Horizon Forbidden West's new update makes stealth a lot harder

Horizon Forbidden West's latest update makes it much harder to take machines down stealthily.

Yesterday, Guerrilla Games released patch 1.12 for Horizon Forbidden West. Among the update's various fixes and improvements is a change to machine behaviour that many fans aren't going to like, particularly if you enjoy the more silent approach to taking down the game's mechanical monstrosities.

As spotted by Reddit user Hot_Potato_001, the patch notes state that "the sturdier mid and large machines will escalate to combat when 35% of their health is lost in one shot." This is undoubtedly bad news for stealth fans, as landing too powerful a strike on the game's more menacing adversaries will now see your cover instantly blown.

horizon_forbidden_west_patch_112 from r/horizon

It's worth noting that 35% or more of the enemy's health has to be lost in one shot, so you can still quietly whittle down these more formidable foes without them becoming aware of you. Still, it is oddly punishing if you happen to be silent and a bit too deadly. Players have shared their frustration over the revision on the Horizon subreddit. User somethingaboutme comments, "I wish they'd let us stealth in peace." Clear_Butterscotch78 also laments the new limitations to stealth, saying, "this makes me sad."

Stealth isn't the only thing that's changed following the release of patch 1.12. Guerrilla has implemented a fix to stop Aloy from getting stuck in the bathroom near the sleeping bunk area at the base. The update also prevents her from severely bouncing while looting items, meaning no more 'celebratory loot raves' for Aloy.

There's a lot to do in Aloy's latest adventure, and quests, whether big or small, are worth completing. Find out how Horizon Forbidden West nails its open world by making every side quest matter.

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Originally from Ireland, I moved to the UK in 2014 to pursue a Games Journalism and PR degree at Staffordshire University. Following that, I've freelanced for GamesMaster, Games TM, Official PlayStation Magazine and, more recently, Play and GamesRadar+. My love of gaming sprang from successfully defeating that first Goomba in Super Mario Bros on the NES. These days, PlayStation is my jam. When not gaming or writing, I can usually be found scouring the internet for anything Tomb Raider related to add to my out of control memorabilia collection.