Horizon Forbidden West: Best Skills To Unlock First

In Horizon Forbidden West, investing skill points to unlock new abilities is essential for Aloy's survival. Players can choose from six different skill trees that each boost a specific aspect of Aloy's playstyle, from melee and ranged combat to stealth and machine overrides. With so many options to choose from, it can be difficult to pick the best starting skills to help Aloy find her feet in this dangerous new land.

One of the best starting tips for Horizon Forbidden West is to settle on your preferred playstyle early on. The game features six skill trees: Hunter (ranged weapons), Infiltrator (stealth), Machine Master (machine overrides), Survivor (potions and healing), Trapper (traps and food), and Warrior (spear combat). Each has useful skills, but avoid investing points into skills you won't use.

Horizon Forbidden West's Best Trapper Skills

Horizon Forbidden West’s trapper tree is one of the best (and often overlooked) skill trees in the game, giving players the best chance to survive.

The Best Skills To Get First In Horizon Forbidden West

Skill Trees With Skills Unlocked In Horizon Forbidden West At Player Level 63

These are the best skills to get first in Horizon Forbidden West. As you progress through the game, you can start to specialize and use your skill points on your favorite trees to unlock the best Machine Master abilities, Hunter abilities, or others. However, the following skills will give you the best possible start.

Skill	Skill Tree	Description
Resonator Blast	Warrior	Enemies struck with melee attacks build up charge. Once they're energized, Aloy can shoot a target on their body to detonate it, dealing heavy damage.
Nora Warrior and Block Breaker	Warrior	Melee combos that can knock down machines or break a human enemy's weapon guard. These are essential for melee combat and great for challenging early Melee Pits.
Critical Strike+	Warrior	Aloy can execute a Critical Strike on enemies that are stunned or knocked down. This boosts Critical Strike's damage, making it much easier to kill smaller early-game machines.
Concentration+, Concentration Regen, Deep Concentration	Hunter	These skills increase Concentration's length and recovery rate, and makes the Concentration meter deplete more slowly, making ranged attacks much more accurate. These are essential, as you will likely be using ranged weapons most of the time. Most of the best weapons in Horizon Forbidden West are ranged weapons.
Valor Surge Master	Hunter	This boosts the rate you gain Valor for Valor Surges: Aloy's most powerful special abilities. This is useful as it applies to all Valor Surges regardless of skill tree.
Potent Medicine	Survivor	This boosts healing and healing speed from medicinal berries. This remains useful for the whole game, allowing Aloy to heal more and heal faster.
Heavy Lifter	Machine Master	Allows Aloy to move faster when using heavy weapons. Heavy weapons are often an easy way to quickly deal lots of damage to tough machines, and this skill gives Aloy extra mobility when using them.

The Best Valor Surges To Get First In Horizon Forbidden West

Inspecting The Radial Blast Warrior Valor Surge In Horizon Forbidden West

Aloy's new Valor Surges are powerful special abilities. To unlock them, you must purchase all the skills surrounding them in the skill tree. However, you'll quickly be able to unlock a few, so it's best to prioritize the following:

Valor Surge	Skill Tree	Image: Click To Enlarge	Description
Part Breaker	Machine Master		Aloy deals additional Tear and weapon damage against machine components and weak spots. This is great for enemy takedowns and resource harvesting, making it easier to recover components for upgrades.
Overshield	Survivor		Activates a temporary energy shield that absorbs damage. This is great for getting some space in tough fights, making Aloy much tougher overall.

Many skills have value, so you should try and complete side quests, complete early Relic Ruins, override any Tallnecks you spot, and take on trials at the Hunting Grounds. This will give you plenty of skill points, allowing you to progress further through Horizon Forbidden West's skill trees.