How to defeat the Slitherfang in Horizon Forbidden West

The Slitherfang is one of the brand new machine enemies in Horizon Forbidden West, and the heavyweight snake is certainly a tough fight. However, players won't have much time to prepare for the serpent-based machine as Aloy will come across one within the very first mission of the game.

After the first encounter that Aloy has with a Slitherfang, players won't come across another one for some time, especially because they are meant to be difficult enemies. However, it can help to know how to take on the Slitherfang in the first mission and within any other encounters that players have later in Horizon Forbidden West.

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Defeating the Slitherfang in Horizon Forbidden West

Use elements and weak points to win (Image via Sony)

One of the best parts about fighting a massive machine like the Slitherfang in Horizon Forbidden West is the abundance of weakpoints. Most heavyweight machines in the game have all kinds of weakpoints on their parts that negate abilities when they are shot at and provide more opportunities for extensive damage multipliers. In return for all of those weakpoints, these machines are full of deadly power. That's where elemental damage also comes in.

Tips for defeating the Slitherfang:

• Three of the best elements against the serpent include fire, ice, and plasma damage.
• Earthgrinders are the most rare weakpoints that are located just under the head on the belly side of the machine.
• Destorying the tail and the sack in the middle will provide players with the biggest advantage.
• Breaking the tail off will give players access to a heavy weapon with shock damage, even in the initial fight.
• Use cover to stop the beam attacks from the serpent, and using initial traps can be great defensive options.

While the first fight against the massive snake can be tough, the machine is crippled compared to a normal encounter. Finding them will also only get more difficult as the game progresses.

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Where to find the serpent in Horizon Forbidden West

When players get far enough in the game, heavyweight machines like the machine snake will start to appear in the wild. Some places such as the deserts in the center of the map will be entirely clear of the serpents when players initially get there.

As players progress, unknown sites with markers will begin to appear in those deserts. This will remain true for other machines as well, so players should keep an eye out for heavyweight enemies around the map.