Horizon Zero Dawn with@branlee87! | Blood on Stone. Kill the Rockbreaker.

Been really hooked on Horizon Zero Dawn of late. Keep getting distracted from completing the main storyline by all these side quests that in the past in previous other games have often been one of the main reasons why I got burned out playing the game in the first place and end up quitting altogether.

In this gameplay video, I face the Rockbreaker head on!

Prior to this, I had unknowingly accepted the quest thinking that it was just another simple investigation of missing people where it would probably be me wandering around an area and killing minor little machines in order to get to point B from point A. SO. VERY. MISTAKEN!

Walked right down into the middle of the quarry with very limited(next to none) healing and zero potions and got the shock of my life as I first laid eyes on the incredibly massive amount of metal attached together to form what the game refers to as the Rockbreaker.

The first death was somewhat expected as I was taken by surprise and had no strategy in mind to deal with it. The next few deaths after though were fairly frustrating. I had to eventually give up the challenge for the moment realizing that I was not properly equipped nor prepared to best the metal beast. As they say, "He who fights and runs away, lives to fight another day."

Montage after non-existent leveling montage and hours upon hours later, I finally returned to settle the score. New in-game skills acquired, better equipment bought, healing items for survival all maxed out, I was determined to to put this over-sized metal grinding worm monster back where he came from - The Ground.

Despite being prepared and better equipped in and out of the game, the Rockbreaker still proved a difficult challenge. However, the damage done to my character was greatly reduced whereas the amount that I was dealing him was much more significant compared to in our previous encounter. But if I were to take pride in defeating him, it would be by doing it efficiently. Taking less or no damage while inflicting it upon him.

As you can see in this video, it is only towards the later part of the battle that I sort of finally understand his patterns and movements. When to shoot, when to evade roll. Although this is only a game, it gives me much more appreciation towards combat sports fighters the likes of Dominick Cruz, Jon Jones, and Anderson Silva who are known for figuring out and exploiting their opponents habits , tendencies, and weaknesses.

Or perhaps I just really suck in this game and will have to depend on overleveling to beat the toughest of monsters :P

Either way, I'm having a blast doing so :)