Horizon Forbidden West - 10 Combat Tips You Need To Know

Horizon Forbidden West's frontier can be daunting to newcomers and veterans alike, so we've compiled 10 tips to give you the extra fighting edge.
In this video we go over key combat differences from Horizon Zero Dawn into Horizon Forbidden West, and brand new mechanics that changed combat. From Halfmoon Cancels to proper glider use, there's a lot to unpack in the jampacked sequel.
Timestamps:
00:00 - Intro
00:20 - Valor Surge Dodging
00:51 - Slide Dodging
01:21 - Trap Mechanics Changed
01:59 - Combat Settings
02:55 - Javelin Lockdown
03:25 - Jump Off Attacks
03:57 - Halfmoon Cancel
04:35 - Choosing The Right Valor Surge
06:20 - Smoke Bomb Offense
06:40 - Grapple Point Landing
07:19 - Outro

[@kingswirly]

Usually these videos boil down to obvious stuff like “don’t forget to stock up on health potions!” But gamespot is always good about providing solid advice. Keep it up guys!

[@RinHara5aki]

Thanks! 😁

[@invadeandraid]

@@RinHara5aki Yeah great job the tips are really helpful!

[@VySioB]

Usually these videos boil down on obvious stuff ánd name the title like: 'THE BEST COMBAT TIPS THAT MAKES YOU OP' and finally come with: dont forget to stock up on health potions.

[@juanluispimentelmartinez98191]

Any tips for ps5 using gyro aiming im missing so much lol maybe thats cause i have aim assist turn off lol

[@invadeandraid]

@@juanluispimentelmartinez98191 Nah, I don’t have a ps5 so I couldn’t tell you :(

[@Chadghostal]

these options are overwhelming. Can't believe how much they added to her arsenal. Good video too 👍

[@Christopher-md7tf]

Yeah, I feel like I got a second job with this game trying to keep up with all the different weapons, machine types and parts, skill trees, lore...

[@scelonferdi]

Yeah, imho some of the things are a bit weird. The changes to melee (combo system and resonator blast) and weapons (genuinely different bow types, fixed rattler with boltblasters + Spiker and Shredder Gauntlet) are great though! It's just that Valour Surges and Weapon techniques feel a bit gamey and over the top for Horizon. If you ask me their functionality could've been more organically achieved through weapon variants, ammo types and consumables. Speaking of which, a consumables wheel would've been nice...

[@EnragedTofu]

Bought all the major releases this month, Horizon is my absolute favorite for many, many reasons and this video gave me a near half dozen more.

[@wesleywilliams5581]

Being new to the game, I found every single one of these tips to be extremely useful. A lot of times KZbin videos that have “10 tips for blah blah blah“ only actually end up giving you something valuable at rare moments. Thank you for making all of this relevant and helpful.

[@adrianaa3059]

Having finished the game four times and continuing to play it on eternal loop, I have STILL found these tips mind-blowing!!!!

[@matthewnewberry9843]

The ability to set machine to either defense or aggressive is key also. Say you have an apex machine surrounded by over ridable machines. Over ride all the other machines setting them to defense, then hit the apex with the tracker arrow and sit back

[@condorX2]

Witty strategy 😂

[@oysterman250]

I really like the tip to stock up skill points then make a save and THEN try out different skill trees/combinations to find your preferred style of combat.

[@condorX2]

Good advice. Is there a skill reset?

[@andrevonlandsberg8979]

I was NOT expecting this video to help me that much, pretty much you Made me actually use valot surges quite literally like 5 times more, now I actually have a point in getting more skill points again, and the game will also both look cooler, and feel more fun, thanks a lot, most usefull tips/tricks video I've seen yet

[@bjs3171]

This might actually be the most helpful game tips video I've ever seen. Well done.

[@cheeherrr]

That double dodge thoooooo. Nice!

[@AKJord]

Upgrade a decent hunter bow, put on a decent impact damage and tear coil. Use advanced hunter arrows. Rip through everything 👍

[@tim.noonan]

on normal or story mode 😂

[@AKJord]

@@tim.noonan always play normal

[@AKJord]

@GreenGrizz9 nty actually wanna enjoy the game 😂

[@Just_Lucky24]

Been waiting weeks for this guide

[@mondmaedle]

Good video! Frost bombs are quite useful too. And chain reactions.

[@Halderic]

i'm playing on normal difficulty, around level 20, but i STILL find combat very hard. it's so fast and frenetic that even with concentration it's hard to pinpoints attacks in the middle of a battle. also, as of now, my armor and weapons can't do much damage nor absorb much damage so i'm living off of heavy diet of herbal medicine. the game is great so far i just wish combat was a bit more manageable.

[@Christopher-md7tf]

I switched to Easy because I couldn't be arsed with the chaotic mess that is non-stealth combat.

[@jblaze600]

I feel the same way. I’m not enjoying the combat whatsoever.

[@Shandaax]

@@Christopher-md7tf So did I. I got tired of missing shot after shot because of the poor aiming controls, and no option to adjust sensitivity. The concentration mechanic could also be better on the slowdown.

[@Christopher-md7tf]

@@Shandaax You can also increase concentration time and increase the slow-down effect of the weapon wheel in the settings. I'm also personally a giant fan of Gyro aiming and find it very helpful.

[@davezorc]

Did you play the first game? It's the same: combat seems really difficult until you find out what type of weapon/ammo and attack/dodge strategy works best for each enemy. Once you figure that out it actually becomes pretty easy... you won't even break a sweat taking on 2 thunderjaws and 3 snapmaws at the same time.

[@BartSmoorenburg88]

The slide and dodgeroll combo is going to make a big change, until now I just spammed dodgeroll.

[@tired2Btired]

Wow actually a good and useful combat tips video!

[@Techy1210]

Really helpful tips here, thanks! 👍

[@Draxev]

Great video like always Rin. Open world RPG's are always the best!

[@M0rt86]

Nice! Thanks for the info! ❤️🙏

[@azulisic]

By far a great tips video

[@carlharrison3637]

I'll be returning to this video for these tips - some great info there - thanks !!

[@LordEric1]

Thr jump after using a grappling point has helped me cheese past multiple puzzles I was stuck on

[@SyndicateTheLonelyGun]

Very nice cover of the game. Excellent. Thank you!!

[@Stratega1982]

Really useful. Huge thanks.

[@morpheus2480]

This was actually very useful.

[@PlayrayGamer]

This is the first really useful vid ever when talking about "combat tips"

[@SticksAandstonesBozo]

This games making me feel old. It’s overly complicated compared to the first one. I’m sure I’ll love it long term but as of now it’s a nightmare

[@maximumaverage]

That’s how I feel. Struggled my way through hard mode with essentially just the basic bow lol. Didn’t feel very fun

[@Kinshasa9200]

i see you've played sekiro. how does the complexity of this game compared to the souls series? i'm interested in playing elden ring, but if it's as complicated as this game, i'd be less enthusiastic.

[@Dryvlyne]

@@Kinshasa9200 Horizon is way easier than the Souls games. It's just there are a lot of combat options so it can feel very overwhelming at times. I would say experiment early on in Horizon with different play styles and then pick one you want to focus on initially. It's a huge game so keep this in mind because you'll have plenty of opportunity to change play styles later if you want.

[@StephenOwen]

Wow I never would have considered that valor surge but the chained attacks look amazing in your sample footage

[@bobathefett5806]

This helped in every way

[@Simplecreature75]

Great Tips thx!

[@KrazyBean14]

Sick tips!

[@dlbarnes]

Can’t look at it until I get the game but I know it will be informative

[@joey.99]

Yep I've already seen so many spoilers just by watching reviews

[@lifecamerakaran]

Excellent tips.

[@lawless666]

i'll be sure to use this guide later on

[@boeyudhistira75]

what? gamestop giving tips on combo canceling? i-frame? keep up the good work

[@martink7945]

I knew it!!! There was something wrong with the traps in Forbidden West. I was so surprised that I got damage touching my own traps. There it is! It was not possible to trigger your own traps in Zero Dawn! Thats why I was so surprised 😂

[@lejenddairy]

A list that actually gives really good tips and doesn’t tell us the obvious? This is a surprise to be sure!

[@OnilEsguerra]

What was the bow and skill you used with chainburst. The one that had electrical explosion

[@cooperbench9546]

Best combat tip- change difficulty settings to story mode.

[@BloodlustNL]

Thats exactly why you start on hard mode obviously🤣

[@Kolors_of_lyfe]

😂😂

[@justexist841]

Lol thought I was gone be great playing this game on hard mode til I realized hard mode wasn’t what I thought it would be lol. It’s actually hard lol

[@tim.noonan]

@@justexist841HFW: makes hard difficulty hard justexist841: surprised pikachu face

[@Cotelw8345]

The biggest issue is combat is not fun when you have to constantly use health potions and health pickups.

[@HCIbn]

Gonna pick this game up when the VRR patch drops.

[@blackholesun4942]

Useful 👍👍

[@MrRonski]

For combat settings I highly recommend Using gyro aiming. It makes hitting weakspot ao much easier.

[@CookieCantChill]

gyro aiming looks really difficult

[@golfer435]

@@CookieCantChill it's really not. Just remember to turn off aim assist as you won't need it with gyro. Large movements with sticks. Small adjustments with gyro

[@lnsflare1]

+1 Analog + gyroscopic aim is basically the closest thing to mouse aiming on gamepads.

[@lnsflare1]

@The Rotten💯 Gyroscopic aim is basically aiming with a form of motion controls. Also, for what it's worth, it took around 3 and a half years for Horizon Zero Dawn to get ported to PC, for what it's worth.

[@rinyuni]

Splatoon gaming

[@NotPaulAvery]

Fell in love w HZD when they released it for free last year; despite this, I'll gonna wait until they release a "Complete Edition" before buying. Couldn't wait until then to start watching tip videos for Forbidden West, great work!

[@FERTUHG]

Best strategy, wish I did the same to avoid all the bugs

[@siriansight]

This w a s amazing Thanks !!

[@luciferdern]

The Javelins are mad OP. So good I'm not sure it's worth using anything else a lot of the time.

[@hederahelix4600]

I'm in midgame and they are still quite epensive to use though. I use them very sparingly.

[@Qardo]

Thankfully, there was a patch finally allowing you to respec your points any time you want. So you do not feel like you are locked down a playstyle. Can change up and try different playstyles on the fly. Though I came into HFW late. I am happy for the change. As for other changes....I wouldn't know. Really get the feeling they could have nerfed some abilities or maybe didn't make any changes. I wouldn't know.

[@noirczar5280]

Melee Might is probably the best valor surge imo

[@chrishanson8496]

I hear charging and swinging your spear builds up the resonator energy in it. But I saw a dude charge and switch weapons and charge and switch instead of charge swing which is way slower. Basically builds resonator energy way faster than charge attack

[@mycabbages8228]

Valor surges are so powerful, I ended up not using them. The survival potion on level 3 for example regenerates 80 health a second which makes all fights trivial.

[@thecoolnewsguy]

I always use the survival potion. It's a game changer

[@drahunter213]

Looking for the best way to knock off machines plate armor since that blast canon that tears off all those plates on machines isn’t in this game? In the first game there was that canon that shot a wave and knocked off plates which expose the “skin” of the machine so you can get more damage…is there any weapon or item that can take off those armor plates off machines? Lol id love to know some tips for that

[@magicmerls291]

Had the weapon slow down on slower first but was too annoyed by ammo crafting times do I put it down to normal again.

[@JustHeretoTrollallday]

I didn’t pay attention to who was narrating, until I realized this dude got the style of the dude that had 2300 hrs on Breath of the Wild 😂

[@allenbagwell8034]

I just finished my playthrough on Normal and didn't know about a lot of these. Definitely the weapon wheel slowdown would have helped. And some of damage dealing in the video looked insane. I don't think I ever managed to pull off a single hit of more than 500 health on a maxed out purple bow, and that was usually using the Powershots valor surge. The explosive tip javelin, however, is a godsend when fighting human bosses as it also interrupts their actions. One of my biggest issues is the dpad cycling among potions, food, traps, etc. It gets SO huge as to be useless in combat unless you already have it set to the one thing you want. Otherwise you are searching through 20+ options and more than likely your searching the longest path to find what you want while your enemies just chill out and prepare for some devastating power attack. Also things you don't want in your inventory (like level 1 potions and traps at higher levels) are still filled by red placeholders due to the crafting system, so you have to scroll past them too.

[@hederahelix4600]

You can edit the Dpad to remove the stuff you don't use often or don't use in stressful situations. Makes a big difference.

[@Dryvlyne]

@@hederahelix4600 I just learned about this after beating the game recently on Normal. It's not very obvious or intuitive how to do this.

[@TheStevedie]

This game is going to consume my life. My regalla edition arrives tomorrow....in the mean time I'm going out to the shop to change the oil in the cars. Then I will no life my night away tomorrow, lol.

[@hiresh4707]

You seriously wasted your hard earned money on the Regalla version. It is definitely not worth the cash. The sculpture is so much more plasticity than the zero dawn sculptures, looks more like a toy rather than a sculpture.

[@TheStevedie]

@@hiresh4707 I'll see when it gets here. Either way I'm not concerned

[@Kaiziak]

Aiming in order to avoid landing animation was a thing in zero dawn as well so I doubt it’ll be changed

[@spartacus8888]

It's still working the half-moon cancel? And why don't include in the video the sequence of button to press for the double dodge end Double air attack

[@theoutsides3108]

What combat theme is playing in the background?

[@midgarmonkey1908]

any tips for playing this on very hard? I keep getting rinsed out by basic mobs :( ..nigh impossible if you jumped by 6 machines at once.

[@shafathchoudhury9539]

During th jump off move it would be awesome to pause for a few seconds in midair while alloy can aim and shoot. But sadly developers wont do it.

[@iconic4609]

Now this is a sequel.

[@Ellerbeetimes100]

Nice

[@dingo702]

I need to step up my combat game, be better at using surge, upgrade my weapon and armor

[@druid3040]

What outfit was that when talking about preference?

[@themightypizzadevourer6018]

Imma finish the dlc in the first one and then I'm getting this one

[@remyblas]

I assume the invincibility frames for sliding and rolling have been severely nerfed since this video was posted, because that is definitely not how dodging currently works.

[@Draxev]

3:28 Getting serious BTB vibes

[@rushunt2131]

Ill watch this when I can actually play the game.

[@gooberlord3924]

what weapon skill are you using at 5:35?

[@andykimbot7097]

Cheers big ears!

[@rachelkarengreen5822]

Which is that outfit at 2:36? I think i missed it. And where to find it?

[@reececarlton918]

How do I get the different valor sages I only have the one Volar Sage paint

[@PabloEnver]

Hi there, Ive been playing for a few hours and Im not sure to understand how the resonator works. Does it get charged just fighting or only when you HOLD the attack buttons? Because I can see it clearly charges when holding R2 but I dont think it charges with normal fighting. Also, Ive seen Aloy keeps a lot of abilities from Zero Dawn; on the first game I used a lot a technique which consists on falling on an enemy from "high" altitudes and pressing R1 to make a special attack, is that available from beggining or it has to be unlocked? thanks!!

[@putanecia]

charge the spear in combat by hitting enemies w light attacks (or by repeatedly charging your heavy attack) until your spear turns blue (light attacks take longer to build up the resonator than charging up heavy attacks), then hit with a heavy attack to mark them with the blue circle you then want to aim for

[@putanecia]

also you can strike from above, not sure about below, haven't tried it yet

[@pandahuakbar5470]

My game must be bugged because it does not charge with light attacks. It only charges if I hold R2

[@putanecia]

@@pandahuakbar5470 it gets faster to build up the resonator if you invest in the warrior skill tree, i think the skill is called resonator build up. i'm still technically pretty early game as well so idk if it gets even faster but i find it easier to just charge my spear up before a fight or even if i can between dodges mid-fight bc that blast is good at taking out enemies that won't go down as fast as i'd like.

[@putanecia]

if you've already invested in melee strength and stuff it might be harder to get the spear charged if you're fighting small groups, as you'll probably take them out before your spear fully charges.

[@Parkpeter70]

Max, what’s your favorite weapon and outfit in Horizon Forbidden West?

[@justrj629]

What’s the thing that makes the arrow/javilen turn blue

[@epicwolf]

What is the name of the armor she was wearing in the first scene?

[@Akyllian]

still need to tap into those settings... find the PC controls a bit confusing compared to the previous one.

[@LeoTelles]

i don't know what they've done with the bow, but my bow never seems to hit inside the visual target even if i hold on forever. Tried thousands of headshots to distracted human enemies just to be surprised that my bow did nothing.

[@edison7165]

How do you change your technique. Every time I hold L1, I see cloak when I press R1. How do I change it? I have others unlocked but I don’t have option to change it

[@FERTUHG]

L1 and right on the dpad and it depends what weapon you use

[@johnalver]

Enps can't be seen on the mini map? At any level?

[@setiop6788]

Anbody could you plz confirm this? Enemies with fire attack with freeze then what about enemies with acid?

[@victorsos100]

Can you respec your skill points???

[@mr.shneeblie5330]

6:30 KANGAROO

[@spazz_rampage_]

I’ve been having a hard time to take down robots I’m lvl 18 right now so still trying to get better weapons and better outfits

[@jerry61290]

At the beginning of the video, when you draw out the arrow, outside of the aiming circle has four lines like x , I cant figure it out how to do that

[@dominikasmiskova6452]

You mean the Concentration? You press R3 while aiming.

[@zensoredparagonbytes3985]

That's overdraw damage. Either the weapon has that perk, or you mod it in one of the slots. You draw the bow for a longer time to give the shot extra damage.

[@kratos9954]

Combat canceling is amazing remind of god of war

[@bdjr713]

Anyone know what armor that is?

[@anaisduh]

I really wanna try these tips but my thumbs are confused

[@GODzillaGSPB]

In the video it seems like he is able to activate the valor surges without opening the weapon wheel first. How?

[@joelsmart1568]

I assumed that was an edit. You can do it very quickly though. I'm trying to decide if it's worth it to switch which valor surge I have activated multiple times during a fight -- something you have to go into your skill tree menu to do. Seems like a big of a slog to do, but might be worth it.

[@Clear_Sky_Vibes_MP]

the game is amazing... i still playing it after i finished the story. the only things i hate are: - the character dont stick to surfaces (like in Assassins Creed) and falls so easily. After a lot of climbing and jumping its very possible to just fall off because of a small wrong step... - the character easily get stuck even on small rocks or branches... of course on trees too. when im fighting i move a lot and many times i found myself stuck on a small rock or things like that. Again... Assassins Creed is a good example how to automatically handle this situations... stepping over small objects and avoiding trees. The rest... is amazing... Some armor transmog will be insane plus more colours for armors And of course... game plus where to use the upgraded armor, weapons, skills and mount. All this plus adding at least 2 players co-op can make this game live forever

[@tanjanique100]

How do you shoot faster? She takes so long to grab another arrow and shoot

[@Neon-jn3sp]

Ng+ hard difficulty is fire

[@TheKvaran]

The tripcaster has always been my favorite weapon in Zero Dawn. Have to say I don't like the nerfs to it and find my anticipation to play the game lessened. I am on PC so I've been waiting for the PC release ever since it came on PS. Also one thing that always bugs me regarding the difficulty, you mentioned all footage was shot on Very Hard and you seemed to do a ton of damage to machines and one shotting some of them, however humans, barechested and no helmet, don't die from a shot to the head. Difficulty levels are never logical except for in Ghost of Tsushima where the hardest difficulty makes the enemies just as squishy as yourself, more realistic.

[@iyeetpaste3797]

The combat can be pretty, _dawnting._

[@NhemF]

Wait a minute, did due just slide under a thunderjaw???

[@NhemF]

Yes I went and tried it lol got stomped tf out

[@Neji.Hyuuga]

He forgot to say that in forbidden west now you can only lay fewer traps than in zero dawn.

[@lunaazul1569]

Now I know why Horizon Forbidden West it has been more difficult for me to finish than Horizon Zero Dawn. The rolling invincibility frames...

[@fenom969605]

How do you unlock the weapon stamina ? I have the burst fire skill but. Can’t use it

[@kurtburns4600]

You have to equip the skill unless it says it's a passive skill.

[@KnightsandCastles]

@@kurtburns4600 But how can I change like infiltrator skill to other one. Tried everything. This is so dumb =\

[@zensoredparagonbytes3985]

@@KnightsandCastles hold square when you're hovering over the skill. Stamina is tied to the special skills of each weapon you unlock in the skill tree

[@KnightsandCastles]

@@zensoredparagonbytes3985 many thanks! Almost finished the game and still haven't figured it out!

[@neatznotso7424]

I'm still so confused about valour, can you only choose one skill that uses valour? Or?

[@Dryvlyne]

You can unlock multiple valor surges but only have one equipped at a time.

[@neatznotso7424]

@@Dryvlyne yep finally worked that out! Thanks for answering : )

[@scientia_potentia_est]

I think the combat in Forbidden West is a bit too over-complicated and over-done compared to Zero Dawn (which remains my favorite of the 2 Horizon games). Weapons are too specialized (especially when it comes to elemental damage) forcing you to constantly switch between them and you almost have to do a full blown strategy study to learn how to beat each new machine (learn how to evade machine-specific attacks and expose weak points). I love every other aspect of the game though. But the combat is honestly so overwhelmingly complex that it's kind of ruining an otherwise amazing game

[@baousaquerga]

What bow is he using in minute 5:40?! Anyone knows?

[@Parkpeter70]

Its either regallas or the glow blast bow

[@javedhosein6911]

I have a ps5 and I like graphic mode more