#leaplasher

[strawbella28]

🦘🦘🦘

They are so cute, yet so annoying! 🥹

[singingkestrel]

Horizon Forbidden West machine headshots compilation 1/5.

I wanted to do a summary of my headshots (not including tallnecks, which had their own compilation already) coz I think they look pretty good en masse. One or two machines are technically missing from my collection (grimhorn and specter prime) but neither are available to snap post-game (and I'm not yet mentally prepared for playthrough #4). Hopefully you'll forgive me.

Anyway, here we go. These are in no particular order, but I did pair them up according to some strange connections my brain made.

Skydrifter - Leaplasher (team irksome)

Redeye watcher - Clawstrider (team sunset)

Sunwing - Waterwing (team flappy bird)

Plowhorn - Clamberjaw (team redwood)

Rockbreaker - Bellowback (team firestarter)

[horizonlandscape]

Leaplasher attack

[ayaitch]

Can't stop. We're on a mission from GAIA.

[horizonslut]

i have been trying to get a frost canister leaplasher to spawn for 100% completion for like AN HOUR

[horizon-series-details]

These are some shots of a Repair Pod, a pod found after a Leaplasher is summoned via reinforcements. I got these shots after fighting the herd just outside of Cauldron: MU, though Leaplashers are also incredibly common in No Man’s Land and the Northern Desert Clan Territories.

This is one of three pods, the other ones include a Radar Pod (Which I’ve actually discussed previously!) and a Noxious Pod. These pods are unable to be found under Leaplasher parts in the notebook, as they’re not guaranteed to show up. When harvested, they provide basic materials such as Braided Wire and Machine Muscle. The first two images show how it looks before being harvested, and the last two show how it looks after

As the name implies, this pod is used primarily as a support tool, and it can repair machines near it. This is the only of the pods to not impact Aloy directly, as the Noxious ones create a cloud that drains health, and the Radar ones prevent use of the Focus and give work as a tracker of sorts.

[a-little-monotonous]

the tiderippers in strike are actually insane like What

[thefandomwritersblog]

Ghost of the Ten Horizon: Forbidden West Hekarro x Fem!OldOne OC Action/Adventure/Romance/Hurt/Comfort Chapter 22

Part 3: Ghost of the Ten

~~

“Give yourself some credit. You’ve come pretty far.” —Unknown

~~

The evening was unbearably hot. Even in the cool enclosure of the mess hall there was still a layer of sweat that clung to Victoria’s skin. She sat across from Dekka, hunched over the Strike board and chewing on her bottom lip in intense focus. Their matches had become a regular occurrence, almost daily now, either during breakfast or dinner. Dekka was a tough teacher, quick to point out and punish Victoria's tactical errors without showing any mercy. Yet, she was also fair, taking the time to highlight where Victoria went wrong and proud when she saw improvement in her skills.

“I think I’ve got you on the run, Chaplain.” Victoria smirked as she moved her Leaplasher and Grazer into place.

Dekka hummed amusedly, “We shall see.”

As predicted, Dekka moved her Plowhorn towards the right edge of the board. With each move, Victoria's heart raced faster, victory within her grasp as she tried to remain composed.

"We never finished discussing the Red Raids," Victoria remarked, scowling as Dekka pulled her Plowhorn back towards her side of the board. The chaplain hummed thoughtfully and nodded in agreement,

"True. Where were we again?"

"Towards the end, I believe. Barren Light?"

“Ah yes, now I remember. It was one of the greatest victories in Tenakth history, but it wasn't just our people who fought in that battle. The Utaru joined us as well, proving that we are stronger together than apart."

Though she would never admit it aloud, Victoria enjoyed these discussions with Dekka. She loved learning about Tenakth history, culture, and battles - their unwavering determination that embodied human will at its finest. Despite how her own pain and trauma, especially from Anne, had shaped their lives, she couldn't help but admire how they had thrived because of it. That maybe something good did come out of it.

“So you tore the place down,” Victoria chased after Dekka’s Plowhorn, eying the Bellowback she kept just out of range, “If you were so against the Carja, and rightfully so, why not chase them all the way back to their capital?”

“Hekarro considered it,” Dekka admitted, deftly maneuvering around Victoria’s Grazer and Leaplasher. “But he ultimately decided it was a foolish notion. We had many injured and despite our victories, there were still villages in our territory suffering. Not everyone agreed with his decision.”

“Was there someone in particular?”

For once, Dekka fell silent and stared at the Strike board for a long moment before sighing. “One person, more than others: Regalla. She was one of our Marshals and perhaps one of the fiercest warriors we ever had, aside from Hekarro himself. He respected her greatly, and she him.” Dekka shook her head sadly. “She lost so much during the Red Raids and her grief turned into an insatiable thirst for revenge, even if it meant betraying her own people.”

“What happened to her?”

"After or before her civil war?" Dekka scoffed, her voice dripping with bitterness. "She tried to challenge the chief for leadership, but lost. He showed mercy by sparing her life, but she saw it as an insult rather than a gesture of compassion. Years later, she returned from self-imposed exile and attempted once again to divide the Tenakth in a petty civil war. If not for Aloy, Marshal Kotallo, and the united strength of our people, she would have succeeded. Now she lies buried within the Grove; despite all she did against him, Hekarro made sure she received proper honors and lay next to her loved ones."

Their game forgotten, a heavy silence hung between them before Victoria spoke up again, “Her loss must have been devastating for her to turn against her own people.”

“We all lost someone during the Raids,” Dekka replied, “We were all angry, but Regalla's anger was not justified in betraying us.”

Victoria's brow furrowed. “Did Hekarro lose someone too?”

Dekka nodded.

“Was their name Tarrik?”

Victoria took a risk, driven by her curiosity. The look Dekka gave her wasn't angry or upset, but rather a deep sadness that spoke volumes. It confirmed what she had suspected - that Tarrik was someone important to Hekarro, even though she didn't know why.

“How did you come to know that name?”

Shrugging, Victoria replied, “Hekarro talks in his sleep.”

Dekka nodded and looked away at the group of Tenakth behind Victoria. They were laughing and chatting happily, a stark contrast to the grief on Dekka's face. "Tarrik," she whispered, her voice heavy with emotion, "is a wound that I am all too familiar with. Many who fought in the raids can attest to the same. Victoria, I do not say this as Hekarro's advisor or Chaplain, but as his friend. Please refrain from mentioning that name to him. Even after all these years, the guilt still weighs heavily on his heart.”

A silent nod felt like the only appropriate gesture. Victoria’s attention returned to the Strike board, but she no longer felt that her heart was in the game anymore. The pain and suffering experienced by Dekka, Hekarro, and the Tenakth as a whole became more apparent to her with each passing day. They had all lost something precious, just like she had. And she was slowly beginning to realize that there was no distinction between them and her. They were all survivors in one way or another, struggling to move forward despite loss. It scared Victoria to think that she could be like them - brave enough to keep moving forward despite the pain.

Selfish

Victoria blinked back the tears.

You don’t deserve to live.

As expected, Victoria lost the match. She grumbled as she pushed her hair out of her face with a scowl and slumped back in her seat, feeling frustrated. Dekka couldn't help but laugh at her, "One day, you'll earn your victory, Victoria." After a moment of thought, she tilted her head and smiled gently, "It's odd, I never realized how close your name sounds to 'victory' until now."

Victoria nodded, "Yeah. My father chose it for me. It was supposed to be a final 'fuck you' to the struggles he and Anne faced, a sign that they finally made it in life." She scoffed bitterly, "But my father didn't even live long enough to see me born. Some victory, I guess."

"I'm not so sure about that." Dekka said, still smiling. "You're here now, living and breathing, learning and surviving. That is no small feat. And as you live and breathe, you carry on his story. He doesn't die when you are the vessel through which he continues to exist in this world."

A scoff escaped Victoria's lips before she could stop it. "Forgive me if I find that hard to believe right now."

Dekka chuckled, her eyes twinkling in the dim light of the fire. "Someone else said something similar to me a long time ago. And seeing where they are now? I still believe I was right. We are never the same, but how we emerge from our struggles can still be beautiful."

For the second time, Dekka managed to leave Victoria speechless with her words. She ran her fingers through her sweat-dampened hair and grimaced as she felt the tangles catch under her nails. "I don't know how you all can tolerate this heat." She grumbled, attempting to change the subject. Dekka hummed in response but allowed the change with a small chuckle of her own.

“Its of no consequence to a Lowlander, like Hekarro and I, we thrive in this kind of heat. But when the Sky Clan guards come here, they act like we're inflicting torture on them."

Victoria couldn't help but snicker at that, "I have to agree with them. Dry heat is something I can handle, but this humidity is suffocating. And I feel like I'm just stewing in my own sweat."

“That sounds like a bath is in much needed order, then.”

She perked up at the idea and looked at Dekka expectantly as the older woman contented herself with clearing the table. "Wait, you have baths here? With running water? Are you holding out on me, Chaplain?"

“I think it might be easier to show you. Come.”

Dekka led her through the bustling Maw and down into an underground passageway. The heat inside was starkly different from the sweltering heat outside, and the air was thick with the scent of herbs. They walked through the winding tunnels, passing by collapsed entrances, until they reached a small antechamber adorned with wooden stalls, each one covered by a heavy curtain. On the other side of the room, Victoria caught a glimpse of an open door shrouded in steam. Dekka motioned towards an empty stall and took the one next to it as Victoria stepped inside. There was a stone basin filled with clear water and a cloth hanging off the edge.

“Undress and wipe down,” Dekka called from the next stall over. Victoria furrowed her brow as she looked for some sort of coverup.

"No towels?"

"I do not understand what you mean, Victoria."

"To wrap myself in," Victoria clarified, trying not to sound exasperated. "Please tell me you don't expect me to walk out of here naked."

"Not unless you want to ruin your clothes. Were Old Ones so modest about their bodies?"

"Well…I suppose we were to some extent," Victoria admitted as she removed her tank top and struggled out of her flight suit and pants after kicking off her boots. She frowned at the scars that littered her body, tracing them with her fingertips. She wasn't necessarily ashamed of her own skin, but only a handful of people had ever seen her naked before. And here she was just about to walk out and show everything she was working with. Embarrassment flushed her cheeks as she grumbled, quickly grabbing a washcloth to wipe away the sweat and grime from her body. By the time she finished, Dekka was waiting for her, standing confidently in all her naked glory with no shame or hesitation. Victoria tried not to feel self-conscious as she followed Dekka to the door on the other side of the room.

As they stepped through the door, it felt like walking into a sauna, with dimly flickering candles providing the only light. Victoria couldn't help but forget about her embarrassment as she took in the sights around her. "You turned the old boiler room into a communal bath," she said incredulously, a mixture of amusement and admiration in her voice.

Dekka hummed as she led Victoria over to the bath, a man-made pool with stone walls that reached up to their knees and filled with steaming water. Despite the old boiler's worn appearance, Victoria could feel the warmth radiating from its belly, its flames casting an inviting glow. A Tenakth woman tended to it silently, half-hidden in the steam and water. In the pool, small groups of Tenakth chatted in hushed tones.

"Is this what this used to be?" Dekka whispered softly - careful not to disturb anyone else - as she stepped over the low wall and sank into the hot water with a contented sigh. "We discovered this room after the Tenakth united. It took some effort to clear out the flooding and get the cauldron going again, but it's much safer than bathing in the river, don't you think?"

“You really were holding out on me, Chaplain.” Victoria teased with a smile as she swung her leg over the pool wall and dipped her feet into the warm water. She moved closer to sit on the edge of the pool, savoring the sensation of clean and heated water against her skin. Closing her eyes, she inhaled deeply and let the steam encompass her. Tilting her head back, she let out a soft groan, imagining each droplet of water condensing on her skin and sliding down in a soothing cascade. There were no words that could accurately convey just how relaxing this experience was for her.

Victoria's mind snapped back to reality as she heard a disturbance in the pool. She slowly lifted her heavy eyes and watched Hekarro emerge gracefully from the rippling water opposite her. A wave of unexplainable warmth washed over her as she took in his presence. Though she had always acknowledged his attractiveness in passing, this encounter left no room for doubt. His physique was beyond impressive, sculpted with precision like a work of art in motion. Every scar on his skin added depth and richness to his already broad form. The soft candle light bathed him in an ethereal glow, accentuating every muscle and contour. Water droplets clung to him like jewels, enhancing the play of light as they cascaded down his glistening body. Victoria's heart raced uncontrollably in her chest at the sight, causing her cheeks to flush with embarrassment as she realized she had been staring. Thankfully, Dekka remained peacefully submerged in the water while Hekarro was engrossed in wringing the water from his long, silky black hair, oblivious to her admiring eyes.

A feeling of unease coiled in Victoria's throat, making it hard to swallow. She felt exposed. Vulnerable. Without hesitation, she sank into the welcoming embrace of the water, submerging herself until only her head and neck were above the surface. As she joined Dekka, Victoria desperately hoped that the flush on her cheeks could be attributed to the warmth of the bathhouse. She closed her eyes and focused on the comforting heat surrounding her body, trying to push thoughts of Hekarro out of her mind. But when he moved closer to Dekka, a surge of awareness washed over Victoria. She could sense his presence near her like an invisible wall. Trying to control her trembling, she prayed that he didn’t notice how deeply his presence affected her.

She couldn’t help but feel stupid, like a silly teenager with a stupid crush. Why was she so flustered by this? It's not like she had never seen a naked man before. She wasn't some naive girl who had never been kissed by a boy.

None of them were as handsome as Hekarro is, though.

Oh, how she despised that traitorous little voice inside her head.

"You fret too much," Dekka’s teasing voice cut through the fog in Victoria’s mind, “The Grove has survived countless storms and your preparations will ensure it endures many more. Now go rest. Or I’ll tie you to your bed myself.”

Hekarro's laughter pulled a small smirk from Victoria, though she feigned disinterest, her eyes closed as he quipped back. "It would amuse me greatly to see you try.”

He departed, the sound of water swishing as he exited the pool, his footsteps fading until only the low hum of the boiler filled the room. Dekka sighed, her playful scowl evident even though Victoria couldn't see it.

"That boy is so stubborn," she muttered, "Even after all these years, he still refuses to listen to wise counsel." Victoria felt a gentle nudge on her arm and she opened her eyes and looked over to see Dekka smiling at her, “How are you feeling?”

“I needed this.” Victoria admitted, stretching her arms up.

“You can always come down here when you need to. The evenings are usually peaceful. Do you want to wash your hair? I can show you how.” Before Victoria could object, Dekka moved through the water and guided her until she was facing away from the Chaplain. Her gentle fingers worked through the tangles in Victoria’s hair, picking them apart with care. “Mirella? Can I have some soapstone?”

A stern, older woman handed a pungent bar to Dekka, who began to work it into Victoria's damp tresses, the air around them becoming thick with the aroma of sea salt and blooming orchids. As Dekka's fingers threaded through Victoria's hair, a tension seemed to uncoil within her.

And for an instant, just a fleeting instant.

She didn’t feel quite as lonely as she once had.

[thessalian]

Thess vs the Proving Lab

Welp. That happened.

And here we are - what's left of HADES. I mean, I'm surprised there's anything left of HADES at all, honestly. But I guess Sylens doesn't have so much a concept of mercy.

HADES, you are a shitheel. I mean, the Derangement and the Mysterious Signal probably contributed to that, but I don't think getting mucked with by Travis Tate et al helped all that much.

So ... wait ... Sylens, are you seriously telling me you left HADES alive (insomuch as an AI is alive) specifically so you could keep your word way back when you said you'd give me the means to destroy it? ...Well, if I'm running around settlements that look like Dreamer's Terrace, I guess it's fitting that I've got Fae-wording bargains coming from this dipshit.

And now you give me a schematic to let me ignite firegleam. Only when it suits you. Ugh, fine, I'll go hunt Leaplashers. (I hate Leaplashers.)

Best way to deal with Leaplashers - from the next post code over.

"Story and Easy Mode: you do not have to shoot off the power cores--" Can I ... do it anyway?

Right. Firegleam ignited. In we go!

So ... there was no mechanic for just ... letting me swim there? Really?

We're really hammering home the parallels between Sobek and Aloy, aren't we. Also ... why can I not punch Travis Tate in the face? I mean, really, I want to punch him in his face.

.........Well, this wasn't what I was expecting the "We still have dozens of hours of gameplay to give you so we'll contrive a problem" to be, but I'll take it. This game really enjoys kicking one in the metaphorical balls.

Sylens ... these are unknown quantities trying to come through the door, and you're not tellng me nearly enough, but I've done enough reading to know that the little you say you know? Is complete bullshit.

Yeah, see? Though now I'm almost regretting having crunched that particular Focus because I want a very good, very solid, "I TOLD YOU SO" right now.

(Also, if she was carrying around a spare Focus - or several, given what she told Varl at the beginning - why did she not do that six months ago? Or even when she discovered what he did to HADES? She knew Sylens had spyware! If she wanted to keep getting answers from him, she shouldn't have destroyed the spyware-filled Focus; she should have shoved it in a belt pouch and used a different one - at least until she wanted to pry answers out of Sylens again.)

...What the fuck are you people wearing? Did you get all your ideas on future fashion from Star Trek: TOS? That's tacky as fuck, guys.

Except you, Mini-Me. ...I have a Mini-Me. Great. And someone really needs to give you some actual shoes. Your feet must be cold.

(Yes, I notice this shit.)

Okay, these are not the machines I know, and ... yeah, I read a review at some point that talked about the "new machines" and how disappointing their designs were, and ... I get what they mean now. Robots should not ooze.

"One is trouble enough". Oooooh, Sylens, I wish I'd left you eavesdropping. Just because of how much you fucking hate being wrong.

Oh, so your horrible blingy jumpsuit has a forcefield on it. So this is going to be the most annoying fight ever.

...I get Aloy wanted information, but why was there no option to just jump in the damn water and swim?!? Why did she have to play some demented version of Tag to crash an entire ... whatever that fucking thing was when it wasn't even going to hurt him?!?

So jumping puzzle plus oxygen management plus stealth out the ass. This has been the most annoying fucking thing ever and I hate it. Good thing I'm way better at stealth.

...Crippling by Cutscene. THANKS FOR THAT.

Ah. Hi, Varl. Guess you're feeling better. I personally feel like shit. But I'm going to Do The Thing anyway--

Okay, that's fucking clever. The Utaru name their settlements for music because they remembered the old "do-re-mi" scale-singing from their ancestors' Cradle teachings, and let it live on in the name of their "land-gods". And this is the first civilisation that actually acknowledges what the machines were supposed to do. Everyone else treats them as a hazard at best; the Utaru worked in concert with them. So ... basically it's the Utaru that have it right. Neat.

Yeah, go be with your girlfriend, Varl. I will stay put, I promise. If only because a) the cutscene wants me to and b) I don't want to be that much of a hypocrite given everything I've said to you and Erend over the last little while. Also, c) someone ought to have a romance option that isn't one throwaway bit in the DLC.

(YES I KIND OF WANT TO ROMANCE EREND SHUT UP.)

Aaaaaaaand my ribs are better. And little green exclamation mark. Hi, Xenophobe Lady.

...Aloy? Why could you not just explain to the Xenophobe Lady what a 'thrush' is?!? Maybe she'd stop being such a bitch!

Right. I know there's all this saving-the-world stuff (though I have to admit I'm a lot less jazzed about that when I'm fighting Futuristic Techno-Gods or whatever), but I'm going to take a break and then I am going to go and ignite every bit of Firegleam I have passed so far. It has been taunting me.

(No, seriously, Futuristic Techno-Gods who bring all of the mindsets of the Old World with them? I don't want this. I am in this game for seeing how civilisations might shape themselves outside of the influence of the Old Gods - this is speculative fiction at its finest! And now you're giving me Futuristic Techno-Gods who are, in point of fact, generations old? And where were they all this time?)

(...They were in space, weren't they. IF THIS GAME SENDS ME TO SPACE I AM GOING TO THROW IT OUT THE WINDOW. METAPHORICALLY.)

Right. Yes. Break. Then, Firegleam and hunting. I ... am weirdly less jazzed about this game now that we're bringing the Old World this far into it. There's still enough for me to love, but none of it's the main plot. It's getting space-opera convoluted here - more clones, advanced technology, people treating the civilisations that formed without APOLLO as lesser--

...Wait. If we have APOLLO and DEMETER and HADES and HEPHAESTUS ... why do we have MINERVA? Every single one of the subordinate functions, and even the rogue AI Nemesis, were named for Greek gods, so why didn't they go with ATHENA?

Anyway, we're going into a vaguely colonialist direction far beyond shit like the Carja being stuck-up about everything and I am not sure I like it. Also I want to punch Sylens in the face for effectively arming the rebel Tenakth. What does he gain from destabilising the region? More to the point, what do these Techno-God dipshits gain from it? They have to be helping with that shit somehow.

[ordinarymaine]

ooooooo wait. also. top 5 machines in horizon :3c (hope u r enjoying it!!!!)

TALLNECKS!!

leaplashers T_T im nowhere near finishing zd and going to fw yet but i LOVE those things

grazers

sawtooths

stalkers HATE fighting them LOVE their design

[deleted-files]

Since I Couldn't Figure Out How to Upload the File

Here. A list of just about all the horizon machines and their rahi counterparts. At least what I think to be their counterparts... Close enough anyways. I'm always open to suggestions on this list since it's still a work in progress.

-Acquisition Machines-

Bilegut (Frog) = Ranama/Ghekula

Rockbreaker (Badger/Mole)= Blade Burrower

Bristleback (Wild Boar)=

Broadhead/Strider/Charger (Horse/Goats)= Mahi

ClamberJaw (Orangutan/Primate)= Brakas

Fanghorn/Grazer/LanceHorn (Deer,Gazel)= Fader Bull

Glinthawk (Large Savanger Bird)= Kahu

Scrapper/Scrounger (Canin)= Happaka

Snapmaw (Crocodilian)= Furnace Salamander

Spikesnout (Anteater)= Hikaki

Stingspawn (Insect/Fly?/Thing?)= Acidfly

Sunwing/Waterwing (Pterodactyl/Bird?)= Gukko/Mata Nui Fishing Bird

Plowhorn (Triceratops)= Mata Nui Cow

Tideripper (Plesiosaurus)= Proto Drake

Widemaw (Hippo)= Kraawa

Trampler (Cattle)= Kane-Ra

-Combat Class-

ClawStrider (Raptor)= Rock Raptor

Dreadwing (Bat/BirdofPrey)= Cliff Screecher

Ravager (Tiger/Leopard)= Rock Lion

Sawtooth (Sabertoothed Cat)= Muaka

Scorcher (Wolf)= Kavinika

ShellSnapper (Snapping Turtle)= Pit War Tortoise

Slaughterspine (Spinosaurus)= Archives Beast

SlitherFang (King Cobra)= Crystal Serpent

Stalker (Panther/Wolf)= Shallows Cat/Energy Hound

Stormbird (Eagle/Hawk)= Nivawk

Thunderjaw (Tyrannosaur)= Tahtorak

Tremortusk (Mammoth)=

Fireclaw/Frostclaw (Bears)= Ashbear

-Communication Class-

Tallneck (Giraffe/Stegosaur)=

-Recon Class-

Burrower (Otter/Rodent)= Archives Mole

Longleg (Ostrich/Emu/Large Bird)= Moa

Watcher/Redeye (Raptor)= Manutri

Skydrifter (Bird of Prey)= Kewa

Transport Class

Behemoth (Rhinoceros)= Kikinalo

BellowBack (Bipedal Dinosaur)= Parakrekks

Leaplasher (Kangaroo)= Fusa

Rollerback (Pangolin/Ankylosaur)= Swamp Stalker

Shell-Walker (Crab/Hermit)= Ussal Crab

[actualaster]

Since Leaplashers are kangaroo-themed you could call them...

Roobots, yeah?

[horizonlandscape]

Leaplasher and flowers

[stormhaven13]

Leaplashers

Realizing I missed a few of these, so I'm gonna do a few in a row.

Leaplashers are a pretty standard midgame threat. They have a mix of melee and ranged attacks, most of which can't one shot you. However, they also can stun you pretty effectively, which if you're dealing with more than one machine is almost always a death sentence. Don't have so much health that they're bulky, but have enough that they can tank a few powerful hits.

[metalgearsolidexclamationpoint]

Finished Death's Door, The Dying Lands, and gained access to the Base. Subsequently climbed up the mountain and overrode a Sunwing, who is currently parked outside of Memorial Grove. I really hate to tempt fate, but… UH has not shown itself to be, like, ultra hard.

I think part of this is resource management. Supposedly HZD made it infamously difficult to get resources on UH. Merchants jack the prices way up, and drops are much more limited. I circumvented this problem by doing a whole-ass NG+ playthrough where I opened every chest, picked every berry and ridgewood, and used hardly anything but advanced hunter arrows so that when UH rolled around, I would have enough echo shell or crystal braiding or whatever. I'm also trying to be a little more conservative with my ammo, although it does feel like aiming is less forgiving -- perhaps there's some secret aim assist on Normal difficulty. Or maybe it's just more "realistic" in arrow trajectory? I feel like I'm going high with a lot of shots, and nerves definitely caused me to miss the stupid attachments in the Recluse Spider room. Luckily, Erik didn't actually do that much damage, and my outfit was my shock-absorption outfit (not to be confused with my anti-acid attire).

The Dying Lands was the first quest I had any worries about (assuming UH wouldn’t be overwhelmingly difficult from the get-go), and indeed, the first battle I died in was the Clawstrider bonanza. I remember dying to that fight a few times in my first playthrough. But I was also not great at strategizing (there are elemental pots/dead Bellowbacks all over the place that I didn’t use very effectively), and pretty sloppy overall. This time I played much more defensively and Berserked the Clawstriders in hopes it would give me time to pick off the stupid scroungers or whatever who apparently show up just to cause chaos. I need to be a little smarter about environmental assets, because I was trying to brittle them and wondering why Varl seemed to have an ice weapon, when in fact he had set off a little frozen pot.

The Grimhorn wasn’t bad (or the Leaplashers in the beginning of the cauldron), and Varl and Zo were much, much better at distracting and taking out the weaker enemies than I anticipated. They pretty much kept the Grimhorn’s companions at bay while I worked at taking down the big boy – much more so than I expected from non-controllable companions. I’ve always been diligent about placing traps around the arena every time it looks boss-like (the final override of a cauldron, obviously, but also the room where you meet Beta, the elevator where you fight Erik), but I haven’t used the tripcaster or ropecaster at all, and I barely use special stamina moves. Half the time I can’t figure out how to use them (how do you notch 3 arrows?? Do you keep hitting R1?? I get knocked the fuck over every time I try and it seems to all come to nothing!!). I really thought that I was going to suffer in UH based on how little of the new mechanics I bother to use – the aforementioned special moves, melee combos, shredder gauntlet/specter gauntlet (I can’t lock-on to an enemy then line up the aim to shoot it without getting fucked up for enough time to make the lock-on disappear – skill issue, sure, but my stupid hunter bow with advanced arrows has killed everything fine so far, and only takes a few shards (of which I have 60K) and ridgewood (of which I have 2.5K) to make new arrows)/boltblasters (takes waaaaaaaay too long to do anything), but so far it seems like I’m fine without it. And if I beat UH without it, why learn to master it at all? Sigh.

I finished The Fraud by Zadie Smith during the cutscenes. Fantastic read, and a great example of historical fiction being, basically, a parable for modern issues without being too winky or didactic (for the most part. There were a few moments that were too on-the-nose…). I had time to do this because besides the a few rebel back-stabbys, the Tremortusk, what is more or less an on rails section, and a Slitherfang that dies in a cutscene anyway, the next two chapters were basically just talking.

The Tremortusk was the imminent fight I was dreading the most -- I thought it would be the wake-up call (again…). It killed me a few times in my first playthrough. Funny thing, I’ve fought so many Dreadwings, Slitherfangs, and Tiderippers to farm upgrades that I’m not worried about those upcoming battles (in Demeter, the Kulrut, and Poseidon) even though I’m sure they can fuck me right up.

As it turned out, the Tremortusk was a simple matter of freezing and dodging it. The Kulrut was a simple matter of holding down the R2 button (my wrist is not pleased with me). And the Slitherfang was a simple matter of setting it on fire. Apparently there was a Tenakth giving me fire support, as she kept yelling at me to get it in range, but I saw no actual evidence of her hitting it. And I guess I just never noticed before that it dies specifically in the cutscene. I know that this is so it can collapse in such a way that it forms a bridge to get out of the arena, but it really gave me the impression that actually I only had to survive for five minutes and the fight would be over. Maybe it just felt that way because UH does feel a little like you are just chipping away at a huge and yet indeterminate health bar.

So now I'm worried about the Specters in the next mission. I think it will be my next potential wake-up call, followed by the Apex Thunderjaw in Faro's Tomb, plus doing the end of that quest in the stupid outfit. I'll probably be there in about three hours… it's kind of crazy how linear and quick the main quest line is. You know, if you already put 125+ hours in it so moving from point to point is a breeze.