Popsickles

Member
This may be a little OT but I'm finding HDR to be really dim at night in certain areas. I can't make out any detail in the dark.

Does anybody know of a way to keep HDR rendering on while the picture mode stays in "Game"?

"HDR video" has a bit too laggy of a response time as well.

What tv you playing on?
 

gow3isben

Member
89 on MC baby, I believed it, you believed it, the mods sure believed it, we all believed it and now we are here. It was the work of our faith and nothing else.
 

d9b

Banned
This may be a little OT but I'm finding HDR to be really dim at night in certain areas. I can't make out any detail in the dark.

Does anybody know of a way to keep HDR rendering on while the picture mode stays in "Game"?

"HDR video" has a bit too laggy of a response time as well.

TV?
Also, are you playing on Pro or Vanilla PS4?
 

Rhaknar

The Steam equivalent of the drunk friend who keeps offering to pay your tab all night.
nitpick but I had that you have to have the tutorial quests active for them to count
 

adamsapple

Or is it just one of Phil's balls in my throat?
lmao. was fighting stormbird and ended up surrounded by a bunch of other machines. fuck my life.

Oh yeah and those big chicken/turkey robots are assholes who can summon other nearby machines. I was clearing a herd of those stealthily and screwed up on the last on which, from out of fucking nowhere, summoned 3 snapmaws who proceeded to tear me a new one. I was out of health at this point.

Had to run away from that fight, almost ran into a stormbird. Thankfully the game peppers those long grasses everywhere so was able to hide and live another day.
 

Darklor01

Might need to stop sniffing glue
This may be a little OT but I'm finding HDR to be really dim at night in certain areas. I can't make out any detail in the dark.

Does anybody know of a way to keep HDR rendering on while the picture mode stays in "Game"?

"HDR video" has a bit too laggy of a response time as well.

Is backlight completely turned up? I know it may sound like a silly question, but it is a legit one I assure you.

Maybe adjust your gamma or other options in game?
 
I'm around level 33 now, 30 hours in, haven't even reached Meridian yet. Just roaming around and doing side quests. I've been mostly having a lot of fun doing just that, but it changed now. I'm low on resources, and this is where I fear the game might begin leaning towards a grind. There are some aspects in the game that slow it down and not in a good way for me. I am constantly, constantly picking up twigs and herbs and killing rabbits because I'm afraid of running out. I also don't use the mounts because I know that I'll need to constantly get off it to pick something up. And it's also becoming a tad difficult just walking around because there seem to be enemies everywhere, all the time. Sometimes I still manage to avoid them, but I feel that their aggro range is a bit too stifling for just leisure traveling in the world.

I think I'll start heading towards Meridian finally under the hope that somehow my ammo problem will solve itself. But I doubt it, and I'm not really sure what to do about it now because I don't want to go out on a task to fight non-stop just to restore my supplies. I'm at a point where I want to avoid big fights for the wrong reasons - they're fun, but right now they'll probably just drink up all my resources and will ultimately not be worth it.
 

Mesharey

Member
There are total of
14
errands,
22
side quests. If you're going for platinum and want to get
All Allies Joined
trophy, you have to complete these side quests/errands.
Sunstone Rock
Thanks a lot! Appreciate it, missing only that mission, gonna check how to get it.
 

WarrenD

Member
I'm around level 33 now, 30 hours in, haven't even reached Meridian yet. Just roaming around and doing side quests. I've been mostly having a lot of fun doing just that, but it changed now. I'm low on resources, and this is where I fear the game might begin leaning towards a grind. There are some aspects in the game that slow it down and not in a good way for me. I am constantly, constantly picking up twigs and herbs and killing rabbits because I'm afraid of running out. I also don't use the mounts because I know that I'll need to constantly get off it to pick something up. And it's also becoming a tad difficult just walking around because there seem to be enemies everywhere, all the time. Sometimes I still manage to avoid them, but I feel that their aggro range is a bit too suffocating for just leisure traveling in the world.

I think I'll start heading towards Meridian finally under the hope that somehow my ammo problem will solve itself. But I doubt it, and I'm not really sure what to do about it now because I don't want to go out on a task to fight non-stop just to restore my supplies.

Get stealth armour and mod it. Really easy to avoid aggro that way.
 

aristotle

Member
Yeah, that seemed a bit odd to me. Perhaps it'll get sorted in a patch.

I honestly don't think they should change it. They should just make it more known that you need to do the tutorials for the weapons. It makes more sense since you're supposed to learn what the new function of the weapon is unlike just earning that free XP randomly in some fight. Plus some of them you have to actively go after, such as the Rattler.
 

adamsapple

Or is it just one of Phil's balls in my throat?
Get stealth armour and mod it. Really easy to avoid aggro that way.

And there's an avoid detection skill. I have that and even with my full 'fight' armor with 0 stealth but 70 melee damage armor, I am very easily crouching and avoiding enemy gazes even if i'm almost straight in front of them without any tall grass nearby. Then it's just a matter of either sneaking past them or sneaking behind/to the side of them for the stealth kill.
 
I honestly don't think they should change it. They should just make it more known that you need to do the tutorials for the weapons. It makes more sense since you're supposed to learn what the new function of the weapon is unlike just earning that free XP randomly in some fight. Plus some of them you have to actively go after, such as the Rattler.

Yeah, sorry, I wasn't clear. I agree that it should be handled in a way that clarifies this a bit more. I think the tutorials (and trials) do a good job of acclimating you to the different tools and their optimal uses.
 
Anyone know if there are good guides for the lore datapoints?

Kinda pisses me off that there are no achievements/trophies for this because if there would be we'd have several guides already.

The lore of this game is ABSOLUTELY FANTASTIC. Haven't been this engrossed in a lore since Bloodborne. I want to find every single bit of information on this wonderfully crafted world.
 
nitpick but I had that you have to have the tutorial quests active for them to count
You and me and few guys here. Hope they patch that soon

I can't seem to do the
Death from the skies sidequest atm. It says "quest is paused".
Can anyone help?
Edit : Nvm I think I figured out what's going on
 
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