Horizon Forbidden West has mountable machines, which were not in Horizon Zero Dawn, whereas its Burning Shores DLC has also expanded the selection. In the Horizon series, machines represent one of the most interesting aspects that merge nature and technology through creations resembling real animals. Aloy is attacked by all the wild machines if given a chance but most of them can be hacked to fight for her. Better still are ones that Aloy will ride once she has overridden, enabling her to cross over the map more quickly or even fly.
In the Horizon Forbidden West base game there are four mounts, with a fifth one being added in a DLC called Burning Shores which is exclusive to PS5. While forerunner Charger exists from the Horizon Zero Dawn game; other livestock found in forbidden west are available in this game’s title only now. Except Charger each of them needs you to hack different Cauldron so as to override it. Each machine that can be ridden in Forbidden West comes with its own advantages and disadvantages; some players may find a particular breed more appealing than others would on average.
5) Charger: Reliability & Speed Are Its Main Traits
Aloy will be able to use chargers, the first month she would ride. However, unlocking all mounts in Horizon Forbidden West takes time but this one is relatively straightforward. The game offers the override code for them at the beginning so it is just a matter of isolating a charger and overriding it.
This is likely going to be a very important ground mount that players will quickly learn to depend on in order to traverse vast distances. It has been designed like a ram and uses its powerful antlers for stressful charging attacks which explains the name. At their low levels though, these do some serious damage and should not be taken lightly.
Although the aforementioned ones may seem like a weak threat during the early stage, Chargers are one of the most steadfast companions that Aloy can have while journeying through different landscapes available in Horizon Forbidden West.
These monsters take up most of the maps and instead of Aloy running they can help to reach from point A to point B without thinking much about it. However, there are more preferable alternatives; nevertheless, in terms of how straightforward ridership is when overriding Chargers together with their availability on the maps you can find them easily and call into use as soon as possible to make them exceptional mounts.
4) Bristleback: Sturdiness & Raw Attack Power Compose The Warthog-Like Machine
The second mount that is likely to be unlocked by
Forbidden West players is the Bristleback. The Cauldron which contains its overridden code is known as TAU Cauldron or Repair Bay located just west of Plainsong. This is because TAU Cauldron is part of the main quest titled: “The Dying Lands,” hence players should not worry much about this place being left out.
The Bristleback resembles a warthog, and they are strong machines that will put up a big fight if chosen by players. Albeit clumsier due to its size as compared to chargers, it is more sturdy than other fighting mounts in forbidden West.
Bristlebacks also have numerous uses in combat. As much as Chargers are great for versatility as an easily acquired machine, the Bristleback surpasses it by far in terms of strength and aggressiveness. For gamers who need a means of transport that can aid them during combat while helping to save some ammo, and at the same time ensuring their own safety, then this pig-like machine will be an excellent choice.
Moreover, Bristlebacks are perfect for knocking over other machines or plowing through human members of enemy factions with ease. I mean seriously how would one survive being flattened by a metallic wire elephant? Nevertheless these ones have quite a bit more heft on them and may be kind of tough to handle but still might be worth it depending on how you want to tackle something like Horizon Forbidden West Challenge.
3) Clawstrider: Raptors Were Brought Back To Life
The strongest combat mount in
Horizon Forbidden West is the Clawstrider. The mount is slower than both the Charger and the Bristleback but it is also much more resilient and combat oriented. It isn’t easy to get close enough to hack them. A player who wants to hack one must employ some tactics, isolate one from others then approach quietly. Because they’re part of the raptor family, their levels of aggression are comparable to those of a dinosaur which can leap at any moment and attack Aloy.
These mounts can be unlocked by passing through IOTA Cauldron in forbidden west situated at Scalding Spear’s north. This Cauldron does not form the main story line so there is need for a little diversionary action. IOTA is different from other Cauldrons in that its entrance isn’t easily seen as opposed to finding it being the initial step towards cleaning up this Cauldron quest. Clawstrider has easier controls than the bulky
Bristlebacks hence making it a better Forbidden West mount which is also tougher and stronger. They work best while fighting other machines and are not good for moving around on the game’s map.
The Clawstrider may be the best type of ground-based mounts for Aloy, if we may say that. Nevertheless, it’s a little bit challenging to traverse using it compared to Charger which is always on hand in spite of everything; let alone the fact that in a combination of its combat potential and high mobility, it outplays all others.
In this game world, there are many dangers and the player has to meet the enemies while moving from one place to another hence having a mount such as Clawstrider means getting ready for any sort of trouble. On the other hand, Bristleback might be powerful but due to its bulky nature, players may find it difficult to steer towards their initial target thereby missing completely – this does not happen with Clawstrider in Horizon Forbidden West.
2) Sunwing: Unlock Flying Mounts
In Horizon Forbidden West, Sunwings were the first mount that let players get airborne and they are also the quickest machines in the game. They are not available until much later in game story at GEMINI Cauldron where players go as part of the main quest “Gemini”.
Unlocking all Horizon Forbidden West’s Cauldrons is not a necessity to get Sunwings, yet, their override code is only found in GEMINI Cauldron which can’t be accessed until one starts this mission. However, once unlocked an entirely new world opens up.
This will make exploration much easier than ever before by allowing players to sail through skies. But unlike Clawstrider, Sunwings are a fast and nimble Forbidden West mount which is quite unsuitable for any kind of combat; it gets destroyed within two or three hits. They resemble pteranodons rather than other machines in Horizon Forbidden West that use solar energy instead of Blaze to keep running. While it is both advantageous and disadvantageous that it is only unlocked on late game.
The game, still, continues to restrict the time frames within which a person is supposed to play Sunwings but at least there are areas that the player will remember flying through for you to unlock or reach things they could not in previous missions. Nonetheless, this addition is one of the sleekest gameplay styles since part two of Uncharted.
However, using it might be interesting to some players because of both its newness and how easy it makes moving with no extra threats. They can fly around to take shortcuts to secondary goals that would then become more tempting as it was quite hard reaching them on foot or with ground mounts.
1) Waterwing: Explore The Skies & The Seas
Waterwings are the newest mountable in Horizon Forbidden West, coming to the game with Burning Shores DLC. The Water Wing adds another layer to what was already exciting about the Sunwing in-game by making it possible for players to fly through the skies but also dive into water while riding it.
This is a very seamless way of exploring Burning Shores world and at the same time, one that gives an adrenaline rush when you break out of water. It is easier to explore the entire Burning Shores map on a Water Wings back. Similar to Sunwings, Water Wings are strong enemies who should not be taken lightly. Careless players will witness Aloy getting destroyed by their elemental attacks while they move around too much to be overridden from nearby.
It is worth the effort to install Water Wing; players can do this, though. Even if for no other reason than that they rise from the sea and take to the sky, they see a panoramic view of things that they would miss if they used another mount in game. The Water Wing is the ultimate mount in the game. Of course it’s not a good choice for combat but its transitions between air and water are seamless which means better exploration under-water compared to having Aloy swim around.
Waterwing finds many secrets below without taking too much time down there. It also makes a great tool for escapism from some of these deadly underwater monsters in the DLC. The beauty of Horizon Forbidden West and its Burning Shores DLC comes alive when one is on any mount, and most preferably Water Wing.
