Although Horizon Zero Dawn has been around for some time now, it's still one of Sony's most notable game releases. Combined with its expansions, it's one of the most open-world RPGs we've seen from them and with it comes open-world enemies. This game has seen its fair share of random encounters and anyone who has mastered this RPG knows that sneaking is vital for prime attacks. However, this game also relies heavily on the fact that the player is able to switch out their ammo and bows depending on which enemy they're facing.
The world of technologically-advanced beasts is what made Horizon Zero Dawn so glorious in the first place, and we're taking a look back at ten of the toughest enemies and bosses, ranked in order. Starting with the least threatening all the way up to bosses that made us grit our teeth and hunker down, here's what gamers have to look forward to if they've not yet discovered this brilliant RPG.
Updated February 19, 2022 by Ritwik Mitra: Horizon Zero Dawn is one of the best open-world games around right now, with its sequel poised to make everyone realize once again the limitless potential of this series and its brilliant world. The game features incredible combat with massive, awe-inspiring machines that are a blast to defeat. With the recent release of Horizon Forbidden West, players who want to stay up-to-date with the story of this series should start the first game and fight enemies as soon as possible. Of course, some machines are going to be way more challenging than others.
15 Longleg
The Longleg is easily one of the most annoying enemies in the game. It's extremely fast and hits for deceptively high damage, making it a pain to deal with this powerful foe.
To make things worse, Longlegs can also sound the alarm and alert other machines in the vicinity. Players need to be wary and either defeat this enemy stealthily, or whip out the most powerful weapons they have in their arsenal to take this enemy down quickly before it can call reinforcements.
14 Shell-Walker
The Shell-Walker has a ton of valuable resources, making it a ripe machine for Aloy to hun. However, don't assume that this machine will just sit back and let the player take its valuables.
With its damaging close-range attacks and electrical abilities, the Shell-Walker is no joke and will be a pain to deal with even for veteran players. It doesn't help that this enemy has a shield that can also add to the annoyance of dealing with this enemy.
13 Stalker
The idea of an enemy hunting one down while using stealth is a horrifying prospect, especially since Aloy is the one generally doing this. It's this stealthy approach that makes Stalkers such a threatening enemy.
They might not take too long to defeat, but that doesn't make these enemies any less daunting. Players need to avoid as much unnecessary damage as possible while dealing with these powerful machines, who pull zero punches in trying to hunt Aloy down.
12 Glinthawk
Out of all the enemies on this list, the Glinthawk is easily one of the most annoying enemies to defeat. These vulture-like machines waste no time in hunting down machine carcasses and hauling them away if the player gives them the chance.
Trying to loot machines while simultaneously dealing with this aerial threat is a pretty challenging prospect. Thankfully, with a bit of dodging and ranged combat, these enemies can be taken down without them seriously hampering your looting endeavors.
11 Snapmaw
Snapmaws definitely aren't the most threatening, which is why they've earned a fairly low-ranking spot. They are quite annoying, however, as their long, alligator-like beaks allow them to complete lunge attacks with a swift efficiency.
They are weak to fire which makes them easy enough to take out, but they can nab the player from both land and sea, making them unpredictable and making it necessary to take them out quickly. Keeping a safe distance and using blaze canisters is the best bet when facing one.
10 Corruptor
Corruptors can be taken down in a myriad of ways, which makes them easy to kill fifty percent of the time. The other half of the time, that percentage makes them that much tougher to take down, since they have several means of taking Aloy down instead.
Their weak points include the grenade launcher and spike core, which will disable both functions if the player can successfully take them out. This will effectively get rid of both long-range attacks and, if you have a good angle, taking out the heat core of the machine will destroy it almost entirely.
9 Behemoth
The problem with Behemoths is that they travel in packs. Players will randomly run into herds of these and, due to their size, they can be a bit rough to take down. They're fairly easy to take down, especially if players know where to aim an arrow.
The easiest thing to remember is to target either the machine's head, its butt, or both. Force loaders on its head as well as freeze cells on its tail-end give players a huge advantage over this beast.
8 Scorcher
Unless gamers are playing a version of Horizon Zero Dawn that includes The Frozen Wilds expansion pack, they don't need to worry about running into Scorchers. However, they've made the list simply because most people do have the expansion pack — at least, those who are fans of the game — and it's likely they've encountered a few.
These enemies are powerful and aggressive in their stances and attacks, meaning they need to be taken down quickly. As their name implies, they're weak to freeze attacks, but they'll get Aloy with their close-range fire attacks.
7 Frostclaw
There are two bear-like enemies introduced in The Frozen Wilds DLC for Horizon Zero Dawn. One of these enemies is the Frostclaw, who will waste no time in hunting Aloy down and taking her out with its wealth of highly-damaging attacks,
Players need to be on their A-game and completely annihilate this monster with their powerful moves to even stand a chance of victory. Being complacent will lead to the Frostclaw quickly closing the distance and defeating the player with a few swipes.
6 Fireclaw
Fireclaws are also specific to the expansion pack, and players are glad, because they're pretty scary to see in the game. These machines stand up in a humanoid form, giving them the advantage of being on an even fighting ground with the player. The good news is that they're usually solitary and only found near The Cut.
They're similar to Scorchers as far as their attacks and vulnerabilities which, again, includes freeze. Using a fire attack on one of these will only increase their strength and make them that much harder, so no matter how much players are tempted simply because they're in the middle of a blizzard, don't do it.
5 Stormbird
Stormbirds truly are a pain. Not only can they cause some serious damage, but they also fly, which makes them moving targets 90% of the time. The best course of action with these birds is to tie them down with the rope caster. This allows the gamer to get a clear shot rather than flailing around aimlessly trying to shoot them down.
They're also weak to fire and freeze, so if Aloy can get them nailed down to one location, they're fairly easy to defeat with an elemental bow attack.
4 Rockbreaker
Among the more creepy of the machines, Rockbreakers are a different breed altogether. They're a huge pain because they're able to burrow underground, leaving players just as surprised as they are when they burrow back up right in front of Aloy.
Luckily, they're prone to taking elemental damage in the form of freeze. A trick is to aim for a Rockbreaker's claws — this prevents it from burrowing again and keeps it above ground, so players have a better chance at not only aiming, but aiming efficiently.
3 Hades
Players don't get a good look at Hades until the end of the game, and while it's earned its spot on the list, this is not the actual boss players face. Hades is responsible for the waves of enemies players will face, thus making it annoying and obnoxious all at once.
The final mission of the game is to defeat Hades and overcome The Face of Extinction, and while it's no easy feat, it's doable. Due to Hades' strength and intelligence when calling forth hoards of enemies, it's ranked one of the highest simply due to its destructive force.
2 Thunderjaw
Interestingly enough, Thunderjaw is weak against nearly all elemental attacks. The problem is that this machine also has many different attacks, including the ability to scan. It can also unleash powerful tail attacks (think of it as a metal version of a T. rex) and that, combined with its size, makes it a formidable opponent.
There are several ways to defeat it, and many of its canisters are left vulnerable and exposed. A player's best bet is to position themselves safely and take careful aim.
1 Deathbringer
The thing that separates Deathbringers from the rest of the animal-like machines in the game is the fact that these are purely just machines. They don't resemble an animal, and they are, in fact, heavily armored.
There aren't too many ways to bring one of these massive hunks of metal down, which can make for a frustrating face-off. There aren't too many in the game, but if players do find themselves face to face with one, fire is the best bet. Getting the machine to overheat is one of the few ways to bring it down efficiently.
Horizon Zero Dawn was released on February 28th, 2017 and is available for PC and PS4.