Horizon Forbidden West: Advanced Machine Hunting – Weak Points and Elemental Strategies

Introduction

Horizon Forbidden West throws you into a world teeming with colossal, deadly machines. While basic hunting gets you by, truly dominating these mechanical beasts requires understanding their weak points, exploiting elemental weaknesses, and mastering advanced tactics like tearblasting. Whether you're facing a Thunderjaw or a Slitherfang, this guide will turn you into a legendary machine hunter.

Understanding Machine Weak Points

Every machine has specific weak points that deal extra damage when hit. These are often glowing yellow or highlighted in your focus. Prioritize these areas to stagger the machine and speed up kills.

Common Weak Points

• Hearts and Cores: Most machines have a heart or core on their body. Hitting it deals massive damage but requires precise aim.
• Eyes and Sensors: Many machines have vulnerable eyes or sensory organs. Hitting them can cause blindness or confusion.
• Exposed Components: After removing armor, components like chillwater canisters or blaze canisters become weak points that cause explosions when hit.

Pro Tip: Use your focus to scan a machine before engaging. It reveals all weak points and component locations.

Elemental Strategies

Each element has a purpose. Matching the right element to a machine's weakness is key.

Fire

Best against machines weak to fire (e.g., Scorchers, Ravagers). Builds up the burning status, dealing damage over time and causing panic. Fire arrows are great for starting fights.

Frost

Frost makes a machine brittle, taking extra damage from all sources. Use frost arrows on tough enemies like Thunderjaws, then follow up with hard-hitting impact shots.

Shock

Shock stuns machines, leaving them vulnerable for critical hits. Perfect for disabling fast enemies like Clawstriders or Grazers.

Purgewater

Purgewater cleanses machines of their elemental attacks and increases their susceptibility to other elements. Use it on flame-spewing machines like Fire Bristlebacks.

Plasma

Plasma builds a charge that explodes after a delay, dealing massive damage. Effective on large, slow machines like Tremortusks but requires keeping the machine in range.

Tearblast Tactics

Tearblast arrows are your best friend for stripping armor and weapons from machines. A well-placed tearblast can remove a Thunderjaw's disc launcher or a Slitherfang's fangs, neutering their deadliest attacks.

• Prioritize Weapon Removal: Always tearblast off ranged weapons first. A Thunderjaw without disc launchers is far less threatening.
• Expose Weak Points: Removing armor often reveals weak points or components underneath.
• Use Tearblast on Dangerous Components: Some components, like the Lightning Gun on a Stormbird, can be torn off and used against the machine.

Pro Tip: Combine tearblast with shock to immobilize the machine while you strip it clean.

Specific Machine Tips

Thunderjaw

• Tearblast the disc launchers first.
• Hit the heart (chest) with precision arrows when it rears up.
• Use frost arrows to make it brittle, then spam impact arrows.

Slitherfang

• Destroy the poison canisters on its head to blind it.
• Fire arrows on its body to cause burning damage.
• Stay mobile; its charge attack is deadly.

Tremortusk

• Tearblast the tusks to prevent its stomp shockwave.
• Target the howdah (howdah gun) on its back to disable its rider.
• Use plasma to build up damage while dodging its trunk attacks.

Final Thoughts

Mastering these advanced tactics will turn even the most daunting machine hunt into a manageable challenge. Remember: scan, exploit weaknesses, and always have the right elemental arrows ready. Happy hunting, Nora!