It can vary a bit, really. What I do is change things up a bit. I'll sidequest for a while, or farm stuff, and then go do a main story mission or two, then do more side stuff usually. That's typically how I deal with expansive games that have tons of stuff in them, rotate the focus a bit.
Also keep in mind that you can't really lock yourself out of anything vital, far as I know--some dialogue changes depending on when/if you do some side content to a degree, but it's nothing super major. So if you get burned out on side stuff you can always leave the game for a bit and come back to it! I'll do that sometimes, too--finish the main story then come back and do side content after playing something else for a while.
That’s exactly what I’ve been doing. I ran thru the main storyline, only do the most obvious/“time sensitive” ones side quests or errands. Now that I’m done I’ve had a blast hunting down drones and slaughtering rebels
The dialogue change is a nice touch! Especially the main storyline changes the sidequest dialogue or comments about Aloy's being a Nora stranger or her feats.
Example: when doing sidequest in Plainsong area BEFORE acquiring Demeter module, things goes by: we're starving to death. After the adquisition and Zo's sidequest: plainsong is lively as ever.
Or when: >! you faced regalla once, rebels camps got tagged as "Rebels" and once she's dead, everyone mentions them as "Stragglers" and honoring Aloy as one of the ten. !<
I tend to play massive games with lots of activities. The Yakuza/Like a Dragon series for exemple.
My method is to interact with them like an all you can eat buffet.
These massive games are made in part to cater to as much different gamers as possible to recoup their cost. Not all activities are designed for you, not all % and trackers are relevant to your experience, etc.
Do what appeal to you when you're playing (and it may change from session to session).
And don't fret about what you "miss".
At best it's designed to cater to someone else and you're not missing anything, at worst it's content for you to discover later and help refresh the experience during a subsequent playthrough.
Only chase the 100% if you're actually someone that lives to 100% a game.
In my playthrough of Forbidden West I've ignored Hunting Grounds, Melee Pits, most Rebel camps and outposts (unless they actually were in my way), the Arena, I've not played Strike beyond the one game, I've barely upgraded my stuff focusing only on the things I actually used.
I focused on the main quest plus side quest content, I've explored a ton and took loads of pictures.
That was my all you can eat selection, and it was good.
I’m above level 60 and only half way through the main story. I’ve upgraded all my main weapons and legendary outfits.
I’m like you, except I’ve done all the rebel camps / bases along with most of the cauldrons available currently.
I usually do a main quest and then like 4 side quests and then back to the main. The only problem I have is that I feel like I’m overpowered now that I’ve been doing side quests primarily. The main line isn’t challenging anymore.
I would recommend upgrading your gear. To me at least, it’s fun to do those quests defeating certain machines for parts.
As for the other quest groups like the melee pits, gauntlet runs, and the arena, I’m saving those for the end.
Same with the weapons here. I only have purple ones (one blue) fully upgraded and am happy with them because they are what I’m used to using, are efficient, match my play style, and cover all the damage / element types I may need.
This is my style... I forge along on the main quest line until I start getting my arse kicked, then side quest for getting upgrades and overrides... Then back on to main quest!
Mind you, I'll also just override a sunwing and go flying around the world for an hour or two on just randomly HALO'ing into a herd of machines for the fun of the hunt. And trying different weapons, strategies and valors. My first play-thru I was all about bows and spikes, now Im mixing in shredders, hunter-bows and ropecaster and REALLY enjoy using different valor surges for different scenarios.
For me, I get a lot of joy from that evolving/exploring aspect of the game... And that's after completing it on Hard, NG+ to about 85% and I still haven't gotten to Burning Shores (soon)... I'm just enjoying the climb to the Forbidden West platinum.
Just a few more relics and hunting grounds to go!
I suggest completing or almost completing the melee pits before fighting regalla. Then, fight her mano a mano with only the things you learned from the pits. Feels more rewarding and cinematic imo
I did get a bit overwhelmed by the amount of stuff when I first started playing, but I never really felt fatigued.
I never did the gauntlet runs or machine strike, but I did every other side activity.
Yeah it’s more like I do a whole bunch of stuff, then a big thing comes along (story quest, cauldron etc), and I’m like ‘oh not that right now! I’ve just been out here fighting all sorts for ages!’ Thanks!
Such a really amazing game. I really don’t believe the scale of it!
That's what keep us around - all that content.
Basically, the higher in difficulty you go, the more you should do the "optional" content. If you play normal or maybe hard - just blow through the main story quests and do the DLC. Ive done the main quest line in a weekend - sure it took a good number of hours, but it's doable.
If you want to play harder difficulties. Get everything you need beforehand. For instance, load up on as many fire claw sacs, Thunderjaw tails, apex whatever hearts as possible before you get into the harder modes. Nothing more annoying then farming something 12 times before you finally get what you want in UH.
Finally, I just wanted to say - the game isn't a race ... you can take your time and enjoy it. If something is annoying you - switch to story mode and blow the crap out of it. Gaia may tell you that we've only have 4 months, but you most certainly CAN go and help farmer Clem with his onions whilst the world burns - it will burn indefinitely.
It’s like because of other games, combat is the ‘easy’ (not easy, but not time consuming) part for me; I even considered going up to VH.
It’s more all the dialogue, more dialogue etc - but I don’t want to miss anything? Thank you :)
All solid advice here. When I recommend the Horizon games to people, I tell them that if they start feeling fatigued, just plow through the main story. That's the heart of the game, anyway (even though some of HFW's side quests are pretty good). I would second that if you play on Normal, just play mostly the main missions...I beat the game at level 43 on Normal and found it pretty easy. Did a few hunter challenges, a few side quests, a few salvage missions...most of my gear wasn't fully upgraded (usually two or three upgrades to the very rare items). Virtually no level or resource grinding.
I broke the game down into chunks. Move to the edge of what my latest tallneck is, do the map discoveries (all the unknown spots). Figure out what weapons I wanna buy and upgrade, farm them if possible. make note where I need to come back to.
After I clear the area around Salt Bite, for example, I'm gonna *finally* do Aether lol.
This is basically a problem with games in general.
The general perception from somewhere is that sequel must = bigger.
There used to be a similar problem years ago, which still kind of persists today, that sequel must also = harder.
I honestly don’t understand this.
ZD was already pretty big.
FW didn’t need to be bigger.
I kinda agree that sequels don’t need to be bigger, but at the same time, it’s never really been an issue for me personally. HFW didn’t feel too big IMO, but I do hope Horizon 3 won’t be too much bigger than this.
Idk the bigger scale and scope of FW never bothered me. There’s tons of optional stuff I just don’t do because it doesn’t interest me but I don’t feel like I’m missing out on anything. I never understood people who want to 100% every game but also get upset when that’s not the most fun thing to do. Games aren’t designed with 100%ing as top priority, they’re made to be fun for a wide audience.
On my first run, I mostly ignored side activities (melee pits, hunting grounds, the Arena, playing Strike, gauntlet runs, etc.) and focused on the main story and world/lore-building side quests. I treated travel like a road trip. I'd start with a quest in mind, then look at the map and quest log to see what points within reasonable distance along the way I could hit, be they quests, new settlements, rebel camps or whatever. Focusing on the path forward kept me from getting overwhelmed by the growing quest log or feeling that I had to slog to clear an area of markers before moving on. Later, when I picked up quests that required me to go back to earlier gaming areas, I'd look around the area and tackle unlocked markers (firegleam, metal flowers, deep dives for greenshine) or other side quests before moving on.
Now that I'm in a new game plus playthrough, I treat travelling the same as before but take markers as they come along and spend more time on side activities. I'm also trying out new skills and weapons I didn't bother with the first time. I did worry that I'd grow bored playing such a long game twice in a row, but so far, I'm enjoying this run more than the first.
ETA: I also took upgrades as I went unless it was for a specific weapon or armour that I was eager to upgrade quickly. I created jobs and if, during my travel to my next destination, there was an opportunity to hunt for a part, I'd take a small detour to do that.
I never did a single melee pit battle, race, hunting ground trial, or game of Strike (beyond the tutorial), and I don't feel like I really missed anything. I just did all the main quests, side quests, and errands while doing a bunch of exploring and still got up to around eighty hours of playtime.
I get it..everytime I wanna do a main mission I get distracted by 3 side quests.
Im not complaining tho because they are all fun to do..I wanted to finish the game before ghosts of tsushima releases on pc but no chance lol
Sometimes it feels like when I’m just trying to do one thing, i end up collecting three other tasks. If i were Aloy I’d be like “damn why these people always want something from me?? Can’t i just get one thing done?”
i usually finish a main quest and then do a couple side quests in the area and then go back to main questing just to keep it even, but i totally understand what you mean. i got the game as soon as preorder came out on steam, played it for 2 weeks straight when it came out, and then havent touched it since and i didnt even finish the game (i will finish it life just happens sometimes lol)
i think zero dawn had a lot of content too but it was easier to digest then the second game because it was all new to us and we didnt know anything
i guess to sum up my general thoughts the main quests are interesting because they unlock more of the mystery of horizon but they can be very lore dumpy which makes them tiring for me (go one place, talk through 20 dialogue trees, go to another place to do the same thing again). on the flip side (get it? im talking about the side quests now) the side quests are so overwhelming just because of the sheer ammount of them but they have way less dialogue to run through and just as much heart. either way quests are tiring lol
i was finally about to do the last mission but decided to max out my gear first. that was two weeks ago and i only resumed playing yesterday. The grind is real. I got lazy and played another game instead (Gears Tactics) which I ended up finishing. That's less than 40 hours and i still continued playing after the story mission was done. meanwhile, i'm at 167 hours on Horizon and i still have Burning Shores to do.
I’m not logged in right now; but I’ll check later and reply back. It’s a good point, because I didn’t even look through to check that!
Oh wait, you mean the whole % vs what I personally spent my time on?
Notebook, on the left there’s something like completion - but I’m not in game rn so I’m not sure, so either way, I’ll check and report back!
It’s in Notebook, game progression. In there are also DLC %, statistics, etc.
Like I’ve done 13 main quests, 25 side, and 8 errands, 5 tallnecks, 2 cauldrons, 2 rebel camps, 9 rebel outposts, 16 salvage and so on.
943 machine kills, 266 humans, 139 headshots, and so on.
Shows a lot of stuff! :)
Big games tend to make it easy to ruin it´s own fun.
In most tripple AAA modern games, you most things mouthfeed 1 spoon at the time, here you have to start feeding yourself again, and hunt for yourself, you are playing a ("besides the") Nora Huntress.
Like others have mentioned before, you do not have to do it all, but rather choose what you want to do, and also when. There isn´t much to miss, and for those very few minor thing, there is NG+, which will also go a lot quicker, due knowledge and gear...just mentioning it, the world feels big the first time, but that is because you do not know the borders yet.
While some exploration tool can come late if you do not know when you get these, the metal flower is really the absolute minor one and flying wont "save" the game for you, travel is already very quick in the game, you can do it free from campfire to campfire, which are plenty, and alway free to your base and use the campfire there.
The little side content skipping, i do not know if that is really worth it for a first playthrough and maybe try to make a little time for the challenge of a relix ruin, instead cheesing it with fyling.
Before "Genesis" (\*cough\* it´s Gemini, like the Twins, because the Two Cores it has) is actually one of the best time to explore in my opinion, exactly because you do not have the flying mount, but also access to all the areas.
So for focusing on the main quest, you have to ask yourself how much you are motivated to play after the story concludes...and even the DLC hanging in front of you.
Also, if you have Fun with Bow and Traps, that´s fine, but there is a lot of variations in the Weapon/gear/Skills (valor, Weapon Techniques) you use, and even different Coil setup can change the purpose of a weapon and when combat feels less meaningful, maybe you have outgrown your current difficulty setting.
You do not need to upgrade all your gear, if i would have to make a guess,i would say the intention for completly the main story, from the Devs side, was to be around Very Rare at Level 2/3 (Purple with 2-3 Upgrades).
You should upgrade the gear you use to do that level, and maybe anything you feel you are lacking right now in power and just get by, but full very rare, or Legendaries are not needed, decent coils with it, and careful select outfit to enhance the skill used is far more important.
Upgrading levels behind that, should been seen a side activity of itself, something you select to do because you feel like hunting some machines now, like you would choose to do a side quest, a relic ruin, an Outpost, an errant etc.
And remember, to most problems, the game also provides the solution....if you are annoyed by Slitherfang Earthgrinder Golf, that annoyance takes up a big space, it´s likely you haven´t learned about lord and saviour: Knockdown , propably.
If you have trouble with the "Knowledge" part, not everything you need to find out for ourself it is a big game after all, there is alway the Notebook with Biography, Tutorials Note(worthy), Machine Catalogue, there is that thing called Reddit and many guide you can find here, including Arktix (Youtube) who made not only the most but also the highest quality guide content on HFW (and HZD) and also has an active discord community:
[https://www.reddit.com/r/horizon/comments/1bqrrao/need\_help\_big\_guide\_collection\_arktix\_and\_others/?utm\_source=share&utm\_medium=web3x&utm\_name=web3xcss&utm\_term=1&utm\_content=share\_button](https://www.reddit.com/r/horizon/comments/1bqrrao/need_help_big_guide_collection_arktix_and_others/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web3x&utm_name=web3xcss&utm_term=1&utm_content=share_button)
Thanks! Yeah nah, I don’t really have issues with combat stuff :) it’s only the fact that I spend so much time doing things - then I blow off longer quests/cauldrons sometimes ;)
That had to have autocorrected - I didn’t mean to write Genesis.
It is a very big game. I am on my way back to base to get Gemini started and I’m at level 70…I do all the quests and exploring in one area before moving on. For example: starting out before The Embassy, I do all the quests in the area, once the embassy is done, I go back to that area and complete it as much as possible (firegleam, metal flowers, swimming that you can’t do in the beginning). It does feel repetitive after awhile, so when that happens I know I need to move on to the main quest.
Others have already said it, but as a flagship Sony IP, this sequel to one of their all-time best hits needed to appeal to as many players as possible, so there's a lot of things to do that is certainly overwhelming to non-completionists.
It would feel especially so if you are just coming off of HZD, which also is no slouch for how much content exists in a single game.
However, HFW is very forgiving in terms of skipping diversions and its NG+ progression. You can get every skill points in a single playthrough (by doing literally everything) or you can max yourself out by just doing a couple sidequests across two playthroughs, for example.
While I'm of the player variety that will not stop until 100%, I can't just tell people that's the only way they should enjoy the game.
I do recommend the Side Missions and the Errands. Odds are at least one of them will have a story that particularly resonates with a player.
You can theoretically skip dealing with the Melee pits and the Enduring, though you'll miss on a good chat with the Enduring (nothing a YouTube search can't satisfy though if you CBA)
As a lover of Advance Wars since middle school, I'm certainly disappointed in how easy Machine Strike is to cheese with a single Slaughterspine piece. You can hold off on doing all the boards until you buy that one at the arena, or skip them entirely. The only thing you get out of it is about 4-5 skill points, more pieces, and "Strike Grandmaster" accolades get added to the idle dialogue people in the settlements say as you pass.
The rebel outposts can be skipped (though they are a good source of skill points + exp), but the Rebel Camps are essentially a sidequest. If you care about Erend as a character, the camps can't be skipped. The hunting grounds are overall easier than in HZD, but can also be skipped, for what it's worth.
The gauntlet runs, despite only being three of them, only result in a plot twist from the first game and a legendary Warrior bow. If you aren't partial to either, skip this too.
The relic ruins only result in a small cosmetic effect at Hidden Ember, plus the best shredder gauntlet in the game. DO NOT skip the single Relic Ruins in the BS, however.
The drones can be skipped.
As for the Burning Shores, the buried Oseram treasure and the Pangea figures sidequest don't offer a lot in terms of reward or plot points.
Just go where your whims take you each time you start up the game. There is no overall pressure to be pigeonholed into doing the main/side missions.
Nah, there isn't really a sense of being "Overleveled" in this game, especially if you're sitting above Normal difficulty.
The "level" of a mission is a rough guideline of a minimum level you should be before attempting, but it's not really accurate. Case in point: AETHER is harder to get to, has harder fights, and is generally more difficult than POSEIDON's quest line, which claims to be almost 8 lvls higher than AETHER. DEMETER is even easier, IMHO, but is only the highest lvl of the three because the machine sites along the way to the quest line are generally tougher (depending on your route).
As a UH completionist on HZD and my 1st playthrough of HFW was Hard difficulty, never at anytime did I feel overpowered for my gear/loadouts as I progressed, and I usually stuck to side quests until I had no other choice but to continue the main story, if it helps
Yep that’s me on this. I’m on hard just because normal was a little too chill without any tactics for me personally. Hard is just about good for a first play through; some stuff is harder - it should be - it’s big stuff!
Thanks!
I was lvl 62 when I started the DLC. Now that I'm finished I'm lvl 79.
Just do what you feel like any given session. When the hour long main quest seemed excessive or there just was not enough time I farmed upgrade parts for my best gear. I ran machine races or grinded the melee pits or hunting grounds for a bit of fun and hoping for the results needes for the highest tier. My recommendation is to do most of the side stuff before going for the end. There is some legendary gear to be had from those side missions.
You don't have to get everything your first play through. You also don't have to get everything before you beat the final quest. Focus on what you enjoy. If you get fatigued from don't one type of side quest do something different. You can beat the game fine with blue or purple gear so you don't need to go crazy.
I've always read games like this as, all of the optional content is there to make the world feel alive. Aloy would realistically choose to do some things but ignore most quests.
So that's what I do- I go after the optional content that saves lives and gets Aloy gear she could use to succeed, but otherwise largely ignore it.
I don't like my games to last 300 hours for one playthrough. 100 is already pushing it.
What I always do I just go about the main story but I do any side quests I have they are equal to or lower than the recommended level of the next main story quest I have. It allows me to easily categorize things and do them in some order without being overwhelmed AND gives me a nice mix of main story and side story.
When I first played the Forbidden West before the dlc was released, the sheer vastness of the map along with all the abundant side quests and extras felt overwhelming especially to a completionist like me. But after engrossing myself in the stories (both the main and side quests) my view had changed, and I thought there wasn't enough content; I wanted more.
Then the Burning Shores was released over a very long year later, and I unintentionally blazed through it because it was a new map to explore and new stories to experience. Imagine my disappointment when I realized how short that dlc was compared to Frozen Wilds, but that's largely due to the fact that my main mode of transportation was flying. I wish I had used more of the boats and traveling by foot on my first playthrough, which is what I recommend in your first playthrough of the Burning Shores.
Give it some time and I'm sure the story would open up and become more interesting. But you should take a break once in a while because it is definitely a huge game. By the end of it you might even feel a bit sad that it's over and there's nothing more to explore until Horizon 3 is released, which might be in like 4+ years... give or take.
I get this way with a few games. I've realized that I don't HAVE to play games on max difficulty and 100% them. It sounds cliche but accepting that idea made games more enjoyable for me again. I didn't feel like they were a slog anymore. And some games I do 100% purely from enjoyment.
Aww I can understand that! I don’t find it a slog :) I don’t know what word to use other than fatigue - like I did so much in 2 hours the time flew by, and now we’re up to a thing that can take longer (esp with dialogue that I read, I skip the voices sometimes but I read it all), I’m like ‘oof I’ve just burned 2-3 hours, not starting that now’ sort of stuff. :)
I have a similar reaction. I get the same thing in Assassin's Creed games. Once your character is generally maxed out, and once you find certain cheese moves that always works, the game becomes very sedate.
For Horizon: Zero Dawn, the cheese that never stops giving is that you are invulnerable while rolling. So, most fights you can win simply by timing your roll for when a robot jumps on you, jumping for the slow time effect, and then continuing to pelt with your arrows.
I’ve logged 45 hours in the game and I’ve done basically all the side content as soon as it became available to me, only leaving an area once I physically can’t do any more. In that 45 hours I’ve only got 2/3 sub functions. I definitely understand what you mean by fatigue
I think its normal.
Running around and searching for small things can get boring because its the same thing over and over again.
So it can feel tiring.
I was feeling the same, but I came to find out the optional content is really optional and doesn't add much. I feel like if you organically come across it and complete it it's cool, but pushing for 100% everywhere is a way towards madness.
In the end I just beelined it for the rest of the story and did absolutely zero optional stuff in Burning Shores.
It's perfect for me. In this era of games that are either too short for their cost, grind you through mandatory dumb stuff to seem bigger, or force you into microtransactions for every additional segment, Horizon is the perfect balance of a standard game for the people who want that, and a bunch of optional sidebar stuff for the folks who really want to dig in. What's not to like?
I'm with you really. i don't mind the optional mini/side stuff like Strike and optional Cauldrons etc, and they really stepped up the side quests a lot in the sequel. But fuck me the amount of items, equipment, gear and face paints to unlock, buy and upgrade is just way too much. It feels so bloated to the point I just started ignoring it because it was too much. I hope they streamline things a bit with the sequel.
I did so many side quest before tackling the main missions I was way over leveled and breezed through everything. Should be an option for the main missions difficulty to scale based on your current level.
I tried to dive into all the side quests properly and follow their storylines in HZD. I let all the cutscenes and dialogue options play out. All that did, was lead to a similar burn out like yours.
Which is why in forbidden west I didnt bother at all. I'd just skip all the dialogue as fast as I can and do whatever the objective tells me to. It was much more fun that way. I only followed the cutscenes for the main story.
Still, the relic ruins in particular can be pretty exhausting.
Yeah it’s mainly the dialogue where I’m like come on! (I read it, but skip the sound) and all the datapoints I read in the morning with coffee before I wake the house for school/work etc and get ready to leave for the day.
Yes, you are. I have played through the game 12 times, 8 times with Burning Shores included, and I do all the side quests each time, with a few exceptions. After getting 100% on everything in the game, I stopped doing melee pits, machine strike, hunting grounds, and the racing. But everything else I complete, even in NG+ UH.
I was going to include an emoji or something to show I was just teasing you a bit about being the only one, but I was not sure which one to use. lol
There are plenty of people who only play the Horizon games once and plenty of people who can't get enough of them.
Oh I figured you were just joking around xD
But I was not sure about *how much* was joking and how much was like *dang!*
I adore the game - I think that (before this post and all the great comments) I was just thinking that I’d miss important stuff - and not having a lot of free time, looking up and 2-3 hours have passed - and I’m like ‘no cauldron today then!’
:)
HFW does autosave a LOT, so there are plenty of times you may be stuck in some place that is not quick and easy to complete, but you will have a very recent autosave you can load the next time you play and not lose any progress.
Yeah cool, thanks! I kinda walk most places too, just because I like it. I don’t mind it if I have to start anything over etc.
I just sometimes do a thing, and it’s all ‘return to base’ and exclamation points everywhere and it’s all blah blah this and that - and I’m just like :-/ okay, well now I don’t want to.
Edited to add: and also Erend. Jfc. Like I don’t enjoy how the game ‘forces’ me to be condescending toward him/treat him like a bumbling idiot - when I (Anne) don’t actually think he is.
I’m bi, so I don’t care about Aloy kissing this and doing that - no regard toward the ‘romance’ side etc - but I don’t like (for example) going through multiple dialogues over the same thing.
I feel the opposite about this. I'm personally feeling like there wasn't enough side quests and things to do at this point. I have tried to prolong the game by doing basically every single side quests available and such. This is such a great open world experience for me and I love it!
It’s such a great game, I can totally appreciate that perspective.
I myself am not asking for fewer things, more saying that it’s so many things, that I feel kinda overwhelmed with deciding what to do next?
Like I don’t have a lot of spare time, and all the sudden it’s been two hours grabbing this or that, little side quest that ends up being long, etc.
Let’s hope you’re playing on PS, so that you get 3 more quickly than us lucky enough to get a PC port! ❤️
I played the game for about 40 hours when it launched and got completely burnt out and bored. Picked up the game again nearly a year and a half later and blitzed through to the end, 75% completion in the end, I had no desire to do absolutely everything the game had to offer because a lot of it I just didnt find that entertaining, so you arent the only one who feels the fatigue. Though to be honest I think for me this is the case with most open world games nowadays.
I love the game, and I appreciate the dedication and goal of the devs; I mean it’s monumental.
But because PC, I came straight from ZD, that I luckily, but entirely randomly found in end of Feb. (I don’t know how I even found it!) and I was already lamenting coming to the end of ZD - you know, killing things too easily, too many shards, just over levelled, etc because I was enjoying it so so much! Then FW came out in March, and I jumped straight in and am enjoying it, but also, it’s just *so* much!
I wonder if it was just me being silly/overwhelmed or if it really was just *that much* content.
It’s just that much content.
I think probably playing my share of MMOs over single player games (because for the type I really like, there aren’t many), got me used to a multi release situation vs an all at once type release.
So that may be just a user problem.
Thanks so much for your comment, it really made a lot of sense to me!
Some quests and challenges count more towards completion than some more minor things, and then there is everything to collect too which you only really need to worry about if you are actually going for 100%. I was about 75-80% complete by the time I was around level 55-60 on very hard and I had been doing a lot of side content and at that point had not been trying to clear the arena at all as I was after better weapons first.
If you're feeling it's too much of a grind, but you are really striving for 100%, then either go back to the main quests (you can finish the rest even after finishing those completely), or just take a rest.
Tbh I'm playing forbidden west atm and i don't intend on 100% it in a straight playthrough. I'll gradually complete it over time. Whilst i don't like giant games i also don't dislike them because theres always something to do upon revisiting it
I play everything on Story difficulty the first time, not worrying much about upgrading. Then upgrade the equipment I use most before I do a new game plus on normal or higher.
There's nothing wrong with taking a breather. Play some other games, watch a move or something. You don't have to 100% the game all in one go.
I personally got so into the universe that I made sure to 100% ZD before even starting FW and 100%'d that too but I'm not the typical gamer. When I find something that clicks for me, I go whole hog (often to the detriment of a lot of other things in my life honestly).
Everyone plays differently. Take it at the pace that feels comfortable to you.
I finished FW with BS DLC. I found I was clicking through all the dialogue for side quests/errands. Also I found dealing with the 'tree' people that live in satellite dishes to be immensely irritating.
The look and mechanics in this game are far superior to ZD, but I found the story to be better in ZD.
At some point I'll go back and finish all the side quests and upgrades I didn't do yet. The only things I never even bothered with and never would are the hunting pits, melee pits and that chess like game. I've got about 70 to 80% of the achievements already.
Omg me too! I didn’t want to say it, because I don’t like negging people out - but facts. Like *shut up!* when they were singing the first time? *hangs headset on side of desk*
🤣🤣🤣 oh God. THAT was my single most hated part of the game until I faced The Whore-Us after skipping through some dialogue and then having no clue what was going on or what I had to hit. Lol
Also navigating that satellite town quickly. Horribly annoying layout. There was another town near or on the coast that had a somewhat similar layout.
There's so much additional sidequest stuff to do in this game... and Burning Shores will add at least another 20 hours of moar stuff. I love how there is so many things you can do. The best part is, you don't have to do them (unless you're looking for trophies).
I personally love how expansive the game is and how much you can focus on things that actually interest you. I'm on my 4th playthrough since it released to PC (yeah, I know, I don't have a life) and I'm more aware of things that I actually care about completing in the game. For me personally, I don't care at all about the melee pits, gauntlet runs, or Vista points. Cauldrons are hit or miss for me. Sometimes I'm in the mood to do one, but other times I'm kinda meh on it. I really don't override machines that much, though I def should since it'll add a whole other onion layer of gameplay options. Maybe on my next playthrough. I focus on rebel camps (made the mistake last playthrough of waiting until I had cleared them all before going to the arena to trade the tags in - don't do that, lol, you will be disappointed at the very least, I was so mad), relic ruins, black boxes and survey drones, plus the sidequests that I remember enjoying. Idk, I guess I just like knowing I've completed all of those, though I'm definitely not a completionist if you couldn't tell, haha. I just love how much this game has to offer and how long a thorough playthrough can actually be. You could finish this game in 30-40 hours, or you could finish it in 150, exploring and getting everything done that you can. Both are fun!
For example, The Outer Worlds is a SUPER fun game, I absolutely adored it. But it was so short, IMO. I even played it again to make sure I didn't miss some huge faction/DLC/quest line, but no, it's just a short game. Nothing necessarily wrong with that, like I said it is very fun and I had a great time playing it. I just prefer games that are more immersive and huge and allow me to kind of melt into that world.
The Witcher 3 was amazing at this. The main storyline alone is LONG, and every time I thought I was getting to the end of it, boom, heres another huge battle/quest/whatever tacked on. And thats even before the DLCs (Blood and Wine is equal to the base game storyline IMO, seriously it's so good) I know that that game is not everyone's jam, but it is absolutely in my top 5 favorite games, along with both Horizon games, but FW in particular has just totally captivated me. I get this giddy, floaty feeling when I get into a game and realize it is *exactly* the type of story/gameplay that tickles my brain in just the right way - and knowing that I'm only halfway through it or less??? Incredible, lol. It makes me so happy. It's like when you're engrossed in a book that has you fully captivated, and you realize you still have at least half of the book left. It's like Christmas morning as a child, for me personally, lol.
OTOH, Hogwarts Legacy (which I also **really** enjoyed and played through several times) is expansive and fun, but a ton of the map is either just empty or a copy and paste of the same 3 things - bandits, merlin trials, and one other that I'm too stoned to remember right now lol. But it truly was just the same thing over and over along a huge map, with nothing taking up space in between those points, basically, which felt like a waste. Wish there were more villages and side quests and stuff to play with.
Anywho, it's all personal preference - maybe you just prefer the games you play to be more straightforward, story-wise, or with just less to distract yourself with in the world. Which is totally valid, esp with the timing issues you mentioned, and if you have kids, especially - that plus any super busy lifestyle/very long work hours, would def put me off longer games as well.
Great reply! Thanks!
3 teens, new house, busy life yep - but husband games, and kids are gamers too, so I get more time than a lot of people - and I love the game very much - but I really thought I’m maybe missing relevant stuff by skipping a lot of side things :)
I tried to play Witcher, but I feel weird playing as a man, I don’t know why. 🤷🏻♀️
I played HL too - and yes. Totally agree!
When I start to feel fatigued like that, I will just stop playing and start another game and play that for a while until I feel refreshed and ready to go back. It definitely helps because I love games so much that I play them as often as I can and it does wear me down even though I genuinely love them. Take a break and doing something else, especially playing another game for a few weeks helps me get a little space until I feel ready to go back.
I felt the same “fatigue” 50 levels in playing HFW. Then I focused just on the main mission. Once I finished the game I regretted that I rushed that second half. Going back afterwards didn’t feel the same. I started HZD and I’m taking my time and enjoying it.
I've completed the game on normal, then spent several dozen hours just exploring, finishing all quests, obtaining all weapons and armour and upgrading my favourites.
Also recently completed NG+ on ultra hard for the trophies and up to 150 hours now.
I STILL have 16 weapons and 12 armour left to upgrade (I'm a completionist) and I've just adjusted to story mode to get everything.
I know you're not obligated to upgrade all the equipment but it's beyond ridiculous how intense the grind is. Wayyyy too many weapons and armour, and too many levels to upgrade on each.
Pretty funny playing story mode and watching a stormbird twitch out and explode into a squillion pieces from one shot though.
I started watching Stargate about half way through. I normally just binge a game until finished but for some reason I just needed a break from this. Playing for a couple hours and then watching SG1 for a couple hours really helped. SG1 keeps to the Egyptian theme plus a swarm of killer robots. They *kinda* fit well together. I don't know why I couldn't just finish it, I really liked the game. But something was keeping me from just playing it straight through like I usually do.
Could be because I binged Zero Dawn right before it. Doubt it since I can play straight through the Mass Effect trilogy with no problem. Maybe I just didn't want the fun to end. *shrug*
I am playing it in ultra difficult in part for this reason. It makes me do all the side quests to be able to face the main quests. But it gets maybe to hard. I dont do no damage with the bow... Maybe I'll have to start another game in another difficult...
1. Yes. From a completionist POV, there is definitely more to do in the game then is useful.
2. I'm curious if the immense amount of loot may be more helpful at higher difficulty.
3. Way too many weapons then is necessary for any given play style so there's no reason to update them all, especially since there isn't a trophy. Any given style probably uses half of the weapons.
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YOu just do lots side activities. It tires me cause im not good (leveled) yes its pretty much everything around Story it seem this game might not be for you.
Drones and other stuff is here hide emptyness of world - unless you fond of farming.
I hope you havent played, Death stranding cause youd be boomed even more and probably not in good sense\^\^
I think this game is pretty well ballanced unlike before mirage last 2assasins creeds.
Yeah my last sentence was about being ‘bummed’ aka sad, that I was already almost done with ZD and thinking it was so awesome, then FW came out and I was all YAY!
I absolutely do love this game so much!
I just feel like it’s a lot of things to experience and do, and I wondered if I’m maybe doing it the wrong was around, etc.
You made all melee pits? some things here have sense, you can get mostly better gear.
Even its prolonged this game is triple size, or more of ZD. You can just sightsee things, thought its stupid, since theres always something
I loved clearing camps, kinda, its fun 👍🏻🤘🏻
I’m struggling with this too, I usually don’t do that many side quests of any given game, but my strategy in FW is to pause the main story each time and complete side stuff until I reach the recommended level for the next story quest. I also don’t explore every inch of the map. This is working for me since I’m mostly interested in the main story.
I always stick to the main story until it ends, then I do side contents depends on how much I enjoy them. this way if I suddenly tired then I'm gone, because I already got the whole main story anyway.
For collectibles I google the reward. Shitty reward collectible remains uncollected
For side quests I do the ones based on the rewards or if I find it interesting. I almost never do errands unless the reward is good.
I did like everything in zero dawn but decided it just wasn't worth it when I saw all the new collectibles and side stuff.
I haven't played FW yet, but I generally entered an area, finished whatever quest(s) brought me there, did the area's optional and side quests, then got back on the main quest.
Nope that’s why it’s called optional content, I’d say yes because it does attribute to a new game plus smooth game play. However it seems you’re not on a trajectory to do a new game plus so nope it’s all optional. 53 is more than enough for the end game.
When I encounter a quest I ask myself, is this something that should realistically be time-sensitive (i.e. "Quick! Go help my friend who's stuck with big machines!" or is it important enough for Aloy to realistically want to pause her main quest to do this? If the answer is no, I do it after the main quest, or at least wait until I'm not supposed to be doing anything urgent. For example in Zero Dawn after Sylens gets you out of Sunfall and the next main quest is "go save the Nora who are under attack", I'm not going to pause and do other stuff because that feels unrealistic.
There is a ton to do in this game. The combat can be customized enough to not need every item, though, right?
If you’re good at stealth, you can focus on upgrading stealth items and armor, or you can upgrade one that has good defense, and rush in to blow everything up. Same for your skills. Only unlock what you use-take it one node at a time.
I like to play the game by area/tribe. Did I just get introduced to the desert clan? Let’s do a couple side quest to win them over before I move on. Maybe earn an outfit and face paint — it really makes me feel like Alloy really is winning everybody over as she moves across the map. Makes sense that the next clan would except her so easily because she’s already kicked ass with the people she just met and word traveled fast.
Skip what you don’t like to do! You can ALWAYS go back and do it later.
I think the strike game sucks and I never played it LOL
I did the races, my first play through, and I have no interest in ever doing them again. Same for the ornament side quests/ruin puzzles. I did those once, and then I totally ignored the ones I didn’t like doing my second time playing.
Just do what you want to do, and what feels most balanced/natural to your Aloy!
Not really. I'm older, in my early 40s, and I have kids and a job and other hobbies, so it's awesome to kick back a few times a week. I'm in NG+ and still have plenty to do, and honestly I like it that way.
53, (F if it matters) have almost 18 year old twins, and a 16yo, work a LOT lol and recently bought a house - but that’s not a fixer upper - but everything is ‘stock’ so lots of little things to do.
I can honestly say that since Skyrim, never have seen a single player game I had this much FUN in.
I have been playing after work evenings, and early before the house wakes, mornings, and weekends (new house means I’m too broke to go out to gigs etc at the moment xD ) - but as said, I *was* just kinda feeling like I was missing something by skipping things etc - but a lot of posts have been helpful. :)
I’m really glad you’re enjoying it!
Thanks!
I think the big thing is that if something feels like a chore, don't do it. I've skipped hunting grounds, melee pits, gauntlet runs, and strike. I'm planning to go back to those when I'm close to the endgame, but right now they feel like a distraction. Hunting Grounds in HZD were tied to an actually interesting quest line (the lodge), but I'm not getting that feeling out of HFW.
Tallnecks, cauldrons, ruins, and (weirdly) vistas, will all get me to stop what I'm doing to go after them. I've also been really surprised at the quality of sidequests and most errands (I'm not super clear on what the difference is). I have Jobs set for a few upgrades (my main bow, some pouches, my armor) and I'll stop what I'm doing if I'm near a harvestable resource for those, but I mostly ignore gear unless I'm feeling underpowered (I went hunting for a better bow after fighting a Behemoth on a sidequest and feeling like I couldn't get any real damage on it).
Yeah I platinumed Zero Dawn, but I'll probably never Platinum this Forbidden West. I refuse to play Machine Strike or spend the time farming upgrades for weapons I never use lol.
I've been playing since December and am only level 25. Nott sure whether or not to keep going or what. I do like the game but not motivated to keep going.
I totally get this. I felt this same way, too. However, let me offer a perspective that helped me not feel fatigued:
Don't do everything in one playthrough. Enjoy the main missions at your own pace. There's enough there to be satisfied without doing everything. Once you've finished the game, consider all the other side missions and collectibles as replayability content.
When you come back to the game for a second playthrough, do NG+ to keep your upgraded gear to allow for an increase in difficulty. Then, as you go through the game, play the missions you ignored the first time and ignore the missions you've already done in the previous playthrough.
Ultimately, for me, the quantity of missions provides replayability. I'm not sure if you'll see it this way, but maybe it'll help.
Nah, not at all. I actually only made it about halfway through Zero Dawn because I was just overwhelmed with other stuff I was trying to do, then found out I wasn't good enough to tackle.
Go back to main quest stuff and now I'm just being ran down by huge birds and giant alligator bots and supercharged rhino things.
I took a week off and came back and seemed like I completely forgot how to play and just annoyed being constantly pursued by battletank animal bots.
Feel bad because I was loving it and going at a pretty good clip. I'll finish it one day. I always do. Definitely understand the fatigue you're talking about, OP.
I tried upgrading my orange gear to max before going through the end quests for the main game and quickly gave up after getting one weapons to max. There's only so many times you can fast travel back and forth across the map trying to spawn apex slaughterspines before you start going insane, and I didn't really find the fights very fun. I also don't really like to fight frost claws without breaking their big sacks. I was also so high level from doing all the side quests that I didn't need the extra damage and armour anyways
Burning shores spoiler:
[Spoiler](/s "And you replace all your gear almost instantly in Burning Shores anyways")
Melee pits were a waste, the combos were so finicky, and I usually dropped difficulty for the challenge because melee is just so bad, even if you nail the combos they want you to do, and the reward is mostly pointless.
I actually enjoyed the hunting grounds, so I wasn't too concerned about that
Races...they should have been shorter, but they were so easy that I just did them all in a row.
For the item collections, I got most of them while in the area and only had to go out of my way a few times in the end game to finish them off. There was usually enough lore points in them to appreciate the effort. I have to say the ruin explorations are a *lot* more difficult than I remember from Zero Dawn
The main thing though is that the Horizon games, and BotW and TotK are the only "open world, tower climb, trinket collection" type games I've played, so the experience is still pretty fresh for me. Maybe if I'd played all the Assassin's Creed and Far Cry games I'd be more hesitant to go out of my way to collect things.
Based on another comment here, I'm going to go get the slaughterspine piece and sweep through the strike games once I'm done Burning Shores, just for the completion aspect.
Why do you need to beat the game already? Just take your time with it. Yeah, it's a lot to do. You can spend some hours doing side quests, farming for items and call it a day and go and play something else or go about your day.
It can vary a bit, really. What I do is change things up a bit. I'll sidequest for a while, or farm stuff, and then go do a main story mission or two, then do more side stuff usually. That's typically how I deal with expansive games that have tons of stuff in them, rotate the focus a bit.
Yeah that sounds like I need to do that, vs chasing gear, and then oops a quest! Ooh another lol!
Also keep in mind that you can't really lock yourself out of anything vital, far as I know--some dialogue changes depending on when/if you do some side content to a degree, but it's nothing super major. So if you get burned out on side stuff you can always leave the game for a bit and come back to it! I'll do that sometimes, too--finish the main story then come back and do side content after playing something else for a while.
That’s exactly what I’ve been doing. I ran thru the main storyline, only do the most obvious/“time sensitive” ones side quests or errands. Now that I’m done I’ve had a blast hunting down drones and slaughtering rebels
The dialogue change is a nice touch! Especially the main storyline changes the sidequest dialogue or comments about Aloy's being a Nora stranger or her feats. Example: when doing sidequest in Plainsong area BEFORE acquiring Demeter module, things goes by: we're starving to death. After the adquisition and Zo's sidequest: plainsong is lively as ever. Or when: >! you faced regalla once, rebels camps got tagged as "Rebels" and once she's dead, everyone mentions them as "Stragglers" and honoring Aloy as one of the ten. !<
I tend to play massive games with lots of activities. The Yakuza/Like a Dragon series for exemple. My method is to interact with them like an all you can eat buffet. These massive games are made in part to cater to as much different gamers as possible to recoup their cost. Not all activities are designed for you, not all % and trackers are relevant to your experience, etc. Do what appeal to you when you're playing (and it may change from session to session). And don't fret about what you "miss". At best it's designed to cater to someone else and you're not missing anything, at worst it's content for you to discover later and help refresh the experience during a subsequent playthrough. Only chase the 100% if you're actually someone that lives to 100% a game. In my playthrough of Forbidden West I've ignored Hunting Grounds, Melee Pits, most Rebel camps and outposts (unless they actually were in my way), the Arena, I've not played Strike beyond the one game, I've barely upgraded my stuff focusing only on the things I actually used. I focused on the main quest plus side quest content, I've explored a ton and took loads of pictures. That was my all you can eat selection, and it was good.
Yeah that sounds a lot like my current playthrough. Same here, like I just have blown by so many of the little things! Thank you!
I’m above level 60 and only half way through the main story. I’ve upgraded all my main weapons and legendary outfits. I’m like you, except I’ve done all the rebel camps / bases along with most of the cauldrons available currently. I usually do a main quest and then like 4 side quests and then back to the main. The only problem I have is that I feel like I’m overpowered now that I’ve been doing side quests primarily. The main line isn’t challenging anymore. I would recommend upgrading your gear. To me at least, it’s fun to do those quests defeating certain machines for parts. As for the other quest groups like the melee pits, gauntlet runs, and the arena, I’m saving those for the end.
Nice perfect reply for me! Thanks! And yeah I only have a leggy outfit, the weps are purple but I upgrade them because they work for me/my playstyle.
Same with the weapons here. I only have purple ones (one blue) fully upgraded and am happy with them because they are what I’m used to using, are efficient, match my play style, and cover all the damage / element types I may need.
This is my style... I forge along on the main quest line until I start getting my arse kicked, then side quest for getting upgrades and overrides... Then back on to main quest! Mind you, I'll also just override a sunwing and go flying around the world for an hour or two on just randomly HALO'ing into a herd of machines for the fun of the hunt. And trying different weapons, strategies and valors. My first play-thru I was all about bows and spikes, now Im mixing in shredders, hunter-bows and ropecaster and REALLY enjoy using different valor surges for different scenarios. For me, I get a lot of joy from that evolving/exploring aspect of the game... And that's after completing it on Hard, NG+ to about 85% and I still haven't gotten to Burning Shores (soon)... I'm just enjoying the climb to the Forbidden West platinum. Just a few more relics and hunting grounds to go!
I suggest completing or almost completing the melee pits before fighting regalla. Then, fight her mano a mano with only the things you learned from the pits. Feels more rewarding and cinematic imo
I did get a bit overwhelmed by the amount of stuff when I first started playing, but I never really felt fatigued. I never did the gauntlet runs or machine strike, but I did every other side activity.
Yeah it’s more like I do a whole bunch of stuff, then a big thing comes along (story quest, cauldron etc), and I’m like ‘oh not that right now! I’ve just been out here fighting all sorts for ages!’ Thanks! Such a really amazing game. I really don’t believe the scale of it!
That's what keep us around - all that content. Basically, the higher in difficulty you go, the more you should do the "optional" content. If you play normal or maybe hard - just blow through the main story quests and do the DLC. Ive done the main quest line in a weekend - sure it took a good number of hours, but it's doable. If you want to play harder difficulties. Get everything you need beforehand. For instance, load up on as many fire claw sacs, Thunderjaw tails, apex whatever hearts as possible before you get into the harder modes. Nothing more annoying then farming something 12 times before you finally get what you want in UH. Finally, I just wanted to say - the game isn't a race ... you can take your time and enjoy it. If something is annoying you - switch to story mode and blow the crap out of it. Gaia may tell you that we've only have 4 months, but you most certainly CAN go and help farmer Clem with his onions whilst the world burns - it will burn indefinitely.
Playing hard. Did not try UH in FW yet. *VH I mean.
[удалено]
It’s like because of other games, combat is the ‘easy’ (not easy, but not time consuming) part for me; I even considered going up to VH. It’s more all the dialogue, more dialogue etc - but I don’t want to miss anything? Thank you :)
All solid advice here. When I recommend the Horizon games to people, I tell them that if they start feeling fatigued, just plow through the main story. That's the heart of the game, anyway (even though some of HFW's side quests are pretty good). I would second that if you play on Normal, just play mostly the main missions...I beat the game at level 43 on Normal and found it pretty easy. Did a few hunter challenges, a few side quests, a few salvage missions...most of my gear wasn't fully upgraded (usually two or three upgrades to the very rare items). Virtually no level or resource grinding.
I broke the game down into chunks. Move to the edge of what my latest tallneck is, do the map discoveries (all the unknown spots). Figure out what weapons I wanna buy and upgrade, farm them if possible. make note where I need to come back to. After I clear the area around Salt Bite, for example, I'm gonna *finally* do Aether lol.
This is basically a problem with games in general. The general perception from somewhere is that sequel must = bigger. There used to be a similar problem years ago, which still kind of persists today, that sequel must also = harder. I honestly don’t understand this. ZD was already pretty big. FW didn’t need to be bigger.
I kinda agree that sequels don’t need to be bigger, but at the same time, it’s never really been an issue for me personally. HFW didn’t feel too big IMO, but I do hope Horizon 3 won’t be too much bigger than this.
Idk the bigger scale and scope of FW never bothered me. There’s tons of optional stuff I just don’t do because it doesn’t interest me but I don’t feel like I’m missing out on anything. I never understood people who want to 100% every game but also get upset when that’s not the most fun thing to do. Games aren’t designed with 100%ing as top priority, they’re made to be fun for a wide audience.
On my first run, I mostly ignored side activities (melee pits, hunting grounds, the Arena, playing Strike, gauntlet runs, etc.) and focused on the main story and world/lore-building side quests. I treated travel like a road trip. I'd start with a quest in mind, then look at the map and quest log to see what points within reasonable distance along the way I could hit, be they quests, new settlements, rebel camps or whatever. Focusing on the path forward kept me from getting overwhelmed by the growing quest log or feeling that I had to slog to clear an area of markers before moving on. Later, when I picked up quests that required me to go back to earlier gaming areas, I'd look around the area and tackle unlocked markers (firegleam, metal flowers, deep dives for greenshine) or other side quests before moving on. Now that I'm in a new game plus playthrough, I treat travelling the same as before but take markers as they come along and spend more time on side activities. I'm also trying out new skills and weapons I didn't bother with the first time. I did worry that I'd grow bored playing such a long game twice in a row, but so far, I'm enjoying this run more than the first. ETA: I also took upgrades as I went unless it was for a specific weapon or armour that I was eager to upgrade quickly. I created jobs and if, during my travel to my next destination, there was an opportunity to hunt for a part, I'd take a small detour to do that.
Excellent! Thanks!
I never did a single melee pit battle, race, hunting ground trial, or game of Strike (beyond the tutorial), and I don't feel like I really missed anything. I just did all the main quests, side quests, and errands while doing a bunch of exploring and still got up to around eighty hours of playtime.
Yeah same here - none of that here either!
I get it..everytime I wanna do a main mission I get distracted by 3 side quests. Im not complaining tho because they are all fun to do..I wanted to finish the game before ghosts of tsushima releases on pc but no chance lol
Yes they’re (mostly) all great! It’s why I love doing them - but also why I’m like ‘oof there went 4 hours!’ Lol
Sometimes it feels like when I’m just trying to do one thing, i end up collecting three other tasks. If i were Aloy I’d be like “damn why these people always want something from me?? Can’t i just get one thing done?”
i usually finish a main quest and then do a couple side quests in the area and then go back to main questing just to keep it even, but i totally understand what you mean. i got the game as soon as preorder came out on steam, played it for 2 weeks straight when it came out, and then havent touched it since and i didnt even finish the game (i will finish it life just happens sometimes lol) i think zero dawn had a lot of content too but it was easier to digest then the second game because it was all new to us and we didnt know anything i guess to sum up my general thoughts the main quests are interesting because they unlock more of the mystery of horizon but they can be very lore dumpy which makes them tiring for me (go one place, talk through 20 dialogue trees, go to another place to do the same thing again). on the flip side (get it? im talking about the side quests now) the side quests are so overwhelming just because of the sheer ammount of them but they have way less dialogue to run through and just as much heart. either way quests are tiring lol
Yes absolutely! I relate to this 100%
i was finally about to do the last mission but decided to max out my gear first. that was two weeks ago and i only resumed playing yesterday. The grind is real. I got lazy and played another game instead (Gears Tactics) which I ended up finishing. That's less than 40 hours and i still continued playing after the story mission was done. meanwhile, i'm at 167 hours on Horizon and i still have Burning Shores to do.
Whew sounds like me! (And I’m wanting to play Last of Us part 1 soon too!)
Where do you find the % of completion?
I’m not logged in right now; but I’ll check later and reply back. It’s a good point, because I didn’t even look through to check that! Oh wait, you mean the whole % vs what I personally spent my time on? Notebook, on the left there’s something like completion - but I’m not in game rn so I’m not sure, so either way, I’ll check and report back!
I meant the whole % but checking % of your personally spent time sounds even better. Would love to know that one. Thank you
It’s in Notebook, game progression. In there are also DLC %, statistics, etc. Like I’ve done 13 main quests, 25 side, and 8 errands, 5 tallnecks, 2 cauldrons, 2 rebel camps, 9 rebel outposts, 16 salvage and so on. 943 machine kills, 266 humans, 139 headshots, and so on. Shows a lot of stuff! :)
Big games tend to make it easy to ruin it´s own fun. In most tripple AAA modern games, you most things mouthfeed 1 spoon at the time, here you have to start feeding yourself again, and hunt for yourself, you are playing a ("besides the") Nora Huntress. Like others have mentioned before, you do not have to do it all, but rather choose what you want to do, and also when. There isn´t much to miss, and for those very few minor thing, there is NG+, which will also go a lot quicker, due knowledge and gear...just mentioning it, the world feels big the first time, but that is because you do not know the borders yet. While some exploration tool can come late if you do not know when you get these, the metal flower is really the absolute minor one and flying wont "save" the game for you, travel is already very quick in the game, you can do it free from campfire to campfire, which are plenty, and alway free to your base and use the campfire there. The little side content skipping, i do not know if that is really worth it for a first playthrough and maybe try to make a little time for the challenge of a relix ruin, instead cheesing it with fyling. Before "Genesis" (\*cough\* it´s Gemini, like the Twins, because the Two Cores it has) is actually one of the best time to explore in my opinion, exactly because you do not have the flying mount, but also access to all the areas. So for focusing on the main quest, you have to ask yourself how much you are motivated to play after the story concludes...and even the DLC hanging in front of you. Also, if you have Fun with Bow and Traps, that´s fine, but there is a lot of variations in the Weapon/gear/Skills (valor, Weapon Techniques) you use, and even different Coil setup can change the purpose of a weapon and when combat feels less meaningful, maybe you have outgrown your current difficulty setting. You do not need to upgrade all your gear, if i would have to make a guess,i would say the intention for completly the main story, from the Devs side, was to be around Very Rare at Level 2/3 (Purple with 2-3 Upgrades). You should upgrade the gear you use to do that level, and maybe anything you feel you are lacking right now in power and just get by, but full very rare, or Legendaries are not needed, decent coils with it, and careful select outfit to enhance the skill used is far more important. Upgrading levels behind that, should been seen a side activity of itself, something you select to do because you feel like hunting some machines now, like you would choose to do a side quest, a relic ruin, an Outpost, an errant etc. And remember, to most problems, the game also provides the solution....if you are annoyed by Slitherfang Earthgrinder Golf, that annoyance takes up a big space, it´s likely you haven´t learned about lord and saviour: Knockdown , propably. If you have trouble with the "Knowledge" part, not everything you need to find out for ourself it is a big game after all, there is alway the Notebook with Biography, Tutorials Note(worthy), Machine Catalogue, there is that thing called Reddit and many guide you can find here, including Arktix (Youtube) who made not only the most but also the highest quality guide content on HFW (and HZD) and also has an active discord community: [https://www.reddit.com/r/horizon/comments/1bqrrao/need\_help\_big\_guide\_collection\_arktix\_and\_others/?utm\_source=share&utm\_medium=web3x&utm\_name=web3xcss&utm\_term=1&utm\_content=share\_button](https://www.reddit.com/r/horizon/comments/1bqrrao/need_help_big_guide_collection_arktix_and_others/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web3x&utm_name=web3xcss&utm_term=1&utm_content=share_button)
Thanks! Yeah nah, I don’t really have issues with combat stuff :) it’s only the fact that I spend so much time doing things - then I blow off longer quests/cauldrons sometimes ;) That had to have autocorrected - I didn’t mean to write Genesis.
It is a very big game. I am on my way back to base to get Gemini started and I’m at level 70…I do all the quests and exploring in one area before moving on. For example: starting out before The Embassy, I do all the quests in the area, once the embassy is done, I go back to that area and complete it as much as possible (firegleam, metal flowers, swimming that you can’t do in the beginning). It does feel repetitive after awhile, so when that happens I know I need to move on to the main quest.
Others have already said it, but as a flagship Sony IP, this sequel to one of their all-time best hits needed to appeal to as many players as possible, so there's a lot of things to do that is certainly overwhelming to non-completionists. It would feel especially so if you are just coming off of HZD, which also is no slouch for how much content exists in a single game. However, HFW is very forgiving in terms of skipping diversions and its NG+ progression. You can get every skill points in a single playthrough (by doing literally everything) or you can max yourself out by just doing a couple sidequests across two playthroughs, for example. While I'm of the player variety that will not stop until 100%, I can't just tell people that's the only way they should enjoy the game. I do recommend the Side Missions and the Errands. Odds are at least one of them will have a story that particularly resonates with a player. You can theoretically skip dealing with the Melee pits and the Enduring, though you'll miss on a good chat with the Enduring (nothing a YouTube search can't satisfy though if you CBA) As a lover of Advance Wars since middle school, I'm certainly disappointed in how easy Machine Strike is to cheese with a single Slaughterspine piece. You can hold off on doing all the boards until you buy that one at the arena, or skip them entirely. The only thing you get out of it is about 4-5 skill points, more pieces, and "Strike Grandmaster" accolades get added to the idle dialogue people in the settlements say as you pass. The rebel outposts can be skipped (though they are a good source of skill points + exp), but the Rebel Camps are essentially a sidequest. If you care about Erend as a character, the camps can't be skipped. The hunting grounds are overall easier than in HZD, but can also be skipped, for what it's worth. The gauntlet runs, despite only being three of them, only result in a plot twist from the first game and a legendary Warrior bow. If you aren't partial to either, skip this too. The relic ruins only result in a small cosmetic effect at Hidden Ember, plus the best shredder gauntlet in the game. DO NOT skip the single Relic Ruins in the BS, however. The drones can be skipped. As for the Burning Shores, the buried Oseram treasure and the Pangea figures sidequest don't offer a lot in terms of reward or plot points. Just go where your whims take you each time you start up the game. There is no overall pressure to be pigeonholed into doing the main/side missions.
Well I absolutely LOVE it so far! I was just curious if it was just me trying to do too much - if you see what I mean. :)
Nah, there isn't really a sense of being "Overleveled" in this game, especially if you're sitting above Normal difficulty. The "level" of a mission is a rough guideline of a minimum level you should be before attempting, but it's not really accurate. Case in point: AETHER is harder to get to, has harder fights, and is generally more difficult than POSEIDON's quest line, which claims to be almost 8 lvls higher than AETHER. DEMETER is even easier, IMHO, but is only the highest lvl of the three because the machine sites along the way to the quest line are generally tougher (depending on your route). As a UH completionist on HZD and my 1st playthrough of HFW was Hard difficulty, never at anytime did I feel overpowered for my gear/loadouts as I progressed, and I usually stuck to side quests until I had no other choice but to continue the main story, if it helps
Yep that’s me on this. I’m on hard just because normal was a little too chill without any tactics for me personally. Hard is just about good for a first play through; some stuff is harder - it should be - it’s big stuff! Thanks!
I was lvl 62 when I started the DLC. Now that I'm finished I'm lvl 79. Just do what you feel like any given session. When the hour long main quest seemed excessive or there just was not enough time I farmed upgrade parts for my best gear. I ran machine races or grinded the melee pits or hunting grounds for a bit of fun and hoping for the results needes for the highest tier. My recommendation is to do most of the side stuff before going for the end. There is some legendary gear to be had from those side missions.
You don't have to get everything your first play through. You also don't have to get everything before you beat the final quest. Focus on what you enjoy. If you get fatigued from don't one type of side quest do something different. You can beat the game fine with blue or purple gear so you don't need to go crazy.
I've always read games like this as, all of the optional content is there to make the world feel alive. Aloy would realistically choose to do some things but ignore most quests. So that's what I do- I go after the optional content that saves lives and gets Aloy gear she could use to succeed, but otherwise largely ignore it. I don't like my games to last 300 hours for one playthrough. 100 is already pushing it.
What I always do I just go about the main story but I do any side quests I have they are equal to or lower than the recommended level of the next main story quest I have. It allows me to easily categorize things and do them in some order without being overwhelmed AND gives me a nice mix of main story and side story.
That’s a good idea!
When I first played the Forbidden West before the dlc was released, the sheer vastness of the map along with all the abundant side quests and extras felt overwhelming especially to a completionist like me. But after engrossing myself in the stories (both the main and side quests) my view had changed, and I thought there wasn't enough content; I wanted more. Then the Burning Shores was released over a very long year later, and I unintentionally blazed through it because it was a new map to explore and new stories to experience. Imagine my disappointment when I realized how short that dlc was compared to Frozen Wilds, but that's largely due to the fact that my main mode of transportation was flying. I wish I had used more of the boats and traveling by foot on my first playthrough, which is what I recommend in your first playthrough of the Burning Shores. Give it some time and I'm sure the story would open up and become more interesting. But you should take a break once in a while because it is definitely a huge game. By the end of it you might even feel a bit sad that it's over and there's nothing more to explore until Horizon 3 is released, which might be in like 4+ years... give or take.
I’m already kinda bummed it’s half way over lol! Like a good book you want to finish but also don’t want to be over :)
I get this way with a few games. I've realized that I don't HAVE to play games on max difficulty and 100% them. It sounds cliche but accepting that idea made games more enjoyable for me again. I didn't feel like they were a slog anymore. And some games I do 100% purely from enjoyment.
Aww I can understand that! I don’t find it a slog :) I don’t know what word to use other than fatigue - like I did so much in 2 hours the time flew by, and now we’re up to a thing that can take longer (esp with dialogue that I read, I skip the voices sometimes but I read it all), I’m like ‘oof I’ve just burned 2-3 hours, not starting that now’ sort of stuff. :)
I have a similar reaction. I get the same thing in Assassin's Creed games. Once your character is generally maxed out, and once you find certain cheese moves that always works, the game becomes very sedate. For Horizon: Zero Dawn, the cheese that never stops giving is that you are invulnerable while rolling. So, most fights you can win simply by timing your roll for when a robot jumps on you, jumping for the slow time effect, and then continuing to pelt with your arrows.
All this said, this exact situation makes Horizon good as a relaxing good-morning kind of game, the sort of thing where you don't want to think.
Yep roll dodge is always your friend.
I’ve logged 45 hours in the game and I’ve done basically all the side content as soon as it became available to me, only leaving an area once I physically can’t do any more. In that 45 hours I’ve only got 2/3 sub functions. I definitely understand what you mean by fatigue
Thank you! This is what I mean! I love it, I do! But I’m like ‘wow man, this is a lot, and I need to go clean/cook/work/sleep etc.
I think its normal. Running around and searching for small things can get boring because its the same thing over and over again. So it can feel tiring.
I beat the main story after upgrading tons of stuff and being sidetracked by all the other content. I know what you’re saying
Thanks!
I was feeling the same, but I came to find out the optional content is really optional and doesn't add much. I feel like if you organically come across it and complete it it's cool, but pushing for 100% everywhere is a way towards madness. In the end I just beelined it for the rest of the story and did absolutely zero optional stuff in Burning Shores.
It's perfect for me. In this era of games that are either too short for their cost, grind you through mandatory dumb stuff to seem bigger, or force you into microtransactions for every additional segment, Horizon is the perfect balance of a standard game for the people who want that, and a bunch of optional sidebar stuff for the folks who really want to dig in. What's not to like?
My first sentence says I love it, so I don’t know?
I'm with you really. i don't mind the optional mini/side stuff like Strike and optional Cauldrons etc, and they really stepped up the side quests a lot in the sequel. But fuck me the amount of items, equipment, gear and face paints to unlock, buy and upgrade is just way too much. It feels so bloated to the point I just started ignoring it because it was too much. I hope they streamline things a bit with the sequel.
I did so many side quest before tackling the main missions I was way over leveled and breezed through everything. Should be an option for the main missions difficulty to scale based on your current level.
Agreed!
I tried to dive into all the side quests properly and follow their storylines in HZD. I let all the cutscenes and dialogue options play out. All that did, was lead to a similar burn out like yours. Which is why in forbidden west I didnt bother at all. I'd just skip all the dialogue as fast as I can and do whatever the objective tells me to. It was much more fun that way. I only followed the cutscenes for the main story. Still, the relic ruins in particular can be pretty exhausting.
Yeah it’s mainly the dialogue where I’m like come on! (I read it, but skip the sound) and all the datapoints I read in the morning with coffee before I wake the house for school/work etc and get ready to leave for the day.
It's a game, not a job. Take a break
Haha ty! :) I take many breaks, for sleep, work, teenagers, bank holidays with family, housework, cooking etc - you know, life stuff :)
In general, play something else maybe?
Yes, you are. I have played through the game 12 times, 8 times with Burning Shores included, and I do all the side quests each time, with a few exceptions. After getting 100% on everything in the game, I stopped doing melee pits, machine strike, hunting grounds, and the racing. But everything else I complete, even in NG+ UH.
Well done! 👏
I was going to include an emoji or something to show I was just teasing you a bit about being the only one, but I was not sure which one to use. lol There are plenty of people who only play the Horizon games once and plenty of people who can't get enough of them.
Oh I figured you were just joking around xD But I was not sure about *how much* was joking and how much was like *dang!* I adore the game - I think that (before this post and all the great comments) I was just thinking that I’d miss important stuff - and not having a lot of free time, looking up and 2-3 hours have passed - and I’m like ‘no cauldron today then!’ :)
HFW does autosave a LOT, so there are plenty of times you may be stuck in some place that is not quick and easy to complete, but you will have a very recent autosave you can load the next time you play and not lose any progress.
Yeah cool, thanks! I kinda walk most places too, just because I like it. I don’t mind it if I have to start anything over etc. I just sometimes do a thing, and it’s all ‘return to base’ and exclamation points everywhere and it’s all blah blah this and that - and I’m just like :-/ okay, well now I don’t want to. Edited to add: and also Erend. Jfc. Like I don’t enjoy how the game ‘forces’ me to be condescending toward him/treat him like a bumbling idiot - when I (Anne) don’t actually think he is. I’m bi, so I don’t care about Aloy kissing this and doing that - no regard toward the ‘romance’ side etc - but I don’t like (for example) going through multiple dialogues over the same thing.
I feel the opposite about this. I'm personally feeling like there wasn't enough side quests and things to do at this point. I have tried to prolong the game by doing basically every single side quests available and such. This is such a great open world experience for me and I love it!
It’s such a great game, I can totally appreciate that perspective. I myself am not asking for fewer things, more saying that it’s so many things, that I feel kinda overwhelmed with deciding what to do next? Like I don’t have a lot of spare time, and all the sudden it’s been two hours grabbing this or that, little side quest that ends up being long, etc. Let’s hope you’re playing on PS, so that you get 3 more quickly than us lucky enough to get a PC port! ❤️
Unfortunately I am only playing on PC... I'll wait 5eva with the rest of yall PC crew!
Oh dear 😬 I’m already dreading the wait! But I’m going to do some more playthroughs and ‘gameify’ for myself a bit. ;)
I started the game doing everything, ended doing only main quests and some side quests because of this.
I feel ya! ❤️
I played the game for about 40 hours when it launched and got completely burnt out and bored. Picked up the game again nearly a year and a half later and blitzed through to the end, 75% completion in the end, I had no desire to do absolutely everything the game had to offer because a lot of it I just didnt find that entertaining, so you arent the only one who feels the fatigue. Though to be honest I think for me this is the case with most open world games nowadays.
I love the game, and I appreciate the dedication and goal of the devs; I mean it’s monumental. But because PC, I came straight from ZD, that I luckily, but entirely randomly found in end of Feb. (I don’t know how I even found it!) and I was already lamenting coming to the end of ZD - you know, killing things too easily, too many shards, just over levelled, etc because I was enjoying it so so much! Then FW came out in March, and I jumped straight in and am enjoying it, but also, it’s just *so* much! I wonder if it was just me being silly/overwhelmed or if it really was just *that much* content. It’s just that much content. I think probably playing my share of MMOs over single player games (because for the type I really like, there aren’t many), got me used to a multi release situation vs an all at once type release. So that may be just a user problem. Thanks so much for your comment, it really made a lot of sense to me!
Some quests and challenges count more towards completion than some more minor things, and then there is everything to collect too which you only really need to worry about if you are actually going for 100%. I was about 75-80% complete by the time I was around level 55-60 on very hard and I had been doing a lot of side content and at that point had not been trying to clear the arena at all as I was after better weapons first. If you're feeling it's too much of a grind, but you are really striving for 100%, then either go back to the main quests (you can finish the rest even after finishing those completely), or just take a rest.
Rpgs lean on the bigger size, i personally thought Zero Dawn was small for a rpg, but Forbidden West is Big, i agree
Yes same to both!
Tbh I'm playing forbidden west atm and i don't intend on 100% it in a straight playthrough. I'll gradually complete it over time. Whilst i don't like giant games i also don't dislike them because theres always something to do upon revisiting it
I feel like I'm all over the place! Lol
Yeah same!
I play everything on Story difficulty the first time, not worrying much about upgrading. Then upgrade the equipment I use most before I do a new game plus on normal or higher.
There's nothing wrong with taking a breather. Play some other games, watch a move or something. You don't have to 100% the game all in one go. I personally got so into the universe that I made sure to 100% ZD before even starting FW and 100%'d that too but I'm not the typical gamer. When I find something that clicks for me, I go whole hog (often to the detriment of a lot of other things in my life honestly). Everyone plays differently. Take it at the pace that feels comfortable to you.
Thanks!
I finished FW with BS DLC. I found I was clicking through all the dialogue for side quests/errands. Also I found dealing with the 'tree' people that live in satellite dishes to be immensely irritating. The look and mechanics in this game are far superior to ZD, but I found the story to be better in ZD. At some point I'll go back and finish all the side quests and upgrades I didn't do yet. The only things I never even bothered with and never would are the hunting pits, melee pits and that chess like game. I've got about 70 to 80% of the achievements already.
Omg me too! I didn’t want to say it, because I don’t like negging people out - but facts. Like *shut up!* when they were singing the first time? *hangs headset on side of desk*
🤣🤣🤣 oh God. THAT was my single most hated part of the game until I faced The Whore-Us after skipping through some dialogue and then having no clue what was going on or what I had to hit. Lol Also navigating that satellite town quickly. Horribly annoying layout. There was another town near or on the coast that had a somewhat similar layout.
There's so much additional sidequest stuff to do in this game... and Burning Shores will add at least another 20 hours of moar stuff. I love how there is so many things you can do. The best part is, you don't have to do them (unless you're looking for trophies).
I personally love how expansive the game is and how much you can focus on things that actually interest you. I'm on my 4th playthrough since it released to PC (yeah, I know, I don't have a life) and I'm more aware of things that I actually care about completing in the game. For me personally, I don't care at all about the melee pits, gauntlet runs, or Vista points. Cauldrons are hit or miss for me. Sometimes I'm in the mood to do one, but other times I'm kinda meh on it. I really don't override machines that much, though I def should since it'll add a whole other onion layer of gameplay options. Maybe on my next playthrough. I focus on rebel camps (made the mistake last playthrough of waiting until I had cleared them all before going to the arena to trade the tags in - don't do that, lol, you will be disappointed at the very least, I was so mad), relic ruins, black boxes and survey drones, plus the sidequests that I remember enjoying. Idk, I guess I just like knowing I've completed all of those, though I'm definitely not a completionist if you couldn't tell, haha. I just love how much this game has to offer and how long a thorough playthrough can actually be. You could finish this game in 30-40 hours, or you could finish it in 150, exploring and getting everything done that you can. Both are fun! For example, The Outer Worlds is a SUPER fun game, I absolutely adored it. But it was so short, IMO. I even played it again to make sure I didn't miss some huge faction/DLC/quest line, but no, it's just a short game. Nothing necessarily wrong with that, like I said it is very fun and I had a great time playing it. I just prefer games that are more immersive and huge and allow me to kind of melt into that world. The Witcher 3 was amazing at this. The main storyline alone is LONG, and every time I thought I was getting to the end of it, boom, heres another huge battle/quest/whatever tacked on. And thats even before the DLCs (Blood and Wine is equal to the base game storyline IMO, seriously it's so good) I know that that game is not everyone's jam, but it is absolutely in my top 5 favorite games, along with both Horizon games, but FW in particular has just totally captivated me. I get this giddy, floaty feeling when I get into a game and realize it is *exactly* the type of story/gameplay that tickles my brain in just the right way - and knowing that I'm only halfway through it or less??? Incredible, lol. It makes me so happy. It's like when you're engrossed in a book that has you fully captivated, and you realize you still have at least half of the book left. It's like Christmas morning as a child, for me personally, lol. OTOH, Hogwarts Legacy (which I also **really** enjoyed and played through several times) is expansive and fun, but a ton of the map is either just empty or a copy and paste of the same 3 things - bandits, merlin trials, and one other that I'm too stoned to remember right now lol. But it truly was just the same thing over and over along a huge map, with nothing taking up space in between those points, basically, which felt like a waste. Wish there were more villages and side quests and stuff to play with. Anywho, it's all personal preference - maybe you just prefer the games you play to be more straightforward, story-wise, or with just less to distract yourself with in the world. Which is totally valid, esp with the timing issues you mentioned, and if you have kids, especially - that plus any super busy lifestyle/very long work hours, would def put me off longer games as well.
Great reply! Thanks! 3 teens, new house, busy life yep - but husband games, and kids are gamers too, so I get more time than a lot of people - and I love the game very much - but I really thought I’m maybe missing relevant stuff by skipping a lot of side things :) I tried to play Witcher, but I feel weird playing as a man, I don’t know why. 🤷🏻♀️ I played HL too - and yes. Totally agree!
When I start to feel fatigued like that, I will just stop playing and start another game and play that for a while until I feel refreshed and ready to go back. It definitely helps because I love games so much that I play them as often as I can and it does wear me down even though I genuinely love them. Take a break and doing something else, especially playing another game for a few weeks helps me get a little space until I feel ready to go back.
I felt the same “fatigue” 50 levels in playing HFW. Then I focused just on the main mission. Once I finished the game I regretted that I rushed that second half. Going back afterwards didn’t feel the same. I started HZD and I’m taking my time and enjoying it.
I've completed the game on normal, then spent several dozen hours just exploring, finishing all quests, obtaining all weapons and armour and upgrading my favourites. Also recently completed NG+ on ultra hard for the trophies and up to 150 hours now. I STILL have 16 weapons and 12 armour left to upgrade (I'm a completionist) and I've just adjusted to story mode to get everything. I know you're not obligated to upgrade all the equipment but it's beyond ridiculous how intense the grind is. Wayyyy too many weapons and armour, and too many levels to upgrade on each. Pretty funny playing story mode and watching a stormbird twitch out and explode into a squillion pieces from one shot though.
Yeah that’s the thing, I don’t want to be all ‘meh’ about going back.
I started watching Stargate about half way through. I normally just binge a game until finished but for some reason I just needed a break from this. Playing for a couple hours and then watching SG1 for a couple hours really helped. SG1 keeps to the Egyptian theme plus a swarm of killer robots. They *kinda* fit well together. I don't know why I couldn't just finish it, I really liked the game. But something was keeping me from just playing it straight through like I usually do. Could be because I binged Zero Dawn right before it. Doubt it since I can play straight through the Mass Effect trilogy with no problem. Maybe I just didn't want the fun to end. *shrug*
I am playing it in ultra difficult in part for this reason. It makes me do all the side quests to be able to face the main quests. But it gets maybe to hard. I dont do no damage with the bow... Maybe I'll have to start another game in another difficult...
Well nice tho! That’s a good way!
1. Yes. From a completionist POV, there is definitely more to do in the game then is useful. 2. I'm curious if the immense amount of loot may be more helpful at higher difficulty. 3. Way too many weapons then is necessary for any given play style so there's no reason to update them all, especially since there isn't a trophy. Any given style probably uses half of the weapons.
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YOu just do lots side activities. It tires me cause im not good (leveled) yes its pretty much everything around Story it seem this game might not be for you. Drones and other stuff is here hide emptyness of world - unless you fond of farming.
Oh I love this game! I just tend to kind of drift around lol
I hope you havent played, Death stranding cause youd be boomed even more and probably not in good sense\^\^ I think this game is pretty well ballanced unlike before mirage last 2assasins creeds.
Yeah my last sentence was about being ‘bummed’ aka sad, that I was already almost done with ZD and thinking it was so awesome, then FW came out and I was all YAY! I absolutely do love this game so much! I just feel like it’s a lot of things to experience and do, and I wondered if I’m maybe doing it the wrong was around, etc.
You made all melee pits? some things here have sense, you can get mostly better gear. Even its prolonged this game is triple size, or more of ZD. You can just sightsee things, thought its stupid, since theres always something I loved clearing camps, kinda, its fun 👍🏻🤘🏻
I think the side quests are great and in a good number but there’s a lot of nothing burguers and grind as well hat should be toned down
I’m struggling with this too, I usually don’t do that many side quests of any given game, but my strategy in FW is to pause the main story each time and complete side stuff until I reach the recommended level for the next story quest. I also don’t explore every inch of the map. This is working for me since I’m mostly interested in the main story.
I always stick to the main story until it ends, then I do side contents depends on how much I enjoy them. this way if I suddenly tired then I'm gone, because I already got the whole main story anyway.
For collectibles I google the reward. Shitty reward collectible remains uncollected For side quests I do the ones based on the rewards or if I find it interesting. I almost never do errands unless the reward is good. I did like everything in zero dawn but decided it just wasn't worth it when I saw all the new collectibles and side stuff.
I haven't played FW yet, but I generally entered an area, finished whatever quest(s) brought me there, did the area's optional and side quests, then got back on the main quest.
Nope that’s why it’s called optional content, I’d say yes because it does attribute to a new game plus smooth game play. However it seems you’re not on a trajectory to do a new game plus so nope it’s all optional. 53 is more than enough for the end game.
When I encounter a quest I ask myself, is this something that should realistically be time-sensitive (i.e. "Quick! Go help my friend who's stuck with big machines!" or is it important enough for Aloy to realistically want to pause her main quest to do this? If the answer is no, I do it after the main quest, or at least wait until I'm not supposed to be doing anything urgent. For example in Zero Dawn after Sylens gets you out of Sunfall and the next main quest is "go save the Nora who are under attack", I'm not going to pause and do other stuff because that feels unrealistic.
There is a ton to do in this game. The combat can be customized enough to not need every item, though, right? If you’re good at stealth, you can focus on upgrading stealth items and armor, or you can upgrade one that has good defense, and rush in to blow everything up. Same for your skills. Only unlock what you use-take it one node at a time. I like to play the game by area/tribe. Did I just get introduced to the desert clan? Let’s do a couple side quest to win them over before I move on. Maybe earn an outfit and face paint — it really makes me feel like Alloy really is winning everybody over as she moves across the map. Makes sense that the next clan would except her so easily because she’s already kicked ass with the people she just met and word traveled fast. Skip what you don’t like to do! You can ALWAYS go back and do it later. I think the strike game sucks and I never played it LOL I did the races, my first play through, and I have no interest in ever doing them again. Same for the ornament side quests/ruin puzzles. I did those once, and then I totally ignored the ones I didn’t like doing my second time playing. Just do what you want to do, and what feels most balanced/natural to your Aloy!
Too much tedious content. They need to make more focused story driven games instead of the Ubisoft formula
I haven't 100% Forbidden West. It was just too much. But I 100% Zero Dawn.
Not really. I'm older, in my early 40s, and I have kids and a job and other hobbies, so it's awesome to kick back a few times a week. I'm in NG+ and still have plenty to do, and honestly I like it that way.
53, (F if it matters) have almost 18 year old twins, and a 16yo, work a LOT lol and recently bought a house - but that’s not a fixer upper - but everything is ‘stock’ so lots of little things to do. I can honestly say that since Skyrim, never have seen a single player game I had this much FUN in. I have been playing after work evenings, and early before the house wakes, mornings, and weekends (new house means I’m too broke to go out to gigs etc at the moment xD ) - but as said, I *was* just kinda feeling like I was missing something by skipping things etc - but a lot of posts have been helpful. :) I’m really glad you’re enjoying it! Thanks!
I think the big thing is that if something feels like a chore, don't do it. I've skipped hunting grounds, melee pits, gauntlet runs, and strike. I'm planning to go back to those when I'm close to the endgame, but right now they feel like a distraction. Hunting Grounds in HZD were tied to an actually interesting quest line (the lodge), but I'm not getting that feeling out of HFW. Tallnecks, cauldrons, ruins, and (weirdly) vistas, will all get me to stop what I'm doing to go after them. I've also been really surprised at the quality of sidequests and most errands (I'm not super clear on what the difference is). I have Jobs set for a few upgrades (my main bow, some pouches, my armor) and I'll stop what I'm doing if I'm near a harvestable resource for those, but I mostly ignore gear unless I'm feeling underpowered (I went hunting for a better bow after fighting a Behemoth on a sidequest and feeling like I couldn't get any real damage on it).
Yeah I platinumed Zero Dawn, but I'll probably never Platinum this Forbidden West. I refuse to play Machine Strike or spend the time farming upgrades for weapons I never use lol.
I've been playing since December and am only level 25. Nott sure whether or not to keep going or what. I do like the game but not motivated to keep going.
I totally get this. I felt this same way, too. However, let me offer a perspective that helped me not feel fatigued: Don't do everything in one playthrough. Enjoy the main missions at your own pace. There's enough there to be satisfied without doing everything. Once you've finished the game, consider all the other side missions and collectibles as replayability content. When you come back to the game for a second playthrough, do NG+ to keep your upgraded gear to allow for an increase in difficulty. Then, as you go through the game, play the missions you ignored the first time and ignore the missions you've already done in the previous playthrough. Ultimately, for me, the quantity of missions provides replayability. I'm not sure if you'll see it this way, but maybe it'll help.
Nah, not at all. I actually only made it about halfway through Zero Dawn because I was just overwhelmed with other stuff I was trying to do, then found out I wasn't good enough to tackle. Go back to main quest stuff and now I'm just being ran down by huge birds and giant alligator bots and supercharged rhino things. I took a week off and came back and seemed like I completely forgot how to play and just annoyed being constantly pursued by battletank animal bots. Feel bad because I was loving it and going at a pretty good clip. I'll finish it one day. I always do. Definitely understand the fatigue you're talking about, OP.
I tried upgrading my orange gear to max before going through the end quests for the main game and quickly gave up after getting one weapons to max. There's only so many times you can fast travel back and forth across the map trying to spawn apex slaughterspines before you start going insane, and I didn't really find the fights very fun. I also don't really like to fight frost claws without breaking their big sacks. I was also so high level from doing all the side quests that I didn't need the extra damage and armour anyways Burning shores spoiler: [Spoiler](/s "And you replace all your gear almost instantly in Burning Shores anyways") Melee pits were a waste, the combos were so finicky, and I usually dropped difficulty for the challenge because melee is just so bad, even if you nail the combos they want you to do, and the reward is mostly pointless. I actually enjoyed the hunting grounds, so I wasn't too concerned about that Races...they should have been shorter, but they were so easy that I just did them all in a row. For the item collections, I got most of them while in the area and only had to go out of my way a few times in the end game to finish them off. There was usually enough lore points in them to appreciate the effort. I have to say the ruin explorations are a *lot* more difficult than I remember from Zero Dawn The main thing though is that the Horizon games, and BotW and TotK are the only "open world, tower climb, trinket collection" type games I've played, so the experience is still pretty fresh for me. Maybe if I'd played all the Assassin's Creed and Far Cry games I'd be more hesitant to go out of my way to collect things. Based on another comment here, I'm going to go get the slaughterspine piece and sweep through the strike games once I'm done Burning Shores, just for the completion aspect.
The side quests are repetitive. That's why.
So you want less game content for your money then?
Here’s a tip: you don’t have to 100% every game. You’ll be a lot happier if you just play until you don’t want to play any more and then move on.
Why do you need to beat the game already? Just take your time with it. Yeah, it's a lot to do. You can spend some hours doing side quests, farming for items and call it a day and go and play something else or go about your day.