Horizon Zero Dawn

[TDIRunner]

I too finally started playing the complete edition just this past weekend. I've had it in my collection for a while but just didn't have the time to get started. I haven't played a game where I couldn't wait to get home from work to get back to it in a very long time! And this game is really quite something. I'm not very good with the combat aspects, at least not up close so I'm likely to always be a ranged sniper type in my play on this. But I love tossing rocks to get groups of grazers together along with some watchers and then light up a Grazer's blaze container with a fire arrow and watch the carnage! I need to figure out how to use the traps that I've built but never used thus far as I'm sure I can do some cool stuff with those as well.

 

There is one thing I noticed immediately in the game and it is at the beginning. Obvious this game takes place in some far..WAY far off future. This is obvious based on the state of things in the first underground 'cave'. There is my issue. There are large stalactites and stalagmites in these caves that have formed over the tech being shown. Now we don't know if these formed through natural limestone or through concrete which, does make a huge difference in the amount of time that has passed. But either way, this game seems to take place perhaps as much as 100k years after what initially took place, took place? I'm hoping this is explained in the story more because the science part of me is having a hard time believing that any advanced tech would still have power and work in any form 100k years later. Especially tech built by any humans.

 

But I do like the vantage points you find that give you a glimpse at the world that once was. They did a much better job of the ruin decay having taken place and nature reclaiming the land in this case.

 

 

I can't comment on the specific part of the story that you seem to be concerned about because I didn't really think about that when I was playing it, but I can honestly say that the story line was one of the most interesting story lines that I've ever seen in a video game. In most games, I just want the cut scene to end so I can get back to playing. In Horizon, there were times when I wanted to get to the next part as soon as possible because I wanted to see what would happen next in the story.

 

Loved this game, and it was the first game I ever got a platinum trophy on. I still need to try out the Frozen Wilds expansion.

Edited April 9, 2019 by TDIRunner

[+-^CrossBow^-]

I do have the expansion but of course I'm going through the main game first. I already have the second to best armor and some of the best weapons in the game as I've been farming the Grazer's quite a bit but I think I'm only at like Level 13 currently since I just started playing it this past Sunday.

 

I'm sure I'm over analyzing the details I'm talking about, but I find it amusing that the tech we see that still has power operating to it in some degree also has like a 3ft stalagmite growing off it towards the ceiling. I'm hoping that the current timeline is somehow found out because I know what year the events in the past apparently took place.

 

Again it is a stellar game from what I've played, it is only the combat I've not quite gotten the hang of yet.

[zzip]

I too finally started playing the complete edition just this past weekend. I've had it in my collection for a while but just didn't have the time to get started. I haven't played a game where I couldn't wait to get home from work to get back to it in a very long time! And this game is really quite something. I'm not very good with the combat aspects, at least not up close so I'm likely to always be a ranged sniper type in my play on this. But I love tossing rocks to get groups of grazers together along with some watchers and then light up a Grazer's blaze container with a fire arrow and watch the carnage! I need to figure out how to use the traps that I've built but never used thus far as I'm sure I can do some cool stuff with those as well.

 

There is one thing I noticed immediately in the game and it is at the beginning. Obvious this game takes place in some far..WAY far off future. This is obvious based on the state of things in the first underground 'cave'. There is my issue. There are large stalactites and stalagmites in these caves that have formed over the tech being shown. Now we don't know if these formed through natural limestone or through concrete which, does make a huge difference in the amount of time that has passed. But either way, this game seems to take place perhaps as much as 100k years after what initially took place, took place? I'm hoping this is explained in the story more because the science part of me is having a hard time believing that any advanced tech would still have power and work in any form 100k years later. Especially tech built by any humans.

 

But I do like the vantage points you find that give you a glimpse at the world that once was. They did a much better job of the ruin decay having taken place and nature reclaiming the land in this case.

 

I don't recall the exact timeframe where this takes place, but I seem to recall it being more 100s of years rather than 100s of thousands. I would suspect the designers added the stalagtites to give the impression that time had passed without really thinking the exact number of years that would take.

 

As for still being powered. Let's just say that it's really advanced tech and designed to be very resilient. You'll see why later.

[+-^CrossBow^-]

 

I don't recall the exact timeframe where this takes place, but I seem to recall it being more 100s of years rather than 100s of thousands. I would suspect the designers added the stalagtites to give the impression that time had passed without really thinking the exact number of years that would take.

 

As for still being powered. Let's just say that it's really advanced tech and designed to be very resilient. You'll see why later.

 

100s of years is possible with the stalagmite/stalactite buildup when dealing with concrete structures vs natural limestone. I do hope that is explained. I'm already guessing that behind the DNA locked door there are people of the "old metal world" still alive and well.

 

Oh...man in thinking this through I hope this isn't some "The Maze" or "Divergent" type story thing is it? That just wouldn't be very original at this point and I would find that pretty disappointing to be honest.

 

I do like the Tall Necks though! Those are pretty cool but I wonder what their actual true purpose is supposed to be in the game?

Edited April 9, 2019 by -^Cro§Bow^-

[zzip]

100s of years is possible with the stalagmite/stalactite buildup when dealing with concrete structures vs natural limestone. I do hope that is explained. I'm already guessing that behind the DNA locked door there are people of the "old metal world" still alive and well.

Well most of the "caverns" you explore are actually old facilities, so concrete is more likely than limestone. They don't talk about this point though

 

I do like the Tall Necks though! Those are pretty cool but I wonder what their actual true purpose is supposed to be in the game?

They do have a specific purpose in the game. I don't know if I should spoil it, but you do learn to use them early on

[+-^CrossBow^-]

 

Well most of the "caverns" you explore are actually old facilities, so concrete is more likely than limestone. They don't talk about this point though

 

 

They do have a specific purpose in the game. I don't know if I should spoil it, but you do learn to use them early on

Oh I already did that part with the Tall Neck just prior to posting this. I was just hoping they had more of a purpose for their being than just what I did with it? I'm actually at level 18 in the game at this point and just cleared out the first cauldron facility. That was pretty cool I gotta say.

[+remowilliams]

I played this a bit after it came out. I initially looked at it for a few minutes and kind of bounced off of it, I'm sooo glad I went back to it - it's such an amazing game...

[zzip]

Oh I already did that part with the Tall Neck just prior to posting this. I was just hoping they had more of a purpose for their being than just what I did with it? I'm actually at level 18 in the game at this point and just cleared out the first cauldron facility. That was pretty cool I gotta say.

Ah ok, then what you did is the main purpose of the tall necks. Unless you can somehow utilize them in combat. (like how you can turn machines against each other)

[+-^CrossBow^-]

Too bad. They are such a cool looking design (the Tall Necks) that I was hoping there was more to them then that.

 

Although the story line still isn't clear to me at this point as to what has actually happened, I'm going to guess it has something to do with the fact that the machines look like animals and by extension, they are not hostile to the few animals that exist in this future world. I have to say that my least favorite machine to take down is the long legs. I have to play a cat and mouse game with them and use up a bunch of arrows to take them down since I can't seem to find a weapon that actually lets me shoot my shock arrows yet. It amazes me that even the currently most powerful bow I can buy can still only shoot normal and fire arrows and...that bow isn't that much more powerful than the bow you start off with. So the weapons seem very unbalanced thus far in this game and I find myself switching to one for using fire arrows, and the other for using normal arrows to help tear off components.

 

Can we talk about the Scrappers for a second? It seems that you can prevent them from using their pulse cannon once you remove their power pack, but removing their radar doesn't seem to prevent their combat effectiveness at all?

[Gentlegamer]

Just remember all enemies are incapable of detecting tripwires, mines, etc so use that to your advantage.

[+-^CrossBow^-]

Oh I have used the tripwires (not very succesful for those as I've had the scrappers somehow go right through them without triggering. I have found that a few of the machines are very susceptible to the Blaze container traps you can place. But the exploding fire traps really only seem effected against the scrappers. Long legs just took seem to take a tiny bit of of hit with these traps. I'm sure the shock traps would work better, but I'd really like to get a bow that can launch these 20 or so shock arrows I have in my inventory.

 

Also I just found out by accident last night that it is possible to still knock components off the machines even after you have killed them? I was swinging at a watcher next to a grazer I had just taken down and was shocked when a blaze container sparked off the dead grazer and rolled along the ground a ways.

 

And don't keep smacking the beetle looking machines that have their backs full of blaze or freeze because they will explode after death and it does hurt LOL!

 

Can you tell I'm jazzed about this game?

 

So yeah what bow do I need to be able to shoot elemental arrows besides fire because the Carja Mighty Bow can't do it apparently.

[+-^CrossBow^-]

Question regarding the bandit camps. I've been told several times to destroy the bandit alarms but cannot figure out how this is done? You can't shoot them with arrows as nothing happens when you do that. If you use a fire arrow, you just set the thing off. I looked it up on YT and it appears you just approach them and the Destroy Alarm option should appear? That has never happened so I wasn't sure if there was some specific way to do this? I suppose after taking out 4 bandit camps now without them actually setting it off it doesn't matter. But it is getting long in the tooth to spend soooo much time having to take out the bandits one by one methodically and silently. I'd rather just setup some explosive traps or something and go in Rambo style from time to time.

 

Anyway, again my game has never presented me with an option dialog to destroy the alarms when I've approached them so wasn't sure if there was some process to doing this?

[zzip]

Question regarding the bandit camps. I've been told several times to destroy the bandit alarms but cannot figure out how this is done? You can't shoot them with arrows as nothing happens when you do that. If you use a fire arrow, you just set the thing off. I looked it up on YT and it appears you just approach them and the Destroy Alarm option should appear? That has never happened so I wasn't sure if there was some specific way to do this? I suppose after taking out 4 bandit camps now without them actually setting it off it doesn't matter. But it is getting long in the tooth to spend soooo much time having to take out the bandits one by one methodically and silently. I'd rather just setup some explosive traps or something and go in Rambo style from time to time.

 

Anyway, again my game has never presented me with an option dialog to destroy the alarms when I've approached them so wasn't sure if there was some process to doing this?

I don't think I ever disabled an alarm, I just camped out outside a bandit camp, and pick off the isolated ones to prevent them sounding the alarm. Then hide in the brush if they did sound the alarm. Once I felt I got rid of enough, then I'd go inside and deal with the rest

[TDIRunner]

I know I disabled an alarm at least once, but it was so long ago, I honestly don't remember what I had to do. For some reason, I want to say it was with a melee attack.

[Agamon]

I know I disabled an alarm at least once, but it was so long ago, I honestly don't remember what I had to do. For some reason, I want to say it was with a melee attack.

 

This sounds right. I think I disabled the alarm in the 2nd camp I encountered. Didn't really know what I was doing in the 1st one, realized how hard it was in the 2nd one and decided drawing out bandits from the camp is easier than trying to sneak in.

[TDIRunner]

I always tried to start a Band Camp using stealth, but I don't think I ever successfully cleared one using only stealth.

 

This also reminds of of Cauldrons. I remember the first one I found, and how crazy difficult it was. But then, surprisingly, the others weren't as bad. By the time I finished all of them, I realized that I just happened to find the most difficult one first. Lucky me.

[+-^CrossBow^-]

Yes the cauldrons are interesting. I've only completed two of them so far, but the second one was much easier than the first one. Namely the first one easily had twice the number of rooms not to mention it had quite a few of those shell crawler things and they took forever to take out. The boss at the end was much worse than I think i was ready for and it took me a few tries. But I did find that what helps me a ton on these is to pepper the area that the boss is initially being built in with blast traps and blaze containers. Doing this helps take that armor off for me while I run around like crazy taking out additional machines that enter the room once the boss is triggered.

 

The second cauldron was much quicker with far fewer rooms to navigate. It did kinda suck that it had quite a few Long Legs in it. But those ravagers are cake when you hit them from up above. Love taking that cannon off them and making short work of the enemies.

 

As for the bandit camps, it looks like we all use the same methods LOL. I basically scale around the camp picking off the sentries in the watch towers and those that come running up to check out the bodies. Those new precision arrows are really nice for taking out the bandits quickly and apparently pretty quietly too.

[+-^CrossBow^-]

Took me over 200 hours in total but I just finished this amazing game yesterday! The story is fairly unique in a way of how everything came to pass and eventually causing where we are in the game. However, since I had the complete edition, I actually ended up finishing the main story line to Frozen Wilds first. As a result of this I was already at my level cap for about the last 3 missions of that and while the final battle was somewhat challenging (I even have the ancient armor), I was able to get through it on the 2nd attempt with still have my stock of potions left afterwards.

 

Because of that, I knew the final battle of the main story wasn't going to present me with much of a challenge and...sadly I was right about that. I'm really glad I let the credits at the end play out (Longest video game credits ever right?!) for that MCU like scene at the end but then the game is like 2 years old now, and I've not heard of a follow up?

 

I accomplished almost everything except the hunter proving ground trials. I was able to get blazing suns in a few of them, but most of them are just too tiresome to me with the strict time limits placed on them. Like the Stealth one asking me to take out Watchers silently but requiring 4 watchers to be taken down within a 2min timeframe. If those watchers were closer together it wouldn't be much of an issue. But they are scattered pretty decently apart with no less than 2 Stalkers in the mix that will become active as soon as they see you take down a watcher (That walks right in the stalkers line of sight...). Or if using arrows from a distance. As a result the 2 min timeframe requirement to me just doesn't seem possible in true stealth fashion.

 

Otherwise I think I knocked out all the optional, errand, tutorials, side quests etc that there was to do in the game. It was an amazing experience. Not sure I will do it all again for New Game + but cool to know it has the mode. In any event, this game is without doubt my favorite game I've played to date on my PS4 and it will be tough to find and play another game like it soon to match or top it.

 

Horizon really is the PS4 and especially the PS4 Pro's killer game I've found and played so far.

[+-^CrossBow^-]

 

This sounds right. I think I disabled the alarm in the 2nd camp I encountered. Didn't really know what I was doing in the 1st one, realized how hard it was in the 2nd one and decided drawing out bandits from the camp is easier than trying to sneak in.

 

I was able to figure it out and it ends up being MUCH easier than I thought! Just have to get a good angle and take out the bag of blaze with a standard arrow to drain it. You can even do this from outside the game if you can get a good angle on it. Precision arrows make it easier given their accuracy and seemingly unlimited distance they can damage targets from.

 

I always tried to start a Band Camp using stealth, but I don't think I ever successfully cleared one using only stealth.

 

This also reminds of of Cauldrons. I remember the first one I found, and how crazy difficult it was. But then, surprisingly, the others weren't as bad. By the time I finished all of them, I realized that I just happened to find the most difficult one first. Lucky me.

 

I don't know about true stealth but I was able to take down several of the last remaining camps by essentially picking off all the outside guards and snipers first with precision arrows. Or approach from behind the camp exploiting the terrain and take out the alarm first. Then take out the surrounding bandits, and then sneak in taking them out one by one. It made for some very very long game play doing it, but seemed way more strategic and accurate doing it this way vs being the lone Aloy going in arrows blazing hehe.

 

And the cauldrons were interesting. I too found the first one a bit difficult (Especially the boss at the end took several attempts to get through). Later cauldrons weren't as tough once I knew how they worked and the best ways to navigate them. Also once I figured out to lay traps all over the dang place around the bosses before activating them helped out in those battles at the end greatly as well.

[Razzie.P]

I'm really glad I let the credits at the end play out (Longest video game credits ever right?!) for that MCU like scene at the end but then the game is like 2 years old now, and I've not heard of a follow up?

 

 

In early April, they mentioned that a sequel was in development. Dunno if it'll be PS4 or the next system, but it seems to be happening.

[TDIRunner]

I accomplished almost everything except the hunter proving ground trials. I was able to get blazing suns in a few of them, but most of them are just too tiresome to me with the strict time limits placed on them. Like the Stealth one asking me to take out Watchers silently but requiring 4 watchers to be taken down within a 2min timeframe. If those watchers were closer together it wouldn't be much of an issue. But they are scattered pretty decently apart with no less than 2 Stalkers in the mix that will become active as soon as they see you take down a watcher (That walks right in the stalkers line of sight...). Or if using arrows from a distance. As a result the 2 min timeframe requirement to me just doesn't seem possible in true stealth fashion.

 

 

 

 

That's funny you mention that. The time trials were my least favorite part due to the fact that I hate time limits on anything. I eventually was able to get a blazing sun on all of them, but it was the only achievement that wasn't fun for me.

 

I have both a platinum trophy and a 100% game completion on my profile. Oddly enough, getting everything to achieve a platinum trophy will not necessarily get you 100% game completion, and achieving 100% game completion will not necessarily get you a platinum trophy, since the requirements for each are unique.

[zzip]

 

 

In early April, they mentioned that a sequel was in development. Dunno if it'll be PS4 or the next system, but it seems to be happening.

 

I can almost guarantee it will be for PS5. It seems that all the major Sony exclusives for PS4 have been announced, which presumably is why Sony isn't presenting at E3 this year. If I was to bet, the PS5 will be officially revealed by this time next year, and HZD 2 will be announced at next years E3 (or other show Sony has). It may or may not be a launch title for PS5

[Shawn]

I had forgotten about this game until this thread popped back up. Went and bought the complete version last night. Thanks for the reminders and reviews friends

[Lost Dragon]

I can almost guarantee it will be for PS5. It seems that all the major Sony exclusives for PS4 have been announced, which presumably is why Sony isn't presenting at E3 this year. If I was to bet, the PS5 will be officially revealed by this time next year, and HZD 2 will be announced at next years E3 (or other show Sony has). It may or may not be a launch title for PS5

Given how Guerilla have been at the forefront of showcasing Sony hardware since Sony bought them (Killzone on PS2 might have been a so so title, but it was a showcase of PS2 technology at the time, then you had THAT PS3 Killzone demo, Killzone Mercenary was used as a showcase title for the last push on the Vita, Killzone Shadowfall was a PS4 launch title) and Horizon Zero Dawn has been such a successful new I.P for Sony, i would wager it will be a showcase Playstation 5 launch title, it simply ticks all the right boxes.

 

 

It's a fresh I.P, where as the likes of God Of War, Uncharted, Infamous etc have run out of steam somewhat, The Last Of Us II looks to be a swan song PS4 title, the games open world nature, like the recently annouced GTA 6 lends itself to newer, more powerful hardware.

 

 

It just seems a given and an ideal title to encourage fans of the original to migrate to the Playstation 5 as early adopters, rather than stick with the PS4/PS4 Pro until they see what the new Xbox also has to offer.

[+Cafeman]

I Bought the Complete edition 6 months ago, but just started to play this like 2 weeks ago. I'm now at about level 17 and just left the Nora sacred land, so I doubt I'm a third of the way through the total game yet. There are some slight story spoilers above so I quit reading the comments and posts! I want the story to be revealed to me slowly and by playing the game.

 

I'm not used to the scope of a game like this! A vast wilderness where you can go anywhere, nd I like the hunting and stealth/ planning aspect of the battles. Its a fascinating story so far. Aloy is a very likeable character, I rewatched the origins video and it made me empathize with her and her adoptive father so much. I love the aspect of hunting boars, turkeys, foxes and using their meat , pelts, and the bones for survival.

 

I just cannot believe the size and scope of this world. This is how I felt playing the first Tomb Raider game on Saturn back in 1996. I did hit one bug where after a battle with a corruptor and its fellow machines, something didnt trigger and the border gate was closed! Oh noes! But I backtracked, then came back and thankfully the cutscene triggered and all is well.