Horizon Forbidden West Guide | Best End-Game Gears

This setup covers all essential elements and attack types while leaving one or two extra slots open for personal preference.

Game Guide by Joyramen on Feb 01, 2025

The latter portion of the Horizon Forbidden West journey begins around The Seeds of the Past main quest and continues through the conclusion of the central storyline. Many additional quests and activities remain afterward, and the equipment covered here—primarily of a purple rarity—will still be highly effective during those challenges.

Gold-tier legendary equipment will also be briefly discussed, though most of those pieces are obtained through advanced content such as hunting grounds, black boxes, and rebel camps. A more detailed breakdown of legendary selections will come in future guides focusing on specific playstyles like stealth, ranged combat, and melee. Let's dive in.

Best Armor: Nora Valiant

For those who followed earlier recommendations, the mid-game choice was the blue-tier Nora Sentinel. The best upgrade for the later stages is the Nora Valiant, which builds on the Sentinel's strengths. This option works well for a flexible approach, offering benefits for ranged combat, stealth, and melee engagements.

The key difference between armors at the same rarity is the skill perks they provide, and the Nora Valiant stands out with boosts to Concentration and Weapon Stamina. These bonuses enhance everything from bows to boltblasters. It also provides solid resistance to melee damage and excellent protection against ranged attacks, making it a well-rounded option.

Alternative Armor Choices

For those seeking alternatives, two other versatile outfits stand out:

Tenakth Skirmisher

Available in Scalding Spear or from the merchant near the base, this selection offers bonuses for ranged combat and Valor at low health, along with faster Valor Surge accumulation. It's a solid choice for anyone frequently engaging in fights with low health or wanting to maximize the use of Valor Surges.

Tenakth Vindicator

This one is obtained for free after completing The Deluge side quest. Though it offers slightly lower melee and ranged resistance compared to the other recommendations, it comes with useful perks for Stamina, Valor Surges, and Critical Strikes. Given that the quest is fairly accessible at level 15, it's a great option for those looking for a reliable alternative early on.

Best Stealth Armor:

Utaru Winterweave

For those who prefer a tactical, stealth-focused approach, one particularly strong option stands out—the Utaru Winterweave. Unlike other categories where purple-tier items are the go-to choice, this legendary outfit can be obtained relatively early by visiting Thornmarsh. It provides numerous perks for infiltrator-style combat, five modification slots, and top-tier resistance.

Alternative Stealth Armor Choices

For those who aren't ready to farm high-level machine components to upgrade the Utaru Winterweave, there are two solid purple-tier options:

Utaru Ritesinger

Ideal for maximizing ranged attacks while in stealth, offering boosts to Stealth Ranged+ and Deep Concentration skills. It also provides slightly better damage resistance, making it a strong choice.

Utaru Hardweave

More suited for those who rely on silent strikes and want to generate Valor more quickly.

Both of these options work well, but for stealth-based ranged combat, the Ritesinger is the preferred choice.

Best Weapon Loadout

For an effective late-game setup, a balanced selection of weapons is key. The most efficient loadout should include the following:

A Hunter Bow for general use
A Sharpshot Bow for precision attacks
Weapons covering Frost, Shock, Acid, Fire, and Purgewater elements

Best Damage Hunter Bow: Sunshot Hunter Bow

Hunter bows are a priority due to their versatility, cheap ammunition, and ability to trigger elemental canisters. The best choice for dealing damage with Advanced Hunter Arrows is the Marshal Hunter Bow, though obtaining it requires 84 Hunting Medals from Hunting Grounds. For those who prefer not to farm medals, the Sunshot Hunter Bow is an excellent alternative.

The Sunshot features a 25% draw speed boost, increasing overall damage per second despite slightly weaker arrows. It also retains basic hunter arrows, making it useful for resource-efficient hunting. However, upgrading this bow requires a large amount of Greenshine, which could be a drawback for some.

Best Frost Weapon: Seeker Hunter Bow

Frost damage is one of the most crucial elements in the game, and while the best frost bow is the legendary Sun Scourge (obtained by clearing all rebel camps), the Seeker Hunter Bow is the best purple-tier alternative. It provides solid Frost Arrows along with decent Hardpoint Arrows, making it an excellent all-around option.

Best Shock & Purgewater Weapon: Lightning Hunter Bow

Shock arrows are essential, and the Lightning Hunter Bow (earned from the Need to Know side quest with Talanah) is the only viable purple-tier choice. It also grants access to the best Purgewater Arrows, making it an invaluable addition.

Best Acid & Fire Weapon: Wildfire Hunter Bow

Although Fire Arrows aren't as impactful in Forbidden West as they were in Zero Dawn, Acid remains highly effective. The Wildfire Hunter Bow is the strongest purple-tier option for Acid Arrows. Upgrading it to level 3 unlocks its acid capabilities, making it a must-have until the legendary Sun Scourge becomes available.

Best Sharpshot Bow: Glowblast & Delta

Sharpshot bows are critical for Precision and Tearblast Arrows. The Glowblast Sharpshot Bow provides both, making it the ideal choice for removing components. For those focusing purely on Advanced Precision Damage, the Delta Sharpshot Bow is another excellent pick.

Additional Weapon Options

Depending on available slots, the following weapons are worth considering:

Thunderbolt Shredder Gauntlet – A powerful tool for breaking through armor.
Death-Seeker's Shadow – The best purple-tier option for high-speed damage output.
Barrage or Corrosive Blastsling – Strong choices for explosive or elemental damage.
Relentless Boltblaster – A top-tier raw damage weapon.
Elite Ropecaster or Elite Canister Ropecaster – Useful for immobilization or setting up elemental explosions.
Vindicator Spike Thrower – Provides powerful explosive and drill spikes.
Perimeter or Delver Tripcaster – Ideal for Shock or Explosive Tripwires.