“Venture off the beaten path,” encourages Lead Narrative Designer John Gonzales. “Most enemies will keep looking for you where they last saw you, so reassess your situation and re-engage when you’ve worked out how you want to take them down.” “It’s part of playing tactically, so it’s okay to run out of sight and hide. “In Horizon, ‘retreat’ does not indicate failure,” says Lead Quest Designer, David Ford. Don't be afraid to run. If you accidentally alert powerful Machines to your presence or feel like you’ve bitten off more than you can chew in a fight, turn tail.Her head will often move in the direction of something of interest (usually a resource you can collect), while her dialogue will sometimes let you know when an enemy has spotted you or called off its pursuit. Let Aloy be your guide. Pay particular attention to Aloy’s head movements and dialogue, as they’ll help you when exploring.Her dodge roll is particularly vital for evading Machine attacks, so always remain ready to use it, before springing a counter-attack. Agility and mobility are Aloy’s greatest assets, and there’s no stamina bar to limit you from sprinting or dodging as much as you like. If you don’t want to get too close, firing Corruption Arrows can cause enough chaos for you to sit back and watch the battle, before moving in to pick off the survivors.
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If you’re struggling against too many Machines, overriding a few to fight on your behalf can ramp up your chances of survival. “But if you blow off its disc launcher, stealth around its attacks and turn its own weapon against it, then that can be a massive help.” “You’re never going to one-shot a Thunderjaw,” warns Lead Narrative Designer John Gonzales.
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“Tying a big enemy down for a long period of time using something like the Rope Caster is really useful,” explains Combat Designer Troy Mashburn. So it’s vital to exploit traps to hinder an enemy’s movement or reduce its health, especially when you’re tracking a Machine’s path.
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“Then hit specific components you’ve marked on targeted Machines to deal a lot of damage, especially when tackling the more dangerous ones.” “Because Aloy’s movements and actions are limited while using Focus, the tall grass is useful to stay out of sight,” says Director Mathijs de Jonge. Focus is useful to identify Machines, inspect their components and keep track of their patrol paths, but be wary of the disadvantages.