Horizon Forbidden West allows players to choose from a wide range of weapons, such as Bows, Spears, Blastslings, and much more. Each one is different from the others, and some are extremely powerful. Today, to help you select the right weapons for your journey, we are going to write down a Horizon Forbidden West best weapons guide.
- Why Trust Us: With over 95+ hours in Horizon Forbidden West, not to mention being a huge fan of the franchise, you can rely on Usama Mehmood’s expertise when it comes to the weapons in the game.
Best Weapons & Comparison Table
Check out the stats of the best weapons below:
| Weapon | Best For | Type | Base Damage | Buildup | Effect |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hunter Bow | Best Versatile Bow For Early-Late Stages | Hunter Bow | 60.0 | - | - Impact Damage - Fire -Tear |
| Frost Blastsling | Best Enemy Freezing Weapon | Blastsling | 14.0 | 30.0 | - Front |
| Prototype Spike Thrower | Best Explosive Damage Weapon | Spike Thrower | 20.0 | - | - Impact Damage - Explosive Damage |
| Wings of the Ten | Best Weapon For Immobilizing Enemies | Blastsling | 127.0 | 211.0 | - Explosive Damage - Adhesive |
| Death-Seeker’s Shadow | Best Armor Penetrating Weapon | Hunter Bow | 32.0 | 175.0 | - Impact Damage - Shock - Tear |
| The Skykiller | Best Versatile Spike Thrower | Spike Thrower | 151.0 | 108.0 | - Explosive Damage - Impact Damage - Fire |
Horizon Forbidden West Best Weapons Detailed
There are a total of 103 weapons in Horizon Forbidden West. I’m going to mention a total of 12 weapons that I found to be useful in the game. Keep in mind that this is just my personal preference, and you might find some other weapons better than these. So without any further ado, let’s dive into the list of best melee and bow weapons in Horizon Forbidden West.
Hunter Bow
| Damage | Handling | Draw Time | Reload Speed | Max Range | Ammo per Pack |
| 60 | 80 | 0.57s | 0.625s | 70m | 10 |
- Why I Chose This: Provides great usage in early game stages as well as late. Good damage and potential to be upgraded.
The Hunter Bow is an essential starting weapon in Horizon Forbidden West, providing decent damage output throughout the game. While it starts with a single Coil Slot, I found that upgrades can significantly enhance its effectiveness. With the ability to use Acid Arrows, it becomes even more formidable, allowing players to deal increased damage to enemies, especially in the early stages of the game.
How To Get The Hunter Bow
- You don’t need to do anything to get this weapon, as you’ll start the game with the Hunter Bow.
- Good damage.
- Great for early stages as well as later on.
- Available early on in the game.
- Only a single coil slot for upgrades.
Frost Blastsling
| Frost Damage | Buildup | Effect |
| 14 | 30 | Frost |
- Why I Chose This: The freeze ability comes in handy when fighting against powerful foes.
The Frost Blastsling is among the initial weapons you’ll acquire in Horizon Forbidden West. It deals high damage and freezes enemies, facilitating quick eliminations. While its Frost Bombs are costly to craft, from my experience they’re potent against tough foes. However, its effectiveness diminishes as you progress, prompting a transition to more powerful weapons.
Another Read: Horizon Forbidden West Regalla’s Wrath weapon
How To Get The Frost Blastsling
- The “Reach for the Stars” story quest unlocks the weapon.
- Varl provides Frost Blastsling during the mission.
- Encounter a powerful opponent, Slitherfang providing an opportunity to test Frost Blastsling.
- Great damage for early game stages.
- Allows slowing of enemies using the freeze effect.
- Frost Bombs can be expensive.
Prototype Spike Thrower
| Damage | Explosive Damage | Effect |
| 20 | 70 |
|
- Why I Chose This: A very powerful weapon for the early stages of the game. The effectiveness it provides against machines and powerful foes.
The Prototype Spike Thrower is a standout weapon in Horizon Forbidden West, renowned for its exceptional power. Obtainable early in the game, it comes with explosives that detonate shortly after impact, dealing massive damage to the target and nearby enemies.
It is also effective against both regular foes and formidable adversaries like the Shell Snapper, in my opinion, its armor-penetrating capability and explosive nature make it a formidable choice despite its initial draw time.
How To Get The Prototype Spike Thrower
- Weapon acquisition tied to completing an Errand in Chainscrape.
- Errand unlocked after completing the “To the Brink” main quest and merchants re-open their shops in Chainscrape.
- Completion of Errand grants access to the weapon.
- High damage and explosive capabilities.
- Can deal with a plethora of enemies.
- Has a slow draw time.
Wings of the Ten
| Explosive Damage | Type | Effects |
| 127 | Ranged Weapon |
|
- Why I Chose This: The ability to immobilize enemies is super useful when fighting against powerful enemies. Tho the time limit can be short against powerful foes but it’s still great.
Another Blastslings that I would like to mention is the Wings of the Ten. While the Frost Blastsling is amazing and all, the Wings of the Ten is somewhat better than it. In my opinion, the thing that makes it one of the best weapons to use is its ability to immobilize its targets.
The Wings of the Ten immobilize foes with adhesive rounds for swift eliminations, ideal against enemies like Burrowers. They require fast follow-up attacks for maximum efficiency and offer versatility in combat, despite being challenging to obtain.
How To Get The Wings of the Ten
- Weapon acquisition requires collecting 12 Black Box voice recorders that are scattered across the map.
- Complete Seeds of the Past and Sea of Sands story missions before collecting boxes.
- A Vine Cutter and Diving Mask obtained from missions are required for collecting boxes.
- Missions become available after completing more than half of the game’s story.
- Wings of the Ten was not accessible before completing these missions.
The 12 Black Boxes in Horizon Forbidden West can be found at different wrecks in the following locations:
- Whitewatch Peaks
- No Man’s Land
- Jagged Deep
- Salt Bite
- Memorial Grave
- Bleeding Mark
- Stillsands
- Promontory
- Raintrance
- Stand of the Sentinels
- Isle of Spires
- Bonewhite Tear
You can also follow the locations we have marked in the image below to get them quickly.
- Immobilize enemies using adhesive rounds.
- Versatile.
- Not as easy to acquire.
Death-Seeker’s Shadow
| Damage | Type | Tear | Effects |
| 52 | Ranged Weapon | 175 |
|
- Why I Chose This: The way this weapon obliterates enemy armor is mind-blowing. It had to be on my list.
The Death-Seeker’s Shadow, a legendary weapon in Horizon Forbidden West, excels at armor destruction and inflicts electric damage. Its quick draw time enables rapid targeting, making it effective against fast foes. With five Coil Slots for upgrades, in my opinion, it becomes even more potent in skilled hands, proving invaluable against all types of enemies.
How To Get The Death-Seeker’s Shadow Bow
- Weapon acquisition involves earning access to the Arena.
- Compete in the Arena and Hunting grounds to acquire medals.
- Need to gather a total of 80 medals.
- Purchase the weapon from the Merchant at the Arena’s entrance after acquiring the required number of medals.
- High damage.
- Has the ability to penetrate through enemy armor.
- Quickdraw time.
- It can be a little difficult to acquire.
The Skykiller
| Damage | Explosive Damage | Draw Time | Reload Speed | Max Range |
| 43 | 151 | 0.6s | 0.39s | 80-100m |
- Why I Chose This: The high damage and the versatility it provides against different enemy types.
The Skykiller is yet another weapon on our Horizon Forbidden West melee weapons list that can deal significantly more damage with each hit. Like the Prototype, this one is also a Spike Thrower, only that it is a little better than it.
The Skykiller, a top Spike Thrower in Horizon Forbidden West, from my experience it offers versatility with Explosive and Flaming spikes. Explosive Spikes excel at breaking armor, while Flaming Spikes are effective against unarmored foes. With five Coil Slots for upgrades, reload speed perks, and a 15% aerial damage bonus, it’s a formidable choice for various combat scenarios.
How To Get The Skykiller
- Spike Thrower is obtained through “The Way Home” side quest which is available after completing the GEMINI story mission.
- Acquisition of Spike Thrower occurs in the game’s final stages.
- The objective of the side quest: return a gyrocompass from ship wreckage.
- The side quest is lengthy which requires preparation for challenges.
- High damage.
- Has versatile ammo types.
- Has 5 coil slots for upgradability.
- Is available quite later on in the game.
My Take On The Best Weapons
In my personal opinion, and being well-versed with the combat of the game, especially on the Ultra Hard difficulty in NG+, the Blast Forge and Carja’s Bane are easily my favorite weapons to use. If you’re a veteran player like me, you would know just how ridiculously overpowered Boltblasters are, especially when combined with the Ranged Master Valor Surge.
Lastly, the Warrior Bows instantly became my favorites early on in the game just because of how Warrior Bows, as a new weapon archetype, feel like the best solution in up close situations. When used correctly, you can use the Carja’s Bane to rip through Frozen Machines with relative ease, considering their DPS rate.
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