Horizon Forbidden West: Valor Surges Explained

Guerrilla Games' highly anticipated sequel "Horizon Forbidden West" is finally out and players are getting to explore the robot dinosaur filled world. Players get to venture out once again as Aloy, travelling to the dangerous West. Critics have been praising the game for taking the elements that worked well in the first game — combat, crafting, exploring — and improving upon those systems. "Horizon Forbidden West" also brings along a ton of new features, including special abilities called Valor Surges, which will play an important part in the game's combat.

Players are already discovering some of the most important elements of the game, including utilizing fast travel to move through the vast dystopian world and activating climbing markers for easier traversal. After you've mastered getting around, it's time to learn about some of the best abilities the game has to offer. Here is everything you need to know about Valor Surges and the buffs they can offer.

Valor Surges in "Horizon Forbidden West" are powerful ultimate abilities that Aloy can use in the heat of battle. According to GameSpot and IGN, they can be activated once Aloy has filled the Valor Meter, which builds up over time and is boosted when Aloy completes activities such as killing machines and gathering resources. These special abilities are unlocked in the "Horizon Forbidden West" skill tree, although they cost a ton of skill points.

There are 12 Valor Surges in "Horizon Forbidden West," with each one having three upgrades. These are then broken up into the six skill tree sections, with each section getting two Valor Surges. In the case of Warrior Valor Surges, Critical Boost increases both critical hit chance and damage, while Melee Might increases the amount of damage done by melee attacks. For Hunter Surges, Ranged Master and Power Shots boost the strength of ranged weapons. Machine Master Surges are great for confronting robots, as Part Breaker makes Aloy hit harder at weak spots on mechs and Chain Burst strikes damage on multiple enemies at once. 

Not all abilities are strictly about boosting attack power. When it comes to Trapper Surges, Elemental Fury increases your resistance to elemental attacks, while Trap Specialist strengthens trap efficiency. Infiltrator Surges offer Stealth Stalker, which turns Aloy temporarily invisible, and Radial Blast, which hits all enemies nearby. Survivor Valor Surges will help with keeping Aloy as unscathed as possible, with Toughened regenerating her hit points and Overshield granting some extra protection from enemies. 

Only one of these Valor Surges can be equipped at a time. Once you have unlocked a few, its best to think about which one best fits your current mission or activity.