The June 2022 State of Play announced a major update for Horizon Forbidden West, which includes the much-anticipated New Game+.
Along with a glimpse at the upcoming PlayStation VR2 exclusive, Horizon Call of the Mountain, the June 2022 State of Play announced a major update for Horizon Forbidden West. The update came as a major surprise to gamers unaware, as it went live concurrently with the State of Play event on June 2 without so much as a hint it was coming.
Containing a list of exciting new features, like the coveted New Game+ option, patch 1.14 (and hotfix 1.15) also includes fixes for a number of reported issues. UX/UI corrections, a revamp of the Temporal Anti-Aliasing to improve visual fidelity and multiple stability improvements to prevent crashes are just a few of the many issues from the extensive list of problems the patch is meant to correct. Guerrilla Games listed everything included in the massive patch on Reddit, and there is plenty to be excited about.
Horizon Forbidden West’s Update Provides Greater Challenges
For players who enjoy a greater level of challenge with their adventure, New Game+ and Ultra Hard difficulty mode are designed to provide exactly that. New Game+ is a feature that allows players to launch into a new game at a much higher level and with access to stronger armor and weapons from their last game. Doing this usually scales lesser enemies to become more challenging, and enemies that were previously more difficult to encounter are now even harder to face. Pair that with Ultra Hard mode, and Aloy will find herself having to use well-thought-out strategies if she wants to survive.
Of course, it isn’t required to use New Game+ and Ultra Hard mode together. Players launching into a fresh game can also choose Ultra Hard mode to up the ante right out of the gate. If players manage to succeed on this type of playthrough, imagine what would come from a future New Game+ launched from Ultra Hard mode. In addition, there are new trophies for players brave enough to challenge the Slaughterspine with New Game+ in Ultra Hard mode. There are also new rewards in New Game+, including weapons, dyes and face paints for Aloy.
Skill Tree Respec and Aloy Customizations Now Available
Skill trees can sometimes be frustrating, especially when playing a game for the first time and getting to know the character and their potential abilities. Having a Skills reset option now allows players to take their points back for redistribution, which could change the way they play the game entirely. Maybe they discover through experience that they enjoy a different skill’s benefits more than one that they’d previously chosen, and they’d rather pour points into the preferred option. Now they can.
In addition to altering the skill tree, players can also customize Aloy’s outfits and cosmetics to their own preference. For those who like to experiment with in-game photos, a Film Grain update has been added as well. A new herbalist vendor selling animal parts has also been added.
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