The right Horizon Forbidden West buffs let you one-shot machines left and right

Aloy in Horizon Forbidden West
(Image credit: PlayStation)

As it turns out, the right combination of buffs and equipment in Horizon Forbidden West can result in a deadly one-shotting technique. 

Redditor /u/slasher_lash took to the Horizon subreddit to demonstrate that you can rack up some absolutely gnarly damage if you approach combat the right way in Aloy's latest adventure. 

In a brief clip, slasher_lash shows off Aloy one-shotting a Burrower that's sitting and minding its own business. He draws back on Aloy's Warden Sharpshooter Bow using Brace Shot with stealth damage and concentration damage factored in, and poof! After taking 1438 points of pure destruction to the head, the Burrower is no more. 

stacking_stealth_damage_concentration_damage_with from r/horizon

Afterward, Aloy turns her attention to a random lookout near a cave entrance with the same setup, doing a massive 1037 points of damage and kissing that poor guard goodbye. 

As Redditor /u/Whyisthereasnake points out in the replies, there are damage multipliers in play here, which could partially answer how much damage is being done in the clip. Monster health varies throughout difficulty models, with Story mode giving you the best advantage when it comes to hitting enemies where it hurts and Hard and Very Hard modes taking up to 50% of your damage capabilities away. 

Still, even without factoring in how slasher_lash was playing their version of Horizon Forbidden West, you've got to admit damage in the four digits definitely does look like, as they originally stated, a tactical nuke. Some battles can get downright hairy and lengthy, even when you're just moving from point A to point B. A shot like this could certainly speed things up considerably. 

It's well worth trying out the next time you jump into the wilds as Aloy. There are plenty of machines waiting for you to rain straight hellfire down upon them. 

Be sure to check out our full Horizon Forbidden West review to see what Aloy's been up to since the first game. 

Brittany Vincent