[Top 5] Horizon: Zero Dawn Best Early Weapons (2024)

Find the best weapons for your first playthrough ofHorizon: Zero Dawn.

As a first time player of Horizon: Zero Dawn, finding decent weapons early in the game will be key to ensuring Aloy can fight off the toughest foes. The weapons on this list won’t be the most powerful in the game, but they are easy to obtain early on and will be just what you need to equip Aloy until better variants can be unlocked. Continue reading to learn what weapons will be available to you early on, and just how you can find and unlock them to add to your arsenal.

5. Rattler

The basic Rattler

The basic Rattler is a relatively weak weapon, only having one ammo type, but can be helpful in some early game encounters with small to mid-size machines. The rapid-fire close range attack is capable of taking down smaller machines in just a few seconds, and allows for less accuracy in favor of speed. This weapon should be replaced with stronger variants as they are unlocked, but for the first portion of the game it will be more than enough to equip Aloy against the machines.

Why it is Great:

• It is inexpensive and easy to get early on, providing Aloy with an additional weapon to assist her in taking down enemies.

Base Stats:

• Metal Bolts: 10 impact and 5 tear damage

How to Obtain?

• The Rattler can be purchased from merchants outside of the Embrace for x130 Metal Shards

4. Carja Tripcaster

The Carja Tripcaster

The Carja Tripcaster is a mid-level tripcaster that has both shock wires and blast wires as ammunition. If you use Aloy’s focus to track enemy paths, you can easily lay a tripwire down and wait patiently for them to trigger it, making this an exceptional tool for setting up stealthy attacks against tough machines. It can also be used to ‘cage in’ enemies in certain situations, forcing them to cross the tripwire in order to move at all, and creating great opportunities for Aloy to do serious damage.

Why it is Great:

• Good for setting up stealthy attacks and stunning or damaging enemies without being detected.

Base Stats:

• Shock Wire: 160 shock damage
• Blast Wire: 250 impact damage

How to Obtain?

• The Carja Tripcaster can be purchased from merchants outside of the Embrace for x180 Metal Shards and x10 Chillwater

3. Shadow Sling

The Shadow Sling

The Shadow Sling is the most powerful sling available for purchase, and can be acquired early on in the game. With Freeze Bombs, Shock Bombs, and Fire Bombs as ammunition, this weapon will be essential to exploiting machine weaknesses and disabling them early in combat. It is recommended to get this as early as possible, as having the ability to freeze enemies, which slows them down and doubles any damage dealt, is crucial to taking down the toughest foes early on in the game.

Why it is Great:

• Three different elemental ammunition types which allow Aloy to disable machines and do increased damage

Base Stats:

• Freeze Bomb: 20 impact damage and 50 freeze damage
• Shock Bomb: 20 impact damage and 50 shock damage
• Fire Bomb: 10 impact damage and 50 fire damage

How to Obtain?

• The Shadow Sling can be purchased from merchants outside of the Embrace for x650 Metal Shards x1 Crystal Braiding

2. Carja Hunter Bow

The Carja Hunter Bow

The Carja Hunter bow is the best hunter bow available to Aloy early in the game, and will naturally be acquired early in the game during the quest “The Point of the Spear”, but you should be sure to enhance it as much as possible and hold onto it until it can be upgraded later on. This bow provides Aloy with Hunter Arrows and Fire Arrows, which do relatively low damage, but can be fired in rapid succession. With the addition of a few coils, this weapon can be enhanced to be strong enough to take on the toughest early-game enemies.

Why it is Great:

• Two ammo types with moderate damage and a fast fire rate to ensure Aloy is well equipped in fast-paced combat

Base Stats:

• Hunter Arrows: 15 impact and 25 tear damage
• Fire Arrows: 12 impact damage and 25 fire damage

How to Obtain?

• The Carja Hunter Bow is obtained through the quest ‘The Point of the Spear’, and if lost can be purchase from merchants outside of the Embrace for x50 Metal Shards, x5 Sparker, and x5 Wire

1. Carja Sharpshot Bow

The Carja Sharpshot Bow

The most essential weapon for Aloy’s early game arsenal is the Carja Sharpshot Bow. This bow provides her with access to Precision Arrows as well as Tearblast Arrows, which are essential to blowing off the armor on machines to reveal their more vulnerable components inside. Following up with a Precision Arrow, which has high damage and accuracy, as well as range, will do devastating damage to even the largest machines. Additionally, this bow provides Aloy with the ability to deal high damage at a far distance, creating the perfect storm for infiltrating bandit camps from a distance and taking out countless bandits before they even know you’re there.

Why it is Great:

• Two powerful ammunition types that give Aloy high damage and accuracy, even at a distance

Base Stats:

• Precision Arrow: 60 impact damage and 30 tear damage
• Tearblast Arrow: 100 tear damage

How to Obtain?

• The Carja Sharpshot Bow can be purchased from merchants outside of the Embrace for x210 Metal Shards and x10 Metalburn

While these weapons aren’t the strongest in the game, the early gameplay can be long and arduous if Aloy isn’t equipped properly, and the best weapons available should be obtained to make your journey a breeze.

Things to keep in mind:

Almost all weapons can be enhanced through the use of coils. All costs and stats are based on normal difficulty and a first time playthrough.

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