Horizon Zero Dawn doesn’t dive as deeply into equipment stats as other RPGs do, but you’ll still need to learn your way around the different item types available to Aloy in the game. If you want to deal the most damage to your enemies, you’re going to need to make sure you have the best weapons in the game. In this article we’ll go over the best weapons in Horizon Zero Dawn, as well as show you how you can get these weapons into your arsenal.
Like much of the loot in Horizon Zero Dawn, Aloy’s gear is broken up into different rarity types. These items range from Uncommon (green), to Rare (blue), and then to Very Rare (purple). In this article we’ll be focusing on the Very Rare items, which offer the best base stats available in the game. It should also be noted that you’ll probably want to unlock the Tinker skill, which allows you to unmount modifications so you can reuse them.
How to Get the Best Weapons
The best weapons available in the game can be purchased after you reach Meridian in the quest “The City of the Sun”. One of the biggest advantages to getting better grade weapons is that higher quality weapons will allow Aloy to make use of additional ammo types, which can make taking down enemies much easier.
Shadow Sling
Slings are a weapon you might not have thought much about during your time in Horizon Zero Dawn, but if you make use of the Ropecaster, then this weapon is extremely important to your arsenal. It can fire off different elemental bombs, which is useful for dealing large amounts of damage to enemies in your path.
- Purchase Cost: 650 Metal Shards, 1 Crystal Braiding (can be obtained from Rockbreakers, Behemots, Stormbirds, Thunderjaws, and Deathbringers)
- Ammo: Freeze, Shock, and Fire bombs
Shadow Ropecaster
This weapon works very well alongside a Sling, and will allow you to tie enemies down and immobilize them. It’s extremely useful against powerful machines like Corruptors and Snapmaws, but many players might not enjoy using it during their journey.
- Purchase Cost: 500 Metal Shards, 1 Snapmaw Heart
- Ammo: Ropes
Shadow Hunter Bow
If you enjoy the quick fire rate and reload time of the Hunter Bow, then this weapon is a must-buy. It’s relatively easy to acquire, as well, since it only requires Metal Shards and Watcher Hearts. It also fires a new type of arrow, which is useful against larger machines.
- Purchase Cost: 650 Metal Shards, 1 Watcher Heart
- Ammo: Hunter, Hardpoint, and Fire arrows
Shadow Sharpshot
Useful for firing Precision and Tearblast arrows, the Sharpshot bow takes a bit longer to wind up, but is well worth the extra reload and fire times.
- Purchase Cost: 800 Metal Shards, 1 Sawtooth Heart
- Ammo: Precision, Tearaway, and Harvest arrows
Shadow Tripcaster
If you enjoy setting traps for your enemies, then the Shadow Tripcaster is a must-have for your arsenal. If offers additional trap types as ammunition, as well as three modification slots for the ultimate damage dealing trap machine.
- Purchase Cost: 750 Metal Shards, 1 Scrapper Heart
Shadow Rattler
As one of the most powerful weapons in the game, this machine-gun like item offers great handling and plenty of ammunition to take down the chunkiest enemies. It will cost you, thought.
- Purchase Cost: 950 Metal Shards, 1 Boar Skin, 1 Rabbit Skin, 1 Fox Skin
- Ammo: Metal, Shock, and Freeze bolts
Shadow Blast Sling
As the most expensive item you can purchase from a merchant, the Shadow Blast Sling is exceptionally useful for dealing high impact and area of effect damage to enemies. It can fire three different types of ammunition, which allow it to deal large amounts of damage to your foes.
- Purchase Cost: 1400 Metal Shards, 1 Lancehorn Heart
- Ammo: Blast, Proximity, and Sticky bombs.
This completes our list of the best weapons in Horizon Zero Dawn. If we discover any other great weapons, we’ll be sure to update our list accordingly. It may take you a while to acquire all of the weapons above, and some of them might not even be worth purchasing for yourself, depending on your playstyle. For more help like this, head back over to our Horizon Zero Dawn guide, where we offer insight on what the best skills are, and how to fast travel.
