Horizon Zero Dawn
Discussion
chris watton said:
No, when you load, you will see the new map area, regardless of where you are in the main game.
Sounds good. I’ve spent ages scouring the map inch by inch to find something new to discover/kill. I was going to set off on a trek, a circumnavigation around the outer border of the whole map, just for the fun of it.
chris watton said:
King Herald said:
Do you have to start the whole game again after installing the DLC?
No, when you load, you will see the new map area, regardless of where you are in the main game.So I decided to download the Winter DLC, and discovered the account I am using is one I set up years ago in the Philippines, and is based in Hong Kong. So, no can do.
I set up a totally new account, but somehow PlayStation decided my account email ends in .com, when it is .co.uk and they are sending me verification emails, which I don’t receive.
Until I verify the account I can’t access it to edit it....so it is screwed up for good.
Anyway, start again, totally new account with a newly started name and new email, and the DLC is now downloaded.
I’ve started a new game, but I assume that if I go back to my original game and account the DLC will still be accessible.
I set up a totally new account, but somehow PlayStation decided my account email ends in .com, when it is .co.uk and they are sending me verification emails, which I don’t receive.
Until I verify the account I can’t access it to edit it....so it is screwed up for good.
Anyway, start again, totally new account with a newly started name and new email, and the DLC is now downloaded.
I’ve started a new game, but I assume that if I go back to my original game and account the DLC will still be accessible.
Edited by King Herald on Wednesday 15th November 19:56
Ho hum. The game I was playing was a New Game+ on Ultra Hard. So I can play the DLC for the first time on Ultra Hard, or restart the whole fricking thing on a lower level. Seems there's no way to lower the difficulty once started a NG+.
Which makes things fairly interesting; the first daemon monster killed me many times before I could get past. I'll keep plugging away in Ultra but it feels like quite a slog so far, but I just can't face doing the whole game again (I've already done it 3 times!).
Which makes things fairly interesting; the first daemon monster killed me many times before I could get past. I'll keep plugging away in Ultra but it feels like quite a slog so far, but I just can't face doing the whole game again (I've already done it 3 times!).
I hadn't played HZD since I beat it the first time around, so never ventured into New Game Plus or Ultra Hard mode and was confident going into the new area that my inflated level 50 Aloy and her gear would be enough to walk through Frozen Wilds as well. Wrong. Frozen Wilds is substantially tougher than the base game. Even the Shield-Weaver armour isn't going to save you here, you're better off ditching it and putting some mods into armour more suitable for the enemies you're fighting, moreso if you've got the NG+ adept gear.
Finally got round to playing Frozen Wilds over the weekend having been distracted by WWII.
It's great to be playing it again, it really is a fantastic game. As has been said above, the new machines take some stopping. Those Scorchers are a real pain. But that sodding Fireclaw thing! Took me three tries to kill it, having used the same failed tactics for the first two attempts.
I got the Banuk armour but i didn't find it as good as Shield Weaver. I died pretty quickly to a Scorcher despite having fire resistance mods so took it back off. I didn't think much of the new weapons either other than the Banuk bows, which are great. Although i do spend a lot of time thinking that i'm doing it wrong i.e. not using the right weapons, with the right mods, at the right time, in the right way against the right enemies. With the original game i had a look on YouTube once or twice for tips on taking down things like Thunderjaws and realised it could be done much more easily with a change of approach.
I think i'm close to the end of the main story line (I hope i'm wrong
), then it'll be onto side quests and the rest of the collectibles.
It's great to be playing it again, it really is a fantastic game. As has been said above, the new machines take some stopping. Those Scorchers are a real pain. But that sodding Fireclaw thing! Took me three tries to kill it, having used the same failed tactics for the first two attempts.
I got the Banuk armour but i didn't find it as good as Shield Weaver. I died pretty quickly to a Scorcher despite having fire resistance mods so took it back off. I didn't think much of the new weapons either other than the Banuk bows, which are great. Although i do spend a lot of time thinking that i'm doing it wrong i.e. not using the right weapons, with the right mods, at the right time, in the right way against the right enemies. With the original game i had a look on YouTube once or twice for tips on taking down things like Thunderjaws and realised it could be done much more easily with a change of approach.
I think i'm close to the end of the main story line (I hope i'm wrong
), then it'll be onto side quests and the rest of the collectibles. Finished the DLC over the weekend. Stuck at it on Ultra Hard, which lived up to its name especially in the Cauldron. A couple of scorchers, a daemonic Thunderjaw and finally the Fireclaw got me through over 500 Blaze canisters and a whole load of health. I barely made it out with any kit left, but then I guess maybe that was the plan.
Haven't been lucky enough to get a Scorcher Heart yet so haven't yet got one of the bows. Overall I'd say it was a good little DLC, the graphics have been taken to another level - some of the snow effects around are technically astounding. I've found the new weapons completely underwhelming even when upgraded and modded - the flame thrower takes too much effort even to crisp up a Watcher, and the ice shooty thing takes too long to charge up - I can do about 5 sticky bombs doing the same ~500 damage in the time it takes to get one ice shot off.
Overall, worth £15 and I hope they do some more. Though I might have to restart on a lower difficulty as the Fireclaw is a bit of a lottery on Ultra Hard with its instadeath moves.
Haven't been lucky enough to get a Scorcher Heart yet so haven't yet got one of the bows. Overall I'd say it was a good little DLC, the graphics have been taken to another level - some of the snow effects around are technically astounding. I've found the new weapons completely underwhelming even when upgraded and modded - the flame thrower takes too much effort even to crisp up a Watcher, and the ice shooty thing takes too long to charge up - I can do about 5 sticky bombs doing the same ~500 damage in the time it takes to get one ice shot off.
Overall, worth £15 and I hope they do some more. Though I might have to restart on a lower difficulty as the Fireclaw is a bit of a lottery on Ultra Hard with its instadeath moves.
Given that it sounds like you know what you're doing Philbo (killing the Fireclaw on ultra must be a nightmare), what are your default go-to weapons? Of the four slots available, i have:
A hunter bow for the hardpoint arrows;
A sharpshot bow for the tearblast arrows; and
A tripcaster for blastwire
The fourth slot is effectively free as i rarely use whatever's in it. The above three weapons with those specific ammo types are what i use 99% of the time. Is there anything you (or indeed anyone else) would recommend?
A hunter bow for the hardpoint arrows;
A sharpshot bow for the tearblast arrows; and
A tripcaster for blastwire
The fourth slot is effectively free as i rarely use whatever's in it. The above three weapons with those specific ammo types are what i use 99% of the time. Is there anything you (or indeed anyone else) would recommend?
I switch weapons and armour a lot, depending what I'm taking on. Usually I run around in the Nora stealth armour as on Ultra Hard the monsters are much more sensitive so I find it a lot easier to move around this way. I'll switch to the shield-weave when engaging unless there's a specific better option for a situation (usually Freeze).
I keep the "other" bow (not the hardpoint one) in the same slot permanently, as suitably modded (3 x damage/handling + 1 handling/damage) it does more damage than even a modded hardpoint and has faster rate of fire.
I tend to keep the blast sling in the same slot - the one that does explosive damage. The sticky bomb on this does ~500 damage and is my main attritional device. I occasionally swap this for a blast sling modded for freeze or fire damage if a monster is particularly vulnerable to those types.
I keep a tearblast modded bow in one slot usually to knock off monster range weapons early on. I will swap this for a fire/freeze/spark modded bows when going for particular canister shots.
The last slot I keep the explosive tripcaster usually loaded - I use this a lot. Doing ~500 damage I often throw 3 or 4 of these down in the first encounter with a big monster, or I throw up a protective wall around myself to take out annoying Watchers when I'm concentrating on a big one. I'll swap this weapon for a ropecaster for specific types.
Mostly I'll just take down monsters with cumulative damage. I've found this quicker and easier than trying to get too clever - I'll usually start off an encounter with a specific canister or attack type, but quickly revert to spamming with triple arrows and sticky bombs.
My tactics for specific tricky monsters are:
Glinthawks: switch to Banuk armour, then either ropecast x3 and 2x sticky bomb, or just shoot them with arrows
Snapmaws: 3x fire arrows to set them on fire, retreat to safe distance then repeat once more and they're dead. Easy as.
Stormbird: switch to Oseram sparkworker just in case but then ropecast to the ground, spam with sticky bombs, repeat.
Ravager: tearblast off cannon then tripcaster wires and sticky bombs.
Thunderjaw: tearblast off disc launchers then cannon, use discs against it then shoot arrows into heart. Use height and/or cover.
Rockbreaker: tearblast off feet then arrows at its vulnerable spot on its back.
Behemoth: I only engage from height & cover, then go for canister kills.
Stalkers: 3xspark arrows to disable, couple of sticky bombs to finish while they're stunned.
I've had most success with Ravager tactics on the Frozen Wilds monsters, apart from the Fireclaw which I finally killed with Stormbird tactics. It took 20 minutes...
Obvs I'll use Corruption and/or overrides when mixing it up with multiple monsters when possible. I'll also use a LOT of traps in particular situations (usually the scripted ones e.g. cauldrons). I don't use the protection potions at all, as I keep the full health potion selected for emergencies and I lack the digital dexterity to select the right potion in a high pressure situation.
I keep the "other" bow (not the hardpoint one) in the same slot permanently, as suitably modded (3 x damage/handling + 1 handling/damage) it does more damage than even a modded hardpoint and has faster rate of fire.
I tend to keep the blast sling in the same slot - the one that does explosive damage. The sticky bomb on this does ~500 damage and is my main attritional device. I occasionally swap this for a blast sling modded for freeze or fire damage if a monster is particularly vulnerable to those types.
I keep a tearblast modded bow in one slot usually to knock off monster range weapons early on. I will swap this for a fire/freeze/spark modded bows when going for particular canister shots.
The last slot I keep the explosive tripcaster usually loaded - I use this a lot. Doing ~500 damage I often throw 3 or 4 of these down in the first encounter with a big monster, or I throw up a protective wall around myself to take out annoying Watchers when I'm concentrating on a big one. I'll swap this weapon for a ropecaster for specific types.
Mostly I'll just take down monsters with cumulative damage. I've found this quicker and easier than trying to get too clever - I'll usually start off an encounter with a specific canister or attack type, but quickly revert to spamming with triple arrows and sticky bombs.
My tactics for specific tricky monsters are:
Glinthawks: switch to Banuk armour, then either ropecast x3 and 2x sticky bomb, or just shoot them with arrows
Snapmaws: 3x fire arrows to set them on fire, retreat to safe distance then repeat once more and they're dead. Easy as.
Stormbird: switch to Oseram sparkworker just in case but then ropecast to the ground, spam with sticky bombs, repeat.
Ravager: tearblast off cannon then tripcaster wires and sticky bombs.
Thunderjaw: tearblast off disc launchers then cannon, use discs against it then shoot arrows into heart. Use height and/or cover.
Rockbreaker: tearblast off feet then arrows at its vulnerable spot on its back.
Behemoth: I only engage from height & cover, then go for canister kills.
Stalkers: 3xspark arrows to disable, couple of sticky bombs to finish while they're stunned.
I've had most success with Ravager tactics on the Frozen Wilds monsters, apart from the Fireclaw which I finally killed with Stormbird tactics. It took 20 minutes...
Obvs I'll use Corruption and/or overrides when mixing it up with multiple monsters when possible. I'll also use a LOT of traps in particular situations (usually the scripted ones e.g. cauldrons). I don't use the protection potions at all, as I keep the full health potion selected for emergencies and I lack the digital dexterity to select the right potion in a high pressure situation.
Thanks for the pointers, good advice much appreciated. I think i should have another look and using bombs. I always forget to notch 3 arrows in crucial moments such as when machines are down and you have an easy shot at their weak spots.
My most common tactic is to lay as many blast wires on top of each other as i can (I believe you can lay up to 14 max), then lure the machine over it. In the original game you could insta-kill a Thunderjaw with it as shown in this vid:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XrjTnIBaZTM
It also works well for weaker patrolling machines like Sawtooths where you can use your Focus to show its path, lay a couple of wires across it, then wait for it to walk round and kill itself. However, that approach is completely useless when you don't have time to prepare and lay your wires, such as the Fireclaw fight. Probably the most useful thing i changed was when i was running away from him, rather than looking forwards as i did on my first two tries, i span the camera round so that i was always looking at him. Stopped me getting clobbered in the back of the head by flying rocks as i had a chance to dodge his attacks. It's one of those things i should be doing in every fight but don't, probably because I'm too busy running...
My most common tactic is to lay as many blast wires on top of each other as i can (I believe you can lay up to 14 max), then lure the machine over it. In the original game you could insta-kill a Thunderjaw with it as shown in this vid:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XrjTnIBaZTM
It also works well for weaker patrolling machines like Sawtooths where you can use your Focus to show its path, lay a couple of wires across it, then wait for it to walk round and kill itself. However, that approach is completely useless when you don't have time to prepare and lay your wires, such as the Fireclaw fight. Probably the most useful thing i changed was when i was running away from him, rather than looking forwards as i did on my first two tries, i span the camera round so that i was always looking at him. Stopped me getting clobbered in the back of the head by flying rocks as i had a chance to dodge his attacks. It's one of those things i should be doing in every fight but don't, probably because I'm too busy running...
Yes, the blast tripcaster works really well on lower ranked monsters and difficulty levels. However, on Ultra Hard it doesn't make anything like as much impact so I use it selectively - good to get in some initial damage but it doesn't take them down.
Since finishing the DLC I've been experimenting with the new weapons. The ice bolt thingy is actually pretty good against certain types, I uses the "freeze thrower" element then follow up with the ice bolt. This can one shot kill a frozen Ravager even on Ultra Hard, and it can do 5000+ damage to a frozen Thunderjaw if you get the heart.
Since finishing the DLC I've been experimenting with the new weapons. The ice bolt thingy is actually pretty good against certain types, I uses the "freeze thrower" element then follow up with the ice bolt. This can one shot kill a frozen Ravager even on Ultra Hard, and it can do 5000+ damage to a frozen Thunderjaw if you get the heart.
Holy thread revival batman but having only bought a PS4 a couple of months back bought HZD off Amazon for £20...what an outstanding game, just sitting here watching the end credits! Really is a tremendous feat of game making, they could make a movie out of the storyline. Wondering if the DLC is worth it...?
coldel said:
Holy thread revival batman but having only bought a PS4 a couple of months back bought HZD off Amazon for £20...what an outstanding game, just sitting here watching the end credits! Really is a tremendous feat of game making, they could make a movie out of the storyline. Wondering if the DLC is worth it...?
DLC is absolutely worth itGiven how shoddy the endings of God of War and Far Cry 5 were, this was such a relief to have a great story that unfolded at each stage and kept you gripped and had a thunderous last battle. It really felt like the character had come such a long way, from an insignificant girl in a big world, to literally owning it.
coldel said:
Holy thread revival batman but having only bought a PS4 a couple of months back bought HZD off Amazon for £20...what an outstanding game, just sitting here watching the end credits! Really is a tremendous feat of game making, they could make a movie out of the storyline. Wondering if the DLC is worth it...?
One of the best games I have ever played in 30 years of gaming. DLC is well worth it.Looks like I am purchasing it tomorrow night then - wife and son will be at parents so have the place to myself!
I still have to collect some vessels and flowers etc. (done all the cauldrons, longlegs, bandit camps etc) but dont really feel the urge to trek around to collect them to just get modifications and shards (got around 20k shards sitting unspent and have all the shadow weaponry with very rare mods on them, also have the special armour)
I still have to collect some vessels and flowers etc. (done all the cauldrons, longlegs, bandit camps etc) but dont really feel the urge to trek around to collect them to just get modifications and shards (got around 20k shards sitting unspent and have all the shadow weaponry with very rare mods on them, also have the special armour)
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