Horizon Zero Dawn Skills: The best skills at a glance

In this skill guide to Horizon Zero Dawn you will learn:

  • Which skills are suitable for beginners
  • Which skills are suitable for advanced players

The many different machines in the universe of Horizon Zero Dawn differ not only in their appearance, but also in their weak points. In our big Horizon Zero Dawn machine guide, we'll show you how to best attack them. In order for these attacks to run smoothly, you'll need to equip heroine Aloy with the right skills. Our skill guide illustrates which of them you should focus on as a beginner and as an advanced player.

Table of contents

The best skills for beginners in Horizon Zero Dawn

Silent Strike

This skill is assigned to the hunter skills. Since your heroine is not designed for close combat and you are still weak at the beginning of the game, stealth strategies are recommended. Silent Strike fits this perfectly. Just sneak close enough to unsuspecting machines and press the R1 key. The simpler mechanical enemies at the beginning of Aloy's journey are effectively eliminated this way.

Herbalist

One of the early collector skills is Herbalist. It doubles the size of Aloy's medicine bag.

Critical Hit

This skill belongs to the Warrior skill tree. Critical Strike deals particularly large damage to machines that are knocked to the ground and is performed via the R1 button once it is unlocked. In the first few hours of Horizon Zero Dawn, you'll be faced with relatively small and weak enemies, such as Guardians or Grasers. They are relatively easy to take down and can usually be eliminated immediately afterwards with Critical Strike.

Use the Lure to separate machines from the herd more easily.

Call

In the collector skills you will find the Call. It is highly recommended for stealth attacks. If you spend points on it, you can select it in the Tools menu. Aloy will then emit a whistle that will attract the enemy in the center of your field of vision or the one closest to you, turning them into easy prey.

Concentration

The ability counts towards the warrior skill tree. It slows down time while Aloy aims her bow and arrow at enemies. The machines in Horizon Zero Dawn each have different weak points, some of which are very small or difficult to reach. Once you've unlocked the Concentration skill, press the right analog stick (R3 button) to use it.

The best skills for advanced players

Hobbyist

This skill belongs to the collector skill tree. Only when you unlock it, you can detach modifications from equipment without losing it. Coils and fabrics can be swapped to your heart's content this way, without any losses.

Triple Shot

For those who like to use bows to take down enemies in Horizon Zero Dawn, we recommend this warrior skill. When targeting enemies with the weapons, press the R1 button to fire three arrows at once.

Exploiter

Crafting is one of the most important gameplay mechanics in Horizon Zero Dawn, and you'll need resources for it. Exploiter is a skill from the collector area and offers you richer loot from hunted machines.

Silent Sprint

Belonging to the hunter skills, this skill is simply worthwhile for the fact that you can sprint through the open world of Horizon Zero Dawn more quietly and machines do not notice you so easily.

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