Thanks for this work! I'm a single mom who's playing to relax. I don't have time (or brainpower left over) for experimentation. These videos really help me improve my skills more quickly and enjoy the game. I know this is silly, but these videos have real impact on my mental health as I'm working through divorce and covid. I'm finding HFW to be harder and more complicated than HZD. At first, I was overwhelmed and frustrated, but I'm realizing that the wider variety of weapons, skills, coils, elementals, machines, potions, foods, and valor surges don't all have to be mastered, but instead provide options for many different ways of approaching the game. These videos help do the very real, time-intensive labor of simplifying to a manageable subset of options. Thank you. No seriously, thank you.
@Kiki Jewell You're very welcome! I'm glad my videos have helped you in some small way 😄 Yes, HFW is much more complex and challenging than HZD. You're definitely not alone in feeling overwhelmed and frustrated! I've gotten a lot of comments from people saying HFW is way more challenging. But yes, you're right that most of the changes just add more options. You don't necessarily have to use them all. Anyway, glad you found my channel and are finding my videos helpful!
Wow my mom should know you! She likes watching me playing but says she's "old" for it (she's 43). But yes, I agree with you, HFW is more challenging... At the same time, it's really good for distraction from the problems we have to face, I consider in the same way playing these games.... nowadays playing a game it's not just for "lazy" people, it's specially to those that want to escape a little from this reality and at the same time use the brain at a challenging thing. Keep it up 😊
@@rafaellifiori hahaha! Keep trying! My kid pushed the controller into my hands while I was watching them play, and I totally broke down in tears, overcome by a watcher or two! Hahaha! But I got better, playing together, passing the controller back and forth only when I felt ready to try. Now I'm a badass and play on my own! I'm proud of my progress. But it's most fun playing together and it brought us together on my kid's terms, not just mine. And that's really special to me. Keep trying! And see if your mom will give it try - it doesn't hurt anyone if you fail!
Hey man! I just wanted to say, I stumbled on to your channel recently so I just started watching all your videos and I gotta say they’re THE most quality Horizon content on TH-cam without a doubt. I can’t believe you’re super underrated, I hope you succeed with wherever you plan to take this channel. I can’t wait for more machine guides from you as I myself have spent hours coming up with cool strategies to take them out easily without abusing the RPG mechanics in the game and would love to dwell deeper into this stuff! Thanks again for the top tier content!
@Mattsomaniac Wow thank you! This is a very nice compliment 😊 I'm glad you're enjoying my videos and find them to be high quality. I do put a lot of effort and time into creating them and making them as useful and accurate as possible. More machines hunting guides are on the way. I think Tremortusks will be next!
I agree, I met the channel recently and I'm amazed how well explained the videos are! Really enjoying it and hope you can get many views to pay all your efforts. You deserve it
It's funny when coming from HZD to HFW how easy Rockbreaker are. I don't know what it is but it just dies really quick with the brace shot to the Fuel Sac or the Exhaust Port or trible notch those components. Is it just me or did they nerf his dmg output and his health points? Because it just seems way easier than in HZD. On the other hand I have more difficulties killing a Thunderjaw, it does more dmg and is way faster than in HZD and I never get to his heart outside of Shock/Knockdown state or using adhesives (and I hate using it :D ) But yeah if you play without easy loot on then you should start by destroying it's claws
Yeah some machines are easier than before and some are harder I think the machines that have sacs in general are easier because of how much damage destroying them does and how much more fragile they are in FW (fireclaw/frostclaw are way easier)
@Ri_Shin_M Yeah it may have been nerfed a bit. I'm not sure. It's tough to say because a machines HP is adjusted based on your difficulty level. What difficulty level do you play on? On Very Hard they seem pretty similar to HZD Rockbreakers to me. Also, I think they're easier because you only have to deal with one at a time here in Forbidden West lol 😄 And yes, Thunderjaws are much tougher than they used to be. I'll be doing a Thunderjaw hunting video as well!
@Ri_Shin_M Cool! Yeah I guess I feel like it's mostly the fact that you only have to deal with one at a time that makes them easier in HFW, but maybe they are a little weaker. Haven't fought an HZD Rockbreaker in a while...lol
Stumbled onto the channel cause it was in my recommended and gotta say these videos are truly invaluable for people to learn about how to take down machines and just learn about the overall game in itself. Like with the skills for example cause i never used to use them and now i do since i know how they work now. That sort of thing. Luckily the first video I saw was how to take down the shellsnappers cause I was struggling with those and that video made it almost laughable to fight them now. So you've definitely got a sub from me
@Scarchain6891 Awesome! I'm glad you're finding my video helpful. That's definitely my goal with this channel! And thank you for your sub! Much appreciated! 🙏
This channel is so good!. Definitively the best HFW channel out there. It could be the official Guerilla channel. I really hope you will continue completely to the end of the game.
Found your channel a few days ago and have been watching most of your horizon vids. Your explanations are so clear and your videos are so professionally done. Defo the number one channel for horizon tips and tricks. Just want to say thanks so much for the videos and you deserve so many more subs
Appreciate this video. Just started playing this game last week because PC release and this really helped me. Took em down fast and easy even the Apex variants are no big deal.
Keep pumping out the content man. TH-cam has recommended me your channel so you're doing something right and I appreciate your in-depth no nonsense videos!
You can use regular hunter arrows to distract it by shoot to a location away from you WHILE you are remaining undetected. The rockbreaker will investigate it. This tactic worked great in Zero Dawn with Tearblast arrows (way cheaper to craft). Don't use tearblast arrows for distraction in Forbidden West (expensive to craft)
The time Arktix spends on the quality of his videos is amazing, but he also takes the time to reply back to almost every single comment left on his videos. That's impressive in itself as well. Class act, Arktix! Keep up the great work! Between this channel and discord, I'm sure you're putting in a TON of work (and typing). Thank you and keep on rockin' it (no pun intended)! 🤟
Hey thanks a lot! I do spend a lot of time on my content and channel, so it’s always nice to hear someone appreciate it 🙂 Thanks for your kind words and support! 🙏
Hey, just so you know, i just started to support your chanel by subscribing. You have a really nice way of explaining things simply. You don't go around, you go straight to your point while still explaining. Good luck with your chanel bro 😎
Keep making these vids on the best way to kill each machine. These are gold. This reminds me of the excellent guide for HZD from Jambomus, it’s that good. Would love to see you do this for a range of the more difficult machines! Also would love to see your load out for post end game - with the gold weapons and armour. I am finding the drawback being the advanced ammo tends to use rate materials like “sludge” which you can only carry 7 of - replenishing them depletes available resources very quickly!
@Michael Brennan Thanks so much! I’m planning to do videos like this for all the toughest machines just like I did for Zero Dawn, so keep an eye out! 😄 And it’s funny you mention an endgame loadout video because I’m working on one right now! I should have it posted soon. You’re right that advanced ammo crafting burns through your sludge pretty fast. If you haven’t tried using a shredder gauntlets I’d recommend that. Because you can catch the same disc over and over they’re very resource efficient!
Once again, great content bro 👍 Another trip for taking on rock breakers for everyone out there, and I know this was sorta/briefly talked about in the video: this machine tracks you as you move when it's underground, however if you stand on a rock (and there are tons in the desert where you fight them, I mean hence the name...) they have no clue where your are. Perch up on a rock nearby, then toss a rock lure it out. This can allow you to position yourself for easier shots at the classes with tear blast arrows and such. Sorry for all the rock-iness, but you all can understand what I'm talking about. Cheers.
@@ArktixOfficial the most important part of that tip though is standing up on a rock... The rockbreaker then proceeds to cruise around underground aimlessly, it has no idea where you are, and will eventually just pop up in frustration.
For the main storyline fight, I just flew in from the mountain and landed on one of the broken freeway platforms. Either shoot an arrow or throw rocks at a random location. Set up a braced shot and fire once the rock breaker surfaces.
This is great! I remember testing on an apex rock breaker and forgetting to read its weaknesses and resistances, and just wondered while launching off frost arrows “huh… this is taking a little while…” I think because of that is how I filled up my part breaker again, and then I just used that to hit the exhaust a bunch of times to get it down. If your smart enough to read the resistances of an apex machine, you won’t go through as much ammo as I do XD
Thank you for this! From your late game gear video I picked up the seeker bow and need claws to upgrade it! The fight went waaaay better than last time I fought a rock breaker (still tough though - I’ve got practicing to do)
Dude, I just came accross your videos and fell in love with it. Always have been playing HZD and HFW in highest difficulties and I already got my own strategies for each enemies, but just seeing the game and combat system being analyzed such in depth is amazing. Those videos are pure bliss. Keep up the great work !
I know that in HZD that the rockbreaker can sense you moving while it is underground, but I'm not sure if that is the case in HFW. Just stating this because this can be helpful if people want to sneak around and/or up on them. On a different note, these guides are really fucking good. Others just spend 200 hours and not even get to the info, while you are just wasting no time and get to the point. Amen to you brother.
Hey man checking in to say this is such a helpful and great instruction! Rockbreakers nearly broke me and those claws are so hard to remove, but I will definitely implement your tips in my game play!
I’m not sure if I was just a moron when I played the first game, but I never really used to tear off components and now I see that I made my life much harder than it needed to be. Removing the Miner Claws makes the Rockbreaker much easier to tackle even on a harder difficulty (I’m playing on Hard). I love these machines and cleaning that corruption zone with two of them must be one of the best memories I have from HZD 🤣
Nice! Glad you shifted to removing components more! It’s definitely strong tactic. And ah yes, I have fond memories of the corrupted Rockbreaker zone in HZD too 😄
Hello Arktix, I'm Brand New to the game. I have found your channel to be the Absolute BEST! Excellent Videos with Super-Smooth Delivery. You are Def my Go-To Channel for Anything & Everything Forbidden West. Thank You SO MUCH for the Time & Effort You put in to Help Everyone out. Appreciated!
Awesome video Arktix! So many great strategies + expert gameplay. Thanks for another comprehensive guide, looking forward to seeing what machine you decide to rip apart next. 🤙
Heyy!! Have you ever thought about making a pure melee build video? i know it's not the most powerful playstyle in the game but honestly it sounds really fun
@Slayloy Funny you should mention that! I'll actually be doing a short series on "Ultimate Builds" for different playstyles. Melee was one I was thinking about along things like Stealth, Machine Master, etc.
Hey...can we get an updated Thunderjaw guide? It looks like they nerfed other major returning machines...and buffed Thunderjaw. I'd love to hear your take.
Please do a guide on Slaughterspines next! They’re so annoying. My only strategy is just to circle around a big object as cover. Btw why don’t you prioritise the attacking Rockbreaker’s blaze sacs?
@Mutantgamer I'll be doing Slaughterspines at some point! I think Tremortusks will be next. You can target the Rockbreaker's blaze sacs for some good damage too, but it will remove the frozen/brittle state as soon as it explodes, so I tend to avoid doing that until the final kill shot.
@@ArktixOfficial So the wait for the slitherfangs guide continous. Do you have a trick to make them hold still, so one can shoot the grinders? Does are so anoying to farm.
Another tip that can be helpful to players in the early game is to keep high ground while you focus on the mining claws, and whenever it goes under u can simply throw a rock and the rockbreaker will often breach to check it out ^^
@Sam Green Hey! Good to have you back here! Yeah we have a few more people here now 😄 Hey I don’t know if you’re on Discord, but I have a pretty cool group over on my server. We trade tips and talk about Horizon and stuff. Link’s in all the video descriptions if you’re interested. Either way though, good to have you here again! You were one of my very first subs and commenters! 😄
@@ArktixOfficial Just joined the Discord a little bit ago. Great to see the new subs. You put out some high quality content from the start, and it's great to see it paying off.
Another strategy is that their like moles their actually blind. If you use your bow and hit another location and don’t move. Thats where they will surface
When you’re crushed, you only take damage when sprinting sliding and dodging, if you keep that to a minimum, you could wait it out, I guess if you don’t have cleanse potions
I had the green ropecaster and he would just laugh at it. I got the purple one and filled all sockets with tear and held him in place. With the freeze bomb and triple arrow shots, he died before he could break free. (Zero Dawn)
I am less scared of regular Rockbreakers than I am of an Apex Tideripper alerted with an unfavorable environment (such as in the Cauldron). That one quest with Boomer where you have to use the Shredder on a Shellsnapper (but can apparently kill it normally) RIGHT NEXT TO a Rockbreaker spot + Rebel Camp/Outpost. I about crapped my pants repeatedly. Slitherfangs are next up on "scary", tied with Shellsnappers. edit: didn't know about the slide+dodge
i think i did it easier: there is a rock near that location, where i was standing, also i use some stones, so, start shouting his paws from the rock. if he runs away - use stones to attract his attention and hit him again... Was pretty easy. After no paws left - the same tactic: froze and kill
Can you not negate the rock breakers underground attacks by standing still/crouched? Haven’t faced many in FW but in ZD that was my go to, just sit still while they’re tunneling until they pop up then shoot off the claws, rinse repeat to get them above ground then go to town. Another great vid tho 👏, can’t wait for burning shores to see what you come up with then 🙂
Thanks! And you sort of can still, but they'll typically bombard you with ranged attacks and force you to move, which makes them dive underground again. I can't wait for Burning Shores either! 😄
i keep finding all these videos after i have completed the game and not upgrading anything ( as i wasnt sure what anything did really ) and found most monsters have a circle they cover so picked the rockbreaker off while standing outside its reach circle and did it that way. Annoyingly any monster got wise and stayed far away from arow reach until i went into its domain where it pounced and killed me but thats the AI kicking in i guess.
I was doing the tunnel mission where the rockbeeaker showed up and I was level 14… It was pain. It was so terrible, I don’t want to continue this game for a week or two. He just randomly hits you from below, he is trolling around half the match, just pain
Oddly enough, I never have trouble dodging the subterranean attacks, but after the claws are all broken I just can't ever seem to maintain enough distance to avoid the lunge, as the Rockbreaker just always seems to chain multiple lunges together. Comparing this video to my own experience, it feels like maybe the Rockbreaker's turn radius and aggression got buffed... that or I'm just way worse at this game than I think.
Ah yeah, they definitely made the more difficulty. They track your movement a lot more, especially during those lunges. Try to wait a little longer before dodging out of the way when they lunge. If you dodge too soon they just adjust their angle to hit you. I’m sure you’re good at the game, just have to make some adjustments from HZD habits 👍🙂
I don’t know if you are reading from a script that you have written or not but it doesn’t sound like it. What a great concise and informative video . Everyone of your videos is a masterpiece and more TH-camrs should strive to be as well polished as you are. It is obvious that you put in the time and effort to make every video . I hope you become an Uber rich you tuber
Hey thanks Charles! 😄 This is a very nice compliment. I do actually spend quite a lot of time writing my scripts to sound as natural as possible and editing my clips together. I’m glad you think it turns out well!
what if youre so early in the game that you dont have any tear bows?? id also recommend you use the most basic weapons on your 'How to kill' vids assuming that most viewers will be encountering the machine for the 1st time and dont have much weapon selection
Well honestly, you should probably wait to fight one in that case, unless you're on a lower difficulty. I do actually spend a lot of time figuring out the lowest rarity gear that can effectively be used to take down each machine. What I show in these videos is basically the lowest level gear I suggest using.
quick question dose the sun touched hunter bow crits for you? I had it fully upgraded with crit coils and i got 0 crits in more than 100shoots , i reported this as a bug
@Nachituy Yeah it was bugged for me too on my first playthrough 😕 I'm pretty sure it was hitting crits on my second playthrough though. I think they're aware of it and will fix it eventually (hopefully soon!).
@Birukoff Yes! Clawstriders are pretty tough, especially midgame like you said. Shocking them works well and lets you harvest the tail. I also like using Braced Shots on their chests. If you're dealing with multiple, tying them down with a ropecaster is really helpful so you can deal with one at a time.
Just wondering if anyone's experienced this. But if a tearblast arrow breaks off a mining claw while the Rockbreaker is underground, I think it's impossible to retrieve.
@@ArktixOfficial I figured as much. The biggest issue I never noticed from the original game is that Rockbreakers do some Toph Beifong-style seismic sense and can feel my footsteps 😭 great guide!
Thanks! And actually, they did that in the first game as well, but I think they definitely turned up the sensitivity in this one. (Love the Toph reference btw 😁)
@SpecialWeek Interesting. The alert icon should show up, but it's pretty small and happens fast, so it's easy to miss. Sometimes it won't show up though as you saw a couple times in the video. And the parts can go flying VERY far, so make sure you're really looking around for them, but yes sometimes they do disappear if the go far away and you don't find them quickly. It's very annoying. I hope they fix that soon!
Ah yeah. A lot of the weapons are simply purchased from merchants. There are a few really good ones that come from quests/side content though. Like the Death Seeker at the Arena and the Lightning Hunter Bow from the What Was Lost side quest.
Are you aware of actual damage numbers? Maybe can point to a thread to it? Google Fu is somehow weak in me. I don´t think triple Notch does triple damage, more like 2,5 times or something like that, which also counts for elemental build up. How the damage of skills and surges are arrived would be interesting to know either, but i hardly find anything useful. Mechanics are so badly explained you can´t really put value to different tactics. For your video itself, i can only criticize he choice of mob, so this is of course a very personal view, but rockbreakers had absolutely no significance in my game so i can understand the appeal as creator to start with something familiar and add some new stuff to it. Suggestion for the next guide, Slitherfangs (wild versions, not arena), they are so annoying and of course, everything which was great in your previous videos, is still great here so i just repeat the "i like you show what works without engame gear". Cheers!
@Paris Teta Yeah its definitely true that the game doesn't do a great job explaining all the mechanics. HZD was the same way. That's why I'm making these video though, to hopefully help people! Triple Notch does indeed do 3x damage. I'm not aware of a guide on damage stats and such, although I ordered the official game guide that's coming out in a couple of weeks and I'll probably do a video on all the most important info in that book. I'll be doing machine hunting guides for all the toughest machines in Forbidden West. Slitherfangs will definitely be coming up!
Pretty sure theres an increasing damage fall off for each arrow knocked. So it is increased linearly with each arrow, but then the damage per arrow drops by a modifier for thr number of arrows Something like: Total damage = Damage x3 - (damage x3 x 0.3)
@@JM..... Thank you. Very old comment, Artikx explained it in this video: th-cam.com/video/qTSFWyyrx1Q/w-d-xo.html , please be aware teh screen says 0.3 but it is 0.7 for three arrows (100% * 3 Arrows * 0.7 penalty = 210%)
Forbidden west suckes the new weapons are weak zero dawn weapons are way better and more powerful than Forbidden west the Valor stuff is dumb and the new Design of the warriors bow is dump they should've keep it like it was in zero dawn and the coils in zero dawn are way better the banuk bow are way better than Forbidden west and the ice rail gun and the stromslinger and forgefire are way better than Forbidden west they should've put the frozen wilds in the game to so you can go back and get those weapons they are way better
Thanks for this work! I'm a single mom who's playing to relax. I don't have time (or brainpower left over) for experimentation. These videos really help me improve my skills more quickly and enjoy the game.
I know this is silly, but these videos have real impact on my mental health as I'm working through divorce and covid.
I'm finding HFW to be harder and more complicated than HZD. At first, I was overwhelmed and frustrated, but I'm realizing that the wider variety of weapons, skills, coils, elementals, machines, potions, foods, and valor surges don't all have to be mastered, but instead provide options for many different ways of approaching the game.
These videos help do the very real, time-intensive labor of simplifying to a manageable subset of options.
Thank you. No seriously, thank you.
@Kiki Jewell in Arktix we trust.
@Kiki Jewell You're very welcome! I'm glad my videos have helped you in some small way 😄 Yes, HFW is much more complex and challenging than HZD. You're definitely not alone in feeling overwhelmed and frustrated! I've gotten a lot of comments from people saying HFW is way more challenging. But yes, you're right that most of the changes just add more options. You don't necessarily have to use them all. Anyway, glad you found my channel and are finding my videos helpful!
Wow my mom should know you! She likes watching me playing but says she's "old" for it (she's 43).
But yes, I agree with you, HFW is more challenging...
At the same time, it's really good for distraction from the problems we have to face, I consider in the same way playing these games....
nowadays playing a game it's not just for "lazy" people, it's specially to those that want to escape a little from this reality and at the same time use the brain at a challenging thing.
Keep it up 😊
@@rafaellifiori hahaha! Keep trying! My kid pushed the controller into my hands while I was watching them play, and I totally broke down in tears, overcome by a watcher or two! Hahaha! But I got better, playing together, passing the controller back and forth only when I felt ready to try.
Now I'm a badass and play on my own! I'm proud of my progress.
But it's most fun playing together and it brought us together on my kid's terms, not just mine. And that's really special to me.
Keep trying! And see if your mom will give it try - it doesn't hurt anyone if you fail!
I bet a dollar this comment made me happier than Arktix
Hey man! I just wanted to say, I stumbled on to your channel recently so I just started watching all your videos and I gotta say they’re THE most quality Horizon content on TH-cam without a doubt. I can’t believe you’re super underrated, I hope you succeed with wherever you plan to take this channel. I can’t wait for more machine guides from you as I myself have spent hours coming up with cool strategies to take them out easily without abusing the RPG mechanics in the game and would love to dwell deeper into this stuff! Thanks again for the top tier content!
Agreed. Dude is so thorough. Love it.
@Mattsomaniac Wow thank you! This is a very nice compliment 😊 I'm glad you're enjoying my videos and find them to be high quality. I do put a lot of effort and time into creating them and making them as useful and accurate as possible. More machines hunting guides are on the way. I think Tremortusks will be next!
@Bajjz Channel Thanks!
I agree, I met the channel recently and I'm amazed how well explained the videos are!
Really enjoying it and hope you can get many views to pay all your efforts. You deserve it
It's funny when coming from HZD to HFW how easy Rockbreaker are.
I don't know what it is but it just dies really quick with the brace shot to the Fuel Sac or the Exhaust Port or trible notch those components.
Is it just me or did they nerf his dmg output and his health points? Because it just seems way easier than in HZD.
On the other hand I have more difficulties killing a Thunderjaw, it does more dmg and is way faster than in HZD and I never get to his heart outside of Shock/Knockdown state or using adhesives (and I hate using it :D )
But yeah if you play without easy loot on then you should start by destroying it's claws
Yeah some machines are easier than before and some are harder I think the machines that have sacs in general are easier because of how much damage destroying them does and how much more fragile they are in FW (fireclaw/frostclaw are way easier)
@Ri_Shin_M Yeah it may have been nerfed a bit. I'm not sure. It's tough to say because a machines HP is adjusted based on your difficulty level. What difficulty level do you play on? On Very Hard they seem pretty similar to HZD Rockbreakers to me. Also, I think they're easier because you only have to deal with one at a time here in Forbidden West lol 😄 And yes, Thunderjaws are much tougher than they used to be. I'll be doing a Thunderjaw hunting video as well!
@@ArktixOfficial very Hard but I did play ultra hard on HZD recently
@Ri_Shin_M Cool! Yeah I guess I feel like it's mostly the fact that you only have to deal with one at a time that makes them easier in HFW, but maybe they are a little weaker. Haven't fought an HZD Rockbreaker in a while...lol
@@ArktixOfficial Well I only ever fought 1vs1 since I roped the other one down. No way I play their game with 2 against 1 :D
Small channel, big impact
That's what I think everytime you say "small channels like mine"
This is an amazing guide
I am watching all your videos.
Stumbled onto the channel cause it was in my recommended and gotta say these videos are truly invaluable for people to learn about how to take down machines and just learn about the overall game in itself. Like with the skills for example cause i never used to use them and now i do since i know how they work now. That sort of thing. Luckily the first video I saw was how to take down the shellsnappers cause I was struggling with those and that video made it almost laughable to fight them now. So you've definitely got a sub from me
@Scarchain6891 Awesome! I'm glad you're finding my video helpful. That's definitely my goal with this channel! And thank you for your sub! Much appreciated! 🙏
ROCKBREAKER will be endangered by extinction after I watched this video. Thanks for the guide Dude.
Haha awesome 😁 Glad you found this helpful!
This channel is so good!. Definitively the best HFW channel out there. It could be the official Guerilla channel. I really hope you will continue completely to the end of the game.
@Patrick can Nassau Wow thanks! That’s a very kind compliment 😊 I’m glad you’re enjoying my content. Lots more to come!
Found your channel a few days ago and have been watching most of your horizon vids.
Your explanations are so clear and your videos are so professionally done. Defo the number one channel for horizon tips and tricks.
Just want to say thanks so much for the videos and you deserve so many more subs
Hey thanks a lot! 😄 And welcome! 🙂 Glad you’re enjoying my content and hopefully finding it helpful!
Appreciate this video. Just started playing this game last week because PC release and this really helped me. Took em down fast and easy even the Apex variants are no big deal.
Keep pumping out the content man. TH-cam has recommended me your channel so you're doing something right and I appreciate your in-depth no nonsense videos!
@Ajay Herath Thank you! I'm glad you're enjoying my content! I'll keep rolling!
Thank you very much mate, those tipps will really come in handy when I start my very hard playthrough 🤩
@Max Mustermann's Viertaccount Thanks! I'm glad you found this helpful!
You can use regular hunter arrows to distract it by shoot to a location away from you WHILE you are remaining undetected. The rockbreaker will investigate it. This tactic worked great in Zero Dawn with Tearblast arrows (way cheaper to craft). Don't use tearblast arrows for distraction in Forbidden West (expensive to craft)
@CyberDragon Good tip! Yeah I had forgotten about that. Thanks for sharing!
The time Arktix spends on the quality of his videos is amazing, but he also takes the time to reply back to almost every single comment left on his videos. That's impressive in itself as well. Class act, Arktix! Keep up the great work! Between this channel and discord, I'm sure you're putting in a TON of work (and typing). Thank you and keep on rockin' it (no pun intended)! 🤟
Hey thanks a lot! I do spend a lot of time on my content and channel, so it’s always nice to hear someone appreciate it 🙂 Thanks for your kind words and support! 🙏
Hey, just so you know, i just started to support your chanel by subscribing. You have a really nice way of explaining things simply. You don't go around, you go straight to your point while still explaining.
Good luck with your chanel bro 😎
@Dummy Kong Thank you! I appreciate your kind words and support by subbing! 🙏🏼😄
Thank you so much for saying that purgewater clears the resistance to frost and shock, I didn't know that!
Totally! Yeah purge water doesn't really get explained in-game unfortunately.
Keep making these vids on the best way to kill each machine. These are gold. This reminds me of the excellent guide for HZD from Jambomus, it’s that good. Would love to see you do this for a range of the more difficult machines! Also would love to see your load out for post end game - with the gold weapons and armour. I am finding the drawback being the advanced ammo tends to use rate materials like “sludge” which you can only carry 7 of - replenishing them depletes available resources very quickly!
@Michael Brennan Thanks so much! I’m planning to do videos like this for all the toughest machines just like I did for Zero Dawn, so keep an eye out! 😄 And it’s funny you mention an endgame loadout video because I’m working on one right now! I should have it posted soon. You’re right that advanced ammo crafting burns through your sludge pretty fast. If you haven’t tried using a shredder gauntlets I’d recommend that. Because you can catch the same disc over and over they’re very resource efficient!
Once again, great content bro 👍
Another trip for taking on rock breakers for everyone out there, and I know this was sorta/briefly talked about in the video: this machine tracks you as you move when it's underground, however if you stand on a rock (and there are tons in the desert where you fight them, I mean hence the name...) they have no clue where your are. Perch up on a rock nearby, then toss a rock lure it out. This can allow you to position yourself for easier shots at the classes with tear blast arrows and such.
Sorry for all the rock-iness, but you all can understand what I'm talking about. Cheers.
@Scot Cinamon Good tip! Thanks for sharing that! Yeah tossing a rock or shooting an arrow at the ground can draw their attention somewhere else.
@@ArktixOfficial the most important part of that tip though is standing up on a rock... The rockbreaker then proceeds to cruise around underground aimlessly, it has no idea where you are, and will eventually just pop up in frustration.
@ScotCinamon Yes good point! I guess I don't personally do that very often because I'm impatient lol 😅
For the main storyline fight, I just flew in from the mountain and landed on one of the broken freeway platforms. Either shoot an arrow or throw rocks at a random location. Set up a braced shot and fire once the rock breaker surfaces.
This is great! I remember testing on an apex rock breaker and forgetting to read its weaknesses and resistances, and just wondered while launching off frost arrows “huh… this is taking a little while…” I think because of that is how I filled up my part breaker again, and then I just used that to hit the exhaust a bunch of times to get it down. If your smart enough to read the resistances of an apex machine, you won’t go through as much ammo as I do XD
@Plusle Playz Yeah those apex variants are definitely tougher not being weak to frost!
Thank you for this! From your late game gear video I picked up the seeker bow and need claws to upgrade it! The fight went waaaay better than last time I fought a rock breaker (still tough though - I’ve got practicing to do)
Awesome! Glad you found those videos helpful 😄 Good work on improving your Rockbreaker hunting! 👍
Dude, I just came accross your videos and fell in love with it. Always have been playing HZD and HFW in highest difficulties and I already got my own strategies for each enemies, but just seeing the game and combat system being analyzed such in depth is amazing. Those videos are pure bliss. Keep up the great work !
@Sergio iafrate Awesome! Thanks so much! I'm glad you enjoy these! I'll be doing a video for each of the toughest machine in HFW, so more to come!
Do Slaughterspines next!
Seriously, the Apex variants of those things can one-shot you on higher difficulties!
@Daan Duijkuers They totally can! I'll definitely be doing a Slaughterspine video!
Your master classes are deserving of their title and you've earned my follow, sire.
Hey thanks Tyler! I really appreciate that 😄
I know that in HZD that the rockbreaker can sense you moving while it is underground, but I'm not sure if that is the case in HFW. Just stating this because this can be helpful if people want to sneak around and/or up on them. On a different note, these guides are really fucking good. Others just spend 200 hours and not even get to the info, while you are just wasting no time and get to the point. Amen to you brother.
Hey man checking in to say this is such a helpful and great instruction! Rockbreakers nearly broke me and those claws are so hard to remove, but I will definitely implement your tips in my game play!
@Definitely Incorrect Hey thanks! I'm glad you found this helpful! More machine hunting videos to come!
I’m not sure if I was just a moron when I played the first game, but I never really used to tear off components and now I see that I made my life much harder than it needed to be. Removing the Miner Claws makes the Rockbreaker much easier to tackle even on a harder difficulty (I’m playing on Hard). I love these machines and cleaning that corruption zone with two of them must be one of the best memories I have from HZD 🤣
Nice! Glad you shifted to removing components more! It’s definitely strong tactic. And ah yes, I have fond memories of the corrupted Rockbreaker zone in HZD too 😄
good thing to note is that crushed doesn't do damage over time it does damage when you run jump or dodge.
Hello Arktix, I'm Brand New to the game. I have found your channel to be the Absolute BEST! Excellent Videos with Super-Smooth Delivery. You are Def my Go-To Channel for Anything & Everything Forbidden West. Thank You SO MUCH for the Time & Effort You put in to Help Everyone out. Appreciated!
Hey thanks a lot! Glad to hear you're enjoying my content and finding it helpful 😄 Thanks for your comment!
Awesome video Arktix! So many great strategies + expert gameplay. Thanks for another comprehensive guide, looking forward to seeing what machine you decide to rip apart next. 🤙
@Sonny Thanks! I think Tremortusks will be next!
You deserve like 50 mil subs or something like that, absolutely amazing if not trillion.
Hey thanks AJ 😄 Thats very kind of you to say 😊 I’m glad you’re enjoying my content!
Enjoying??? No, really enjoying these guides are absolutely amazing Arktix. Love ur vids!!
I seriously can’t thank you enough! Your content is top tier! I feel like I play the game on a better level now, meaning I enjoy it way more.
Hey thanks! I'm very glad to hear my content helps you play better and enjoy the game more =D That's always my goal. Thanks for your comment!
Heyy!! Have you ever thought about making a pure melee build video? i know it's not the most powerful playstyle in the game but honestly it sounds really fun
@Slayloy Funny you should mention that! I'll actually be doing a short series on "Ultimate Builds" for different playstyles. Melee was one I was thinking about along things like Stealth, Machine Master, etc.
@Slayloy Also, I meant to mention, you're username is great 😂
This was fun to watch. I will be hitting the rear claws first from now on. Thanks!
@Furious Styles Great! More machine hunting guides to come!
It's worth detaching canisters on top, they can give you big machine core
Hey...can we get an updated Thunderjaw guide? It looks like they nerfed other major returning machines...and buffed Thunderjaw. I'd love to hear your take.
@Furious Styles. Yes, I'll definitely do a Thunderjaw guide!
Your guides are the best. Thanks!
Please do a guide on Slaughterspines next! They’re so annoying. My only strategy is just to circle around a big object as cover.
Btw why don’t you prioritise the attacking Rockbreaker’s blaze sacs?
Hitting sacs with brace shots is also a good strategy
@Mutantgamer I'll be doing Slaughterspines at some point! I think Tremortusks will be next. You can target the Rockbreaker's blaze sacs for some good damage too, but it will remove the frozen/brittle state as soon as it explodes, so I tend to avoid doing that until the final kill shot.
@@ArktixOfficial So the wait for the slitherfangs guide continous. Do you have a trick to make them hold still, so one can shoot the grinders? Does are so anoying to farm.
@@paristeta5483 try using ropecasters or knockdown arrow (weapon technique) and the part breaker valor surge
Another tip that can be helpful to players in the early game is to keep high ground while you focus on the mining claws, and whenever it goes under u can simply throw a rock and the rockbreaker will often breach to check it out ^^
Yo! Just checked back in, you blew up, man!
@Sam Green Hey! Good to have you back here! Yeah we have a few more people here now 😄 Hey I don’t know if you’re on Discord, but I have a pretty cool group over on my server. We trade tips and talk about Horizon and stuff. Link’s in all the video descriptions if you’re interested. Either way though, good to have you here again! You were one of my very first subs and commenters! 😄
@@ArktixOfficial Just joined the Discord a little bit ago. Great to see the new subs. You put out some high quality content from the start, and it's great to see it paying off.
Cool! Thanks Sam!
Your videos are a big help... Keep it up
Thank you! Glad you’re finding them helpful 😁
Can we see the next be about stormbirds, tremor tusks, slaughter spines or thunderjaws?
I was thinking Tremortusks next!
I would suck at this game without your videos! Many thanks for the NaStY skills brew!
Haha thank you! Glad you find these helpful 😄
Another strategy is that their like moles their actually blind. If you use your bow and hit another location and don’t move. Thats where they will surface
Another great video! So glad I found this channel!
@Justin Diaz Thanks! I'm glad you're here too! 😄
Rockbreakers are the reason I started using W Bows consistently. I just shock it and go around tearing and rippin the claws 😂
Big thanks for this information
No problem! I hope it helps!
You should do a best load out for each legendary weapon. Which coils are the best for each weapon
@Prnharlem130st Funny you should mention this! I'm actually working on a legendary gear video as we speak!
Wow can’t wait for the drop!
Great video, tnx for the tips arktix
@Gabriel Maia Thank you! Glad you found it helpful!
When you’re crushed, you only take damage when sprinting sliding and dodging, if you keep that to a minimum, you could wait it out, I guess if you don’t have cleanse potions
Yup! Just kinda hard to wait it out while the Rockbreaker is after you lol
I had the green ropecaster and he would just laugh at it. I got the purple one and filled all sockets with tear and held him in place. With the freeze bomb and triple arrow shots, he died before he could break free.
(Zero Dawn)
Nice! Yeah that would work well in Forbidden West too!
More "How To Kill" videos, these are super helpfull.
@Sergio Villarreal Tremortusk video coming soon!
I am less scared of regular Rockbreakers than I am of an Apex Tideripper alerted with an unfavorable environment (such as in the Cauldron). That one quest with Boomer where you have to use the Shredder on a Shellsnapper (but can apparently kill it normally) RIGHT NEXT TO a Rockbreaker spot + Rebel Camp/Outpost. I about crapped my pants repeatedly.
Slitherfangs are next up on "scary", tied with Shellsnappers.
edit: didn't know about the slide+dodge
Thanks for this! Is there any value in trying to break the blaze sac under the machine? Would this take out a huge portion of health?
You’re very welcome! And you can, but it doesn’t do a whole lot of damage, so I don’t think it’s worth focusing on.
i think i did it easier:
there is a rock near that location, where i was standing, also i use some stones,
so, start shouting his paws from the rock. if he runs away - use stones to attract his attention and hit him again...
Was pretty easy. After no paws left - the same tactic: froze and kill
Ya definitely great work on these videos
Thank you!
Can you not negate the rock breakers underground attacks by standing still/crouched? Haven’t faced many in FW but in ZD that was my go to, just sit still while they’re tunneling until they pop up then shoot off the claws, rinse repeat to get them above ground then go to town. Another great vid tho 👏, can’t wait for burning shores to see what you come up with then 🙂
Thanks! And you sort of can still, but they'll typically bombard you with ranged attacks and force you to move, which makes them dive underground again. I can't wait for Burning Shores either! 😄
Nice weapons
Groovy!
@Chrome Ghoul Thanks!
i keep finding all these videos after i have completed the game and not upgrading anything ( as i wasnt sure what anything did really ) and found most monsters have a circle they cover so picked the rockbreaker off while standing outside its reach circle and did it that way. Annoyingly any monster got wise and stayed far away from arow reach until i went into its domain where it pounced and killed me but thats the AI kicking in i guess.
Bro where have u been all my life?!
Haha glad to have you here! 😄
Funny enough given the desert area, Rockbreakers weren't used that much in the main story and only for that one side quest...
True! We didn’t see too many of them…
@@ArktixOfficial Feels like they were overshadowed by the Shellsnapper.
Definitely
What I hate if you slide dodge the game doesn't place you in upright position at the end, which I really hate
When I am at work and I am having a very crappy day, I like to imagine that I forgot that I had my life set on "hard difficulty".
Love it 🙂 And sometimes, life gets set on hard difficulty without us doing it.
I was doing the tunnel mission where the rockbeeaker showed up and I was level 14…
It was pain. It was so terrible, I don’t want to continue this game for a week or two. He just randomly hits you from below, he is trolling around half the match, just pain
Oddly enough, I never have trouble dodging the subterranean attacks, but after the claws are all broken I just can't ever seem to maintain enough distance to avoid the lunge, as the Rockbreaker just always seems to chain multiple lunges together.
Comparing this video to my own experience, it feels like maybe the Rockbreaker's turn radius and aggression got buffed... that or I'm just way worse at this game than I think.
Ah yeah, they definitely made the more difficulty. They track your movement a lot more, especially during those lunges. Try to wait a little longer before dodging out of the way when they lunge. If you dodge too soon they just adjust their angle to hit you. I’m sure you’re good at the game, just have to make some adjustments from HZD habits 👍🙂
I don’t know if you are reading from a script that you have written or not but it doesn’t sound like it. What a great concise and informative video . Everyone of your videos is a masterpiece and more TH-camrs should strive to be as well polished as you are. It is obvious that you put in the time and effort to make every video . I hope you become an Uber rich you tuber
Hey thanks Charles! 😄 This is a very nice compliment. I do actually spend quite a lot of time writing my scripts to sound as natural as possible and editing my clips together. I’m glad you think it turns out well!
what if youre so early in the game that you dont have any tear bows??
id also recommend you use the most basic weapons on your 'How to kill' vids assuming that most viewers will be encountering the machine for the 1st time and dont have much weapon selection
Well honestly, you should probably wait to fight one in that case, unless you're on a lower difficulty. I do actually spend a lot of time figuring out the lowest rarity gear that can effectively be used to take down each machine. What I show in these videos is basically the lowest level gear I suggest using.
@@ArktixOfficial 😎 thanks for the advice
and thanks for replying quickly 👍👍
No problem! Hope you can take them down with my tips when you get the right gear 👍
quick question dose the sun touched hunter bow crits for you? I had it fully upgraded with crit coils and i got 0 crits in more than 100shoots , i reported this as a bug
@Nachituy Yeah it was bugged for me too on my first playthrough 😕 I'm pretty sure it was hitting crits on my second playthrough though. I think they're aware of it and will fix it eventually (hopefully soon!).
@@ArktixOfficial ill give it a shoot next playthrough to test , lets hope they fix it, thanks for the reply , keep up the good work! amazing channel
@Nachituy Sounds good! And thank you!
With style
Goddamn it they're back
Lol yup!
Man, clawstriders annoy the hell out of me. Midgame especially. How to beat them?
@Birukoff Yes! Clawstriders are pretty tough, especially midgame like you said. Shocking them works well and lets you harvest the tail. I also like using Braced Shots on their chests. If you're dealing with multiple, tying them down with a ropecaster is really helpful so you can deal with one at a time.
Fun fact this is my EXACT strategy from ZD
Detach claws freeze it kill it and then call it a day 😇
Nice!
Just wondering if anyone's experienced this. But if a tearblast arrow breaks off a mining claw while the Rockbreaker is underground, I think it's impossible to retrieve.
Yeah. Unfortunately, that can happen. They can also get flung super far by the Rockbreaker.
@@ArktixOfficial I figured as much. The biggest issue I never noticed from the original game is that Rockbreakers do some Toph Beifong-style seismic sense and can feel my footsteps 😭 great guide!
Thanks! And actually, they did that in the first game as well, but I think they definitely turned up the sensitivity in this one. (Love the Toph reference btw 😁)
But on VH i don't get the alert sign though.
Did the parts disappear for you
@SpecialWeek Interesting. The alert icon should show up, but it's pretty small and happens fast, so it's easy to miss. Sometimes it won't show up though as you saw a couple times in the video. And the parts can go flying VERY far, so make sure you're really looking around for them, but yes sometimes they do disappear if the go far away and you don't find them quickly. It's very annoying. I hope they fix that soon!
I was trying to kill this thing in very hard in the starting of game so much pain
Still the coolest Machine in the series
damn i dont have any of this shit, i was doing side quests for better gear but i guess this game isnt like most
Ah yeah. A lot of the weapons are simply purchased from merchants. There are a few really good ones that come from quests/side content though. Like the Death Seeker at the Arena and the Lightning Hunter Bow from the What Was Lost side quest.
Tear coils don't work with tear arrows.
I assume you mean on tear precision arrows?
@@ArktixOfficial Yep
Are you aware of actual damage numbers? Maybe can point to a thread to it? Google Fu is somehow weak in me. I don´t think triple Notch does triple damage, more like 2,5 times or something like that, which also counts for elemental build up. How the damage of skills and surges are arrived would be interesting to know either, but i hardly find anything useful. Mechanics are so badly explained you can´t really put value to different tactics. For your video itself, i can only criticize he choice of mob, so this is of course a very personal view, but rockbreakers had absolutely no significance in my game so i can understand the appeal as creator to start with something familiar and add some new stuff to it. Suggestion for the next guide, Slitherfangs (wild versions, not arena), they are so annoying and of course, everything which was great in your previous videos, is still great here so i just repeat the "i like you show what works without engame gear". Cheers!
@Paris Teta Yeah its definitely true that the game doesn't do a great job explaining all the mechanics. HZD was the same way. That's why I'm making these video though, to hopefully help people! Triple Notch does indeed do 3x damage. I'm not aware of a guide on damage stats and such, although I ordered the official game guide that's coming out in a couple of weeks and I'll probably do a video on all the most important info in that book. I'll be doing machine hunting guides for all the toughest machines in Forbidden West. Slitherfangs will definitely be coming up!
Pretty sure theres an increasing damage fall off for each arrow knocked.
So it is increased linearly with each arrow, but then the damage per arrow drops by a modifier for thr number of arrows
Something like:
Total damage = Damage x3 - (damage x3 x 0.3)
@@JM..... Thank you. Very old comment, Artikx explained it in this video: th-cam.com/video/qTSFWyyrx1Q/w-d-xo.html , please be aware teh screen says 0.3 but it is 0.7 for three arrows (100% * 3 Arrows * 0.7 penalty = 210%)
Thank you! I hate these guys so much.
@deemon710 You’re very welcome! Yes, Rockbreakers are tough!
Forbidden west suckes the new weapons are weak zero dawn weapons are way better and more powerful than Forbidden west the Valor stuff is dumb and the new Design of the warriors bow is dump they should've keep it like it was in zero dawn and the coils in zero dawn are way better the banuk bow are way better than Forbidden west and the ice rail gun and the stromslinger and forgefire are way better than Forbidden west they should've put the frozen wilds in the game to so you can go back and get those weapons they are way better