Horizon Forbidden West, the sequel to the acclaimed Horizon Zero Dawn, is out now, and it offers more customization options for Aloy than ever before. Although the first game in the series provided many different armor types, players can now customize them, greatly increasing the number of possible looks for Aloy in Horizon Forbidden West. While to some people it may seem like a small improvement, the main character’s look in a video game can be a major enjoyability factor for many players, especially in immersive and longer-running genres such as RPGs.
For developers, designing a main character that will appeal to every gamer is likely near impossible, therefore it can be very helpful to provide the option to customize them according to personal preference. In this regard, Forbidden West has taken a step forward relative to its predecessor, allowing players to better immerse themselves in the fantastic world of Horizon by playing a protagonist that shares their preferred style.
Although Horizon Zero Dawn offered players many armor types, they were unable to customize the way those outfits looked. This could result in an awkward situation that may be familiar to many gamers, of having an armor with great stats but an unappealing appearance. With Horizon Forbidden West’s dye system, players can now change the color of their armor and give Aloy’s outfit their own personal touch.
To dye Aloy’s armor in Horizon Forbidden West, players will need to head to a major settlement in the game, such as Plainsong, Scalding Spear, The Bulwark, or Thornmarsh, and find a Dyer, aka, a dye merchant. Players can speak with Dyers to open a menu that will show the various outfits players might already have. Selecting one of the outfits will bring up the available dye jobs for that armor as well as the associated cost. New dye recipes can be acquired through collectibles such as Horizon's Signal Lenses, and by completing world events or various types of activities, such as earning full stripes at a hunting ground.
Armors have several possible dye options, but they are not universal, meaning that some outfits will provide more options than others. The cost will also vary according to the dye recipe players chose, as some will only cost shards, while others might require an additional investment in other materials. The average shard cost for most dye jobs is 25, but most will also require various plants that are usually associated with the dye color; such as Crimson Bloom for red or Pale Bloom for white. Players will most likely find the various types of plants in Horizon Forbidden West naturally while playing through the game, as they are spread across various biomes.
Horizon Forbidden West is available now on PlayStation 5 and PlayStation 4.
