There will be many tough machines to fight for Aloy, so you should know how to heal in Horizon Forbidden West. There are multiple ways to solve your weakened state, so let’s dive into them.
Forage for healing items
The easiest way to heal is by collecting flowers and other medicinal goodies in the open world. This can be done quickly by pressing up on the D-Pad.
If you’re in dire need of a healing item, press the right stick down to get a scan of the area. The game will then show you nearby resources you can grab, including the flowers you need to get Aloy back to fighting shape. When you begin your journey in Horizon Forbidden West, you will have 10 medical herbs you can use in one instance. During boss fights like the Slitherfang, some treasure chests may include the healing resources you need.
In Horizon Forbidden West, the world is far more dangerous than you may remember from Zero Dawn, so make sure you stock up as much as possible.
Potions, potions, potions
Aloy can also craft potions, but this requires more of your time. To make potions, go to any workbench in the game and select “Potion Crafting.” From there, you can make small health potions from two medicinal berries and one wild meat each. They’re both common resources you can find from hunting animals and foraging wild plants. Once you have the materials, craft a small health potion, so Aloy can stay longer in the battle.
To use a small health potion, select the item by pressing left or right on the D-Pad. Then, press down on the D-Pad to use it. A perk of the health potion over the foraged healing materials is that you can go over your typical health bar. In other words, your potion can escalate your health points even higher than the standard green bar.
At the start of the game, you can only have three potions in your possession, but you can improve your potion pouch for more. You’ll need to find Metal Shards and two Squirrel Hides to get the first upgrade to five at a time.
