Horizon Forbidden West provides players with a game where they are free to pick any tactics while going against the biggest and hardest-hitting machines. Aloy’s arsenal makes her extremely versatile, and while there is a big push from the game to diversify skill point allocations, focusing on certain trees is more effective and can help improve the efficiency of certain builds. Out of the many builds available to players in Horizon Forbidden West, the Hunter build is arguably the safest option, especially for newer players to the series, as it relies heavily on Aloy’s vast arsenal of weapons and power-boosting skills.
The Hunter build in Horizon Forbidden West allows players to upgrade many areas of Aloy’s archery skill, giving her abilities such as Concentration, which allows for players to temporarily slow down time while aiming and provides a boost to damage. While the Hunter tree also gives additional benefits to heavy weapons, it provides massive boosts to ranged weapons through Valor Surges and skills that prove to be some of the most effective ways to take down machines.
Horizon Forbidden West Hunter Skill Tree
The skills under the Hunter tree are the main reason why this build is such a popular choice among players since most of these skills help with aiming and dealing more damage. This means that progressing within this tree can result in powerful attacks that can take out even the toughest machines in Horizon Forbidden West in a matter of moments. At the highest level of the Hunter build, the skills acquired will make the game far easier and will require little to no planning before any fight, something that is attractive for first-time players.
Skills like Concentration and Triple Notch are great additions to Aloy’s arsenal, but the real threat of the Hunter build is the Valor Surge abilities, Ranged Master and Powershots. These skills will boost the damage output from Aloy, with Ranged Master increasing the damage from all ranged weapons for a certain period of time, while Powershots improving the damage output for Bows, Boltblasters, Ropecasters, and Spike Throwers. These are two of the most powerful Valor Surge abilities in Horizon Forbidden West and will be the best weapon available to players considering the Hunter Build.
Horizon Forbidden West's Hunter Tactics Are Simple
The Hunter build prides itself on its ranged ability and the short damage boosts provided by the Valor Surge abilities. Unlike other builds, such as the Trapper, which would require planning and setting the traps before initiating a fight, a Hunter can go in and catch a machine by surprise, dealing a lot of initial damage before backing off and taking the machine out from a distance.
This simplicity makes the Hunter build perfect for all newcomers and any players hoping to have an easy playthrough of Horizon Forbidden West to experience the story. The Hunter does well against single machines or a group of weaker machines; however, when put up against a large group of machines, it would be safer to back away and pick them off from a distance or in stealth. Since most of the machines in the game have close and mid-range attacks, using a Hunter build will ensure that Aloy will stay out of danger while continuously dealing damage.
The simple tactics needed to excel in this build, coupled with the variety that the skill tree offers, truly makes the Hunter build great for beginners. From powerful valor surges to sneak attack boosts, this build has a unique playstyle that relies more on consistent damage rather than strategic traps or machine overrides. The highlight feature of this build, however, is the fact that it truly allows Aloy’s arsenal to shine and makes exploring the world to collect better weapons an essential task. The reliance on the weapons and the essential skills and abilities makes the Hunter build a popular choice for Horizon Forbidden West players.
Horizon Forbidden West is available for PS4, and PS5.
