Horizon Forbidden West: All Weapon Types and How They Work

What are all the weapon types in Horizon Forbidden West? How do each of the weapon types work, and which ones should you use? Horizon Forbidden West has various types of weapon you can use, all offering something different and all viable in combat against machines. As part of our Horizon Forbidden West guide, we're going to explain each of the weapon types and how they work.

Horizon Forbidden West: All Weapon Types and How they Work

Below, we'll be going through all the different weapon types in Horizon Forbidden West, explaining what they do and what they're good for. Each one has its uses, and it'll be up to you to decide which ones you'll stick with when hunting machines.

There are many variations of each weapon at different rarities (except the Spear), all offering different damage output and ammunition types. All have their strengths and weaknesses, and it'll be up to you what you take out into the field. If you're looking for the best weapons in the game, you'll want Legendary weapons. For more information, see our guide: Horizon Forbidden West: How to Get All Legendary Weapons.

Spear

The Spear is Aloy's only choice of melee weapon. This is what you will use when engaging in melee combat against enemies, swinging it in wide slashes to deal physical blows. You can unlock many new combos and attacks for the Spear via the Warrior skill tree.

Light Attacks are performed with the R1 button, and Heavy Attacks with the R2 button. Silent Strikes — stealth attacks — and Critical Strikes are also performed with the R1 button.

Best For: Combat vs. humans. While you can use the Spear against machines, it's more effective when engaging human enemies — unless you're attempting to use Silent Strikes or Critical Strikes on machines. Once you've unlocked more moves, the melee combat is great for whittling down enemies in Rebel Outposts.

Hunter Bow

The Hunter Bow is your standard mid-range bow, and will be your go-to offensive option for most fights. There are many Hunter Bows to find throughout the game, each one offering different arrow types for you to consider. These can be standard arrows delivering basic physical damage, or elemental arrows that will build up to elemental states.

Hold L2 to aim the crosshair. Hold R2 to prepare a shot, and release R2 to fire the arrow. Charged shots will deal more damage than shots you fire too quickly.

Best For: All combat encounters. The Hunter Bow is one of the most reliable and flexible weapon types in the game, delivering a good balance of damage output and speed. You'll probably use a Hunter Bow in most fights.

Warrior Bow

The Warrior Bow is similar to the Hunter Bow but is more suited to short range. Warrior Bows have a shorter time to charge a shot, and so they can be more effective when you're in close proximity to your enemies. The trade-off is slightly less power for slightly faster rate of fire. Like Hunter Bows, Warrior Bows can also sport various ammunition types, including elemental arrows.

Hold L2 to aim the crosshair. Hold R2 to prepare a shot, and release R2 to fire the arrow. Charged shots will deal more damage than shots you fire too quickly.

Best For: Close range combat. If you like to get up close and personal with machines, it's worth taking along a Warrior Bow. These weapons are less precise than the other types of Bow, but the advantage is getting in some quick damage while the machine is closing in on you.

Sharpshot Bow

The Sharpshot Bow is basically the opposite of the Warrior Bow. Instead of faster, less powerful shots, the Sharpshot Bow is a long-range weapon, with a longer charge time than other Bows but more damaging shots as a result. Sharpshot Bows can employ powerful payloads of elemental damage, and can equip arrows that specialise in Tear damage — extremely useful for removing components from machines.

Hold L2 to aim the crosshair. Hold R2 to prepare a shot, and release R2 to fire the arrow. Charged shots will deal more damage than shots you fire too quickly.

Best For: Sniping enemies from afar and tearing components from machines. The Sharpshot Bow is great for initiating a battle with a machine, as you can use its more powerful shots to remove weapons or parts from an unaware foe. It's also ideal for scoring headshots on human enemies, keeping you in stealth but allowing you to take down baddies from long range.

Blastsling

The Blastsling is a slingshot type weapon that deals out massive elemental damage with bombs. Different Blastslings will specialise in different elemental bombs, including brand new effects like Adhesive, which can slow down machines to make them easier targets.

Hold L2 to aim the crosshair. Hold R2 to prepare a bomb, and release R2 to fire it. Charged shots will deal more damage than shots you fire too quickly.

Best For: Elemental buildup. Each machine has elemental weaknesses you can take advantage of, and the Blastsling is perfect for building up to those special elemental states. Dealing good elemental damage and lots of elemental buildup, it's a powerful tool in your arsenal against machines.

Tripcaster

The Tripcaster is a unique weapon type that sets a tripwire between two points you manually put down. These tripwires can be used to catch machines off-guard as they roam their habitat, and while they can deal explosive damage, they can also be put to great use to build up elemental effects very quickly.

Hold L2 to aim the crosshair. Hold R2 to prepare the first point for the tripwire, and release to fire it. Repeat this for the second point. The tripwire will then automatically activate, and anything that passes through will be caught in the blast. The reticle will close in when your shot is within range.

Best For: The element of surprise. The Tripcaster is perfect for getting the jump on machines and starting combat in your favour, either dealing big damage or setting up elemental status effects instantly. In the heat of battle, there's little utility for this weapon, but it's a great way to kick things off.

Ropecaster

The Ropecaster is a weapon that incapacitates machines by tethering them to the spot. Fire enough ropes into a machine and it will topple over, unable to move for a short while. There are differing types of rope that can deliver payloads of elemental damage in addition to tying machines down.

Hold L2 to aim the crosshair. Hold R2 to prepare a rope and release to fire it. Aloy will automatically set an anchor point for the other end of the rope in the ground. The middle of the reticle will shrink when your shot is in range.

Best For: Pacifying aggressive machines. While not useful in all scenarios, the Ropecaster is a really strong option if you're fighting larger machines and need to stop them from moving. If you're looking to break off certain components but can't find a good opportunity, try using the Ropecaster — you'll have a much easier time.

Spike Thrower

Spike Throwers are powerful spear-like weapons, thrown like javelins at enemies to deal big damage. While they take a bit longer to charge up a shot, the payoff is worth it — these are very strong damage dealers provided you have a large enough window to wind it up first. Spikes range from regular damage to all types of elemental effects.

Hold L2 to aim the crosshair, accounting for drop-off. Hold R2 to charge a throw, then release it to lob the Spike.

Best For: Dealing big damage to big machines. Spike Throwers are essential for some of the game's biggest machines, which have huge health bars and can take a while to bring down. These weapons pack a big punch when you get the timing right. While the charge does take a little bit, it's well worth it for the resulting damage.

Boltblaster

The Boltblaster is a heavy weapon that fires off bursts of bolts. Like the Spike Thrower, there's a longer buildup but the shots are powerful. They feature multiple bolt types that can deal all kinds of elemental damage. Must be manually loaded with more bolts.

Hold L2 to aim the crosshair. Hold R2 to charge a burst, then release it to fire. While holding L2, press Square to reload the Boltblaster.

Best For: Fast buildup of elemental effects. The Boltblaster is fairly versatile, but we found it most useful in building up elemental effects on a machine before swapping to something else.

Shredder Gauntlet

The Shredder Gauntlet is a unique new weapon type. Aloy throws a serrated disc at an enemy, which deals damage over a brief period before returning, like a boomerang. If you catch the disc, it can be sent back out, dealing more damage each time you successfully catch and throw it.

Hold L2 to aim the crosshair. Hold R2 to charge a Shredder, then release it to throw the disc. If it hits an enemy, it will stay with them for a couple of seconds, dealing continuous damage, then will return vaguely in your direction. While holding L2, press R2 when the Shredder is close to catch it. Send the same Shredder out again for even more damage.

Best For: Tearing off armour and components. While the Shredder Gauntlet can be used for elemental attacks, we found it most useful for builing up Tear damage to remove parts from machines. The throwing and catching mechanic is quite risky, but if you can pull it off, is rewarding, with more damage dealt with each catch.

That's all the weapon types in Horizon Forbidden West. Which is your favourite weapon to use in the game? Tell us in the comments section below, and read our Horizon Forbidden West guide for loads more.