Welcome to the post-apocalyptic world of Horizon Zero Dawn! Whether you’re just starting out or brushing up on the basics, this guide will help you master Aloy’s journey—from combat and crafting to stealth and exploration.

---

1. Health and Healing

• Health Bar & Pouch:
  • The red bar (top-left) shows your current health.
  • The green bar beneath it indicates the amount of healing herbs in your pouch.
• Healing Methods:
  • Up on the D-Pad: Heals using herbs from your medicine pouch.
  • Potions: Stored in your inventory for instant health recovery.
  • Collect Resources: Gather Medicinal Embers and other herbs to refill your pouch.

---

2. Loot Everything

• Loot machines and wildlife constantly—you’ll need their parts for:
  • Crafting ammo and traps.
  • Trading with merchants.
  • Upgrading pouches and equipment.
• Pro Tip: Keep an eye out for rare items like Blaze, Metal Shards, and animal skins.

---

3. Combat and Stealth

• Stealth Tactics:
  • Hide in tall grass to avoid detection.
  • Use rocks to distract or lure enemies.
  • Approach enemies silently for Silent Strikes or overrides.
• Scanning Enemies:
  • Activate Focus (R3) to highlight enemy weak spots.
  • Target yellow-highlighted components for maximum damage.
• Combat Basics:
  • R1: Quick melee.
  • R2: Heavy melee.
  • Use bows for precision shots at range.

---

4. Weapons and Ammo

• Weapon Types:
  • Bows: Your main weapon. Use different arrows (e.g., fire, shock).
  • Rope Caster: Immobilizes machines temporarily.
  • Slingshots: Launch elemental bombs like fire and freeze.
• Crafting Ammo:
  • Hold X to craft on the fly.
  • Always stock up on Blaze, Wire, and Ridge-Wood.

---

5. Skills and Progression

• Level Up:
  • Gain XP by fighting, exploring, and completing quests.
  • Each level grants Skill Points.
• Skill Trees:
  • Forager: Enhances gathering and crafting.
  • Brave: Boosts combat power.
  • Prowler: Improves stealth and mobility.
• Best Beginner Skills:
  • Silent Strike – Stealth kills.
  • Critical Hit – Extra damage to downed enemies.
  • Scavenger – Increases resource yield.

---

6. Inventory and Crafting

• Modifications:
  • Add weapon/armor mods to increase damage or handling.
  • Save purple (high-tier) mods for later gear.
  • Unlock the Tinker skill to swap mods freely.
• Crafting Upgrades:
  • Upgrade ammo and resource pouches through the Crafting Menu.
  • Hunt wildlife like turkeys, boars, and rabbits for key components.

---

7. Exploring the World

• Campfires:
  • Use to save manually and unlock fast travel points.
  • Golden Fast Travel Pack allows unlimited fast travel.
• Tagging Enemies:
  • Scan machines and tag them with R2 to monitor movement patterns.
  • Helps you plan stealth attacks or avoid detection.
• Wildlife:
  • Hunt animals for crafting materials—nothing goes to waste.

---

8. Merchants and Economy

• Trading:
  • Use Metal Shards and rare items to buy weapons, armor, and potions.
  • Gear rarity: Green < Blue < Purple.
• Selling:
  • Sell excess or low-tier loot for extra shards.
  • Visit merchants often to offload inventory clutter.
• Treasure Boxes:
  • Buy or earn them for a mix of random loot and crafting items.

---

9. Quests and Side Content

• Main Quests:
  • Advance Aloy’s story and uncover world lore.
• Side Quests:
  • Offer great XP, rewards, and world-building.
• Errands & Hunting Grounds:
  • Simple side activities that test your combat and stealth skills.

---

10. Advanced Combat Tips

• Target Weak Points:
  • Focus on exposed canisters or plates for massive damage.
  • Hitting Blaze canisters with fire arrows causes huge explosions.
• Override Machines:
  • Hack machines to fight for you or act as mounts.
  • Mounts make traveling faster and safer.
• Rope Caster Use:
  • Pin large enemies before they attack.
  • Once down, unleash critical hits or traps.

---

11. Save Often

• Use campfires to quick-save frequently.
• Saves are especially important before tough fights or deep exploration.

---

Final Thoughts

Horizon Zero Dawn blends strategic combat, immersive exploration, and satisfying progression. Take your time, explore every corner, and enjoy discovering the secrets of the Old Ones and Aloy’s past.

For more Horizon tips and in-depth guides, be sure to subscribe to Mesa’s channel. Happy hunting, and may your arrows fly true!

---