10 Things to Do in Horizon Zero Dawn as Soon as You Get It

Find a Tallneck

Exploring the world in Horizon Zero Dawn and being able to pinpoint where different activities are is something made far simpler if you override a Tallneck. As these towering machines store a ton of data about the environments in their heads, Aloy can remove a chunk of the fog of war from your map, and add activity markers for the surrounding area.

Not only will this help you find more interesting things to explore in Horizon Zero Dawn, but you’ll also get to truly take in the beauty of the game. What’s more, actually navigating your way to the top of these are fun mini-puzzles focus around Aloy’s climbing ability. There are a good few Tallnecks to override in Horizon Zero Dawn, but the first one will open up a good portion of the map to get you started.

Practice Your Hunting

For your first few hours with Horizon Zero Dawn’s combat, you’ll likely be misfiring arrows and alerting enemies when you’re trying to be stealthy. Don’t let this deter you from hunting the machines right away, though. After all, practice makes perfect, right?

If you start jumping into combat from the very beginning of the game, not only will you leveling up Aloy much quicker than usual, but you’ll also start to get a better feel for how to best utilize Aloy’s different abilities and weapons. And it’s when you start chaining weapons and attacks together that Horizon Zero Dawn’s combat truly shines.

Expand Your Arsenal

During the opening hour or so of Horizon Zero Dawn, you’ll be pretty restricted in your damage dealing methods. While it’s definitely enough to keep you alive for the next few hours of the game, expanding your arsenal of weapons should be right at the top of your priorities.

Get looting all of those machines and then make your way to a merchant and pick up some new toys. Not only will you now be prepared for just about anything that Horizon Zero Dawn throws your way, but with each weapon, you’ll unlock another entirely new way to take down the machines.

Admire the Views with Photo Mode

If photo mode has never interested you before, Horizon Zero Dawn is sure to change that. Playing at both 1080p and 4K, the game is stunning. Sunsoaked stretches of desert shift spontaneously in the breeze, and the machines that roam the lands are detailed right down the nuts and bolts that hold them together.

Whether it’s a sprawling valley that you just can’t stop staring at, or a bunch of ants scuttling up and down the side of a tree, Horizon Zero Dawn is filled with incredible sights for you to uncover and admire. If you’re playing on the PS4 Pro, this is the game you’ve been waiting for to show the system’s true potential, and photo mode only allows you to appreciate it even more.

Check the Skill Tree

All the time you’re playing through quests, defeating machines, or overriding Tallnecks, you’ll be earning EXP and leveling Aloy up. While her level will ultimately determine how strong she is and what machines you’ll want to temporarily avoid, you’ll also be able to further Aloy’s abilities with the skill tree.

We strongly suggest taking a minute or two to just check out what skills are available at the start of the game, and then working out which ones are most important to your playstyle. In doing so, you can prevent needlessly wasting skill points on skills that don’t fit with the way you play, and focus on unlocking ones that suit you best.

Loot Everything

Crafting is an incredibly important part of your time in Horizon Zero Dawn, and as such, you can never have too many resources. Fortunately for us, resources can be found pretty easily in the game, just make sure you’re picking it all up.

Be sure to loot a machine after you’ve defeated it, and always keep an eye out supply caches, as these often contain a bunch of useful materials. Also, don’t just run by those trees and plants. Wood and medicinal herbs are some of the most important crafting materials you’ll need in the game, so

Check Out the First Cauldron

Pretty early on in Horizon Zero Dawn, you’ll meet an NPC who informs you of a nearby Cauldron – large doors in the world whose contents remain a mystery. As soon as you get this quest and are at the minimum level, go ahead and check it out.

Cauldrons are a fun little part of the game, and each time you explore one, you’ll unlock the ability to override a few more machines in the world. These can be used to help you navigate the world faster, or to fight by your side in battle, and are indispensable on your adventure.

Head to the Hunting Ground

If you want to get a better understanding of how to use your weapons and the different ways you can take down the machines in Horizon Zero Dawn, then Hunting Grounds are where you want to be. Each one has a few different arena-style challenges for players to complete within a time limit.

By completing these and achieving the prestigious Blazing Sun rank, you’ll also be working towards unlocking some badass weapons to take with you on your adventure. These are a great learning tool, and are a great way to spend a few hours in the game. Oh, and each time you complete a challenge, you’ll be rewarded with loot-filled treasure boxes. Perfect for all of your crafting needs.

Learn Your Enemies

The machines that roam Horizon Zero Dawn’s world aren’t just carbon copies of one another. Each one has its own unique weak points and elemental vulnerabilities just waiting for you to exploit with the arsenal of weapons at your disposal.

With this in mind, each time you discover a new machine, you’ll want to quickly check out the Machine Catalogue in the in-game menu to get yourself clued up on this new species. With this additional knowledge, you’ll find yourself swiftly disposing of the machines and combining your weapons in novel and interesting ways for an ultimate takedown. Reading up on your enemies is also the best way to overcome any moments in the game you may be stuck at, just in case you’ve been completely overlooking a particular weak point.

Upgrade Your Inventory

With crafting and resources being at the heart of surviving in Horizon Zero Dawn’s world, one of the first things you’ll want to do with all of those scavenged supplies is to upgrade your inventory. It’s not just one bag, though, you’ll need to upgrade quivers, medicinal pouches, resource pouches, and more individually.

Fortunately, the resources needed for the first few upgrades to each part of your inventory are incredibly common, meaning you won’t have to put up with that tiny amount of space for long. Just remember to keep out for actual animals, as well as the those of the mechanical kind, as these often have all-important crafting materials you’ll need further down the line.

Are you picking up Horizon Zero Dawn? Let us know down in the comments below.