This page contains everything you need to know to beat the Chainscrape Melee Pit in Horizon Forbidden West.

Where to Find the Chainscrape Melee Pit¶

Once you enter Chainscrape close to the beginning of the story, the Melee Pit will be marked on the map. It’s in the north of the settlement on the lower level, so head to the top and down the stairs to find Odurg.

He’ll tell you all about the Melee Pits, and that your objective is to defeat the first four before facing the Enduring Master of the West. That’ll come much later in the game. For now, you can concentrate on getting through the first one.

Requirements for the Chainscrape Melee Pit¶

There are a couple of requirements for the Chainscrape Melee Pit. Although there’s no level requirement, you must have unlocked the Resonator Blast and Block Breaker skills on the Warrior Tree.

These cost one Skill Point each, and are very obtainable at this point in the game.

How to Complete the Chainscrape Melee Pit¶

When you agree to enter the Melee Pit, you’ll be faced with three options: Tutorials, Challenges, and Practice.

First, you’ll want to get a feel for the pit, so don’t go straight for the challenges.

Tutorials¶

Only three tutorials are unlocked for you at the moment. They are Light Attacks, Heavy Attacks, and Power Attacks.

You should already be vaguely familiar with these from the tutorial. These are the controls:

• To use a Light Attack, tap R1 ; these are quick, but do less damage
• To use a Heavy Attack, tap R2 ; these do more damage but are slower
• To use a Power Attack, hold R2 ; these take a few seconds and leave you vulnerable, but do the most damage

Practice¶

Practice lets you try out your skills against some opponents with no stakes. This is a good option between the tutorial and the actual challenge to ensure you have the hang of it.

How to Complete the Challenges¶

Once you’re confident, go ahead and take on the challenges.

There are three in total, though only two are unlocked initially.

Block Breaker Challenge¶

The first is the Block Breaker Challenge. You’ll be expected to use the combination of R1-R1-R2 to defeat your opponent with a one-minute time limit, so make sure you act fast.

Once you use this combination, your opponent will be knocked off their feet and will be more vulnerable to attacks.

Blast Resonator Challenge¶

The second is the Blast Resonator Challenge. This time, you have one minute and twenty seconds to defeat your opponent.

For this challenge, you’ll have to use a combination of R1 and R2 attacks until your spear is fully energized. When this happens, you’ll be able to use a Power Up Attack (holding R2 ) to knock your opponent. A piece of their armor will glow purple, meaning you have the chance to knock it off by shooting an arrow. This is what triggers the Resonator Blast.

Pit Master Challenge¶

The final challenge will now be unlocked, which is the Pit Master Challenge.

You can use a range of attacks to take down the Pit Master. Although you’re given two minutes, it often doesn’t take this long, especially if you’re playing on Story or Easy mode. Keep hitting, dodge when it looks like he’s going to strike back, and you’re done.

As this challenge didn’t require a level hire than the first one, it’s not surprising he’s easy to defeat.

Reward for the Chainscrape Melee Pit¶

The reward for defeating the Pit Master here is a Pristine Skull. You can sell this or trade it for rare animal parts from hunters.