In Horizon Forbidden West, Aloy's latest journey will be her most difficult. Set a few months after the events of the first game, Aloy has not saved the world, but merely delayed its demise. She will need to grow stronger, smarter, and braver to face what's next, and so will you as the player. That's where our Horizon Forbidden West tips come in. We've played hundreds of hours collectively across the GameSpot team, so take these tips as things we wish we knew before we dove into the Forbidden West.

Bring variety to your weapon wheel

Once you make a few hours of progress in the game, the number of weapons you can carry into battle will be greater than the number of weapons you can keep on your weapon wheel. With that in mind, it's important to diversify what's in your weapon wheel for quick and easy access. You should plan to keep at least one weapon with each status effect equipped, such as a flame bow, a shock tripcaster, and a plasma bow. This allows you to always take on (and take down) whatever threats you face. Customize your weapon wheel from your inventory menu and bring a bit of everything to the battlefield.

Use tear weapons to break down machines faster and salvage rare parts

Arguably the most important of all weapons is the hunter bow. This standard-looking bow is actually the go-to when wanting to do tear damage. Tear damage is what dissects machine parts for salvaging. Rather than simply depleting a machine's HP, focus on doing tear damage can shed machines of valuable crafting ingredients, salvageable items to sell, and even temporary-use weapons to unleash on remaining foes.