Horizon Forbidden West is filled with all sorts of wild and dangerous machines Aloy must contend with on her journey to save the world. These machines come in all shapes and sizes, from the intimidating Dreadwings and their ability to turn invisible to the towering Tremortusks and their powerful, shoulder-mounted weapons.
By detaching components and defeating machines, players can purchase and upgrade powerful equipment that allows Aloy to take on even tougher challenges. While every resource in Horizon Forbidden West has its use at some point in the game, certain machine parts stand out as the most valuable the game has to offer. And most of the time, these parts come from very formidable machines that require certain tactics to remove without damage.
Updated March 1, 2023, by Sophie McEvoy: Horizon Forbidden West announced its first expansion, Burning Shores, which will be released on April 19. The DLC sees Aloy traverse to a decimated Los Angeles that’s been transformed into a volcanic archipelago known as the Burning Shores. This new explorable area has a massive threat to conquer, which will see players fight a Horus for the first time in the series, with the potential for new machines to make an appearance. But if players are overwhelmed with detaching machine components and what they can be used for already, these are the most valuable machine parts to find across the Forbidden West.
12 Rollerback Hammer Tail
The Rollerback is a formidable foe against Aloy, thanks to its ability to roll into a ball and attack with impressive speed and power. Among its components is the Rollerback Hammer Tail, a legendary resource used in weapon and outfit upgrades. Unlike the Thunderjaw Tail, the Rollerback Hammer Tail is easier to shoot off due to its size. But Aloy must remove it before killing the machine, as otherwise it will be destroyed.
Players can either do this from a long range with concentration focusing on the tail first or while in battle getting close and aiming at close range with tearblast or precision arrows. The Hammer Tail can be sold for 68 shards and used to upgrade outfits like the Utaru Ritesinger and Whisperer, as well as the Hardweave Sharpshot Bow and Piercing Shredder Gauntlet.
11 Widemaw Tusk
Squaring up against a Widemaw can be pretty intimidating at first, but once players are in tune with its behaviors, its attacks can be easy to predict. One such attack is the Widemaw’s ability to vacuum resources (and Aloy) into its massive mouth, revealing two Widemaw Tusks on its lower jaw.
This attack provides the only opportunity for Aloy to retrieve this very rare resource, as the tusks only appear when the Widemaw’s mouth is wide open. While the Widemaw Tusk only offers upgrades for the Slicing Hunter Bow and the Oseram Wayfarer outfit, they can be a quick way to obtain shards with a selling price of 94 shards. Aloy will also need two Widemaw Tusks to override the machine.
10 Fire/Frost Claw Sac Webbing
The Fire and Frost Claws are among the most powerful machines in Horizon Forbidden West, with the Apex Fireclaw clocking in at 15 levels over Aloy's maximum. Their Sac Webbing is one of the most widely utilized resources in the game, as many weapons and armor pieces require it for upgrades like the Ancestor’s Return and Tears of the Land-god weapons, as well as the Nora Thunder Warrior and Sobeck’s Raiment outfits.
The challenging part about acquiring the Sac Webbing is that, unlike many other valuable machine parts, players will have to avoid destroying the elemental unit on the machine's chest. Hitting this unit creates a massive, elemental explosion that deals massive damage to either Claw but removes the possibility of looting this vital resource. The Fire/Frost Claw Sac Webbing can be sold for 75 shards, making it valuable outside of resource gathering.
9 Stalker Stealth Generator
The Stalker is a returning enemy type from Horizon Zero Dawn, and its stealth capabilities are just as potent in the sequel. Disabling its cloaking tech isn't easy, but players can remove the machine's Stealth Generator with a few, well-placed arrows.
Not only will this eliminate the Stalker's ability to disappear from view, but the detached Generator can be picked up for use in upgrading Aloy's higher-level armor. Both the Tenakth Reaver and Tenakth Sky Climber sets need the Stalker's Stealth Generator for their second enhancement tiers. It’s also used in weapon upgrades for The Final Chapter and the Sunhawk Shredder.
8 Scorcher Scanning Ear
The Scorcher Scanning Ear is a useful tool that Scorchers implement to track down previously seen enemies, even if they're trying to escape or hide nearby. Targeting and removing the ear disables this ability while also allowing Aloy to recover the detached part for use in upgrading her gear.
The Scorcher Scanning Ear is a legendary-class machine part, and as such, can be found on the upgrade path of more than a few of Aloy's high-level gear sets. The Utaru Protector is a rare, Survivor outfit that requires two of the parts for its second upgrade tier. The Scorcher Scanning Ear can be sold for 115 shards, and Aloy will need two ears for the Scorcher override.
7 Tremortusk Tusk
The Tremortusk is one of Horizon Forbidden West's most recognizable machines, and it has the power to back up its reputation. One of the most fearsome weapons at its disposal are the tusks it uses in a wide, sweeping attack that deals massive damage and knocks Aloy off her feet.
Each of the Tremortusks' four tusks can be detached, significantly reducing the damage this attack inflicts and allowing Aloy to add the valuable machine part to her inventory. Tremortusk Tusks can be used to purchase and upgrade some of the rarest and most powerful gear pieces in the game. These legendary resources can be sold for 89 shards, but players will want to keep hold of them for upgrades as some require six to ten tusks like the Death-Seeker’s Shadow and the Nora Thunder Warrior for their third enhancement tiers.
6 Dreadwing Metal Fangs
The Dreadwing is one of the most fearsome enemies in Horizon Forbidden West, as it resembles a very large, stealthy bat that can shoot poison and turn invisible. It's also one of the rarest enemies in the game, making its component parts even more coveted when buying and upgrading high-level gear.
The most valuable resource players can acquire from the Dreadwing are its Metal Fangs. Because they're among the smallest, detachable components in the game, hitting the Metal Fangs with arrows can be a challenge while also avoiding the Dreadwing's attacks. They're used to upgrading many pieces of Aloy's gear, though, so taking care to harvest them is worth the effort. Plus, Aloy will need four to five fangs for upgrades, including the Nora Tracker and Valliant outfits at the second and fifth enhancement tiers, in addition to weapons like Iriv’s Downfall for its fifth enhancement tier.
5 Thunderjaw Tail
The Thunderjaw is a machine Horizon veterans will know well, as it features prominently in both games in the series. It's a walking artillery unit with multiple detachable weapons and powerful, physical attacks that are augmented by the large blade located at the end of its tail.
Fortunately, that blade can be easily removed with a well-placed arrow from any of Aloy's bows. The Thunderjaw Tail can then be recovered as a valuable resource for use in all manner of upgrades for Aloy's gear. Both the Sobeck's Raiment and Tenakth High Marshal outfits require it for their upgrade tiers. The Thunderjaw Tail is also a valuable resource to sell, at a price of 153 shards.
4 Stormbird Storm Cannon
.jpg?q=50&fit=crop&w=1500&dpr=1.5)
The Stormbird is a powerful, flight-capable machine that returns from Horizon Zero Dawn. Its devastating shock attacks are powered by a Storm Cannon located behind a metal plate on its chest. Destroying or detaching the Storm Cannon disables these attacks, forcing the Stormbird to resort to a high-flying, physical assault.
If detached, the Storm Cannon can be recovered and used to upgrade Aloy's weapons and armor, like the Utaru Protector outfit. Players should be careful where they shoot the Storm Cannon, though, as destroying the component won't leave it available for collection. Aloy will need two to three Stormbird Storm Cannons for certain enhancement tiers, including for weapons like The Final Chapter, Legacy’s Reach, and Wings of the Ten.
3 Slitherfang Earthgrinder
One of the newest and most elusive monsters joining the series in Horizon Forbidden West, the Slitherfang is a monstrous, snake-like machine that can burrow underground with the help of the powerful Earthgrinders located on its body, just below its face.
The Earthgrinders are a tempting weak point, as they're vulnerable whenever the Slitherfang raises itself to prepare an attack. Removing them doesn't rob the Slitherfang of any of its abilities, but they are a highly sought-after resource that Aloy can use to improve many of the tools in her inventory, including outfits like the Nora Thunder Warrior and Utaru Winterweave. Players will also need three Slitherfang Earthgrinders for an override.
2 Tideripper Tail Fin
The Tideripper is Horizon Forbidden West's most fearsome, aquatic machine, capable of dishing out massive damage with its Purgewater attacks and the heavy blade attached to the end of its tail. This blade is one of the monster's weak points, though, and shooting it off will weaken the Tideripper significantly.
The Tideripper Tail Fin is one of the most valuable resources in the game because of how many different armor sets require it for upgrading. Sobeck's Raiment, Tenakth Reaver, and Utaru Protector all utilize the component to boost their stats and unlock new skills.
1 Apex Hearts
As players progress toward the more challenging content Horizon Forbidden West has to offer, they'll encounter more of the Apex variety of machines. These are tougher versions of the standard enemies, and their enhanced nature means they also come with new and more valuable components.
Apex Hearts are the most useful of these, as they feature in just about every weapon or outfit's upgrade path at one tier or another. There are no special instructions or detachable parts to focus on to acquire Apex Hearts, but taking down an Apex machine is more than enough of a challenge to test even the most skilled of players. The rare resource can also be sold for 133 shards.
Horizon Forbidden West is available now for PS4 and PS5.