This article is part of a directory: Horizon Forbidden West: Complete Guide & Walkthrough
Table of contents

Though the machines found at the Sheerside Mountains Hunting Grounds are far from the toughest in Horizon Forbidden West, the challenges that players must complete with them really aren't too far off. Most players, for example, will likely have a terrible time trying to deal with the Shredder Catch trial, while getting hold of a weapon suitable for the third challenge can also be a bit of a chore.

RELATED: Every Piece in Horizon Forbidden West's Machine Strike Board Game

Despite the high level of effort required though, it's definitely worth taking these trials on at some point, as completing them all offers up some very useful rewards including Skill Points and a couple of Primary Nerves. These strategies will help Horizon Forbidden West players to overcome the three trials, while also providing information about all of the rewards that are on offer.

Frost Trial

horizon-forbidden-west-sheerside-mountains-hunting-grounds-guide-01-frost-trial-info

Stripes

Time Required

Rewards

Quarter Stripes

10:00

  • Hunting Medal (x4)
  • Metal Shards (x40)
  • Small Machine Core (x2)

Half Stripes

04:00

  • Hunting Medal (x5)
  • Metal Shards (x50)
  • Chillwater (x10)
  • Medium Machine Core (x1)

Full Stripes

03:00

  • Hunting Medal (x6)
  • Metal Shards (x60)
  • Chillwater (x10)
  • Bellowback Circulator (x1)
  • Medium Machine Core (x1)

By far the easiest of the three challenges, the Frost trial requires players to inflict the Brittle state on a Bellowback or two and then tear off their Cargo Refining Sacs. This simply requires players to pelt the Brittlebacks with any kind of Frost ammo, which will fill the Brittle indicator and cause the enemies to start freezing. After this happens, players can switch to a regular Hunter Bow and shoot off their sacs.

horizon-forbidden-west-sheerside-mountains-hunting-grounds-guide-02-frost-trial-demo

Each Brittleback actually has two sacs for players to aim at, but the one on their back is a lot easier to hit due to its large size. There's a Brittleback immediately to the player's right after dropping down into the Hunting Grounds, and more over on the opposite side. Those who need an Ice ammo weapon can pick one up from the merchant at the hunting grounds.

Shredder Catch Trial

horizon-forbidden-west-sheerside-mountains-hunting-grounds-guide-03-shredder-catch-trial-info

Stripes

Time Required

Rewards

Quarter Stripes

10:00

  • Hunting Medal (x4)
  • Metal Shards (x40)
  • Small Machine Core (x2)

Half Stripes

03:00

  • Hunting Medal (x5)
  • Metal Shards (x50)
  • Metalbite (x10)
  • Medium Machine Core (x1)

Full Stripes

02:00

  • Hunting Medal (x6)
  • Metal Shards (x60)
  • Metalbite (x10)
  • Bellowback Sac Webbing (x1)
  • Medium Machine Core (x1)

To complete the Shredder Catch trial, players will need to throw and catch a single Shredder three times to fully charge it and then throw it at an enemy. These catches will need to be consecutive, meaning that if players fail to catch the Shredder even once, they'll lose their charged Shredder and will need to start again from square one. It's certainly tough, though, with the right strategy, it is definitely possible.

horizon-forbidden-west-sheerside-mountains-hunting-grounds-guide-04-shredder-catch-trial-demo

Players who attempt this at close range will definitely struggle, but, by putting some distance between themselves and their targets and by using Aloy's concentration ability to quickly establish the arc of the Shredder (press R3 while aiming), players should be able to get the hang of it pretty quickly. It can also help to dive towards the Shredder using Circle if it looks to be going wide, but this should only be used as a last resort. Those who need a Shredder weapon can pick one up from the merchant at the hunting grounds.

Plasma Blast Trial

horizon-forbidden-west-sheerside-mountains-hunting-grounds-guide-05-plasma-blast-trial-info

Stripes

Time Required

Rewards

Quarter Stripes

10:00

  • Hunting Medal (x4)
  • Metal Shards (x40)
  • Small Machine Core (x2)

Half Stripes

03:00

  • Hunting Medal (x5)
  • Metal Shards (x50)
  • Glowblast (x10)
  • Medium Machine Core (x1)

Full Stripes

02:00

  • Hunting Medal (x6)
  • Metal Shards (x60)
  • Glowblast (x10)
  • Rollerback Circulator (x1)
  • Medium Machine Core (x1)

The Plasma Blast trial is fairly simple providing players know when to stop. They'll need to hit the large Rollerback in the center of the hunting grounds with Plasma ammo until the circle around the purple plasma icon above the enemy's head is fully illuminated. They should then continue to hit it until the purple bar to the right is full and a message reading "Elemental Limit Triggered" appears onscreen. From here, they simply need to stop shooting until the state ends and the stored energy explodes.

horizon-forbidden-west-sheerside-mountains-hunting-grounds-guide-06-plasma-blast-trial-demo

They'll then need to repeat this process a second time, again being sure not to shoot the Rollerback too much after the bar is full. The trickiest part of the challenge is not killing the Rollerback too soon, so it pays to avoid targeting its weak spot wherever possible. Those who need a Plasma ammo weapon can pick one up from the merchant at the hunting grounds, though they may need to visit a Sunwing site (check near the Scalding Spear settlement) to get hold of a Sunwing Circulator first.

Completion Rewards

horizon-forbidden-west-sheerside-mountains-hunting-grounds-guide-07-completion-rewards

Level

Rewards

Grand Quarter Stripes

  • Hunting Medal (x8)
  • Skill Points (x2)
  • Metal Shards (x150)
  • Small Machine Core (x2)

Grand Half Stripes

  • Hunting Medal (x10)
  • Metal Shards (x300)
  • Blastpaste (x10)
  • Weave - Purgewater and Plasma Defense +7% (x1)
  • Medium Machine Core (x1)

Grand Full Stripes

  • Hunting Medal (x12)
  • Metal Shards (x450)
  • Bellowback Primary Nerve (x1)
  • Rollerback Primary Nerve (x1)
  • Coil - Frost +12% (x1)
  • Large Machine Core (x2)

Horizon Forbidden West is available now on PS4 and PS5.

MORE: Horizon Forbidden West: Complete Guide & Walkthrough