Horizon Forbidden West Legendary Weapon Tier List

Aloy’s journeys in the Horizon series are fraught with danger as she struggles to uncover the truth of her origins, battle dangerous rogue machines, and reunite GAIA with her sub-functions in the Forbidden West. Several obstacles stand in her way as she attempts to locate these subfunctions to heal Earth’s damaged biosphere, and there are a wide variety of weapons for players to choose from to ensure Aloy’s mission is successful. Horizon Forbidden West’s legendary weapons are at the top of the food chain as the best gear in the game for Aloy to accomplish her goals, but even these ultimate weapons aren’t all in the same stratosphere of efficiency.

Aloy herself is a formidable enemy of the villains of Horizon Forbidden West, a truly skilled warrior well versed in the arts of unarmed combat. The nine in-game weapon classifications offer her assistance, with Legendary weapons being the title’s elite options for enhancing Aloy’s damage-dealing abilities. Among these Legendary Weapons, some stand out in terms of sheer brute strength and are players’ first choices for taking on Specter Prime, while others are viewed a little less favorably. Including the Burning Shores DLC from Horizon Forbidden West, there are 26 legendary weapons for players to find, and skill differences separate them into tiers.

Tears of the Land-God: Considered by many to be the best Hunter bow in Horizon Forbidden West, Tears of the Land-God deals remarkable damage, especially when equipped with purgewater ammo. With excellent perks like 20% focus damage, the bow destroys Aloy’s enemies in the Forbidden West much faster than any other and is the best addition to a loadout.

Death Seeker’s Shadow: Another Hunter bow, the Death Seeker’s Shadow used to be the main weapon in the Forbidden West before the New Game+ update. It surpasses Tears of the Land-God in terms of shock damage capability, and its ability to direct arrows makes it a clear fan favorite.

Challenge: Choosing between Defiance and Last Argument can be difficult, as both spike throwers in Horizon Forbidden West are clearly at the top of their category. In terms of general usage, however, Defiance has the advantage over its DLC counterpart Burning Shores, featuring additional knockdown damage using a variety of Spikes.

Last argument: Some players may prefer the Oseram weapon to Defiance, as the distance between the two spikethrowers is almost infinitesimal. Last Argument uses Plasma and Beef Spikes, which makes it more impactful against the best bosses in Forbidden West, and with its Instant Brittle Chance activated, it can wreak havoc on the battlefield.

Wings of the Ten: Blastlings are one of the most destructive weapon types in Horizon Forbidden West, and the applications of Wings of the Ten in combat are dazzling, to say the least. Armed with explosive and sticky ammo, the Wings of the Ten are remarkably versatile when paired with spurts of bravery.

Skykiller: Another spike launcher, the weapon is only available after completing the Forbidden West quest The Way Home. Skykiller tears machines apart with explosives and fire damage, and despite its expensive ammo, many players prefer to use it on larger enemies.

Forgefall: Primarily used as a sniper, Forgefall deals incredible damage with his plasma arrows, and even normal ones can be lethal. It has some downsides, like limited ammo and the cost of plasma arrows, but its immense power makes it a worthy tradeoff.

Iriv’s Fall: Coming to Horizon Forbidden West in the New Game+ update, the Sharpshot Bow is one of the best weapons in the title when fully updated. However, manufacturing their ammo is ridiculously expensive and virtually impossible to sustain.

Legacy’s Reach: Versatility is Legacy’s Reach’s best ability, with the blastsling featuring advanced explosive bombs capable of taking down Horizon Forbidden West’s toughest machinery and smaller groups at a decent range.

Gravesinger’s Lament: Sharpshooting bows are perfect for players who prefer to hide in the shadows, and Gravesinger’s Lament takes down enemies with shocking efficiency as a precision tool. Unfortunately, its high degree of specialization does not allow it to measure up to other bows in other settings.

The Blast Forge: Boltblasters are great at exploiting vulnerabilities in opponents’ armor, and the Blast Forge combines nifty handling skills with advanced bolts, explosives, and piercing. The archenemy of machines like the Grimhorn, the Blast Forge is only limited by low speed and hefty size.

Specter Gauntlet: An aesthetically outstanding weapon, the Specter Gauntlet’s sleek design differs from others in the game due to its Far Zenith origins. The special weapon’s high damage power and unique aiming techniques make it a fan favorite, though it is largely limited by its lack of progression.

Emperor’s Reign: Yet another Hunter Bow, the Emperor’s Reign has devastating damage return with regular ammo, a tempting prospect for players who aren’t inclined to hunt for rare items. However, its attraction is also its greatest weakness, and Emperor’s Reign doesn’t have as many Elemental options as its counterparts.

Skyhammer: Equipped with fire, ice, and purge water ammo, the Skyhammer’s full potential is unleashed when players use its bombs in conjunction with its perks. For example, Forbidden West players can deal near-fatal damage to Waterwings with the addition of the Burning Shores DLC using their Air Damage and Firebombs.

The Sun Scourge: Available after successfully clearing all rebel camps, the legendary Hunter Bow can fire arrows of fire, ice, and poison, wreaking havoc on Aloy’s enemies. However, it has a slower reload speed than most players would like and is a chore to upgrade.

Eye of the Storm: With an impressive array of Elemental options, the Eye of the Storm increases focus damage, as well as giving an instant Corrosion chance. Warrior Bow’s abilities can deal solid damage even in close quarters, and the addition of Burning Shores is one of the best options in its category.

Ancestor’s Return: Shredder Gauntlets are generally unattractive weapons in Horizon Forbidden West due to their demanding usage, and while the Ancestor’s Return can prove its worth with a savage display of acid effects and impact damage, the particularly erratic ammo repositioning makes it a one of the clumsiest items in the title.

Tinker’s Pride: Traps are a fun way to spring deadly surprises on Aloy’s enemies in the Forbidden West, and Tinker’s Pride is equipped with a wide variety of tricks, such as explosive strings, to surprise even the most fearsome machines. Using the Tripcaster requires a bit of finesse, as its somewhat random attack pattern can get players into trouble, but the damage it does with little effort is hard to ignore.

Carja’s Bane: Carja’s Bane is one of the easiest bows to use in Horizon Forbidden West, and it’s surprisingly effective, boasting some of the highest DPS in the game and capable of taking out enemies at close range. Its limited range and lack of versatility compared to other Legendary weapons takes a toll on it, and the arduous process of completing each Gauntlet Race to obtain the weapon is often an issue for players.

The Final Chapter: A newly introduced weapon in the New Game+ update, The Final Chapter works best when combined with the Ancestor’s Return, adding piercing ammo. On its merits, however, the Shredder Gauntlet doesn’t stand out compared to similar weapons.

All-Mother’s Blessing: Another New Game+ addition, All-Mother’s Blessing uses elemental attacks to surprise its victims, giving players options for Fire, Shock, and Plasma shots. While the weapon still proves useful here and there, many Forbidden West players don’t give it much trouble.

Rain of Sparks: Warrior Bows in Horizon Forbidden West are always appreciated, and Rain of Sparks delivers excellent knockdown damage and critical hits with its sticky arrows. While noting its strengths, Rain of Sparks isn’t particularly popular due to its generally unimpressive perks.

Eternal Vengeance: Boltblasters are useful for their brute strength, and the Eternal Vengeance gives players increased reload speed and an explosion chance to improve their damage output. Unfortunately, Eternal Vengeance pales in comparison to class members like The Blast Forge.

The Tie That Binds: The Ropecaster has fast reload speeds and can take multiple enemies by surprise with its damage. However, both the Burning Shores DLC and the base game have many high-quality weapons, so The Tie That Binds is often overlooked in Forbidden West’s gameplay.

Distant Thunder: Shredder Gauntlets are notoriously difficult to navigate, and the impact damage benefit doesn’t shine through in Distant Thunder due to the lack of elemental ammo options. While its raw damage can still incapacitate enemies, Distant Thunder lacks the kind of bite players need for skilled opposition.

Brawlbreaker: The boltblaster that has the shortest end of the staff, Brawlbreaker is one of the least appreciated weapons in Horizon Forbidden West. Having features less powerful than many in its class and characterized by excruciatingly long reload times made the weapon frustrating to use, and the only workaround players found was using mods along with Brawlbreaker.

Horizon Forbidden West is available now for PS4 and PS5.