In the Horizon Series, Aloy is known for her skill with a bow and arrow. Between Horizon Zero Dawn and Horizon Forbidden West, you can work with multiple types of bows to find what works for you.

But you also get to work with weapons that are not a bow and arrows. As I’m in my second playthrough of Horizon Zero Dawn, I’ve started looking at those and found a surprising favorite.

My first time through, I completely overlooked this weapon – in fact, at my earliest opportunity shoved it into my inventory, never to be touched again. When I played Horizon Forbidden West, it received similar treatment.

I don’t know what caused me to give this weapon another try, but even with as little of the game that I’ve replayed, I’ve used it more than I used it in either playthrough combined.

At the beginning of the game, Rost tells Aloy to go and get supplies for fire arrows. Aloy mentions she will also get a tripcaster from someone willing to trade with outcasts.

This time, I gave it a fair go. When I approached that first Sawtooth, I stayed hidden in the grass and let it do a full circle. Then, I set my wire. And a backup one because I thought I’d done the first wrong.

It hit the wire, shocking it long enough for me to knock out a good chunk of its health. That made the rest of the fight significantly more manageable than my first time.

Last time, I stayed within the bare beginning stage Tripcaster. I’ve already upgraded and started experimenting with different wires in this playthrough.

I wish I’d known the potential the Tripcaster presents sooner. As someone admittedly clumsy and slow at combat, setting these as traps has become a game-changer in my play style.

Last time, I was terrified of Sawtooths, but now I know how to manage them. I can defeat them with explosive wires before they even get to me. That was the actual win.

Unfortunately, they don’t work great on Stormbirds – so I’ll have to find an alternative.