Horizon Forbidden West Valor Surges Explained

Horizon Forbidden West Valor Surges are a brand new mechanic in the game that we didn't see in her last adventure through Zero Dawn. As expected, Horizon Forbidden West expands Aloy's abilities with new items and abilities, one of which comes in the form of Valor Surges. Here is everything you need to know about Horizon Forbidden West Valor Surges.
- Horizon Forbidden West features many new and returning machines. To learn more, check out our guide on all the Horizon Forbidden West enemies.
Horizon Forbidden West Valor Surges Explained

In essence, Valor Surges are powerful attacks that Aloy can perform. According to the PlayStation Blog, they are unlocked through the skill tree and make use of the new Valor meter. This purple meter fills as players perform "skilful actions" such as hitting weak spots and tearing components off of machines.
Each Valor Surge has three tiers. The higher the tier used, the more Valor meter it takes and the longer it takes to charge, but higher tiers will have a stronger effect. Some Valor Surges will cause Aloy to do more damage, to perform special moves or generally increase the effectiveness of specific abilities.
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Horizon Forbidden West Valor Surges: Each Valor Surge

There are twelve different Valor Surges in Horizon Forbidden West. Here are the ones we have seen and what they do.
Chain Burst Valor Surge
Chain Burst makes any and all attacks that chain damage to others do even more damage. A great ability for dealing with groups of enemies.
Critical Boost Valor Surge
The Critical Boost is a two-fold buff. It increases your chances of getting a critical hit, while also increasing the damage a critical hit will do. This is a useful ability to take a big chunk of health off of a tough enemy.
Elemental Fury Valor Surge
Hitting enemies with elemental attacks will gradually build up an elemental effect; fire attacks will cause enemies to catch fire. Using the Elemental Fury Valor Surge makes elemental effects happen quicker and do damage for longer.
Melee Might Valor Surge
Melee Might is fairly straightforward, activate this Valor Surge and Aloy will do more damage with her spear.
Part Breaker Valor Surge
Par Breaker makes attacks on weak points and machine components do more damage. Very useful for strong machines with important parts you want to break quickly.
Powershots Valor Surge
Using the Powershots Valor Surge makes a number of your ranged attacks do more damage.
Radial Blast Valor Surge
Radial Blast is an area of effect attack, where Aloy will hit the ground and cause an electrical blast around her.
Ranged Master Valor Surge
Ranged Master is similar to Powershots, as it makes your shots more powerful. Not as powerful as Powershots, but using this Valor Surge heals you for each shot you land.
Stealth Stalker Valor Surge
Use Stealth Stalker to turn Aloy invisible. She will become extremely difficult to detect, unless you use a weapon.
Toughened Valor Surge
Toughened will give you a chunk of health, while also increasing your resistance to damage for a short period of time.
Trap Specialist Valor Surge
Using Trap Specialist makes all traps you place much more effective. They will do more damage and more easily knockdown an enemy.
That is everything we know about Horizon Forbidden West Valor Surges. For more on the game, why not check out our article on how the Horizon Forbidden West Slitherfang can spit venom and deafen Aloy.