There’s a lot to keep in mind with combat in Horizon Forbidden West. One mechanic you’ll really need to take advantage of in order to maximize your attack power is elements. Elemental ammo creates a buildup of that element on an enemy, which eventually causes them to go into an elemental state. It’s a vital part of combat that can help turn the tides of a tricky battle.
When using elemental ammo, an icon representing the element will appear over an enemy and its meter will fill with each attack. This lets you keep track of how close you are to inflicting an elemental state. There are six different types of elemental ammo and each have their own effect. Below is a complete list of all elemental damage types.
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| Fire | Fire damage inflicts the Burning state and deals damage over time. |
| Shock | Shock damage inflicts the Shocked state and temporarily stuns enemies. |
| Frost | Frost damage inflicts the Brittle state and makes enemies vulnerable to Impact ammo. |
| Acid | Acid damage inflicts the Corroding state and deals damage over time to an enemy’s health and armor while decreasing the amount of damage their armor can block. |
| Purgewater | Purgewater damage inflicts the Drenched state and makes enemies susceptible to Frost and Shock buildup while also negating all elemental effects from their attacks. |
| Plasma | Plasma damage inflicts the Plastma Blast state and creates a time-delayed explosion that can be made stronger with Impact ammo. |
