How to Defeat Specter Prime in Horizon Forbidden West
You did it. You braved the dangerous terrain in Horizon Forbidden West and earned the respect of your fellow team members, winning their hearts and minds while you were at it. You uncovered the truth behind Far Zenith and their respective identities. You even brought Tilda, one of their own, over to your side. Even Sylens fights with you for now.
All that remains is to assault the Zenith stronghold and foil its plans. The final chapter of the main story does come with its share of twists and turns, though.
Titled Singularity, this mission brings the conflict with Far Zenith to a fitting end, with some very memorable story beats thrown in.
Why Specter Prime Is So Difficult to Defeat
It turns out Tilda has her own agenda for the Earth. Aloy disagrees. Enter Specter Prime, the most dangerous machine Aloy has ever faced. It is durable, it can fly without wings, and it comes with some serious firepower.
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Its long arms have blades for astounding reach, with both sweeping attacks at medium range and devastating slam attacks at close range. The very thrusters that let it fly can be used to set the ground on fire, limiting your options in the fight. Oh, it can also regenerate parts that you remove with its nanotechnology.
It also comes with a lot of long-range capabilities. Like its counterparts, the Specters, the boss comes with pulse cannons, while the tips of its melee blades fire lasers along with rocket launchers on its back.
While all of this can make Specter Prime seem nearly impossible to dent, let alone defeat, we beg to differ.
How to Defeat Specter Prime in Horizon Forbidden West
Like any machine in the game, the Specter Prime comes with weaknesses Aloy can and must exploit. First and foremost, taking advantage of its elemental weaknesses is paramount to damaging its nearly impenetrable armor. Acid and plasma damage work very well here and can open up further opportunities to cause damage and remove its weapons as the fight wears on.
Remember to stay mobile as much as possible, moving to create enough distance from the boss to safely launch counterattacks against it. The machine’s size is no indicator of its speed, as you quickly find it chasing you down with ease and placing you at a disadvantage.
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With enough damage, Aloy can then focus on removing specific parts to further improve elemental damage and also turn the odds in her favor. As always, being aware of weak points in the enemy works very well in the heat of battle. Use your Focus when you get the opportunity to do so and the Highlight Weak Points option to make things a little easier.
There is a Plasma Unit on its head that you can knock off to give it the Plasma Blast Status. Its Missile Launchers and Pulse can both be taken out, seriously limiting its long-range capability and giving Aloy more opportunities to attack.
From here, it can be a good idea to go for its Shock Unit next, giving it the Shock Status. It can also be a good idea to target its Regeneration Unit to prevent this enemy from regaining the upper hand in the fight.
Finally, go for the Launcher Thrusters and Launcher Primes to completely negate its deadliest attacks. It’s smooth sailing from here, and this deadly machine should go down with little trouble, allowing you to witness the end of the game and perhaps dive into the Burning Shores DLC next.
