Horizon Forbidden West PS5 PlayStation 5 1
Image: IGN

Well, we all expected it really, didn’t we? The best armour in Horizon Zero Dawn was the Shield Weaver, which practically made Aloy unstoppable in combat. While you had to work through a number of side-quests to collect it, the souped-up threads effectively engulfed the protagonist in an impenetrable energy shield, allowing her to tank through attacks.

It was, ultimately, an endgame reward: recognition that you’d seen everything the game had to offer. Naturally, it was never going to be anywhere near as potent in sequel Horizon Forbidden West, and here’s the proof: a screenshot from IGN’s preview coverage confirms that the renamed Nora Anointed armour has “lost its power source” and been “modified to augment ranged combat”.

In terms of aesthetics, the armour is largely identical, with its colourful belt design. But you can see that it’s powered down in Forbidden West, as the glowing spots all over the fabric are dimmed. Ultimately, we all knew that the Shield Weaver would have to be altered for the sequel, as you’d effectively be starting out with the best armour, and that’d be a bit boring.

Now at least we have confirmation, eh?

[source ign.com]