Horizon Zero Dawn: 16 Crucial Tips & Tricks The Game Doesn't Tell You

11. How To Maximise Defence (Not Getting Wiped Out In One Hit)

Coming out of the opening chunk of the game and venturing out into the open-world, you'll quickly realise that Aloy can only take a couple of hits before being sent flying. You can remedy this somewhat by understanding two things:

First, the 'dual spears' icon in your inventory and crafting menus. This denotes melee defence, so if you're favouring an up-close method of attack or find yourself routinely getting too close for comfort, look to outfits that have higher numbers in this value.

Second, is tailoring modification Weaves to specific clothing types. Being you know which icon to watch out for, purchase an outfit with a high melee defence stat and look for modifications (or buy them) that have something like '+20%/+40%' in regards to this same dual spears icon.

Keep in mind: What's being modified by said percentage is this base stat on the outfit, not anything to do with Aloy as a character, so prioritise high-value defensive clothing to start, then bolster it with high defence Weaves for maximum effect.