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Horizon Zero Dawn |OT2| Red Head Redemption

N

NervousXtian

Thought Emoji Movie was good. Take that as you will.
RPGCrazied said:
Just got the armor from the power cells.

I'm close to the end aren't I? What a ride. 40 hours is what it took me. And no, I didn't do everything. I wonder if I missed any quests, but I did every green ! that I came across.
Click to expand...

You could beat the game in less than an hour from that point. That with doing the optional stuff.
 
R

renzolama

Member
Got my preordered Collector's Edition Guide from Future Press in the mail today, holy shit at the size/weight of this thing. I'm not sure whether the longevity of play or combat complexity in HZD merits a guide for non-collectors since I haven't finished everything yet, but if you're into guides or just want a big book full of pretty HZD pictures then I'd take a look at it. In the interest of full disclosure, I don't get paid to say nice things about Future Press books but I would probably accept money if they gave it to me. I like money.

vJiQ8JX.jpg

a1jgme3.jpg

vyAecKM.jpg
 
J

jellies_two

Member
VanWinkle said:
Interesting about side quests. I don't think I've ever seen better done side quests besides The Witcher 3. What other games have better ones?
Click to expand...
Probably none, I have never been a side quest fan tbh. Too many felt like follow this track, sniff around, follow this track. I will do them all anyway which is probably saying something.
 
J

Joeku

Member
So after I've fully upgraded all my pouches (come on, you fucking goose skin) is there any reason at all to keep animal parts? I'm nearly out of space and would love to just sell the rest off but I'm not positive I'll ever need them for anything else.
 
V

VanWinkle

Member
jellies_two said:
Probably none, I have never been a side quest fan tbh. Too many felt like follow this track, sniff around, follow this track. I will do them all anyway which is probably saying something.
Click to expand...

I would definitely like to see fewer focus tracking and more varied activities during the quests. That's why I really liked the quest where I had to go after three prisoners and one of them had you navigating around this cave looking area shooting all of the traps he set as he is mocking you and stuff. Like, I want stuff that isn't just "kill this creature" or "track this."

Something they can improve on the next one or maybe even the expansion.
 
L

LifeBrandRobot

Member
Beat and Platinumed! 78 hours and I loved every second of it. This is my favourite open world game of all time and possibly my favourite PS4 game. The story was really compelling and I couldn't wait for every exposition dump. Ending was also quite satisfying. I do wish they had a better name for the Platinum though lol.

And Fuck Ted Faro. Wish I could have killed him myself.
 
G

GodParticle

Member
I'm really trying to like this, but it just feels like, as best I can describe, derivative tedium. So far it just seems like every other open world game and I don't like the combat encounters at all. Also, if they're going to force this constant crafting mechanic, they should have made the materials stand out in a more organic way than these silly icons all over the place(I think botw did this well). Anyway, just my rambling thoughts after only a couple of hours playing
 
L

Lingitiz

Member
VanWinkle said:
Interesting about side quests. I don't think I've ever seen better done side quests besides The Witcher 3. What other games have better ones?
Click to expand...

I think they needed more long threaded sidequests like the Vanasha quests and The Hunter's Lodge. Some of them were also a bit absent of surprises and very straightforward (i.e. bad guy is bad, go here and do thing and then it's over, etc.)
 
R

renzolama

Member
GodParticle said:
I'm really trying to like this, but it just feels like, as best I can describe, derivative tedium. So far it just seems like every other open world game and I don't like the combat encounters at all. Also, if they're going to force this constant crafting mechanic, they should have made the materials stand out in a more organic way than these silly icons all over the place(I think botw did this well). Anyway, just my rambling thoughts after only a couple of hours playing
Click to expand...

I had a lot of open world fatigue when I started HZD. After finishing the first hour or so (which I did find interesting) I got caught up in doing every side activity icon along the way through the early (5-15ish) story quests and started feeling negative about the content/gameplay also. I was seriously considering putting it down for a couple weeks, but after pushing through another few hours the combat finally clicked for me as I learned how to utilize the environment and all the different weapons to make the combat encounters exciting; I also started focusing on the main story stuff and it really takes off after that initial lull. A few suggestions I might make:

  • Don't focus your skill points only on stealth. It makes the combat encounters too slow, boring, and easy, and playing it like a fast-paced action game was far more engaging for me
  • Turn the difficulty up to Hard if you're playing normal, it forces you to engage with the combat systems in way that makes those encounters more satisfying. Normal difficulty + stealth reliance turns the game into a real snorefest.
  • Turn on dynamic hud and turn off all of the quest/navigation icons - you can't get rid of the materials icons, but you can still minimize the HUD clutter
  • Feel free to run past machine grounds and side content to get to the interesting stuff. They will always respawn, and the side content will always be there for you to return to.
  • Don't buy the collectible maps at the start of the game unless you're capable of ignoring the bajillion icons they throw up or you want to spend half of your time looking around random areas in focus mode
The game is fantastic, but I think they made some mistakes with how much side content and icon spam they throw at the player within the first few hours. Combined with the brainless stealth combat on normal, it really did the game a disservice in its earlier hours for me. Stick with it until you get through the 12-15ish story quests and practice combat at the first couple hunting lodges, I think it gets much better after that.
 
N

NervousXtian

Thought Emoji Movie was good. Take that as you will.
LifeBrandRobot said:
Beat and Platinumed! 78 hours and I loved every second of it. This is my favourite open world game of all time and possibly my favourite PS4 game. The story was really compelling and I couldn't wait for every exposition dump. Ending was also quite satisfying. I do wish they had a better name for the Platinum though lol.

And Fuck Ted Faro. Wish I could have killed him myself.
Click to expand...

On the spoiler, I mean yeah.. he's an asshole. ...but the thing in did to start all these was probably inevitable to be honest, if not him.. then someone else. Also, the more you think about what he did on the other part.. the more it kinda makes sense per his character.. but the biggest flaw of the story is explaining why he'd even been welcomed around it outside of just money. The Dr. would have never let him around any of this, and everyone in the project knew it was his fault.. so why he was allowed anything technically involved with the project is hard to fathom.

I left a bit of this vague so it'd didn't really spoil too much.

Acrylic7 said:
Just realized I could just hold x to buy a bunch of wire......
Click to expand...

That was patched in.
 
M

Mifune

Mehmber
renzolama said:
The game is fantastic, but I think they made some mistakes with how much side content and icon spam they throw at the player within the first few hours.
Click to expand...

Funny thing about that stuff early on...it's totally optional. also it's a fraction of what most open world games throw at the player. Like there's maybe two or three side quests and/or errands in the early going - how is that too much?
 
R

renzolama

Member
David___ said:
Should I be focusing on increasing damage or tear on the bows?
Click to expand...

Not sure how far you are in, but you get a bow/arrow type that is specifically designed for tear that seemed far more effective than any modification points in tear for me.

Mifune said:
Funny thing about that stuff early on...it's totally optional. also it's a fraction of what most open world games throw at the player. Like there's maybe two or three side quests and/or errands in the early going - how is that too much?
Click to expand...

Playing the entire game is totally optional, that's a nonsensical argument. Not sure why you're getting so defensive, is the fact that I started by saying 'It's a fantastic game' not enough to satisfy you? I think the game might have been better served by pushing the player through the first few hours of story content a bit more directly, that's all.
 
N

NoHeDidn't

Member
renzolama said:
Not sure how far you are in, but you get a bow/arrow type that is specifically designed for tear that seemed far more effective than any modification points in tear for me.
Click to expand...

Love that tear arrow seeing the gas expand and pop off all that armor plating never gets old.Sadly it does nothing on certain enemies I so wish the lodge weapon traded maybe shock for tearblast arrows.
 
S

Skux

Member
Drahcir said:
Hey guys. Any good tips to get the fastest times for the Nora Hunting Grounds? I just beat the first one shooting blaze canisters off Grazers using tear arrows. That was easy. But the other two aren't as simple!
Click to expand...

The other two require some preparation and you should be able to do them with the gear you have at that point in the game.

They key is to manipulate the machines into running into your log/blast traps. The pack will always run the opposite direction from what frightens them. You can trigger this using a blast sling grenade, or a tear arrow.
 
M

Mifune

Mehmber
renzolama said:
Playing the entire game is totally optional, that's a nonsensical argument. Not sure why you're getting so defensive, is the fact that I started by saying 'It's a fantastic game' not enough to satisfy you? I think the game might have been better served by pushing the player through the first few hours of story content a bit more directly, that's all.
Click to expand...

It's not nonsensical at all. The game is providing a tiny amount of side content early on which you can ignore or pursue at your leisure. If you choose to do it and it pulls you away from the main story, I don't see how that's the fault of the game. Okay, sure if they were throwing like twenty exclamation marks at you, I get it. But we're talking like three quests before the world really opens up.

Now if you're saying the side quests weren't compelling early on, I can see that. I just reject the idea that three is too many side quests to put in the early going because players might get side-tracked.
 
R

renzolama

Member
Mifune said:
It's not nonsensical at all. The game is providing a tiny amount of side content early on which you can ignore or pursue at your leisure. If you choose to do it and it pulls you away from the main story, I don't see how that's the fault of the game. Okay, sure if they were throwing like twenty exclamation marks at you, I get it. But we're talking like three quests before the world really opens up.

Now if you're saying the side quests weren't compelling early on, I can see that. I just reject the idea that three is too many side quests to put in the early going because players might get side-tracked.
Click to expand...

We're operating on a few misunderstandings I think

  1. I distinctly remember the story quest level jumping up to 12 when my level was less than half of that, so from that perspective I don't think it's fair to say that the side content between that level gap is optional. The game clearly wants you to use that side content to level up for the next story missions, and I was not aware that the quest/enemy levels weren't that important until spending more time with the game.
  2. I'm considering "early" to be the first 5-6 hours of the game, until you transition into the western half of the map. I probably didn't make that very clear.
  3. I'm also considering "side content" to include the extra icons that get added when you buy the collectible maps, which are available for purchase at extremely low prices at the very beginning of the game. Again, this is completely optional, but from a design perspective my personal opinion is that it would have been better to withhold those for purchase until after the story ramps up in order to direct players to leave the starting area/biome and start exploring the rest of the world.
I was responding to a specific set of issues/concerns that I shared with the person who posted the original complaint. If you aren't bothered by those same issues/concerns then that's great, but hopefully you don't mind if I empathize with him/her while recommending the rest of the game? On another note, I actually found most of the side quests to be more interesting and compelling than what you see in most open world games due to the way Aloy is characterized and the fact that I found myself interested in her responses.
 
M

MegaSackman

Member
sn00zer said:
Just started. What is the minimum hud settings I can use without being frustrated
Click to expand...

Custom, compass off, everything else would be dynamic by default. I'm sure you can turn off other things but dynamic would be mostly clean all the time except in combat.

Flowers and stuff you grab on the ground can't be deactivated. Quest marks only if you don't select any quest.
 
M

Mifune

Mehmber
renzolama said:
We're operating on a few misunderstandings I think

  1. I distinctly remember the story quest level jumping up to 12 when my level was less than half of that, so from that perspective I don't think it's fair to say that the side content between that level gap is optional. The game clearly wants you to use that side content to level up for the next story missions, and I was not aware that the quest/enemy levels weren't that important until spending more time with the game.
  2. I'm considering "early" to be the first 5-6 hours of the game, until you transition into the western half of the map. I probably didn't make that very clear.
  3. I'm also considering "side content" to include the extra icons that get added when you buy the collectible maps, which are available for purchase at extremely low prices at the very beginning of the game. Again, this is completely optional, but from a design perspective my personal opinion is that it would have been better to withhold those for purchase until after the story ramps up in order to direct players to leave the starting area/biome and start exploring the rest of the world.
I was responding to a specific set of issues/concerns that I shared with the person who posted the original complaint. If you aren't bothered by those same issues/concerns then that's great, but hopefully you don't mind if I empathize with him/her while recommending the rest of the game? On another note, I actually found most of the side quests to be more interesting and compelling than what you see in most open world games due to the way Aloy is characterized and the fact that I found myself interested in her responses.
Click to expand...

Ah, by early I thought you meant everything up to and including The Proving - and given how few side activities there are at that point I hope you can understand why I was a bit baffled. If I came off ultra defensive, I apologize. Just disagreeing with something that clearly I misunderstood.

And yes, I do remember feeling a bit overwhelmed at the point you were talking about because there were the Tribe quests in addition to the main quests. That's a good point about the maps - I wish you could turn the icons off but not selling them until later would make sense, too. Overall I do think the game does a pretty good job of not drowning you in activities too early but I see your point.
 
R

renzolama

Member
Mifune said:
Ah, by early I thought you meant everything up to and including The Proving - and given how few side activities there are at that point I hope you can understand why I was a bit baffled. If I came off ultra defensive, I apologize. Just disagreeing with something that clearly I misunderstood.

And yes, I do remember feeling a bit overwhelmed at the point you were talking about because there were the Tribe quests in addition to the main quests. That's a good point about the maps - I wish you could turn the icons off but not selling them until later would make sense, too. Overall I do think the game does a pretty good job of not drowning you in activities too early but I see your point.
Click to expand...

Nothing to apologize for, we're just two passionate fans of the game engaging passionately. Yes. that's a sexual innuendo I made.
 
G

GodParticle

Member
renzolama said:
I had a lot of open world fatigue when I started HZD. After finishing the first hour or so (which I did find interesting) I got caught up in doing every side activity icon along the way through the early (5-15ish) story quests and started feeling negative about the content/gameplay also. I was seriously considering putting it down for a couple weeks, but after pushing through another few hours the combat finally clicked for me as I learned how to utilize the environment and all the different weapons to make the combat encounters exciting; I also started focusing on the main story stuff and it really takes off after that initial lull. A few suggestions I might make:

  • Don't focus your skill points only on stealth. It makes the combat encounters too slow, boring, and easy, and playing it like a fast-paced action game was far more engaging for me
  • Turn the difficulty up to Hard if you're playing normal, it forces you to engage with the combat systems in way that makes those encounters more satisfying. Normal difficulty + stealth reliance turns the game into a real snorefest.
  • Turn on dynamic hud and turn off all of the quest/navigation icons - you can't get rid of the materials icons, but you can still minimize the HUD clutter
  • Feel free to run past machine grounds and side content to get to the interesting stuff. They will always respawn, and the side content will always be there for you to return to.
  • Don't buy the collectible maps at the start of the game unless you're capable of ignoring the bajillion icons they throw up or you want to spend half of your time looking around random areas in focus mode
The game is fantastic, but I think they made some mistakes with how much side content and icon spam they throw at the player within the first few hours. Combined with the brainless stealth combat on normal, it really did the game a disservice in its earlier hours for me. Stick with it until you get through the 12-15ish story quests and practice combat at the first couple hunting lodges, I think it gets much better after that.
Click to expand...

I was already on hard and turned off as much as I could. I was focusing on stealth, which wasn't much fun, so you may be onto something. I'm only a few hours in at this point, so maybe it gets better. I do like the story, though
 
V

Venture

Member
shiba5 said:
So did you guys know that the machines evolve after you kill a certain number of them? Because I didn't.
If you kill 5 Watchers, you will start seeing armored ones. If you kill 1 Rockbreaker, they become armored. I never even noticed!
Click to expand...
Is that from the guide? Didn't notice that either.
 
R

renzolama

Member
GodParticle said:
I was already on hard and turned off as much as I could. I was focusing on stealth, which wasn't much fun, so you may be onto something. I'm only a few hours in at this point, so maybe it gets better. I do like the story, though
Click to expand...

The middle tree is completely focused on harder melee spear hits and more concentration/damage for bows, and as someone who loves fast action games it really opened up the combat for me. The encounters don't really get interesting until you're sprinting around 6-8 machines, throwing trap wires and elemental effects everywhere, sliding with slow-time concentration fire on tiny crit spots, and all while dodging machine charges from multiple directions. The sense of scale with the machine encounters continues to increase as the game progresses, and I think the story also ramps in ways that I was not expecting based on genre stereotypes. This is actually evident from the beginning, where the story starts building a generic narrative
where Aloy fights back and bonds with the other young braves in the proving and...oh wait they're all dead cause some prehistoric-looking dude with a bluetooth and a chaingun shows up and murders all the innocent kids
. It only gets more wacky as it continues.
 
P

Paganmoon

Member
shiba5 said:
So did you guys know that the machines evolve after you kill a certain number of them? Because I didn't.
If you kill 5 Watchers, you will start seeing armored ones. If you kill 1 Rockbreaker, they become armored. I never even noticed!
Click to expand...

Are you sure that's just not from game progression? As in, the further out you go the more the machines evolve?
 
Kilau

Kilau

Member
Just finished, 50 hours and what a damn good time it was. Rarely do I feel so thoroughly happy with a game from start to finish.

My only regret is that I didn't get the collectors edition.
 
G

geomon

Member
shiba5 said:
So did you guys know that the machines evolve after you kill a certain number of them? Because I didn't.
If you kill 5 Watchers, you will start seeing armored ones. If you kill 1 Rockbreaker, they become armored. I never even noticed!
Click to expand...

There are armored Watchers? Do you mean the Redeye ones?
 
S

shiba5

Member
Paganmoon said:
Are you sure that's just not from game progression? As in, the further out you go the more the machines evolve?
Click to expand...

It's according to the guidebook.

geomon said:
There are armored Watchers? Do you mean the Redeye ones?
Click to expand...

No, supposedly it's all of them. There are pictures of each machine, armored and unarmored, and a chart of how many of each you have to kill before the armored version shows up.
I'd have to start a new game and test it - kill 5 Watchers and see if the next group that spawn have armor.
 
G

GreySquirrel

Member
Joeku said:
So after I've fully upgraded all my pouches (come on, you fucking goose skin) is there any reason at all to keep animal parts? I'm nearly out of space and would love to just sell the rest off but I'm not positive I'll ever need them for anything else.
Click to expand...

I now have an irrational hatred of geese trying to track them down trying to get one to drop a skin to do the last capacity upgrade I needed. Can't remember if you need the skins etc but the meat is good for potions as I found out after I did my OCD thing of upgrading everything before tackling the more challenging content
 
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