The world of Horizon Zero Dawn is brutal on Aloy. You have to fight your way through vicious machines, cruel people, and even dangerous environments (if you fall off a mountain, it's going to hurt). However, there are plenty of plants and resources around that you can mix together to make potions that will help make your journey that bit easier.
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By no means are potions capable of inflicting any sort of damage on a machine, but they can help protect you against damage from them. Knowing everything there is to know about the many types of potions in the game will definitely help you, especially if you find yourself in a bit of a mess.
What Are Potions?
Potions are consumable medicines that Aloy can take to give her perks. Some potions will have a permanent effect on Aloy once they have been taken but the effects of some are limited to a specific amount of time. There are potions that can help with Aloy's health and there are potions that can help defend her against certain elemental attacks.
You do not have access to all of the potions at the start of story mode. You will be a few quests in before you have access to every single one of them.
What Are The Potion Types?
The potions are split into two major categories. The maximum amount of each potion that you can carry is 12.
Health Potions
- Health Potion – This heals Aloy's health by 150 when it's taken.
- Full Health Potion – This completely restores Aloy's health when taken
- Health Boost Potion – This can be used to fully restore Aloy's health, heal her, or can even give her additional health beyond her current limit.
Elemental Potions (Known As Resist Potions)
- Resist Freeze Potion – This gives Aloy protection against any Freeze based attack for a short window of time.
- Antidote Potion – This gives Aloy protection against Corruption damage for a short window of time.
- Resist Shock Potion – This gives Aloy protection against Shock based attacks for a short time.
- Resist Fire Potion – This gives Aloy protection against Fire attacks for a short time.
There will be a shield symbol that appears under the health bar on the top left-hand side of your screen. The shield will show which element you are temporarily shielded from and the white line around the outside of the shield is your timer. When the white line disappears, so will the shield, and you will no longer be protected from that element. These are particularly useful against dangerous machines such as the Stormbird and when you need to defeat a Fireclaw.
Potion Breakdown
All the materials that you will need to craft the potions can be found by foraging for plants or by hunting animals.
Health Potions
| Potion Name | Materials Needed To Craft It | Effect Duration |
|---|---|---|
| Health Potion |
|
Permanent |
| Full Health Potion |
|
Permanent |
| Health Boost Potion |
|
Limited Time Boost |
Elemental Potions (Resist Potions)
| Potion Name | Materials Needed To Craft It | Effect Duration |
|---|---|---|
| Resist Freeze Potion |
|
Limited Time |
| Antidote |
|
Limited Time |
| Resist Shock Potion |
|
Limited Time |
| Resist Fire Potion |
|
Limited Time |
Once you've mastered how to use these potions, they can become a great asset in battle and can give you the edge against the most dangerous machines!
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