The Best Skills and Valor Surges in Horizon Forbidden West

The skills in Horizon Forbidden West have received a big buff compared to the first game. There are now six skill trees to choose from — Warrior, which focuses on melee combat and damage boosts; Trapper, which increases the effectiveness of food and traps; Hunter, specialising in ranged combat and bows; Survivor, which contains health upgrades; Infiltrator, which is all about stealth; and Machine Master, which helps you override machines. There are also extremely powerful abilities called Valor Surges that can turn the tide of a fight in your favour.

Investing in the skill tree that best suits your playstyle will let you use fun new abilities, but there are a few skills everyone should consider unlocking early in the game. Here are the best skills in Horizon Forbidden Dawn, including everything you need to know about Valor Surges.

The Best Skills in Horizon Forbidden West

It’s a good idea to unlock Potent Medicine from the Survivor skill tree early on, as this will let you regenerate more health from medicinal berries.

From the Hunter skill tree, Deep Concentration, Concentration+ and Concentration Regen are a powerful combination that lets you slow down time when you’re aiming with your bow.

Resonator Blast, from the Warrior skill tree, lets you build up an energy blast that you can detonate on an enemy to deal a large amount of damage. Pair this with Resonator Damage and Energized Duration to become even more lethal in melee combat.

Part Breaker in the Machine Master skill tree will make it easier to tear components off wild machines to craft or sell.

What Are Valour Surges in Horizon Forbidden West?

Valor Surges are extremely powerful and rare abilities that Aloy can use in combat. There are a number of Valor Surges in each skill tree, but you can only have one equipped at a time. You can, however, equip a new Valor Surge whenever you like. They’re automatically unlocked by learning the three skills connected to them, at which point you can invest more skill points to upgrade them.

Once you unlock your first Valor Surge, you’ll gain access to the Valor bar in the lower right corner of your HUD. You can activate your Valor Surge when the bar is full to gain the upper hand in a fight.

The Valor Surge you equip will depend on your playstyle, but Overshield is useful in pretty much every situation. It activates a rechargeable shield with 400 health at max level, and you can also upgrade it to deal Shock damage when it’s depleted.

Guerrilla Games has confirmed it’s possible to unlock every skill and Valor Surge at the maximum level, so even if you have to think carefully about the first skills you unlock, you can eventually use every trick at Aloy’s disposal.