Get Ready to Find the Best Armor for Your First Playthrough of Horizon: Zero Dawn

The first time you play through Horizon: Zero Dawn, it can be overwhelming just trying to keep Aloy alive as you make your way through the world.  With terrifying enemies around every corner, you’ll definitely want to equip yourself with the best gear you can. Unfortunately, the best armors are unobtainable until late in the game, and can be pretty difficult to come by, so it’s likely you won’t be able to benefit from these until your second playthrough. As such, you’ll want to do what you can to get the best possible gear for the current level you’re at to ensure you’re protected against the fiercest foes. For those who only plan on playing once, or who want to be well equipped for their first go, these five outfit choices will be sure to give Aloy adequate protection against all forms of damage, without too much effort on your part to obtain them.

5.Oseram Sparkworker

Oseram Sparkworker Armor

A great set of armor obtainable around the middle of your first playthrough, the Oseram Sparkworker armor is a great outfit that gives Aloy protection against shock damage. Whether fighting off terrifying stormbirds or boxy shell walkers, this armor could be just what is needed to get Aloy out of a pinch. It comes in light, medium, and heavy variants, and the best option available should always be used. 

Why It’s Great:

• The Oseram Sparkworker armor provides high resistance to shock damage, and is easy to obtain once accessible

How to Get?

• The Oseram Sparkworker outfits can be purchased from merchants throughout the world (after reaching Daytower) with the following specifications: 
• Light: x50 Metal Shards and x1 Slagshine Glass
• Medium: x230 Metal Shards and x1 Lancehorn Lens
• Heavy: x800 Metal Shards and x2 Luminous Braiding

5.Oseram Arrow Breaker

Oseram Arrow Breaker Armor

Another great set of Oseram wear, the Arrow Breaker armor is hard leather armor studded with leather and imbedded with arrowheads from past attacks.  It provides base protection against ranged attacks, and can give Aloy an extra leg up against the most well fortified bandit camps and enemy locations.  

Why It’s Great:

• The Oseram Arrow Breaker armor provides good protection against projectiles, and is easy to obtain early on in the game.

How to Get?

The Oseram Arrow Breaker outfits can be purchased from merchants throughout the world (after reaching Daytower) with the following specifications: 

• Light: x70 Metal Shards and x2 Desert Glass
• Medium: x280 Metal Shards and x1 Ravager Lens
• Heavy: x1100 Metal Shards and x1 Crystal Braiding

3. Nora Silent Hunter

Nora Silent Hunter Armor

All of the Nora gear is available early on in the game, and as such our top three spots feature the best of the available Nora outfits. Coming in third, the Nora Silent Hunter outfit has a light, medium, heavy and master variant available for purchase throughout the world (though the master version is only available through the Frozen Wilds DLC).  As with all other purchasable armor, the best available option should be chosen; but rather than stacking up on damage resistance coils, all available modification slots should be filled with stealth coils.  With the right combination of coils, this outfit can camouflage Aloy so much that she can run straight through a herd of grazers with barely a glance in her direction.  The extreme camouflage and noise reduction provided by the Nora Silent Hunter outfits will give you a little extra help in infiltrating the most heavily guarded bases without so much as a glance in your direction. 

Why It’s Great:

• This armor allows you to move past enemies or infiltrate bases with minimal detection if you like a stealthy approach.

How to Get?

The Nora Silent Hunter outfits can be purchased from merchants throughout the world with the following specifications: 

• Light: x50 Metal Shards and x3 Blaze
• Medium: x200 Metal Shards and x2 Watcher lenses
• Heavy: x800 Metal Shards and x1 Bellowback Heart
• Master: x18 Bluegleam

2.Nora Protector 

Nora Protector Armor

The Nora Protector armor, which comes in light, medium, and heavy variants, is another great set of armor to keep Aloy protected during early gameplay.  This armor provides base protection against melee attacks, and modification slots which allow for the addition of weaves that can increase protection against all damage types. While it’s not the most powerful armor in the game, it will definitely help protect you against even the strongest machines, and get you through your first playthrough in one piece.

Why It’s Great:

• The Nora Protector armor provides good protection against melee attacks, and is easy to obtain early on in the game.

How to Get?

The Nara Protector outfits can be purchased from merchants throughout the world with the following specifications: 

• Light: x65 Metal Shards and x5 Sparker
• Medium: x190 Metal Shards and x1 Grazer Lens
• Heavy: x1000 Metal Shards and x1 Shell-Walker Heart

1. Nora Survivor

Nora Survivor Armor

The most well-rounded armor for early gameplay, Nora Survivor armor provides Aloy with protection against all four types of elemental damage.  This protection can be very beneficial when fighting off machines that use elemental attacks such as Glinthawks or Bellowbacks, and can be the difference between survival and death in intense confrontations.

Why It’s Great:

• Protects against Fire, Shock, Freeze, and Corruption damage simultaneously.

How to Get?

The Nora Survivor outfits can be purchased from merchants throughout the world with the following specifications: 

• Light: x45 Metal Shards and x5 Wire 
• Medium: x185 Metal Shards and x1 Broadhead Lens
• Heavy: x900 Metal Shards, x2 Watcher Hearts, and x40 Blaze

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