Horizon Forbidden West took everything that worked from the first game and built off of it. While the first game was full of difficult robots to beat, this game takes it up a notch and has you facing even bigger and stronger robots.
While you are eased in by fighting smaller pre-like robots in the early area, you quickly find yourself in a massive open world where you’re the smallest creature. Without the right preparation and weapons, fighting a robot could lead to a quick death. Here are the 10 hardest robots you need to look out for.
10/10 Stalker
The stalker is a recurring robot from the first game, and its weapon and size may not seem noteworthy. It single-attack sniper-like weapon does hurt, but the real threat of the stalker comes from the packs they hunt in, while invisible too.
Stalkers that are found in a forest are difficult to fight as the foliage further conceals them and makes them harder to hit. You quickly find yourself being shot at from all angles without a clear target to fight back against.
9/10 Rockbreaker
The Rockbreaker is massive with a matching health bar that will take lots of ammunition to whittle down. This robot is able to burrow underground where it can move safely and out of your ability to damage it. While it is massive, it oftentimes will be halfway underground, limiting the areas of its body you can target.
The Rockbreaker does hurt to be hit by, but its real danger comes from its rock barrage. It is able to launch rocks at Aloy from a great distance and in a high quantity making it difficult to dodge or outrun. The barrage does move slowly, and your only hope is to predict it coming and start moving right when you do.
8/10 Tideripper
The ocean is a gorgeous addition to this game, and many got excited when it was first shown in the tearer. It was shown that robots could swim too, but the tears definitely didn’t prepare us for the Tideripper.
The Tideripper can quickly turn a fun swimming trip into a fight for survival. It has water cannons to deal high damage from a distance, and multiple close-range attacks to switch between and keep you on your toes. The Tideripper can also use the antenna on its back to call for help mid-combat.
7/10 Stormbird
Most robots can be terrifying as they run up on you and make you realize just how small Aloy is in comparison. The Stormbird not only makes you feel small but flies high above you making it hard to hit while also rarely missing a shot on Aloy.
The Storm Birds attack only does a medium amount of damage, but it will still be a drawn-out fight as hitting a moving target in the air limits which weapons are most effective. Taking out its wings helps get it to the ground, but requires, patience, aim, and great timing.
6/10 Specter
The robot brought by the Far-Zeniths, and seemingly made to counter your attacks. The Specters attacks are fairly simple, having a few machine guns hidden away in its armor. These weapons are well protected by the Specter’s incredible armor.
Unless you’re using elements to weaken it, the Specter takes little to no damage from physical weapons. Its high armor has very few difficult-to-hit weak points. They also move very fast, jumping or running around to get in better positions or dodge your attacks.
5/10 Tremortusk
Straight out of The Lord of the Rings is a giant robotic elephant with archers riding on its back. Whether is a wild Tremortusk or controlled, these giants can cause you some serious issues. Even with big, easy-to-hit weak points, the Tremortusk will barely flinch at any attack.
Many of the Tremortusk’s attacks are close-range melee attacks, which have a high chance of one-shoting you. It also has a rocket launcher attack that is able to lock onto you and requires perfectly times dodges to survive.
4/10 Shellsnapper
The Shellsnaper is a gigantic turtle-like robot. This robot has lots of ice-based attacks which deal massive damage at a range. The Shellsnapper is also able to bury underground and disappear briefly before reappearing in a different location.
While it also has devastating melee attacks, the Shellsnapper’s biggest surprise is its shell. It is able to absorb attacks with its shell and channel them into its own attacks. While you may think you have the upper hand in this fight, it really could be the Shellsnapper simply using you as its power source.
3/10 Slaughterspine
The Slaughterspine may not be the biggest robot on the list, but is definitely one of the deadliest. It has a few basic attacks that most robots have, including a tail sweep, stomp, and charge. These each do lots of damage but are only buying it time before it starts using its plasma abilities.
It is able to fire plasma beams for high amounts of damage or a bigger beam from its mouth with the possibility of killing you no matter your level. The Slaughterspine is also able to release a burst of plasma energy that follows you along the ground until it connects.
2/10 Slitherfang
The Slitherfang is introduced in the prologue through a scripted yet difficult battle. The massive snake is hard to hit in a weak spot and is also able to do lots of damage to Aloy and the area where it fights. It’s after encountering one in the wild that you learn that the scripted battle is almost a necessity.
Its massive body gives it incredible range for its melee attacks while also having ranged poison attacks from its mouth or shock from its tail. It is also able to quickly move around or even burrow and appear at your last location.
1/10 Thunderjaw
The Thunderjaw is a recurring robot from the first game, as it was the apex predator there, and continues its reign even in the West. The Thunderjaw’s machine guns are able to fire incredibly fast and deal a lot of small hits quickly.
Some robots require you to fight from cover or break the line of sight to stay safe. The Thunderjaw is able to fire artillery shots up into the air and target you to get around any cover you think you have. Its lasers may be thin, but getting hit by one can almost mean certain death.
