Horizon Zero Dawn lets players choose between a variety of difficulty options that tailor the gameplay experience to their liking. Depending on the difficulty mode you choose, the game’s either going to be very forgiving or a trial of survival. Players who love a challenge will definitely be choosing the higher difficulties in the game. But how do they stack up with each other? Let’s check out their differences in detail.
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All Difficulty Options/Modes Explained in Horizon Zero Dawn
There are 6 difficulty options in Horizon Zero Dawn, ranging from Story to Ultra Hard. Choosing a difficulty will mainly affect the damage dealt by your weapons, the damage you receive, and the amount of health items you collect. Let’s compare all the difficulties to find out which one is the best for you.
Players can also change their difficulty options mid-game by going into the menu and then into the General tab. There are other options that can customize the difficulty of the game to tailor a personalized experience for the players in
Horizon Zero Dawn
.
|
Difficulty Option |
Details |
Damage Output |
Elemental Damage |
Damage Received |
Health Acquired From Herbs |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Story |
Light and Breezy combat with an emphasis on narrative. |
400% |
200% |
10% |
100% |
|
Easy |
Adequate level of difficulty for threats but still a major emphasis on exploration and narrative. |
150% |
100% |
50% |
100% |
|
Normal |
A balance between narrative and combat challenge. |
100% |
100% |
100% |
100% |
|
Hard |
Increased combat difficulty where players need to plan a bit before engaging in fights. |
90% |
100% |
125% |
80% |
|
Very Hard |
Combat encounters are tough and will require players to be on their toes to avoid Game Over. |
80% |
100% |
150% |
60% |
|
Ultra Hard |
An unforgiving experience that not only increases damage received from threats but also nerfs Aloy’s weapons. For true survivalists out there. |
60% |
50% |
200% |
60% |
How Difficult is Ultra Hard Mode in Horizon Zero Dawn?
Ultra Hard mode puts a player’s survival skills to the test. It’s an unforgiving challenge only for the most seasoned players of Horizon Zero Dawn and isn’t recommended for newcomers. Here are all the gameplay changes that you can expect in the Ultra Hard mode.
- Quick Detection: Enemies detect Aloy easily. The slightest mistake in stealth could agro a hoard of machines on you.
- Increased Item Prices: Merchants in the game sell their items to Aloy at a higher price compared to other modes in the game. This introduces a layer of currency management to the game.
- Ruthless Machines: The machines become aggressive and deal significantly more damage to Aloy. On the other hand, they also take a lot of damage from Aloy before getting down.
- No Health Bars on Enemies: Ultra Hard mode completely removes the health bars on top of enemies. So, players have to keep the fight going without any indication of how much damage they’ve dealt.
This mode is recommended for players who’re starting a New Game+ in Horizon Zero Dawn as all the gear, weapons and skills will carry over.
- Released
- October 31, 2024
- Publisher(s)
- Sony Interactive Entertainment