[Malankazooie]

^^^ I would say this is pretty accurate. I played The Frozen Wilds DLC to completion and probably put in the neighborhood of about 20 to 30 hours. I'm usually a completest so if you focus just on the story missions you could probably finish it closer to 10 hours. To put it in perspective, there is only one Tallneck. Oh and something neat about that Tallneck -

Spoiler

You have to repair it. Which you can then do the normal routine of jumping on it and climbing up to activate it.

[Aptorian]

Cause, on 05 September 2018 - 10:58 AM, said:

Alternative Goose, on 05 September 2018 - 09:03 AM, said:

I still haven't finished Horizon (I sort of lost interest in the story) but I did recently do a bit of the Frozen DLC for one specific reason.

I bet you've noticed that you're picking up Spear Damage mods but there's no way to upgrade the spear. The spear upgrade is a part of the DLC. You have to run all the way up to the top of the North map to find a cave. I might advice not trying to get it until you're at least in your thirties, since the robots are quite vicious up there, even at level 50.

You lost interest?

YOU LOST INTEREST......

this is gaming sacrilege. I wish I could erase Horizon from my mind and play it again.

I think the game is a faux rpg and it makes discovery disappointing.

It looks like a big open world action rpg but there's no depth to your engagement with the world's civilizations. There's not actually a lot of NPCs to engage with and when you do, there's no branching narrative or choice. There's no big reveals by exploring caves or unearthing old tech.

Everything is actually a part of a very linear story. You just have the option to go dinosaur hunting in between.

Don't get me wrong, Horizon is a great game, it just doesn't live up to the opening which blew me away. Killing robots doesn't get old in that game.

[Tiste Simeon]

But it's not a whacking game? It's a sneaky game with whacking elements!

Killed some pretty massive beasts these last two sessions. Something called (I think) a firejaw and another called a behemoth. Also some flipping HUGE thing called a rockeater which is like one of the sandworms from Dune and there was two of them and they were corrupted so it took a while to kill. Pretty tough but some excellent loot.

[Traveller]

I like that you don't need it. Far less time inventory faffing and pondering over skill trees, and more 'upgrade your fighting skills through practice and learning which moves work for what machines'. Like how in Dark Souls you reach a point where armour and weapons become second to just doing it right.

Aloy flips and dives and rolls very fluidly, and when you get surrounded by 3 different types of machines, she can use several different ways to bring each one down, all the while being able to move around without getting gored or stomped on. Taking out one type with ropecasters, while shooting the disc gun off the big one with tear arrows, stunning another with tripwires while you run in, grab the disc gun and turn it back on its owner... it's far more fun and inventive that just stabbing things with a strength upgrade from levelling up.

[Malankazooie]

Tiste Simeon, on 05 September 2018 - 06:11 PM, said:

But it's not a whacking game? It's a sneaky game with whacking elements!

Killed some pretty massive beasts these last two sessions. Something called (I think) a firejaw and another called a behemoth. Also some flipping HUGE thing called a rockeater which is like one of the sandworms from Dune and there was two of them and they were corrupted so it took a while to kill. Pretty tough but some excellent loot.

I hope you were wearing your brown pants.

True. It's not a whacking game, although using your spear in conjunction with other weapons is necessary. To just go around with the mindset that you're going to stab everything with your spear is stupid. It's rather obvious when you look over the skill tree and what the skills do for your character that incorporating all the weapons into your game play will probably be necessary (or at least recommended). The hunting grounds are there for that reason also, to show you what the weapons do and how to use them.

Also, if you've stopped playing the game, you've done yourself a disservice if you haven't at least given the mission Deep Secrets of the Earth a try.

Spoiler

Here is where a lot of the story begins to unfold and an "oh shit!" moment will dawn on you when you connect it with all that has led up to that point. Maybe the best reveal ever in a video game.

[Tiste Simeon]

Maybe I need to get on with the mission. I'm level 35 or something now and the main story mission in Meridian is level 12 or something haha

[Maark Abbott]

Cause, on 05 September 2018 - 10:58 AM, said:

Alternative Goose, on 05 September 2018 - 09:03 AM, said:

I still haven't finished Horizon (I sort of lost interest in the story) but I did recently do a bit of the Frozen DLC for one specific reason.

I bet you've noticed that you're picking up Spear Damage mods but there's no way to upgrade the spear. The spear upgrade is a part of the DLC. You have to run all the way up to the top of the North map to find a cave. I might advice not trying to get it until you're at least in your thirties, since the robots are quite vicious up there, even at level 50.

You lost interest?

YOU LOST INTEREST......

this is gaming sacrilege. I wish I could erase Horizon from my mind and play it again.

And yet he tells me off for not trying it

Kappa

[Aptorian]

Maark Abbott, on 07 September 2018 - 07:52 AM, said:

Cause, on 05 September 2018 - 10:58 AM, said:

Alternative Goose, on 05 September 2018 - 09:03 AM, said:

I still haven't finished Horizon (I sort of lost interest in the story) but I did recently do a bit of the Frozen DLC for one specific reason.

I bet you've noticed that you're picking up Spear Damage mods but there's no way to upgrade the spear. The spear upgrade is a part of the DLC. You have to run all the way up to the top of the North map to find a cave. I might advice not trying to get it until you're at least in your thirties, since the robots are quite vicious up there, even at level 50.

You lost interest?

YOU LOST INTEREST......

this is gaming sacrilege. I wish I could erase Horizon from my mind and play it again.

And yet he tells me off for not trying it

Kappa

At this point the ending doesn't really matter.

I've spent +50 hours just rampaging through the wilderness murdering robots and bandits in droves.

[Cause]

Maark Abbott, on 07 September 2018 - 07:52 AM, said:

Cause, on 05 September 2018 - 10:58 AM, said:

Alternative Goose, on 05 September 2018 - 09:03 AM, said:

I still haven't finished Horizon (I sort of lost interest in the story) but I did recently do a bit of the Frozen DLC for one specific reason.

I bet you've noticed that you're picking up Spear Damage mods but there's no way to upgrade the spear. The spear upgrade is a part of the DLC. You have to run all the way up to the top of the North map to find a cave. I might advice not trying to get it until you're at least in your thirties, since the robots are quite vicious up there, even at level 50.

You lost interest?

YOU LOST INTEREST......

this is gaming sacrilege. I wish I could erase Horizon from my mind and play it again.

And yet he tells me off for not trying it

Kappa

I finished it. I hereby tell you off for not trying it. Correct this mistake or be forever judged!

But please also have a nice day!

[Slow Ben]

Took 26 gd hours to download, but its finally done. Only got through about an hour of the prologue last night.

[Aptorian]

What's your up down speed?

[Tiste Simeon]

Oh wow this game is immense! In the last few days I've unlocked all the map and found all the collectibles, done most of the side missions (except the tutorial missions and hunting missions) and made huge inroads into the main story...

Spoiler

Just WHAT! Zero Dawn is a flipping post extinction project and the beasts I've been fighting the whole time are actually built by Gaia and the first humans post extinction were grown in pods and just so much to take in! What happened to the original killer bots? How did they not just start chomping on biomass as soon as Gaia started up? Or is that what Hades is? What a phenomenal story!

[Slow Ben]

Alternative Goose, on 07 September 2018 - 03:42 PM, said:

What's your up down speed?

Slooooow

[Malankazooie]

Tiste Simeon, on 14 September 2018 - 11:44 AM, said:

Oh wow this game is immense! In the last few days I've unlocked all the map and found all the collectibles, done most of the side missions (except the tutorial missions and hunting missions) and made huge inroads into the main story...

Spoiler

Just WHAT! Zero Dawn is a flipping post extinction project and the beasts I've been fighting the whole time are actually built by Gaia and the first humans post extinction were grown in pods and just so much to take in! What happened to the original killer bots? How did they not just start chomping on biomass as soon as Gaia started up? Or is that what Hades is? What a phenomenal story!

Told you

[Tiste Simeon]

I KNOW RIGHT

[Serenity]

Yeah, I remember reading more than one review that complained there wasn't much of a story

[Traveller]

I got really immersed. After reading all those holo-recordings, the slow build and investment all leading up to THAT moment towards the end...

[Tiste Simeon]

I'm not quite at the end yet, just a couple of side missions to complete... I've done the bit inside the All Mother though.

[Slow Ben]

Finally making my way to Meridian, spent the first bit just wandering around exploring and killing machines.

[Malankazooie]

One of the last hard bits I had to complete was one of the crafting bits. Forgot which animal (raccoon? or maybe Goose?) I needed, but it was a bitch to find them until I came upon a little forested area on the bottom corner of the map. Then it was hunting season. . It still took some time, because I think I needed the skin and so had to get one that glows purple (I believe), and I was only getting normal (meat) or green (bone) for the longest time.