Horizon Forbidden West features a suite of different weapons that speak to nearly all playstyles. From standard bows and arrows to spike throwers and shredders, the game never stops surprising you, and it can often become hard to figure out which weapons you should add to your weapon wheel.
In this guide, we’ll look at the 10 best weapons in Horizon Forbidden West based on their perks and utility. This guide will also cover how you can unlock all these weapons.
10. Carja’s Bane
The Carja’s Bane Warrior Bow is a ranged weapon that deals with Impact, Fire, and Tear damage. It also has a series of perks that give it an edge over other Warrior Bows in the game. This weapon can be upgraded a total of five times.
This weapon uses both standard and fire arrows. To unlock Carja’s Bane, you must complete four Gauntlet Runs around the map. These Gauntlet runs are in the Dry Yearn, The Stillsands, Cliffs of the Cry, and the Bonewhte Tear.
9. Tinker’s Pride
Tinker’s Pride is a legendary Tripcaster in Horizon Forbidden West, and like all Tripcasters, this weapon is best suited for stealth situations. It deals impact and fire damage and can be upgraded five times. The increased knockdown power and knockdown chance make it an excellent choice to gain a jump on your enemies.
To unlock this weapon, you must earn full stripes at all 12 hunting grounds in Horizon Forbidden West.
8. Wings of the Ten
Wings of the Ten is a legendary Blastsling in Horizon Forbidden West that excels at critical damage and chance, making it one of the best weapons to weaken larger machines quickly. Like the previous two weapons, this weapon can be upgraded five times.
This weapon uses adhesive and fire arrow types. To unlock it, you need to find and deliver 10 black boxes to Untalla, who can be found at Memorial Grove.
7. Ancestor’s Return
Ancestors Return is a Shredder Gauntlet that can deal two types of elemental damage: shock and acid and tear and impact damage. This weapon can be unlocked by collecting nine ornaments and giving them to Stemmur.
You can upgrade Ancestors Return five times and due to its Component Tear perk, it is one of the best weapons to use to quickly knock components off any machine in Horizon Forbidden West.
6. Death Seeker’s Shadow
Hunter Bows are a pivotal part of your arsenal in Horizon Forbidden West. The Death Seeker’s Shadow is an option you should consider due to its excellent critical damage capabilities and the fact that it deals with shock, tear, and impact damage.
To unlock Death Seeker’s Shadow in Horizon Forbidden West, you have to acquire 40 arena medals at the arena in the Maw of the Arena.
5. The Sun Scourge
The Sun Scourge is another Hunter Bow in Horizon Forbidden West. This weapon can be unlocked after clearing the First Forge Rebel Camp and looting Asera’s body. The best thing this bow has going for it is its suite of elemental arrows, which includes Fire, Frost, and Acid damage types.
Having several elemental damage types makes this bow excel in nearly all situations, and like all previous weapons, this weapon can be upgraded five times.
4. The Blast Forge
The Blast Forge is a legendary Bolt Blaster in Horizon Forbidden West that compensates for all the shortcomings of a standard Bolt Blaster. This legendary variant has a higher draw speed and reloads much quicker as well, making it a viable weapon to add to your arsenal.
The Blast Forge deals impact and explosive damage and can be unlocked by acquiring 80 arena medals in Horizon Forbidden West.
3. The Skykiller
Spike Throwers are a must-have weapon in Horizon Forbidden West. Not only do they deal massive amounts of damage, but they can also be easily used to target machine vulnerabilities. The Skykiller is a legendary Spike Thrower that excels at taking out flying machines. However, it works just as well for standard machine types, owing to its overdraw damage increase and increased burning damage.
This weapon deals explosive, fire, and impact damage and is unlocked automatically by completing the main quest “The Way Home”.
2. Forgefall
Sharpshot bows act like snipers in Horizon Forbidden West, owing to their high-damage single-shot firing mode. Forgefall is a legendary Sharpshot Bow that deals, Tear, Impact and Plasma Damage, with its higher draw speed, you can fire shots much quicker, making this much more useful when compared to standard Sharpshot bows.
Forgefall can be unlocked by acquiring 80 arena medals at the Arena. This bow can be upgraded a total of five times.
1. Specter Gauntlet (Burning Shores)
The Specter Gauntlet is the most unique weapon in Horizon Forbidden West. It wraps around Aloy’s wrist and fires shards quickly to deal tear damage. It has three firing modes: its standard mode, which deals tear damage; the shard barrage mode, which inflicts explosive damage; and the Railgun mode, which deals impact damage.
The Versatility of this weapon makes it one of the best weapons in Horizon Forbidden West. The Specter Gauntlet is unlocked automatically upon finishing the main quest, “The Stars In Their Eyes,” in the Burning Shores DLC.
