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Horizon Zero Dawn

Spurflints Hunting Grounds

By
Jarrod Garripoli
&
Nathan Garvin

The Spurflints Hunting Grounds are located in the southwest corner of the map, to the northeast of the Tallneck at Spearshafts. Also, if you know where Cauldron RHO is located, then you can simply follow the mountainside to the south, as you will run right into it. These trials focus on stealth, although you only need to utilize it for one of them. You will be dealing with Watchers, Stalkers and Shell-Walkers at this Hunting Ground, with the Stalkers being the most annoying. Luckily, it’s not too difficult locating them from the area with the keeper.

Watch Out Trial

Blazing Sun Full Sun Half Sun
2:00 3:00 20:00

You must kill four Watchers with a Silent Strike in order to pass this trial, which can be hard to do, as you need to be in stealth to initiate one. The two biggest problems with this trial are being silent and finding the four Watchers. Your two most important tools will be Nora Silent Hunter outfit (preferably Heavy and outfitted with Stealth mods) and Lure Call. Before you take a zipline down, use your Focus to find and try to tag the Watchers. There will be one to the north, one right below you, one near the Shell-Walkers to the northwest and the last one is west.

You can use your Focus by the keeper without starting the time (left). Keep to the tall grass to avoid getting seen by the machines (right).

Two should be relatively close and your tags should stick, but the other two will likely go out of range. If you know the locations of the two Stalkers, you can do your best to avoid them, especially if they have laid down any signal flares. Stick to the patches of tall grass as you move from spot to spot, as this makes it harder for you to be noticed and when a Watcher is in range, use Lure Call to bring them to you so you can deliver a Silent Strike.

Stalker Kill Trial

Blazing Sun Full Sun Half Sun
2:00 3:30 20:00

Of the three trials, this is probably the simplest, simply because you only need to kill the two Stalkers in the area. The easy part is that they both should be findable before taking a zipline down, with one being on a tree near the southernmost zipline. Forgo stealth and start by attacking that one, opting to use shock against it with that being its weakness. The hardest part about this trial stems from the fact that Stalkers can cloak, making them hard to see.

This is even more troublesome due to the fact that you won’t have just Stalkers attacking you, but also Watchers and Shell-Walkers. Thus, it might be a good idea to wear some armor that mitigates melee or shock (Shell-Walkers) damage, or have one armor dedicated to one stat and equip mods to cover the other. Ignore those and concentrate solely on the Stalkers, as they are your target, and pay attention if you get nailed by the Stalkers’ dart gun, as that should prove useful in locating them if they manage to stay cloaked.

Sleight of Crate Trial

Blazing Sun Full Sun Half Sun
1:05 1:30 20:00

This trial can be a gigantic pain, as you need to loot four crates that Shell-Walkers carry on their backs. Luckily, you don’t need to shoot off the four crates, as there are two spots in the area where there will already be a crate laying on the ground. So, that means you only need to shoot off two crates, which is easier said than done. Naturally, time is of the essence here, so you want to avoid wasting too much time sneaking around, but the Silent Hunter outfit will still be put to use to avoid drawing too much attention to yourself at the beginning.

Go for the crates on the Shell-Walkers’ backs (left) before looting the ones that are already on the ground (right).

Take the northernmost zipline to start to be put right in front (or close by) to some Shell-Walkers. Wait a second or two if their backs aren’t turned to you and pop off a shot to the joint holding the crate in place. With a strong enough arrow, you should knock it right off and as soon as it hits the ground, that’s your cue to run up and loot both that one and the one already on the ground. Time is probably limited, so as soon as you get two here, go south/southwest and do the same thing with the other Shell-Walkers, knowing that you likely won’t be able to go full stealth.

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Guide Information
  • Publisher
    Sony Interactive Entertainment
  • Platforms,
    PC, PS4
  • Genre
    Action RPG
  • Guide Release
    16 February 2017
  • Last Updated
    7 December 2020
  • Guide Author
    Nathan Garvin, Jarrod Garripoli

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Taking place one-thousand years in the future, colossal machines have overrun and dominated the land, forcing humans to regress to tribal societies who have to survive off the land. Where did these behemoths come from? With a love for technology, it is up to Aloy, an outcast of her Nora tribe, to uncover the mysteries of her world. Take to the open world to explore, fight the metal monstrosities and learn all about the wonderful world of Horizon: Zero Dawn.

Version 1.2

  • Basic mechanics, including exploring, gathering, fighting and crafting.
  • Completion of every single side mission and errand in the game.
  • Collectibles and locations section updated (Banuk Figures, Vantage Points, Bandit Camps etc).
  • A thorough walkthrough of the main story missions.
  • A complete walkthrough of every single side mission in the game.
  • Strategies on how to defeat each of the enemies.
  • A full trophy guide.
  • Full Frozen Wilds DLC guide.

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