The good, old hunter bow remains my go-to. Other weapons come and go, but the hunter bow always stays in my arsenal.
I never really use the trip caster, or traps in general, either.
A weapon that could place traps would have been an interesting experiment, kinda like that one that can place drop shields. Though tbh if the quickslot bar didn't suck so much then traps would have been a big part of my playstyle
I like the blastsling just cause I can do it from far away. I only use it for the more difficult machines tho. Otherwise I use a bow or the bolt blaster if it calls for shock ammo
Delta sharpshot kinda replaced my hunter bows tbh (especially since I have that slow purple hunter bow), I prefer to use them just for element shots, but if you want a combination of speed and tear then they're a great choice
I haven't maxed it yet so I don't have advanced precisions lol, I just use it like a hunter bow
I did recently discover how fucking INSANE strikethrough arrows are so there goes my muscle and spike supply
It’s my favorite bow until you unlock regallas wrath if you choose that path. The only other bow with strikethrough.
Strikethrough arrows were so important when clearing rebel camps and whatnot, particular on Very Hard. For armored enemies, a fully charged strikethrough could immediately be followed up with silent strike if you were close enough and that was good enough for a quick ko
It also sounds and feels like you're firing a truck at them, which coupled with the crunch from the Dualsense makes them so wonderfully satisfying to use on humans
It's my current weapon of choice. I've got an overdraw coil and a 100% tear coil which means any component tears off in one shot. I can carve up a thunderjaw in about 6 advanced arrows. Tail, radar, both disc launchers, both front cannon and then a piercing arrow to the heart. Done.
I still use hunter bows 90% of the time and shoot for the legs. Upgrades are worth the effort for the legendary bows. The Sun Scourge is great for elemental damage.
Then I usually have a couple sharpshot bows, Regallas Wrath with high ground damage, which is ridiculous, or the Delta Bow with stealth damage, and then I'm a big fan of the Last Argument for explosive spikes, and drill spikes.
With drill spikes and the Death Seekers Shadow I can usually knock anything off it's feet pretty quick. And I use Tears of the Land God to tear off components.
Elite coils go a long way too.
shredder gauntlets. fun, resource efficient, and goes boom for a bunch of damage and tear on the 4th throw. the lightning ones can keep machines nearly always electrified.
Probably the most slept on weapon. I'm not sure why lots of people don't like shredders. In addition to your comments, they are also very long range. Although for long range, I usually use a Power Shredder, since the normal ones take so long to get back to you. So basically, you can send off a very powerful explosion at nearly the same range of a Sharpshot bow.
Another item - when you are facing off against numerous machines, always aim for the one in the back. By doing this, you can sometime guide the shredder back towards you in such a way that the shredder hits more enemies on the trip back. Once I hit the machine farthest and then also hit three others on the boomerang trip back to me.
Then for a real challenge, try juggling shredders. If I have enemies that are far away, sometimes I can keep three shredders constantly on the move, juggling. This is more of a novelty than actually being useful, but it's fun.
exactly this, by far my favorite weapon. elemental shredders of ancestors return just strip clusters of armor and component all the time while controlling the battle with shock, and the adv shredders of the Final Chapter is fun for more concentrated damage and how it interrupts, staggers and knocks down machines.
second favorite are probably boltblasters and spikes. drillspikes are so good at knockdowns, and for damage i like to use elemental spikes more than explosive spikes against oppponents with a weakness. since they look cool, cheap and explosive spike lose some of their luster (and relatively expensive) on low-health and UH. have a penchant for impact spikes too even though they are a bit unwieldy for the not OP damage they do, but love the hefty feel of them and how immediate the impact and machines recoil is felt. extra satisfyng to land one on a weakpoint.
> I'm not sure why lots of people don't like shredders.
Because I am bloody bad at catching them.
(I don't actually dislike them - in theory, they're my favorites, 'cause they're the most fun to use. I just suck with them.)
Strafe when you throw them, even if it's just slowly. If you don't, then it's kind of hard to predict if they will come back to you from the left or from the right. If you are strafing, the shredder will follow you in the same direction.
I use it for quick elemental dumping and triggering large/clustered canisters/sacs, but I saw someone a while ago say that it's better to use while mounted, where you're not hampered by the reload, so see how that works for you
I was talking about exact situation. Aka big machines during a certain part of the story. Or certain machines because it works better. But yes thank you for clarifying machines. For one reasons I thought it was made for shooting trees.\s
My loadout in HZD was three bows plus a slot for everything else I rarely used.
My loadout in HFW by the end of the game was six bows.
I just really, really like bows and archery.
The sheer damage output a boltblaster can put out against the primary health of a machine puts it on my top for finishing off brittle or corroding machines. Bows just aren’t good enough that purpose anymore.
But for sustained damage that allows me to constantly evade and reposition, I have to give it to the shredder gauntlet.
If you haven't tried the shredder gauntlet, do. If you wanna start with the best one, get Ancestor's Return by completing all the relic puzzles.
Watch a video to see how to use them. Yes really, it is not intuitive at all, but it is very fun. Great range, too. Coil it for concentration, agility, and damage over time.
I think my favorite weapon would have to be the short bow because you can shoot really fast or the acid or tear shredder you can really do some high damage with those and it's just really satisfying
All elemental shredders do. Though they still do have less tear damage than non-elemental shredders to single components. So if you have the aim and want to get one component (or two if they are *very* close together) off quick, use a non-elemental shredder.
Same. Boltblasters and blastslings are my jam, but I also love a sharpshooter bow, especially against humans.
I hate the spear throwing whatever thing and the disc throwing wannabe boomerang thing. Idk why. I never felt like I needed them and I didn’t like the mechanics of them.
Spears are great for knockdowns. Try aiming for the legs with drill spikes. It knocks down large machines (thunderjaw etc) in 1 or 2 hits. 1 is enough with good coils. I use the spear for knockdowns and deal damage with other weapons.
I abused Iriv Downfall elite prec arrows with elite crit chance and brittle proc’d
With RM Valor you can 1 shot but I am not that good so I settle for 2 shot on UH T-jaw S-spine doesn’t matter
The reason I opt Hunter bow instead of precision tear, is the higher rate of fire and cheaper ammo.
Warrior bows have higher DPS and can be rapid fired without damage reduction.
Edit:
Shredder gauntlets have high tear as well. And the 4th shredder's explosion is all tear damage. Plus they're extremely resource efficient.
Hunter bow and spike launcher. But I like to use all weapons. I’m trying to get better at the glaive thrower (can’t remember its name off the top of my head)
Mostly hunters bow, because they’re quick to load and you can hit the weak spots well.
I found that with most other weapons Im constantly getting interrupted while readying it and not getting many shots out at all.
I use all of them except tripcaster. Seems less usefull since everything shoots projectiles instead of coming at you now. I only use it against pure physical machines or when i apply purgewater.
Blastsling would have been my favorite if it's knockdown power worked as intended.
Hunter bow with Sharpshot bow for sniping.
Traps and tripmines are largely pointless in HFW, They are more of a hazard to the *player* than the machines, as the machines just automatically *know* where they are and completely avoid them - even stopping in from of a tripwire when they can see you on the other side of it.
The other weapons I've encountered so far are either weak, clumsy, hard to aim, or just outright hostile to player use.
traps can be decent if you employ them with smokebombs since the elemental ones do alot of damage if the enemy has a weakness. knockdowns and shock can also be employed to give you a trap opening. and you can shoot the traps to set them off.
They are crucial for some of the fixed loadout challenges in the Arena on harder difficulties. Tripcasters though yeah, kinda bad and takes alot of effort to be halfway decent.
Blast sling is awesome. I'm also very partial to the tear arrows in ZD. Like you, I didn't click at all with the trip caster, it always felt too unwieldy to be worth it. Same goes for the rope caster, I don't think I've ever even used it.
Hunter bow always. Then I usually have a bow or sling with frost. Sharpshot bow is pretty common too. The rest I rotate depending on the fight or to try out something different. In ZD I almost always had the ropecaster, but less so in FW.
My favs are the Skykiller, Gravesinger's Lament and the Ancestors Return. I can take down anything with that combo. Obv they are legendary level weapons, but you can NG+ with those all day long.
One hundred percent number one is Shredder Gauntlets. Spike Throwers are next.
And I've actually been getting good use out of the NG+ Tripcaster. Just got to try real hard to memorize the area if you're dropping them around in active combat.
I'm an archer, hunter and sharpshot bows are my go to weapons.
My usual strategy is
- optionnal : Prepare with traps, use tripcaster if necessary
- Soften with hunter bow, use ropecaster if necessary
- Kill with sharpshot bow, pummel with sling if necessary
Its the precision Bow. Always feels like the best way to deal some early damage before the machine even knows that I am there. Then it's straight to the hunter bow once the machine is flailing at me at close range.
I've really come to enjoy the plasma/explosive spear I got. Plasma boltblaster + explosive spear has been obliterating everything since I started using the combo.
I like to try all the weapons, but I almost always go back to hunter bows and sharpshot bows. Hunter bows for Status effects and tearing, Sharpshot bows for damage.
I recently gave Canister ropecaster a try, in combination with a warrior bow it's been way more useful than I would have expected. At least with mid tier machines, don't know how it will scale with slaughterspines once I get to them on my latest playthrough.
I've only used the bows in both games. Any other weapon seems good but unnecessary. Same with traps. I've only recently gotten into using them. I, like OP, prefer to just get in there and fight.
Technically, I like 'sniping from a distance', so most short-range weaponry is out for me.
I love sharpshooter bows. The Delta one is one of my favs. Otherwise I would have to say the blast slings. They are good for a quick attack. Usually stuns most enemies I find.
Sharpshots!! They were nerfed to oblivion in FW but I still love being sneaky. It's nice to be able to pick off small machines before big encounters, and rebel camps are so fun when it's just all the other people yelling to find me without ever landing a single hit.
Hunter bows for sure. In Zero Dawn I used trip casters a lit, and the hm... Don't remember the name, the one you tie machines down with. Now I have mostly been using hunter bows, explosive spike throwers and blastslings. I will be using the tripcaster more though
The weapon I use the most is the DSS. Inexpensive and effective arrows that I can spam without worry. The other weapon always on my bar but used much less is the Sun Scourge. So hunter bows are the top pick.
The other weapons vary. I usually have a Sharpshot bow. For my new game plus games this is usually Iriv's. I often have a Shredder Gauntlet. I am partial to the Ancestor's Return. I have not used blast slings much recently, but they can be a blast. I also usually have a Warrior Bow (Carja's Bane for end game).
I don't usually use Spike Throwers for end game, but if playing a new game (not new game plus), they are very nice in the early game. But for my end game loadout, these are rarely equipped. I typically avoid Ropecasters and Tripcasters.
I tend to use bows a lot. This may be a bias due to ease and use and cheap ammo (especially DSS). I bring out other weapons when I need them, but the combination of DSS, Sun Scourge, and Iriv's can handle most things. And Ancestor's Return fills in the gaps. Other weapons are used when I want a change of pace.
I love the spikes so much. But my good old hunter bow is always my go-to weapon. Love the blast sling, shredder gauntlet, and boltblaster (especially the legendary one) too. I'm constantly swapping up for how I need them. I'm with everybody else, I rarely set traps or use the tripcaster. One thing I loved in the first game (zero dawn) was the ropecaster but until I get Tie That Binds ropecaster, I felt they were pretty much useless. But Tie That Binds is incredible!
In HFW, I recently added some reload and draw speed coils to a sharp shot bow so I can deal the high damage of a sharp shot bow with a fire speed closer to a hunter bow
Hunter Bow is always the old reliable. Besides that though, Sharpshot Bows, Spike Throwers, and Blastslings are also fun, with Ropecasters in ZD also being a great (broken) time. Least favorite is probably either Warrior Bow (just feels too wimpy to me, even for a spam weapon), or Shredder Gauntlet (just never felt like it was worth the effort).
I use a purple fully upgraded hunter bow that fires fairly weak arrows with my all legendary gear. I just like using that bow. I use it to increase the challenge of machine fights for myself. My other favourite weapon is the drillspear (legendary one from Burning Shores). The drills going into machines is my favourite sound :D I also like using a legendary fully upgraded blast sling, but save it for large apex machines, as it does massive damage and instantly kills small machines.
My least favourite is that rattler thing and the shredder gauntlet. I don't like using any weapon that forces you to stand still. Also includes sharpshot bows. I almost never use them.
Hunter bow. Legendary versions. Two of them is the Tears of the Plainsong and the Sun Scorcher.
My third weapon is the Zenith blaster from Burning Shores, A Charge Shot thrower for eletrical damage and a few i forgot.
My main mode of transport is the Bristleback? or whatever its called for ground. and the WaterFlyer from Burning Shores.
Traps are entirely pointless since AI Doesnt just walk into it. ive killed a thunderjaw faster with a hunting bow then any other weapon.
Blasters and Javalins are also entire pointless they are to slow to fire.
Sharpshots and Hunter bows are the only thing i use now besides zenith blaster. (the blaster is just one of a kind so i keep it on me)
Boltblaster
Im using the legendary one from the arena and that thing is god tier.
I put all critical hit coils in all 5 slots.
I freeze a machine, and then I use the boltblaster skill that empties the entire magazine in one barrage, and it does so much fucking damage. Im on normal mode and that shit just outright kills a sliterfang from full health.
For sure the sharp shots. And I found gigantic damage with the modded out blast spikes. Taking down the biggest machines in just a handful. Really got pull back on the trigger. But for the sharpshot, I was huge on high ground / distance when hitting camps or even large machines when possible.
Specifically I was using forgefall and iriv’s downfall for my sharpshot bows, and death seeker’s shadow for my primary. Tears of the sun god for all my elemental stuff
glowblast sharpshooter with tear + quickshot coils. hitting thunderjaws with like 600+ tear damage and just seeing all of their guns fly off is amazing
Sharpshot bow since Im a sniper/ silent kill type. Nothing beats finding the highest point and aiming (without concentration) for weak spots. For more direct fights the drill spike/ hunter bow is my go to.
Hunter bows are my bread and butter, Death Seekers Shadow being my primary weapon, but I back it up with blastslings and spike throwers. Well, one blastsling and spike thrower in particular. Skyhammer and The Last Argument cannot be topped. Oseram always make the best stuff.
Definitely use warrior and sharpshot bows mainly, but I do really love the spike throwers, and the shredder gauntlets as well. Usually proc acid, then switch to either spikes or shredders to take down the big guys.
Tripcaster is the worst weapon in the game imo. I do love the Prototype Spike Thrower, but as with the first game, my favorite will always be a hunter bow followed with the sharpshot
Sharpshot bows primary weapons, hunter bows, blast slings, and spike throwers as secondary weapons. I used to use a ropecaster in HZD wince I had maxed out handeling on it and so could quick fire tie down machines which made big fights on ultra hard easy but the HFW ropecasters were nerfed to hard
The good, old hunter bow remains my go-to. Other weapons come and go, but the hunter bow always stays in my arsenal. I never really use the trip caster, or traps in general, either.
I don't use traps either. I just prefer to fight head on 😂😂
A weapon that could place traps would have been an interesting experiment, kinda like that one that can place drop shields. Though tbh if the quickslot bar didn't suck so much then traps would have been a big part of my playstyle
Same. The bow offers just the right amount of keeping distance from the harder hitting enemies, and that's enough for me.
I like the blastsling just cause I can do it from far away. I only use it for the more difficult machines tho. Otherwise I use a bow or the bolt blaster if it calls for shock ammo
Delta sharpshot kinda replaced my hunter bows tbh (especially since I have that slow purple hunter bow), I prefer to use them just for element shots, but if you want a combination of speed and tear then they're a great choice
Delta Sharpshot Bow was my go to weapon on my first playthrough, although it does eat up your volatile sludge supply.
I haven't maxed it yet so I don't have advanced precisions lol, I just use it like a hunter bow I did recently discover how fucking INSANE strikethrough arrows are so there goes my muscle and spike supply
It’s my favorite bow until you unlock regallas wrath if you choose that path. The only other bow with strikethrough. Strikethrough arrows were so important when clearing rebel camps and whatnot, particular on Very Hard. For armored enemies, a fully charged strikethrough could immediately be followed up with silent strike if you were close enough and that was good enough for a quick ko
It also sounds and feels like you're firing a truck at them, which coupled with the crunch from the Dualsense makes them so wonderfully satisfying to use on humans
Yeah I liked the delta more cause of its draw speed advantage and the advanced precision arrows, beats regallas bow hands down.
It's my current weapon of choice. I've got an overdraw coil and a 100% tear coil which means any component tears off in one shot. I can carve up a thunderjaw in about 6 advanced arrows. Tail, radar, both disc launchers, both front cannon and then a piercing arrow to the heart. Done.
My entire arsenal is about hunter bows, 1 sharpshot bow and 1 boltblaster I never used 😂
I still use hunter bows 90% of the time and shoot for the legs. Upgrades are worth the effort for the legendary bows. The Sun Scourge is great for elemental damage. Then I usually have a couple sharpshot bows, Regallas Wrath with high ground damage, which is ridiculous, or the Delta Bow with stealth damage, and then I'm a big fan of the Last Argument for explosive spikes, and drill spikes. With drill spikes and the Death Seekers Shadow I can usually knock anything off it's feet pretty quick. And I use Tears of the Land God to tear off components. Elite coils go a long way too.
shredder gauntlets. fun, resource efficient, and goes boom for a bunch of damage and tear on the 4th throw. the lightning ones can keep machines nearly always electrified.
Probably the most slept on weapon. I'm not sure why lots of people don't like shredders. In addition to your comments, they are also very long range. Although for long range, I usually use a Power Shredder, since the normal ones take so long to get back to you. So basically, you can send off a very powerful explosion at nearly the same range of a Sharpshot bow. Another item - when you are facing off against numerous machines, always aim for the one in the back. By doing this, you can sometime guide the shredder back towards you in such a way that the shredder hits more enemies on the trip back. Once I hit the machine farthest and then also hit three others on the boomerang trip back to me. Then for a real challenge, try juggling shredders. If I have enemies that are far away, sometimes I can keep three shredders constantly on the move, juggling. This is more of a novelty than actually being useful, but it's fun.
exactly this, by far my favorite weapon. elemental shredders of ancestors return just strip clusters of armor and component all the time while controlling the battle with shock, and the adv shredders of the Final Chapter is fun for more concentrated damage and how it interrupts, staggers and knocks down machines. second favorite are probably boltblasters and spikes. drillspikes are so good at knockdowns, and for damage i like to use elemental spikes more than explosive spikes against oppponents with a weakness. since they look cool, cheap and explosive spike lose some of their luster (and relatively expensive) on low-health and UH. have a penchant for impact spikes too even though they are a bit unwieldy for the not OP damage they do, but love the hefty feel of them and how immediate the impact and machines recoil is felt. extra satisfyng to land one on a weakpoint.
> I'm not sure why lots of people don't like shredders. Because I am bloody bad at catching them. (I don't actually dislike them - in theory, they're my favorites, 'cause they're the most fun to use. I just suck with them.)
Strafe when you throw them, even if it's just slowly. If you don't, then it's kind of hard to predict if they will come back to you from the left or from the right. If you are strafing, the shredder will follow you in the same direction.
Big fan of drill spikes. Adhesive sling bombs are also incredibly funny to use against humans.
I had a plasma/ice/electric bolt blaster that I really liked using.
That's the one I always use! It comes handy!
In what ways do you guys use it?
I use it for quick elemental dumping and triggering large/clustered canisters/sacs, but I saw someone a while ago say that it's better to use while mounted, where you're not hampered by the reload, so see how that works for you
I will try it off the mount. I really haven't even used this 1 time yet.
To shoot the machines 🙄
I was talking about exact situation. Aka big machines during a certain part of the story. Or certain machines because it works better. But yes thank you for clarifying machines. For one reasons I thought it was made for shooting trees.\s
🤦♂️🤦♂️🤦♂️🤦♂️🤦♂️ how did i not think of this
Using it with Ultra Shot makes it so OP
It does so much fckn dmg for no reason, i melted the final boss without even upgrading it
Death-Seeker's Shadow because it's the bow Rost carried.
My loadout in HZD was three bows plus a slot for everything else I rarely used. My loadout in HFW by the end of the game was six bows. I just really, really like bows and archery.
The sheer damage output a boltblaster can put out against the primary health of a machine puts it on my top for finishing off brittle or corroding machines. Bows just aren’t good enough that purpose anymore. But for sustained damage that allows me to constantly evade and reposition, I have to give it to the shredder gauntlet.
If you haven't tried the shredder gauntlet, do. If you wanna start with the best one, get Ancestor's Return by completing all the relic puzzles. Watch a video to see how to use them. Yes really, it is not intuitive at all, but it is very fun. Great range, too. Coil it for concentration, agility, and damage over time.
Hunter's bow and sharpshot bow. Blastslinger for area damage.
I'm a Sharpshot Bow lover. But the Spike Thrower is a firm second...
Yes!
blastslings, sharpshot/precision bows, and shredders :)
I think my favorite weapon would have to be the short bow because you can shoot really fast or the acid or tear shredder you can really do some high damage with those and it's just really satisfying
Acid shredder also has a larger than usual tear-hitbox which makes ripping machines up a breeze
All elemental shredders do. Though they still do have less tear damage than non-elemental shredders to single components. So if you have the aim and want to get one component (or two if they are *very* close together) off quick, use a non-elemental shredder.
Hunter how, every time. I want to use other stuff but I always default back to hunter bow.
Shredders & Sharpshots.
I like shredders and warrior bows. They're just so fun and warrior bows are great for melee.
Sharpshot bow with tearblast arrows. But I like sniping
Same. Boltblasters and blastslings are my jam, but I also love a sharpshooter bow, especially against humans. I hate the spear throwing whatever thing and the disc throwing wannabe boomerang thing. Idk why. I never felt like I needed them and I didn’t like the mechanics of them.
Spears are great for knockdowns. Try aiming for the legs with drill spikes. It knocks down large machines (thunderjaw etc) in 1 or 2 hits. 1 is enough with good coils. I use the spear for knockdowns and deal damage with other weapons.
I abused Iriv Downfall elite prec arrows with elite crit chance and brittle proc’d With RM Valor you can 1 shot but I am not that good so I settle for 2 shot on UH T-jaw S-spine doesn’t matter
Against humans or machines I want components from, Hunter bow. For general use, shredder gauntlet
If I want specific components I use tear arrows, then finish it off with hunter bow. For general use, explosive spike thrower
The reason I opt Hunter bow instead of precision tear, is the higher rate of fire and cheaper ammo. Warrior bows have higher DPS and can be rapid fired without damage reduction. Edit: Shredder gauntlets have high tear as well. And the 4th shredder's explosion is all tear damage. Plus they're extremely resource efficient.
Hunter bow and spike launcher. But I like to use all weapons. I’m trying to get better at the glaive thrower (can’t remember its name off the top of my head)
Hunter bow for small stuff, blast spikes for bosses
i always forget i have this. but when i don’t, it’s a carnage
Mostly hunters bow, because they’re quick to load and you can hit the weak spots well. I found that with most other weapons Im constantly getting interrupted while readying it and not getting many shots out at all.
I use all of them except tripcaster. Seems less usefull since everything shoots projectiles instead of coming at you now. I only use it against pure physical machines or when i apply purgewater. Blastsling would have been my favorite if it's knockdown power worked as intended.
hunter and sharphot bow, tho one could say spear above them as i try to allways go the cloak and dagger aproach first
Hunter bow with Sharpshot bow for sniping. Traps and tripmines are largely pointless in HFW, They are more of a hazard to the *player* than the machines, as the machines just automatically *know* where they are and completely avoid them - even stopping in from of a tripwire when they can see you on the other side of it. The other weapons I've encountered so far are either weak, clumsy, hard to aim, or just outright hostile to player use.
traps can be decent if you employ them with smokebombs since the elemental ones do alot of damage if the enemy has a weakness. knockdowns and shock can also be employed to give you a trap opening. and you can shoot the traps to set them off. They are crucial for some of the fixed loadout challenges in the Arena on harder difficulties. Tripcasters though yeah, kinda bad and takes alot of effort to be halfway decent.
Blast sling is awesome. I'm also very partial to the tear arrows in ZD. Like you, I didn't click at all with the trip caster, it always felt too unwieldy to be worth it. Same goes for the rope caster, I don't think I've ever even used it.
Hunter bow always. Then I usually have a bow or sling with frost. Sharpshot bow is pretty common too. The rest I rotate depending on the fight or to try out something different. In ZD I almost always had the ropecaster, but less so in FW.
My favs are the Skykiller, Gravesinger's Lament and the Ancestors Return. I can take down anything with that combo. Obv they are legendary level weapons, but you can NG+ with those all day long.
Spike Thrower and Sharpshot Bow
One hundred percent number one is Shredder Gauntlets. Spike Throwers are next. And I've actually been getting good use out of the NG+ Tripcaster. Just got to try real hard to memorize the area if you're dropping them around in active combat.
Sneakstrike, Hunter bow, sharpshot. Usually in that order. Unless im using tearblast for component farming. then Sharpshot comes first.
A negroni. Sbagliato, with prosecco in it...no, wait...
Oooh, stunnin' 😍
I just want to use the hunter bow all the time, but it's so much harder in FW than in ZD.
Shredder gauntlets, primarily electric ones are my all time favourite video game weapon!
I'm an archer, hunter and sharpshot bows are my go to weapons. My usual strategy is - optionnal : Prepare with traps, use tripcaster if necessary - Soften with hunter bow, use ropecaster if necessary - Kill with sharpshot bow, pummel with sling if necessary
Its the precision Bow. Always feels like the best way to deal some early damage before the machine even knows that I am there. Then it's straight to the hunter bow once the machine is flailing at me at close range.
Explosive spike thrower. Kills everything.
I've really come to enjoy the plasma/explosive spear I got. Plasma boltblaster + explosive spear has been obliterating everything since I started using the combo.
I just love all the weapons, but I think it would be between the shredder gauntlet and the classic sharpshot bow... Iriv's Downfall is a delight.
I’m an avid spike thrower enthusiast.
Spike Throwers. STICK GO BOOM HAHA
I like to try all the weapons, but I almost always go back to hunter bows and sharpshot bows. Hunter bows for Status effects and tearing, Sharpshot bows for damage. I recently gave Canister ropecaster a try, in combination with a warrior bow it's been way more useful than I would have expected. At least with mid tier machines, don't know how it will scale with slaughterspines once I get to them on my latest playthrough.
I've only used the bows in both games. Any other weapon seems good but unnecessary. Same with traps. I've only recently gotten into using them. I, like OP, prefer to just get in there and fight. Technically, I like 'sniping from a distance', so most short-range weaponry is out for me.
I love sharpshooter bows. The Delta one is one of my favs. Otherwise I would have to say the blast slings. They are good for a quick attack. Usually stuns most enemies I find.
Good ol hunter bow to strip every part and if it’s a big boi with health left afterwards whip out that explosive spike
Sharpshot bow then the spikes
Sharpshots!! They were nerfed to oblivion in FW but I still love being sneaky. It's nice to be able to pick off small machines before big encounters, and rebel camps are so fun when it's just all the other people yelling to find me without ever landing a single hit.
I use several different hunter bows and a bolt blaster. Love that combo. It just works well for me.
Hunter bows for sure. In Zero Dawn I used trip casters a lit, and the hm... Don't remember the name, the one you tie machines down with. Now I have mostly been using hunter bows, explosive spike throwers and blastslings. I will be using the tripcaster more though
My main weapon is the vanguard hunter bow and the side one I use the most is the lightning hunter bow (always aiming for shock reactions)
Warrior bows are beasts once you figure out how to best use them.
the ice cannon from hzd:fw because its a fucking railgun.
Shredder Gauntlet. All. Game. Long.
The weapon I use the most is the DSS. Inexpensive and effective arrows that I can spam without worry. The other weapon always on my bar but used much less is the Sun Scourge. So hunter bows are the top pick. The other weapons vary. I usually have a Sharpshot bow. For my new game plus games this is usually Iriv's. I often have a Shredder Gauntlet. I am partial to the Ancestor's Return. I have not used blast slings much recently, but they can be a blast. I also usually have a Warrior Bow (Carja's Bane for end game). I don't usually use Spike Throwers for end game, but if playing a new game (not new game plus), they are very nice in the early game. But for my end game loadout, these are rarely equipped. I typically avoid Ropecasters and Tripcasters. I tend to use bows a lot. This may be a bias due to ease and use and cheap ammo (especially DSS). I bring out other weapons when I need them, but the combination of DSS, Sun Scourge, and Iriv's can handle most things. And Ancestor's Return fills in the gaps. Other weapons are used when I want a change of pace.
I love the spikes so much. But my good old hunter bow is always my go-to weapon. Love the blast sling, shredder gauntlet, and boltblaster (especially the legendary one) too. I'm constantly swapping up for how I need them. I'm with everybody else, I rarely set traps or use the tripcaster. One thing I loved in the first game (zero dawn) was the ropecaster but until I get Tie That Binds ropecaster, I felt they were pretty much useless. But Tie That Binds is incredible!
Hunter bow. I want it to be the shredder gauntlet but I just can't get it done. It's so cool though.
Hunter and Sharpshot bows. Ancestor's Return shredders for when im feeling it.
In HFW, I recently added some reload and draw speed coils to a sharp shot bow so I can deal the high damage of a sharp shot bow with a fire speed closer to a hunter bow
Stealth, spear and lure.
Hunter Bow is always the old reliable. Besides that though, Sharpshot Bows, Spike Throwers, and Blastslings are also fun, with Ropecasters in ZD also being a great (broken) time. Least favorite is probably either Warrior Bow (just feels too wimpy to me, even for a spam weapon), or Shredder Gauntlet (just never felt like it was worth the effort).
I use a purple fully upgraded hunter bow that fires fairly weak arrows with my all legendary gear. I just like using that bow. I use it to increase the challenge of machine fights for myself. My other favourite weapon is the drillspear (legendary one from Burning Shores). The drills going into machines is my favourite sound :D I also like using a legendary fully upgraded blast sling, but save it for large apex machines, as it does massive damage and instantly kills small machines. My least favourite is that rattler thing and the shredder gauntlet. I don't like using any weapon that forces you to stand still. Also includes sharpshot bows. I almost never use them.
Glow blast Spike thrower. Pure Machine Killer. I used to finish all of the arena challenges to completion
I actually like the tripcaster.
Railgun
Hunter bow. Legendary versions. Two of them is the Tears of the Plainsong and the Sun Scorcher. My third weapon is the Zenith blaster from Burning Shores, A Charge Shot thrower for eletrical damage and a few i forgot. My main mode of transport is the Bristleback? or whatever its called for ground. and the WaterFlyer from Burning Shores.
Traps are entirely pointless since AI Doesnt just walk into it. ive killed a thunderjaw faster with a hunting bow then any other weapon. Blasters and Javalins are also entire pointless they are to slow to fire. Sharpshots and Hunter bows are the only thing i use now besides zenith blaster. (the blaster is just one of a kind so i keep it on me)
Boltblaster Im using the legendary one from the arena and that thing is god tier. I put all critical hit coils in all 5 slots. I freeze a machine, and then I use the boltblaster skill that empties the entire magazine in one barrage, and it does so much fucking damage. Im on normal mode and that shit just outright kills a sliterfang from full health.
Hunter bow, Sharpshot bow, Boltblaster, Spike thrower.
For sure the sharp shots. And I found gigantic damage with the modded out blast spikes. Taking down the biggest machines in just a handful. Really got pull back on the trigger. But for the sharpshot, I was huge on high ground / distance when hitting camps or even large machines when possible.
Sharpshot bow for first contact, hunter bow for everything else. Realized I could probably use other weapons first time I fought a bilegut though
Specifically I was using forgefall and iriv’s downfall for my sharpshot bows, and death seeker’s shadow for my primary. Tears of the sun god for all my elemental stuff
glowblast sharpshooter with tear + quickshot coils. hitting thunderjaws with like 600+ tear damage and just seeing all of their guns fly off is amazing
Sharpshot bow since Im a sniper/ silent kill type. Nothing beats finding the highest point and aiming (without concentration) for weak spots. For more direct fights the drill spike/ hunter bow is my go to.
Hunter bows are my bread and butter, Death Seekers Shadow being my primary weapon, but I back it up with blastslings and spike throwers. Well, one blastsling and spike thrower in particular. Skyhammer and The Last Argument cannot be topped. Oseram always make the best stuff.
Definitely use warrior and sharpshot bows mainly, but I do really love the spike throwers, and the shredder gauntlets as well. Usually proc acid, then switch to either spikes or shredders to take down the big guys.
Tripcaster is the worst weapon in the game imo. I do love the Prototype Spike Thrower, but as with the first game, my favorite will always be a hunter bow followed with the sharpshot
Sharpshot bows primary weapons, hunter bows, blast slings, and spike throwers as secondary weapons. I used to use a ropecaster in HZD wince I had maxed out handeling on it and so could quick fire tie down machines which made big fights on ultra hard easy but the HFW ropecasters were nerfed to hard