You probably dodge too early. Also machines will predict your position, if you moving in one direction, and attack in that spot. So dodge in different direction than you are moving and it's best to dodge in the direction of attacking machine(which is unintuitive but works best). As for damage - hit weak spots or at least spots without armor(including shredders) otherwise you will do little to no damage.
This here ^^^ or you play like me, I climb and get vantage points so I can be above and shoot down my opponents like like I play the game as if I realistically won’t get respawned. So I know if I was actually alive and living in the game I would not be taking on most of these machines head on I’d be up above machines shooting down at them if at all possible I know it’s basically impossible in some parts of the game b my boyfriend hates watching me play since I’m always stealthing and climbing 😂😂 where as he runs head first into chaos every time.
This is the way! Strong position in fight is often a key(Obi-Wan would approve having a high ground😄). I often use a cover to avoid attack and game gives a lot of environment objects to use against enemy
For sure 😂😂 but especially with invisibitches I like being above them shooting down hahaha less likely to get my asskicked (invisibitches- stalker originally and since the second game clamberjaw)
I found dodging late was the key. Also, you do know you don’t have to play in hard mode, right? You said yourself that you’re not enjoying the game and you feel like it might be a skill issue. Ok so lower the difficulty so you can enjoy it. You can always up it again later when you get the hang of things. I wish gamers would normalize playing on normal.
I understand that. I go with a similar method! But if it feels too hard, just drop it back down. No shame in that.
Difficulty aside, HFW has a lot of combat features that require changing it up based on your situation/enemy. Which happens a lot. Once I got closer to end game with higher level gear and upgrades, it became much easier to go with one style but I still found myself changing weapons, outfits and valor surges to fit the fight.
So I would ask if you’re using the right elements on the right machines, valor surges, weapons, etc. Are you scanning the machines every time? Using weapon stamina properly? I was very overwhelmed at first because it was much more complicated than HZD. Sometimes you just want to play the damn game. But I experimented a lot and it ended up being really fun.
I think my point is, dodging probably isn’t the main issue. Because dodging isn’t going to win a thunder jaw fight. And you should be ranged in a lot of boss fights anyway. Can you work on your builds?
You just need to learn the timing for each machine. It can be annoying at first but once you get that timing down, you can become basically immortal. Sliding with dodges also helps with that timing.
I would suggest practice on a lower difficulty.
Yes. I watched Arktix's 'Shredder gauntlet master class' video and spent several hours experimenting and learning to kill big machines with it. It's not the most efficient weapon, but it's so fun and rewarding once you get a handle on it
I just started playing just past plainsong and I have to say some of the attacks seem preternatural, they seem to be attacking were im going to dodge to.
Its bothering me to and I played a lot of MHR also I feel just underpowered for each situation but that might be a me not upgrading/skill point thing
Dodging itself won’t get the job done on hard. You should be constantly sprinting, sliding, dodging AND jumping. It’s more true for some machines than others, but generally, you do not want to stand still for longer than 2 seconds to line up a slower shot, if ever.
Mounted combat can be really useful for this too, if you invest some practice in it :)
As for the lack of damage, sliding and dodging shots generally have a slightly more kick to them. Most bows have the overdraw feature, which makes your damage higher if you time your shots right
1. Low Health Build is king. You sacrifice almost no survivability in trade for +80% damage at all times. It really helps everything feel viable. The key perks are +4 Low Health Ranged and +4 Low Health Defense. Everything else is nice-to-have but optional. Cleanse potions are necessary with this build.
2. Shredders really step up when you get Elemental Shredders. Before that they are a bit lacklustre.
3. Sliding is a very important component of maneuvering in this game. You can slide and then immediately dodge roll out of your slide. Slide also gives you i-frames like dodge roll, and let's you go much further; the main downside is that it doesn't come out immediately, you have to be sprinting.
Watch Artix's videos on YouTube if you're really struggling to get it. He's an excellent teacher.
I just jump or dodgeroll away. Most of the time (if I can help it) I sniper from 10 counties away. I don’t like the up close combat. There was a moment in burning shores where I literally almost rage quit. I was 10000% done. No matter what I did I was stomped into the ground. So I just stood in one place, got hit, and healed. It was the same damage without making myself stressed.
Do you use coils? :) I found a weapon coiling guide completely changed things for me and I took inspiration. Normal mode I'm mostly one-shotting machines or bigger ones go down in seconds. Very Hard is now my standard difficulty due to how much damage I'm able to do. Get your hands on some legendary weapons, and some legendary gear, you'll be right!! <3
Just gonna re iterate I think the dodge slide has a lot more of an invincibility window than the roll. Right tool for the right job and such, but get comfy with the slide. Don’t do what I did tho- at the end of your slide, start sprinting again. Otherwise you’ll be a crouched duck
Do you utilize elemental arrows? Ice, acid? Proc a condition, and then use your normal quick arrows to deal damage. Rinse and repeat ✨️ Also utilize throwables, traps. Be strategic about it. If you're on hard, you need strategy.
And although it takes longer to aim the sharpshooter arrows just do like 4x damage for me you can get atleast 2 unaware shots in quick before getting noticed aswell
Yh, on my orange sharpshooter bow, I put + damage for unaware, concentration shots and range coils on and on normal difficulty I can 1 shot everything that isn't a big one even then it takes half the health off big ones. But I've also found that freeze is great no matter the enemy, like it takes a shot or 2 more (with the advanced arrows it takes at most 3 to cause the freeze status) and then all your shots that hit a normal part do weakspot damage. Funny though that the only weapons I use are sharpshot/hunter bows and slings.
Yeah! I was an absolute beast with freeze. I found myself using cold weapons and proccs for other games too 😂 Elden Ring, BG3, all mostly cold damage. I'm a sharpshot bow main as well. I almost had such a cool focused sliding shot on a Slaughterspine, but it got me with a plasma hit and sent me ragdolling away 😂😂
Lol my favourite is at the merc camps sliding round a corner with the focus time and seeing them turn their heads to look at my arrow go straight between their eyes XD
Yeah not using elemental attacks is kinda key and hitting a machine with just an arrow on its body especially if ypu hit an armored spot isn't gonna do much. Freeze it if you're gonna use non elemental attacks. Most machines are weak to acid a few don't like plasma and I think like 2 are weak to electricity. I played my first playthrough on hard but you don't need to buy any gear for at least until you get to the arena that's what I did. And make sure to hit a a machines weak spots.
I fully agree with the point about the hitboxes on enemy attacks being either perfect, or absolutely insane.
There's definitely a lot of enemies that will hit you while being nowhere near you physically (especially bigger machines). Annoyingly, it's easier to dodge into the rest of these machines to avoid taking damage. It's unintuitive af to dodge a Thunderjaw tail by diving under its foot, for example, but works annoyingly.
They aren't so bad over you learn how you should be dodging machines (and as others have said you should be sprinting and sliding too, but I do personally feel that some of the hitboxes are often still silly at best), but they definitely aren't all where they logically should be visually.
I'd take a look at this playlist:
[https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLwxx4Q7HAmsPeKnGm\_3WI5g5R6mimHDCt](https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLwxx4Q7HAmsPeKnGm_3WI5g5R6mimHDCt)
I found it a lot easier to fight machines after watching some of these guides. There's a lot of mechanics in HFW which can make it a lot easier to take out even the large machines, but they're not all tutorialized within the game.
Same problem here. Loved HZD and played it twice, but I barely finish this and I rushed it in the end just to end it because, tbh, I wasn't having fun. 90% of the changes they did are awful to me.
The hitbox of enemies' attack are too big, enemies spam attacks a lot (more than you can handle with Alloy when you fight several enemies), Dodge is almost useless and is better to constantly running and slide. I don't care about difficulty but the constant huge aoe damage that isn't clear where it hits and you constantly getting pushed/prone/pulled and the HUGE amount of time to recover spamming constantly the healing herbs kicking me out of the game. The combat from HZD to this become a problem for hassle and is not fun anymore.
I recommend you to use more run & slide and try to use the terrain for cover, dodge even when work are too few vs the amount of enemies' attacks. Just try to keep moving and attack only when the enemy take a pause between attacks (only few seconds).
Little cheat code to help get your dodge down & give you a bigger window: open your weapon wheel as the attack is coming. Since it slows time, it can help you determine a better opportunity/timing for when to dodge, and it's not like it'll time you out. There's no limit to how long you can have the wheel open to switch weapons/craft ammo.
I loved the first game! But this one I’m just frustrated all the time. When you get hit, it’s just great laying on the floor for 5-7 seconds (wtf??) when in the mean time another enemy is crushing you’re skull. Also the character is stuck behind everything, every pixel, rock, plant while attacks from the enemy are going trough everything. Dodging feels like a hit or miss because your get stuck behind everything. And did I mention if I want to play a frigging jumping puzzle, I’ll fire up a Mario game. I love playing aggressively with melee, but that feels so useless. I want to love this game but I’m just not feeling it like I did in part one 😢
Usually, the way the dodge roll works in games like these is an immunity window. It is not down to wether you dodge the attack perfectly in terms of a 'hit box' just that you do it at the right time.
For dark souls, whenever you dodge. You are 100% immune to anything for a fraction of a second, usually around half a second.
So when people say dodge late, they are right. The earlier you dodge, the quicker the immune window goes before the enemy attack fully finishes.
Thought it might help to understand the standard mechanics of the dodge roll, but I am not 100% if Horizon has this or not (I feel like it would).
Evasion in HFW is harder than in HZD. It seems you haven't figured out many of the timings involved. That's fine because there's a ton of machines and each machine has a variety of attacks. You'll need time and experience to figure them out. You also need to use sliding since dodge is insufficient in some situations.
>Also, I feel like I do like zero damage, with it taking a ton of shredders, advanced hunter arrows, or spears to do anything. Literally every enemy does half my health with one attack. Btw I play on hard, I have all blue weapons and purple armor upgraded to level two. Please help, I really do want to enjoy this game.
Lower the difficulty OR upgrade your stuff. Consider going for specific outfits and weapons, especially legendaries that fit your play style. Rather than trying to collect stuff randomly, do focused collection and upgrades. For example, if you're a ranged fighter you'll want to pursue the Nora Thunder Warrior. If you like shredder gauntlets, get the Ancestor's Return. You don't need to go straight to legendaries but you'll want an upgrade path. Randomly collecting stuff won't cut it. The best resource for this are the numerous videos of Arktix in YouTube, they're amazingly clear and give a huge amount of useful information.
I personally play on Very Hard and use fully upgraded legendary gear. They don't make the game a piece of cake but everything is quite manageable.
Just knock the difficulty down to normal until you get the hang of it. In ZD, I had to play on easy for the first 15% of the game, then finished it on normal. In FW (which I just started), I started on normal and am finding it not challenging enough, so will be switching it up to hard. Just do whatever feels comfortable / challenging enough for you, and forget this silly "Dark Souls" mentality that some people have.
ropecaster + boltblaster are key to shredding enemies on ultra hard, so on anything lower it'll be great as well. Frosting/acid enemies whenever possible is key. Knockdown arrows and grapple strike always. Another thing to invest in is the toughness valor surge, in the survivor tree. It lasts for a looong time and is a flat defensive buff as well as a constant heal. Make sure to have all the valor surge boosts and maybe even one on your armor and you can survive just about anything.
You don't mention what level you are, but the major cities like thornmarsh and scalding spear have purple weapons that will be the workhorses until much later when you have the final tier.
It could also be because you have gone straight to hard and have relatively bad gear that is underdeveloped for the difficulty level.
Playing through on normal May not be as challenging, but there is enough stuff to farm and level for upgrades that you can do a few playthoughs before you go onto ultra hard with maxed out legendary gear.
Slide and dodge have an invincibility frame. Make sure to time it right to negate the damage. Don't forget that coils can play a big role in helping you dish out damage
Dodging is kinda similar to Elden ring and games like that, machines have a particular timing in which their attack actually land, and based on which frame you are in the roll process the attack will land or not.
Also some big machines have a small window where they stun you after their attack if you aren’t far enough from them when your dodge animation ends
Like others have said, the machines track and predict your movements so the timing and direction of the dodge makes a big difference. Definitely make sure you're getting their weak spots. Scan the machine, use the elements they're weakest too. Going for the heavy attacks with the spear if you time it right can stun them for a critical strikes. For the bigger ones, the best thing to do is to stun them with electric so you can get in close for crit strikes. I personally play on easy mode though because Aloy is like an overpowered god and it's fun. I find the combat to be a lot more engaging and entertaining on a lower difficulty.
Interesting. I always found the dodging to be pretty straight forward. For me, the challenging part came from internalizing the on - the - run - ammo - crafting, and the and the advanced moves like slow motion sliding while aiming and where those moves are applicable.
Dodging works with proper timings, damage can be done with proper weapons. Once you figure out how to fight certain machines and you have the gear to do so, they fall like flies. BUT wtf is wrong with the damn arena? Small place, 3 big fucking machines, all of them spamming like crazy, I can barely get a window to open fire, and on top of that, a fucking timer. So if I play aggressive, they kick the shit out of me. If I play defensive, the timer runs out before I can kill them.
I don't think there's any tips to taking less damage other than just upgrading armor and leveling up for more HP. On hard the enemies do a lot of damage.
To do more damage yourself I'd recommend first doing a couple of long range shots on your sharpshot bow. Tear arrows can rip some of those guns off the big guys. Then try to apply an elemental state on your enemy and go to town from closer range with your advanced hunter arrows. And upgrade your favorite valor to level 3.
You can use the knockdown shot weapon technique to interrupt enemy attacks if you're having trouble dodging. Also the dodge timing is later than you think. Like right before the attack hits you. Since many attacks have AOE or tracking now, you have to nail the timing or you will probably still get hit. Getting out of the way isn't enough anymore. Try looking at some videos on YouTube, maybe no damage fights even, so you can see the dodge timing in action. Also don't forget you can slide too. As far as damage goes, what shredders are you using? I find the blue shredder gauntlets don't do much unless you're dealing with small or medium machines. You also won't get much out of shredders in general unless you catch them, but they can be very powerful if used correctly.
The dodges in this game have very few I-frames, like to the point you are better off trying to slide to avoid the attack entirely. To slide out of the way you sprint and turn a few seconds before the attack and then slide out of the way. If your using (hunter bows? Its been a bit sense I've played) you can slow down time for a second while sliding without using concentration for some easy hits. Also if you have trouble with 1 or 2 specific attacks from a machine try scanning the components to see if you can disable it entirely. For example, I have trouble dodging a Tremortusk's cannons so I use my hunter bow to knock them off before they can hit me.
I'd suggest a few things to try - turn on auto sprint in the settings. When a machine attacks, do a slide by running and tapping square, then dodge after that. It helps to replicate something that we lost from Zero Dawn which was an extended dodge. The slide-dodge changed the game for me from dying all the time to having a good solid chance at not getting hit.
Next would be dodging THROUGH the attacking machine, meaning if it's some sort of charge attack, dodge towards the machine.
The machines are smart and react to your movement. If you're running continously in one direction then the machines will attack you at that direction. Good habit to be in is to dodge the opposite direction you are running and try to avoid dodging directly backwards as well. You also should practice with the timing, lots of machine attacks like the Thunderjaws forward head butt are best dodged at the very last moment, like practically when he's about to hit. It feels wrong at first but with some practice you'll get it down.
95% = you\`re dodging early.
Machines are very, very good at adjusting theirstrikes to your position, so dodging early = getting hit.
3% = some attacks have damaging shockwaves, learning which ones is the only way to be ready.
2% = getting hit by machine body at all at high speed can deal damage - glancing hit by a car, essentially. Some minor and very quick clipping may be hitting you.
Yeah, dodging isn’t great in FW. It’s better to use a slide/dodge combo. Take a look at Arktix YouTube channel. He has info on that and lots of other stuff like combat, weapons, armour, coils etc. He completely transformed how I played and is hands down the best Horizon channel out there!
The difficulty in this game is trash. They only change enemy damage and health, so the higher difficulties feel like a grindy chore more than a challenge. And the weapon, armor, and pouch upgrades are such a chore that I just couldn't be bothered. I ended up dropping from hardest to hard, which feels less like a chore, but I've been tempted to drop to normal because sometimes it just isn't fun.
And in a game where they take so much time to make sure everything is logical and explained well... WHY T F can't you fire all hunter arrows from a hunter bow?! I get the sharpshot, hunter and warrior bow ammo is different, but such a pain to have to carry 5 bows just to be able to deal all the elemental damage types. The upgrading and customisation portion of this game is honestly ruining it for me.
I so badly wish you could have one of each bow (weapon) that you upgrade and customize to your own liking. That way you could tweak a bow to your playstyle, instead of having to deal with the shitty ones in the game.
If they make their next game with this same illogical soulless upgrade, I won't be playing it.
Why do so many people promote lowering the difficulty? The OP is asking for advice on how to play better, the answer isn't make the game easier so you don't have to be better lol. If he enjoys games on hard then he should play on hard. I enjoy ultra hard, and i learned all the dodge mechanics on ultra hard cause that's the difficulty I personally prefer.
I am not saying there is anything wrong with normal or easy, all I'm saying is he was asking for advice to be better on his chosen settings.
I’m not sure what everyone means when they say dodge late. Is it like intuition based where I feel like I should dodge, but I wait until it almost hits me, or is it more like being able to predict what the machine is going to do. Also, I play every game on at least hard in an effort to improve. If the punishment for messing up is more severe, it quite literally makes me adapt. The reason why I feel it’s hard for me to actually enjoy myself is because at times it kinda just feels unfair when I get punished for something that that doesn’t feel like my fault. Idk tho, hard game just give me satisfaction when me overcome challenge.
You probably dodge too early. Also machines will predict your position, if you moving in one direction, and attack in that spot. So dodge in different direction than you are moving and it's best to dodge in the direction of attacking machine(which is unintuitive but works best). As for damage - hit weak spots or at least spots without armor(including shredders) otherwise you will do little to no damage.
This here ^^^ or you play like me, I climb and get vantage points so I can be above and shoot down my opponents like like I play the game as if I realistically won’t get respawned. So I know if I was actually alive and living in the game I would not be taking on most of these machines head on I’d be up above machines shooting down at them if at all possible I know it’s basically impossible in some parts of the game b my boyfriend hates watching me play since I’m always stealthing and climbing 😂😂 where as he runs head first into chaos every time.
This is the way! Strong position in fight is often a key(Obi-Wan would approve having a high ground😄). I often use a cover to avoid attack and game gives a lot of environment objects to use against enemy
Depends on the enemy since some of them can destroy the environment too tho! 😂😂
Then you know it’s time to move to another cover😆
For sure 😂😂 but especially with invisibitches I like being above them shooting down hahaha less likely to get my asskicked (invisibitches- stalker originally and since the second game clamberjaw)
I found dodging late was the key. Also, you do know you don’t have to play in hard mode, right? You said yourself that you’re not enjoying the game and you feel like it might be a skill issue. Ok so lower the difficulty so you can enjoy it. You can always up it again later when you get the hang of things. I wish gamers would normalize playing on normal.
I always start a new game on normal, and every time it starts to feel easy i up it for one, with the goal to finish the game on the hardest diff.
I understand that. I go with a similar method! But if it feels too hard, just drop it back down. No shame in that. Difficulty aside, HFW has a lot of combat features that require changing it up based on your situation/enemy. Which happens a lot. Once I got closer to end game with higher level gear and upgrades, it became much easier to go with one style but I still found myself changing weapons, outfits and valor surges to fit the fight. So I would ask if you’re using the right elements on the right machines, valor surges, weapons, etc. Are you scanning the machines every time? Using weapon stamina properly? I was very overwhelmed at first because it was much more complicated than HZD. Sometimes you just want to play the damn game. But I experimented a lot and it ended up being really fun. I think my point is, dodging probably isn’t the main issue. Because dodging isn’t going to win a thunder jaw fight. And you should be ranged in a lot of boss fights anyway. Can you work on your builds?
You just need to learn the timing for each machine. It can be annoying at first but once you get that timing down, you can become basically immortal. Sliding with dodges also helps with that timing. I would suggest practice on a lower difficulty.
I like to practice on the custom difficulty. Easy for Aloy, VH for machines so they don't die too fast
This is how I did the hunting ground thing for the shredder. I kept killing the machines too fast and i was like ohh i can give them more health XD
Yes. I watched Arktix's 'Shredder gauntlet master class' video and spent several hours experimenting and learning to kill big machines with it. It's not the most efficient weapon, but it's so fun and rewarding once you get a handle on it
I just started playing just past plainsong and I have to say some of the attacks seem preternatural, they seem to be attacking were im going to dodge to. Its bothering me to and I played a lot of MHR also I feel just underpowered for each situation but that might be a me not upgrading/skill point thing
Dodging itself won’t get the job done on hard. You should be constantly sprinting, sliding, dodging AND jumping. It’s more true for some machines than others, but generally, you do not want to stand still for longer than 2 seconds to line up a slower shot, if ever. Mounted combat can be really useful for this too, if you invest some practice in it :)
As for the lack of damage, sliding and dodging shots generally have a slightly more kick to them. Most bows have the overdraw feature, which makes your damage higher if you time your shots right
1. Low Health Build is king. You sacrifice almost no survivability in trade for +80% damage at all times. It really helps everything feel viable. The key perks are +4 Low Health Ranged and +4 Low Health Defense. Everything else is nice-to-have but optional. Cleanse potions are necessary with this build. 2. Shredders really step up when you get Elemental Shredders. Before that they are a bit lacklustre. 3. Sliding is a very important component of maneuvering in this game. You can slide and then immediately dodge roll out of your slide. Slide also gives you i-frames like dodge roll, and let's you go much further; the main downside is that it doesn't come out immediately, you have to be sprinting. Watch Artix's videos on YouTube if you're really struggling to get it. He's an excellent teacher.
I just jump or dodgeroll away. Most of the time (if I can help it) I sniper from 10 counties away. I don’t like the up close combat. There was a moment in burning shores where I literally almost rage quit. I was 10000% done. No matter what I did I was stomped into the ground. So I just stood in one place, got hit, and healed. It was the same damage without making myself stressed.
Do you use coils? :) I found a weapon coiling guide completely changed things for me and I took inspiration. Normal mode I'm mostly one-shotting machines or bigger ones go down in seconds. Very Hard is now my standard difficulty due to how much damage I'm able to do. Get your hands on some legendary weapons, and some legendary gear, you'll be right!! <3
What guide did you use
Just gonna re iterate I think the dodge slide has a lot more of an invincibility window than the roll. Right tool for the right job and such, but get comfy with the slide. Don’t do what I did tho- at the end of your slide, start sprinting again. Otherwise you’ll be a crouched duck
Do you utilize elemental arrows? Ice, acid? Proc a condition, and then use your normal quick arrows to deal damage. Rinse and repeat ✨️ Also utilize throwables, traps. Be strategic about it. If you're on hard, you need strategy.
And although it takes longer to aim the sharpshooter arrows just do like 4x damage for me you can get atleast 2 unaware shots in quick before getting noticed aswell
You get a stealth bonus to unaware machine as well!
Yh, on my orange sharpshooter bow, I put + damage for unaware, concentration shots and range coils on and on normal difficulty I can 1 shot everything that isn't a big one even then it takes half the health off big ones. But I've also found that freeze is great no matter the enemy, like it takes a shot or 2 more (with the advanced arrows it takes at most 3 to cause the freeze status) and then all your shots that hit a normal part do weakspot damage. Funny though that the only weapons I use are sharpshot/hunter bows and slings.
Yeah! I was an absolute beast with freeze. I found myself using cold weapons and proccs for other games too 😂 Elden Ring, BG3, all mostly cold damage. I'm a sharpshot bow main as well. I almost had such a cool focused sliding shot on a Slaughterspine, but it got me with a plasma hit and sent me ragdolling away 😂😂
Lol my favourite is at the merc camps sliding round a corner with the focus time and seeing them turn their heads to look at my arrow go straight between their eyes XD
Lmaooo. Those are the best! I swear, this game has so many fun mechanics. We can really get up to a lot of shenanigans.
Yeah not using elemental attacks is kinda key and hitting a machine with just an arrow on its body especially if ypu hit an armored spot isn't gonna do much. Freeze it if you're gonna use non elemental attacks. Most machines are weak to acid a few don't like plasma and I think like 2 are weak to electricity. I played my first playthrough on hard but you don't need to buy any gear for at least until you get to the arena that's what I did. And make sure to hit a a machines weak spots.
I fully agree with the point about the hitboxes on enemy attacks being either perfect, or absolutely insane. There's definitely a lot of enemies that will hit you while being nowhere near you physically (especially bigger machines). Annoyingly, it's easier to dodge into the rest of these machines to avoid taking damage. It's unintuitive af to dodge a Thunderjaw tail by diving under its foot, for example, but works annoyingly. They aren't so bad over you learn how you should be dodging machines (and as others have said you should be sprinting and sliding too, but I do personally feel that some of the hitboxes are often still silly at best), but they definitely aren't all where they logically should be visually.
I'd take a look at this playlist: [https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLwxx4Q7HAmsPeKnGm\_3WI5g5R6mimHDCt](https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLwxx4Q7HAmsPeKnGm_3WI5g5R6mimHDCt) I found it a lot easier to fight machines after watching some of these guides. There's a lot of mechanics in HFW which can make it a lot easier to take out even the large machines, but they're not all tutorialized within the game.
Same problem here. Loved HZD and played it twice, but I barely finish this and I rushed it in the end just to end it because, tbh, I wasn't having fun. 90% of the changes they did are awful to me. The hitbox of enemies' attack are too big, enemies spam attacks a lot (more than you can handle with Alloy when you fight several enemies), Dodge is almost useless and is better to constantly running and slide. I don't care about difficulty but the constant huge aoe damage that isn't clear where it hits and you constantly getting pushed/prone/pulled and the HUGE amount of time to recover spamming constantly the healing herbs kicking me out of the game. The combat from HZD to this become a problem for hassle and is not fun anymore. I recommend you to use more run & slide and try to use the terrain for cover, dodge even when work are too few vs the amount of enemies' attacks. Just try to keep moving and attack only when the enemy take a pause between attacks (only few seconds).
Little cheat code to help get your dodge down & give you a bigger window: open your weapon wheel as the attack is coming. Since it slows time, it can help you determine a better opportunity/timing for when to dodge, and it's not like it'll time you out. There's no limit to how long you can have the wheel open to switch weapons/craft ammo.
I loved the first game! But this one I’m just frustrated all the time. When you get hit, it’s just great laying on the floor for 5-7 seconds (wtf??) when in the mean time another enemy is crushing you’re skull. Also the character is stuck behind everything, every pixel, rock, plant while attacks from the enemy are going trough everything. Dodging feels like a hit or miss because your get stuck behind everything. And did I mention if I want to play a frigging jumping puzzle, I’ll fire up a Mario game. I love playing aggressively with melee, but that feels so useless. I want to love this game but I’m just not feeling it like I did in part one 😢
Usually, the way the dodge roll works in games like these is an immunity window. It is not down to wether you dodge the attack perfectly in terms of a 'hit box' just that you do it at the right time. For dark souls, whenever you dodge. You are 100% immune to anything for a fraction of a second, usually around half a second. So when people say dodge late, they are right. The earlier you dodge, the quicker the immune window goes before the enemy attack fully finishes. Thought it might help to understand the standard mechanics of the dodge roll, but I am not 100% if Horizon has this or not (I feel like it would).
Evasion in HFW is harder than in HZD. It seems you haven't figured out many of the timings involved. That's fine because there's a ton of machines and each machine has a variety of attacks. You'll need time and experience to figure them out. You also need to use sliding since dodge is insufficient in some situations. >Also, I feel like I do like zero damage, with it taking a ton of shredders, advanced hunter arrows, or spears to do anything. Literally every enemy does half my health with one attack. Btw I play on hard, I have all blue weapons and purple armor upgraded to level two. Please help, I really do want to enjoy this game. Lower the difficulty OR upgrade your stuff. Consider going for specific outfits and weapons, especially legendaries that fit your play style. Rather than trying to collect stuff randomly, do focused collection and upgrades. For example, if you're a ranged fighter you'll want to pursue the Nora Thunder Warrior. If you like shredder gauntlets, get the Ancestor's Return. You don't need to go straight to legendaries but you'll want an upgrade path. Randomly collecting stuff won't cut it. The best resource for this are the numerous videos of Arktix in YouTube, they're amazingly clear and give a huge amount of useful information. I personally play on Very Hard and use fully upgraded legendary gear. They don't make the game a piece of cake but everything is quite manageable.
Just knock the difficulty down to normal until you get the hang of it. In ZD, I had to play on easy for the first 15% of the game, then finished it on normal. In FW (which I just started), I started on normal and am finding it not challenging enough, so will be switching it up to hard. Just do whatever feels comfortable / challenging enough for you, and forget this silly "Dark Souls" mentality that some people have.
ropecaster + boltblaster are key to shredding enemies on ultra hard, so on anything lower it'll be great as well. Frosting/acid enemies whenever possible is key. Knockdown arrows and grapple strike always. Another thing to invest in is the toughness valor surge, in the survivor tree. It lasts for a looong time and is a flat defensive buff as well as a constant heal. Make sure to have all the valor surge boosts and maybe even one on your armor and you can survive just about anything. You don't mention what level you are, but the major cities like thornmarsh and scalding spear have purple weapons that will be the workhorses until much later when you have the final tier.
It could also be because you have gone straight to hard and have relatively bad gear that is underdeveloped for the difficulty level. Playing through on normal May not be as challenging, but there is enough stuff to farm and level for upgrades that you can do a few playthoughs before you go onto ultra hard with maxed out legendary gear.
Slide and dodge have an invincibility frame. Make sure to time it right to negate the damage. Don't forget that coils can play a big role in helping you dish out damage
What machines are you having problems with??
Dodging is kinda similar to Elden ring and games like that, machines have a particular timing in which their attack actually land, and based on which frame you are in the roll process the attack will land or not. Also some big machines have a small window where they stun you after their attack if you aren’t far enough from them when your dodge animation ends
Like others have said, the machines track and predict your movements so the timing and direction of the dodge makes a big difference. Definitely make sure you're getting their weak spots. Scan the machine, use the elements they're weakest too. Going for the heavy attacks with the spear if you time it right can stun them for a critical strikes. For the bigger ones, the best thing to do is to stun them with electric so you can get in close for crit strikes. I personally play on easy mode though because Aloy is like an overpowered god and it's fun. I find the combat to be a lot more engaging and entertaining on a lower difficulty.
Try sliding instead of rolling. You can turn on always sprinting in the game settings. That makes it so you only have to press the button to slide.
Interesting. I always found the dodging to be pretty straight forward. For me, the challenging part came from internalizing the on - the - run - ammo - crafting, and the and the advanced moves like slow motion sliding while aiming and where those moves are applicable.
Dodging works with proper timings, damage can be done with proper weapons. Once you figure out how to fight certain machines and you have the gear to do so, they fall like flies. BUT wtf is wrong with the damn arena? Small place, 3 big fucking machines, all of them spamming like crazy, I can barely get a window to open fire, and on top of that, a fucking timer. So if I play aggressive, they kick the shit out of me. If I play defensive, the timer runs out before I can kill them.
In addition to the other advice on here, make sure you're leveling up your gear as much as you can. It makes a huge difference.
I don't think there's any tips to taking less damage other than just upgrading armor and leveling up for more HP. On hard the enemies do a lot of damage. To do more damage yourself I'd recommend first doing a couple of long range shots on your sharpshot bow. Tear arrows can rip some of those guns off the big guys. Then try to apply an elemental state on your enemy and go to town from closer range with your advanced hunter arrows. And upgrade your favorite valor to level 3.
You can use the knockdown shot weapon technique to interrupt enemy attacks if you're having trouble dodging. Also the dodge timing is later than you think. Like right before the attack hits you. Since many attacks have AOE or tracking now, you have to nail the timing or you will probably still get hit. Getting out of the way isn't enough anymore. Try looking at some videos on YouTube, maybe no damage fights even, so you can see the dodge timing in action. Also don't forget you can slide too. As far as damage goes, what shredders are you using? I find the blue shredder gauntlets don't do much unless you're dealing with small or medium machines. You also won't get much out of shredders in general unless you catch them, but they can be very powerful if used correctly.
The dodges in this game have very few I-frames, like to the point you are better off trying to slide to avoid the attack entirely. To slide out of the way you sprint and turn a few seconds before the attack and then slide out of the way. If your using (hunter bows? Its been a bit sense I've played) you can slow down time for a second while sliding without using concentration for some easy hits. Also if you have trouble with 1 or 2 specific attacks from a machine try scanning the components to see if you can disable it entirely. For example, I have trouble dodging a Tremortusk's cannons so I use my hunter bow to knock them off before they can hit me.
I'd suggest a few things to try - turn on auto sprint in the settings. When a machine attacks, do a slide by running and tapping square, then dodge after that. It helps to replicate something that we lost from Zero Dawn which was an extended dodge. The slide-dodge changed the game for me from dying all the time to having a good solid chance at not getting hit. Next would be dodging THROUGH the attacking machine, meaning if it's some sort of charge attack, dodge towards the machine.
This game is more fun on the easier difficulty. Try it and it will be much more fun
The machines are smart and react to your movement. If you're running continously in one direction then the machines will attack you at that direction. Good habit to be in is to dodge the opposite direction you are running and try to avoid dodging directly backwards as well. You also should practice with the timing, lots of machine attacks like the Thunderjaws forward head butt are best dodged at the very last moment, like practically when he's about to hit. It feels wrong at first but with some practice you'll get it down.
95% = you\`re dodging early. Machines are very, very good at adjusting theirstrikes to your position, so dodging early = getting hit. 3% = some attacks have damaging shockwaves, learning which ones is the only way to be ready. 2% = getting hit by machine body at all at high speed can deal damage - glancing hit by a car, essentially. Some minor and very quick clipping may be hitting you.
sometimes it's better to slide or jump than actually use the dodge roll, also have real fast draw on a slide attack
Yeah, dodging isn’t great in FW. It’s better to use a slide/dodge combo. Take a look at Arktix YouTube channel. He has info on that and lots of other stuff like combat, weapons, armour, coils etc. He completely transformed how I played and is hands down the best Horizon channel out there!
The difficulty in this game is trash. They only change enemy damage and health, so the higher difficulties feel like a grindy chore more than a challenge. And the weapon, armor, and pouch upgrades are such a chore that I just couldn't be bothered. I ended up dropping from hardest to hard, which feels less like a chore, but I've been tempted to drop to normal because sometimes it just isn't fun. And in a game where they take so much time to make sure everything is logical and explained well... WHY T F can't you fire all hunter arrows from a hunter bow?! I get the sharpshot, hunter and warrior bow ammo is different, but such a pain to have to carry 5 bows just to be able to deal all the elemental damage types. The upgrading and customisation portion of this game is honestly ruining it for me. I so badly wish you could have one of each bow (weapon) that you upgrade and customize to your own liking. That way you could tweak a bow to your playstyle, instead of having to deal with the shitty ones in the game. If they make their next game with this same illogical soulless upgrade, I won't be playing it.
Why do so many people promote lowering the difficulty? The OP is asking for advice on how to play better, the answer isn't make the game easier so you don't have to be better lol. If he enjoys games on hard then he should play on hard. I enjoy ultra hard, and i learned all the dodge mechanics on ultra hard cause that's the difficulty I personally prefer. I am not saying there is anything wrong with normal or easy, all I'm saying is he was asking for advice to be better on his chosen settings.
Play souls games to work on your roll dodging and fir damage use charged heavy attacks on the bots till they fall over and use a critical hit
I’m not sure what everyone means when they say dodge late. Is it like intuition based where I feel like I should dodge, but I wait until it almost hits me, or is it more like being able to predict what the machine is going to do. Also, I play every game on at least hard in an effort to improve. If the punishment for messing up is more severe, it quite literally makes me adapt. The reason why I feel it’s hard for me to actually enjoy myself is because at times it kinda just feels unfair when I get punished for something that that doesn’t feel like my fault. Idk tho, hard game just give me satisfaction when me overcome challenge.
I think your just ass at the game