Horizon Forbidden West Complete Edition is the PC version of Guerrilla's 2022 sequel, ported by Nixxes and released on Steam and the Epic Games Store on 21 March 2024 with the Burning Shores expansion included. This is a different game from Horizon Zero Dawn: Aloy travels west into drowned and buried stretches of old America where Tenakth clans, Utaru farmers, Oseram forge towns and the newly arrived Quen all hold ground, and machines such as the Tremortusk, Slitherfang and Slaughterspine set the ceiling for what a fight can throw at you. The PC build adds DLSS 3, FSR, XeSS and DLAA support, an unlocked framerate, DirectStorage, ultrawide up to 48:9, and graphics presets from very low to very high.
These tips go beyond the basics. They're the strategies experienced players use to play more efficiently, the hidden mechanics most people miss, and the optimizations that compound over a full playthrough. If you're just starting, check our beginner's guide first.
Essential Tips
1. Scan before you shoot, every single time
Scan before you shoot, every single time. The Focus lists a machine's components, elemental weakness and canister positions, and a Slaughterspine encounter you enter blind will cost you far more resources than the 10 seconds a scan takes.
2. Freeze first, then hit hard
Freeze first, then hit hard. Frost buildup raises the damage a machine takes for a window, so the standard high-level pattern is elemental arrows from the Hunter Bow to trigger frost, followed by Sharpshot Bow or Spike Thrower shots into a weak point.
3. Upgrade one weapon per damage type rather than spreading resources
Upgrade one weapon per damage type rather than spreading resources. Workbench upgrades add coil slots and raise base stats, and a fully upgraded rare bow routinely outperforms a legendary you have not touched. Machine components you tear off are the main upgrade currency, which is another reason to aim for parts.
4. Purgewater is the answer to elemental machines
Purgewater is the answer to elemental machines. Applying it strips a machine's ability to use its own elemental attacks, which turns a Fireclaw or a Frostclaw encounter into an ordinary melee fight.
5. Clear Cauldrons earlier than the main quest suggests
Clear Cauldrons earlier than the main quest suggests. MU, GEMINI, IOTA and CHI each unlock override codes for more machine types, and a mount plus an overridden heavy machine changes how the open world plays long before the story catches up.
6. Pick a Valor Surge that matches your tree rather than the highest number
Pick a Valor Surge that matches your tree rather than the highest number. Ranged Master heals you on ranged hits, which suits a build with no Survivor investment; Toughened restores health and resists status, which suits a melee brave who is going to eat attacks regardless.
7. Cook and craft before a hunt
Cook and craft before a hunt. Recipes give permanent health and stamina increases and the ingredients come from ordinary foraging, so a session spent cooking pays out across the rest of the campaign.
8. Play Machine Strike if you want gear without combat
Play Machine Strike if you want gear without combat. The in-world board game hands out rewards from opponents scattered across settlements, and it is the least dangerous progression track in the game.
9. Do not start Burning Shores early looking for power
Do not start Burning Shores early looking for power. It unlocks only after the base story completes, raises the cap from 50 to 60, and its machines are tuned for a finished build rather than a mid-game one.
10. Tune the PC settings rather than defaulting
Tune the PC settings rather than defaulting. The port supports DLSS 3, FSR, XeSS and DLAA, and on mid-range hardware upscaling at a higher internal resolution usually looks better than dropping the preset from high to medium.
Advanced Strategies
Role Optimization
The difference between an average build and an optimized one is massive. See our builds guide for full breakdowns.
For Hunter Sharpshooter (A-Tier):
- Focus on Focus scanning and weak points combinations for maximum output.
- Core gear: Sharpshot Bow
- Stat priority: Offensive stats first
For Warrior Melee Brave (A-Tier):
- Versatile approach that handles any situation.
- Core gear: Hunter Bow
- Stat priority: Balanced stats
Mechanic Interactions
Understanding how Horizon Forbidden West Complete Edition's systems interact is where the real optimization lives. Our combat guide covers this in detail.
Focus scanning and weak points + elemental status buildup: Holding the Focus highlights a machine's components, elemental canisters and armor plates, and marks the parts worth shooting off. Combined with elemental status buildup, frost, fire, shock, acid, plasma and purgewater each build a meter on a target before triggering.
Valor Surges + weapon coils and armor weaves: Each of the six skill trees hosts Valor Surges, one-off ultimate abilities charged by fighting well. When paired with weapon coils and armor weaves, weapons take coils and outfits take weaves, both of which add percentage bonuses to damage types, elemental buildup, stealth or health.
Cauldron overrides scaling: Cauldrons are machine factories running underground, and finishing one unlocks override codes for additional machine types. An overridden Clamberjaw or Tremortusk fights alongside you, and the same codes let you mount more machines for travel.
Weapons Efficiency
| Weapon | Best Use Case | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Sharpshot Bow | Stripping cannons, canisters and armor plates from large machines at range | Slow, heavy single-shot bow built for precision damage into weak points and canisters. |
| Hunter Bow | Applying elemental status and handling medium machines at mid range | The general-purpose bow that carries several ammo types, including the elemental arrows you use to build frost, fire or shock. |
| Spike Thrower | Punishing stationary or slow machines and finishing a frozen target | Launches heavy explosive spikes that deal large impact damage, benefiting from the Powershots Valor Surge alongside bows, boltcasters and ropecasters. |
| Shredder Gauntlet | Burst damage on an isolated machine when you have room to time the catches | Throws a returning disc that gains damage each time you catch and rethrow it in rhythm. |
| Boltblaster | Melting an exposed weak point after a component has already been torn off | Sustained rapid-fire weapon that spins up and then pours bolts into a target, trading precision for volume. |
Location Efficiency
Chainscrape (Roughly levels 5 to 10): An Oseram mining settlement and the first major town Aloy reaches, built and maintained by Oseram hands. It sets the template for later settlements with a hunting goods merchant, a workbench and stash access.
Barren Light (Roughly levels 8 to 14): The border fort controlling entry into Tenakth territory, filling the same structural role that Daytower did in Horizon Zero Dawn. Reaching it marks the point where machine difficulty steps up sharply.
Plainsong (Roughly levels 15 to 22): A Utaru settlement built around cultivated land, offering a hunting goods merchant, an herbalist, a workbench, a cook and stash access. Scalding Spear sits directly west of it, so the pair make a convenient supply loop.
The Memorial Grove (Roughly levels 20 to 30): The Tenakth site holding the Maw of the Arena, where you fight machine encounters under fixed rules for arena medals. It is optional content but the reward track is one of the better gear sources in the mid game.
Legacy's Landfall (Post-campaign, around level 40 and up; the level cap rises from 50 to 60 with the expansion): The main settlement of the Burning Shores expansion, set on the drowned remains of the Los Angeles coast. The expansion is included in the Complete Edition but only unlocks after you finish the base game's main story.
Mistakes Even Veterans Make
- Body-shooting machines instead of tearing off components, which wastes ammunition and forfeits the upgrade materials.
- Spreading upgrade resources across six weapons so none of them reach their final coil slots.
- Ignoring elemental status and trying to out-damage an apex machine with raw arrow output.
- Skipping Cauldrons, then wondering why override options and mounts stay limited well into the second act.
- Assuming this is Horizon Zero Dawn Remastered; the Complete Edition is the 2022 sequel plus Burning Shores, not a remaster of the first game.
Pro Quick Tips
- Scan before you shoot, every single time. The Focus lists a machine's components, elemental weakness and canister positions, and a Slaughterspine encounter you enter blind will cost you far more resources than the 10 seconds a scan takes.
- Freeze first, then hit hard. Frost buildup raises the damage a machine takes for a window, so the standard high-level pattern is elemental arrows from the Hunter Bow to trigger frost, followed by Sharpshot Bow or Spike Thrower shots into a weak point.
- Upgrade one weapon per damage type rather than spreading resources. Workbench upgrades add coil slots and raise base stats, and a fully upgraded rare bow routinely outperforms a legendary you have not touched. Machine components you tear off are the main upgrade currency, which is another reason to aim for parts.
- Start with Warrior Melee Brave, switch to Hunter Sharpshooter when ready
- Invest in Sharpshot Bow above everything else
- Clear areas in order: Chainscrape → Barren Light → Plainsong → The Memorial Grove → Legacy's Landfall. See our maps guide
- Focus scanning and weak points + elemental status buildup together are stronger than either alone
More Horizon Forbidden West Complete Edition Guides
- Horizon Forbidden West Complete Edition Horizon Forbidden West Complete Edition Overview
- Horizon Forbidden West Complete Edition Best Builds
- Horizon Forbidden West Complete Edition Tier List
- Horizon Forbidden West Complete Edition Walkthrough
- Horizon Forbidden West Complete Edition Beginner's Guide
- Horizon Forbidden West Complete Edition Weapons Guide
- Horizon Forbidden West Complete Edition Combat Guide
- Horizon Forbidden West Complete Edition Boss Guide
- Horizon Forbidden West Complete Edition Maps & Locations
- Horizon Forbidden West Complete Edition Crafting Guide
- Horizon Forbidden West Complete Edition Classes & Characters
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