Taking on board some Lego Horizon Adventures tips before you head out into the brick-built world will help you to prepare, as there are lots of battles ahead with both machines and cultists while you try to understand the past and keep everyone safe from the influence of the sun-worshippers. There are some significant differences between this adventure and the other Lego games that came before it, so it pays to know how the new systems work before you leave the safety of Mother's Heart. To give yourself a head start, here are nine essential tips for Lego Horizon Adventures.
1. Destroy pots (and everything else) for studs
Studs are the currency used in Lego Horizon Adventures to purchase everything from upgrades to new outfits and building customizations, so you want to be hoovering them up wherever possible. Make sure you destroy all of the pots you see, as well as basically anything else that is breakable, and you'll have a steady stream of studs incoming. If you've currently got special arrows for your bow, then check that you've switched back to regular ones before you smash up the scenery so you don't waste them.
2. Always be on the lookout for hidden chests
There are plenty of chests to open in every level, which are another great source of studs to increase your total. A lot of these are hidden slightly off the main path, though they're not too hard to spot – especially if you regularly use your Focus ping as they'll glow bright blue. Watch out for any side paths or ledges with climbing grips on them, as they often lead to a chest just off the screen.
3. You can explore without taking damage
When you're searching around for hidden chests or other useful items, such as builds you can put back together for bonus studs, don't be afraid to go exploring towards the edges of the levels. While it is possible to fall off into they abyss below, you won't take damage or lose any studs for doing so, and will instead simply respawn back on solid ground again with no harm done.
4. Use Focus to identify machines' weakpoints and target them
When you come up against machines to fight, make sure you use your Focus scan to highlight their weakpoints, which will glow blue when revealed. You can then target them with your bow, and they will glow orange when aimed at, so you can hit them with a fully charged shot to deal an increased amount of damage. If you're struggling to hit these weakpoints, you can change the aiming option in the menu to make targeting them easier.
5. Often direct attacks are better than stealth
Hiding in long grass is a handy way to get the drop on enemies, letting you fully charge a bow shot and then pick your target from safety, but once it hits your cover will be blown and you'll need to move into different cover without being spotted if you want to hide again. This is particularly difficult when there are more than a couple of enemies to fight at once, so in those situations you should ditch the long grass in favor of direct attacks. Keep moving around the area while charging shots and firing them off, making sure to swing by a berry bush if your health starts dipping low, and you'll clear the enemies with relative ease.
6. Prioritize upgrades that boost your XP
There are various Lego Horizon Adventures upgrades you can purchase with studs by visiting the All-Mother Tree back in your village, and the choice for what to buy can feel a bit overwhelming as you start to unlock more options. However, you should prioritize upgrades that boost your XP over the others, as these will help you to level up faster and speed up your personal development. Make sure you max out Weak Sauce and Environmental Warrior as soon as possible, then turn your attention to Gadgeteer once it becomes available.
7. Keep requirements for Community Jobs in mind
Completing Community Jobs is an excellent way to earn additional Lego Horizon Adventures Gold Bricks, and you'll unlock plenty of these assignments as you progress through the story. It's worth regularly checking in at the community board in Mother's Heart to see what jobs you currently have active (they're automatically started when you reach the relevant Gold Bricks target) so you can bear their requirements in mind on your next quest. For example, with the 'Boom Times' job you need to defeat 15 machines with barrel explosions, so if you know you're working towards that then you can weaken machines with your bow, before throwing a barrel at them to finish them off with the explosion.
If you're having trouble with the first 'Every Meal's a Banquet' Community Job, then we have a guide on how to get the Lego Horizon Adventures Feasting Table.
8. Make things easier for yourself without cheating
Unlike many of the previous Lego games, there are no Lego Horizon Adventures cheats available here so you can't input any codes to give yourself a helping hand. However, there are some options in the pause menu that you can change make things a lot easier for yourself if needed. There are five different difficulty levels that you can move between at any time, and the obvious choice is to turn on the Player Invulnerability option so you can't take any incoming damage.
9. Playing with a friend gives you more abilities
If you use Lego Horizon Adventures co-op to team up with a friend, then you can have several different characters active at once and take advantage of their unique abilities. For example, Varl throws a piercing spear at enemies, while Teersa launches bombs at them for explosive damage. Having two of you also helps in combat, as you can distract enemies so they aren't all focused on one person. You can play together in couch or online co-op, but crossplay between different platforms isn't supported.
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