How to quickly beat a Stormbird

There is nothing more terrifying than hearing a giant mechanized vulture zero in on your location from the sky while all you can do is dodge out of the way. Stormbirds in Horizon Zero Dawn are fearsome machines that have a high health pool and erratic flight patterns, making them very difficult to take down.

Sneaking past them is also almost impossible, as they can spot Aloy very easily. So if push comes to shove and you need to take down a Stormbird, here's a quick guide on the complete strategy for it.

How to beat a Stormbird in Horizon Zero Dawn fast

Players can encounter the Stormbirds by fast traveling to their sites after entering Sundom region of Horizon Zero Dawn. Players will find them flying around in a circular pattern when idle until they spot Aloy. Stormbirds use a combination of lightning and melee attacks that can be difficult to avoid. But once you know exactly what to do, taking down Stormbirds can be easier

There are several Stormbird locations in Horizon Zero Dawn. You can override the Tallnecks to remove the fog of war from the map and reveal them.

Best weapons to use against Stormbirds

The Stormbird is a highly mobile machine and damaging it is no easy feat. The best weapons to use against it are Carja Sling, Shadow Sharpshot Bow and Lodge Ropecaster.

• Carja Sling is good because it can launch Freeze Bombs at the Stormbird. Putting the machine under the freeze status effect will increase the damage that players deal with the machine.
• The Ropecaster will help players ground the Stormbird as it is difficult to damage while in the air.

Once players gain control over the Stormbird's movements, they can damage its weak points by shooting precision arrows with the Shadow Sharpshot Bow.

Use Focus to identify Stormbird's weak points

The first thing you should do before engaging a Stormbird is to use Focus to identify its weak points. This allows you to devise a plan before the machine starts raining down spheres of lightning at you. You'll see several glowing weak spots under the Stormbird's wing, which are its jet propulsion vents. Another major weak point you will notice is chest area of ​​the machine. This is the best area to target first.

Aim for the center of the Stormbird's Chest

One of Stormbird's primary attacks is charging up lightning balls and shooting them at Aloy. It charges this attack in the middle of the chest, which is the first weak point you should focus on.

Use your Hunter Reflex or Concentration skills to slow down time and hit Stormbird's chest weak point. The chest has two parts: the chest protector and the base. You can either hit the circular area on the chest directly with precision arrows, or remove the chest armor first with Tear arrows. Either way, it's the easiest weak point to target on a Stormbird, and enough damage should knock it out of the sky.

Ignite the Blaze canisters on its sides

Once the Stormbird is knocked out, run to the back and use the fire arrows to shoot the two Blaze containers (green liquid) on the back. Shooting a fire arrow in their general direction won't work, as you need to hear a “clacking” sound from the glass being hit by an arrow. If you don't make it in time and the storm bird recovers from its roar and is about to fly away, use the Lodge Ropecaster to secure it to the ground. After launching 3-4 ropes at the machine, it should be tethered to the ground, giving players plenty of time to target these pods.

After successfully shooting the Blaze Canisters on the back it will cause two great fiery explosions which you need to stay away from. This will severely damage the Stormbird.

Keep targeting weak points until the Stormbird is down

After destroying the Blaze canisters and damaging the Stormbird's health pool to 50%, just target its weak points until the machine is destroyed. Be sure to launch 3-4 Freeze Bombs with Carja Sling at the mechanical creature to apply a Freeze status effect to deal additional damage. Here are some of the best weak points to target in this phase:

• Destroy the shielding on its side to reveal a blue can that you can destroy.
• Jet propulsion flaps under each of its wings.
• Stormbird's red glowing eyes.
• The exposed chest piece.

After taking enough damage, the Stormbird will be destroyed, allowing players to rescue the prey.

Rewards for taking down a Stormbird

Players will be able to loot epic weapon mods, Stormbird parts and other essential resources from the machine. The specific loot that players will receive is randomized based on their RNG. However, general loot items you will salvage from the Stormbird i Horizon Zero Dawn include:

• Metal shards
• Epic Weapon Mods (Coils)
• Stormbird's Heart
• Stormbird lens
• Machine Core – Large
• Crystal braiding
• Common components (Blaze, Chillwater, Echo Shell, etc.)

Video walkthrough of how to defeat a Stormbird