Like in any other game, it is essential for a player to level up their character, thus strengthening them, in order to play through the game with suitable difficulty. However, if one fails to do so, it could mean getting stuck at a particular stage or level. And since Horizon: Zero Dawn has multiple difficulties that could stagger or even halt a player's progress, this further bolsters the importance of levelling up the character.
Importance Of Levelling Up
According to PushSquare, levelling up is important, as gaining a level increases Aloy's stats including her health bar and would give a new skill point, that is necessary for the character to enhance any skill from the three skill branches.
Ways To Level Up Quickly
In an article by RPG Site, there are multiple opportunities that a player can take advantage of to gain experience. Players can either finish the main quest, hunt down creatures, finish minor side quests, clear corruption zones, clear bandit camps, reach the core of the Cauldron, or accomplish Hunting Ground Challenges.
Clearing bandit camps is an easy way to gain experience, as it doesn't have any risks nor does it have large monsters to eliminate. All the player needs to do is to think of a strategy to eliminate as much bandits as they can, to easily free prisoners that are in the middle of the camp. Also, when facing any human opponents, it is best to try and land headshots as it provides additional experience.
Another way to gain experience is for players to reach the core of the Cauldron. It is in this area that players would face off against a large creature, most of the time it's a Thunderjaw, in a confined space. Unlike Thunderjaw encounters in the open where players can circle around the creature, players need to quickly form a strategy to beat the creature while constantly dodging its attacks in the confined space. Another thing to remember, when facing a large creature, players can try to tear off the creature's armor to gain a lot more experience.
Lastly, accomplishing high-level side quests would provide a lot more experience than most activities. As players aren't sure where the side quests would take them, logically, hunting creatures as the player travels would provide a generous amount of experience. And if this practice is continued, this would in fact be the fastest way for a player to level up as it means a continuous flow of experience, with only moderate risks depending on the creature the player encounters.
