In Horizon Zero Dawn, the player is expected to be fairly self-sufficient by gathering the resources and items they need from machines and crafting supplies. But every now and then, especially in the beginning, it can be in their best interest to trade with merchants.
Merchants are useful for saving the player some time, obtaining items that can’t be crafted or found in the wild, and for some useful quality of life upgrades. When starting out or if the player hasn’t given much thought to what the merchants offer then here’s why they should give them a second look.
Updated on February 28th, 2022 by Geoffrey Martin: Horizon Zero Dawn is chock full of items, goodies, and merchants. Given the extensive nature of the open world, Aloy is able to come across a cornucopia of items to store in her vast inventory. While many items can simply be found via scavenging and looting, many other items can only be purchased from various merchants throughout the world. This comprehensive list provides almost every category of item to purchase and has now been fleshed out to include two more specific, important categories to spend your cash on.
12 Ammunition
Aloy needs to constantly be prepared for any and all situations out in the world and apart from scavenging for ammo, she will need to purchase these supplies from merchants. There is a wide variety of ammo that Aloy can purchase and each merchant offers something slightly different so do keep that in mind.
The most important ammo items to prioritize will be arrows, ropecasters, bombs, and traps. Much of this depends on how you play, however, stocking up on each of these, as well as their myriad augmentations, is of vital importance. Fortunately, most of these ammo items don't cost too much. Ice and fire arrows, as examples, will obviously cost much more.
11 Ancient World Items
Do you consider yourself a collector when it comes to in-game items? Are you someone that likes to scour every nook and cranny of a game world in order to 100% a game? If you answered yes to these questions then you should be aware of Ancient World Items in Horizon Zero Dawn. Ancient World Items are collectible items that can be found through exploring, often with the use of a treasure map. However, you can purchase some of these items from merchants, along with the maps.
There are around two dozen Ancient World Items and include such things as Ancient Chimes, Ancient Rings, Slagshine Glass, and a Reflective Ancient Charm, just to name a handful of them. Some rare merchants will have these items but most of them will need to be discovered on your own. Simply purchase relevant treasure maps and get spelunking.
10 Shard Gambler's Box
Most players will overlook this item in the beginning and it'll become worthless later on. But it’s something to consider when you find yourself low on shards early in the game. A Shard Gambler’s Box costs 10 metal shards and can potentially reward you with anything from a single rock to 250 metal shards.
It’s gambling so obviously, so this isn't a consistent return. But fans have reported that the odds are good enough they typically get a little more than what's put in over the long run. Besides, 10 metal shards is essentially one machine killed or item sold so it isn't much of a loss. Just don’t sink too much into this for best results.
There are a large number of merchants that sell these boxes. Essentially any large community or settlement outside of the Embrace will have one of these merchants.
9 Resources
As the player learns the robot’s weaknesses and gets more efficient at fighting, they’ll find themselves swimming in a pool of resources they don’t know what to do with. But at times, if you aren’t feeling up to the grind, don’t want to face a particular beast, or just want to top of your stash then buying resources from merchants can be a great way to save time.
Players can find merchants that sell everything from Blaze to Chillwater allowing them to craft a variety of powerful ammunition. If you don’t feel like going toe to toe with a Snapmaw or can’t be bothered to kill a fox then just buy what you need.
Different merchants sell different resources and it seems to be based on locality. A go-to merchant for specific machine drops is the Machine Resources Merchant in Meridian. She carries everything from Snapmaw Lenses to Sawtooth Hearts.
8 Potions
Players will likely be purchasing potions from merchants at the beginning of the game when they're less equipped to fight the robots and the satchel can only hold a few in the first place. Even in the latter part of the game when potion drops can be ignored stocking up at merchants before travel now and then can be convenient.
It can get tedious tracking down the right plants in the wild to craft potions. If you have more metal shards than you know what to do with you might as well put them to use while you’re in town.
Potions can be purchased from just about every merchant in the region, though stronger potions are more likely outside the Embrace. The following can be purchased:
- Health
- Health Boost
- Full Health
- Resist Fire
- Resist Shock
- Resist Freeze
- Antidote
7 Modification Boxes
For 100 metal shards, the player can buy a Modification Box that has a randomized chance of containing useful coils to put in weapons and weaves for outfits. The player is guaranteed to get at least one common of each so it can be worth it when they have empty slots at the beginning of the game.
Later when the metal shard stash is larger the player will want to upgrade to Special Modification Boxes which cost 1,350 metal shards. It is guaranteed to drop at least a very rare coil and has a small chance of dropping an equally rare weave.
These can only be found on Merchants outside of the Embrace. Look for large communities or settlements, Meridian is the easiest.
6 Mystery Boxes
Bought exclusively from the Mystery Boxes Merchant in Meridian these are Treasure Boxes that can contain a number of useful items. Outlaw Light Boxes cost a Slagshine Glass, a human drop, and provide three to six shock, blast, and detonating blast traps.
Some boxes like the Mysterious Box can only be purchased once and others like the Hunter Boxes probably aren’t worth the Luminous Braiding in exchange for a chance at machine cores. But poke around and see if any are of benefit. Definitely get the one-time boxes as they’re always worth the cost.
5 Banuk Boxes
Banuk Boxes are similar to Mystery Boxes, but Banuk Boxes are absolutely worth it if the player can afford them. All boxes require Bluegleam to purchase which can be found on frozen machines and in ruins. Only 100 are available in a single game. Banuk boxes contain wires, a potential owl skin, and a potential lone sock. The more boxes you open, the more items you receive over time. There are also a variety of Banuk boxes that can be purchased from different merchants. For example, you can find a glacier box or a treasure box.
It's important to know that Bluegleam can’t be used for anything else so players should prioritize buying these boxes whenever they're found. Banuk Snowfall Boxes cost two Bluegleam but yield 500 metal shards, two Crystal Braiding, and two Luminous Braiding with every box. The Banuk Gambler’s Box is also a good one, albeit a bit risky, as it costs one Bluegleam and yields you 50 Shard Gambler’s Boxes. At worst it will give 50 metal shards and at most 12,500 metal shards.
These merchants can be found throughout the Cut. Keep in mind the best boxes are typically locked behind quests. Having some Bluegleam for Banuk Bows and Master outfits is worth the wait.
4 Maps
The absolute best thing to purchase for loot gathering and if the player wants to get into boxes are maps. These will give approximate locations for a variety of collectibles and resources that can be traded for a large number of boxes.
The Bluegleam map will help locate Bluegleam for the Banuk Box Merchants and only costs 250 metal shards, one badger bone, and one goatskin. The Metal Flower Map can help find Metal Flowers that are traded for treasure boxes and so on. Buy these whenever you find them as getting them sooner saves a lot of searching.
There are seven types of maps that can be purchased from different merchants:
- Ancient Vessels Map - Merchants outside the Embrace
- Animal Figurines Map - Merchants in the Cut
- Banuk Figurines Map - Merchants outside the Embrace
- Bluegleam Map - Merchants in the Cut
- Metal Flowers Map - Merchants outside the Embrace
- Pigments Map - Merchants in the Cut
- Vantages Map - Merchants outside the Embrace
3 Outfits
Unlike most other objects in the game outfits, with a few exceptions, can only be acquired through Merchants. There are a good number of outfits in the game and each has unique perks and benefits that make it worthwhile to carry a few for varying situations.
For example, a Nora Survivor outfit will provide resistances to elemental attacks. A Nora Protector outfit will give increased resistance to melee damage. The best outfits are expensive and well worth the time to save up and purchase.
Outfits can be purchased from a variety of merchants in the game. These merchants are separated into tiers based on the quality of the outfits they carry.
- Tier 1 Merchants - Starter outfits. Found in the Embrace.
- Tier 2 Merchants - Low-level outfits. Found in the Sacred Lands and the Cut.
- Tier 3 Merchants - Mid-level outfits. Found in Carja lands past the Daytower walls.
- Tier 4 Merchants - Best purchasable outfits. Found in Meridian and Sunfall.
2 Weapons
While outfits are certainly useful and required for survival, weapons are undoubtedly more important and once again are largely only acquired through Merchants. There are a lot of weapons that can be purchased and each are useful for certain fights or for certain playstyles.
Most resources will be reserved and go towards buying the best weapons to give more options and firepower. At the very least players will be visiting merchants to buy these tools of war.
Like outfits, weapons are obtained from various merchants. As the player progresses in the game they'll encounter merchants with access to better weapons.
- Tier 1 Merchants - Starter weapons. Found in the Embrace.
- Tier 2 Merchants - Low-level weapons. Found in the Sacred Lands and the Cut.
- Tier 3 Merchants - Mid-level weapons. Found in Carja lands past the Daytower walls.
- Tier 4 Merchants - Best purchasable weapons. Found in Meridian and Sunfall.
1 Golden Fast Travel Pack
Arguably the most useful thing that can be purchased from merchants is the Golden Fast Travel Pack. Prior to obtaining this item, the player must use Fast Travel Packs which are consumed every time and will chip away at wealth reserves. They also force the player to gather Rich Meat and Ridge Wood to purchase or Bony and Fatty Meat to craft, which can be a pain.
A Golden Fast Travel Pack costs 50 metal shards, one Fox Skin, and 10 Fatty Meat and will allow fast travel an unlimited number of times. After a dozen or so uses it’ll break even, and it saves a lot of time hunting animals for meat. Buy this as soon as possible.
These can be purchased from most merchants outside of the Embrace.