Horizon Zero Dawn: The Frozen Wilds Ikrie’s Challenge Guide

Ikrie’s Challenge is a side activity in Horizon Zero Dawn: The Frozen Wilds that tests a player’s precision and resource management. Success requires careful preparation and a specific strategy for each of the four waves of machines.

Unlocking and Preparing for the Challenge

To access the challenge, players first needed to complete the side quest called “The Survivor.” After its completion, Ikrie appears at the Snowchants Hunting Ground, located in the northern area of The Cut map.

Before starting, certain skills were highly recommended. Concentration and Concentration+ allow the player to slow time while aiming, which is critical for hitting small machine weak points under pressure. The Double Shot and Triple Shot skills were also essential, as they let Aloy nock multiple arrows at once for a high-damage burst. To load multiple arrows, players held L2 to aim and pressed R1.

For armor, the Shield-Weaver outfit from the main game was the best option. Its energy shield absorbs damage and regenerates, effectively eliminating concerns about health management. For those without it, the next best choice was an outfit with high damage resistance. In that case, entering the challenge with a full medicinal pouch was crucial for survival.

Challenge Rules and Overview

Ikrie’s Challenge imposes strict limitations. Players are stripped of their usual gear and given a specific Banuk bow with a fixed, limited amount of ammunition: 5 Fire Arrows, 30 Hunter Arrows, and 25 Hardpoint Arrows. The inventory and crafting menus are inaccessible during the trial, meaning no new arrows could be crafted and no gear could be changed.

While potions were disabled, the medicinal pouch could still be used for healing by pressing up on the directional pad. The objective was to defeat ten machines in total. The challenge failed if Aloy was defeated or if she ran out of arrows before all machines were destroyed. Throughout the fight, Ikrie assists from a high perch, firing freeze bombs at machines to make them brittle and vulnerable to impact damage.

Wave-by-Wave Strategy

The key to victory is exploiting Ikrie’s freeze bombs and targeting machine weak points to conserve the finite arrow supply.

Wave 1: Four Scrappers

This wave features four agile Scrapper machines. The first step was to get the attention of one and lure it directly below Ikrie’s position, marked by a large Banuk painting on the ground. Players should select Hardpoint Arrows and use the Double Shot skill to load two arrows.

Once Ikrie fully froze a Scrapper—indicated by a thick white outline around the freeze icon on the machine—it was time to strike. Using Concentration to slow time, the target was the Radar unit on the Scrapper’s upper back. A direct hit with a Double Shot of Hardpoint Arrows would destroy the machine instantly. This process was repeated for the remaining three Scrappers. Patience was vital, as Scrappers are fast and difficult to hit. Efficiently clearing this wave required only eight Hardpoint Arrows.

Wave 2: Three Grazers

The second wave is the most straightforward. It consists of three Grazers. The strategy was to switch to Hunter Arrows and again use the Double Shot skill. After luring a Grazer beneath Ikrie, players waited for her to freeze it solid. The target was the large Blaze Canister on the machine’s back. A Double Shot to the canister would cause a massive explosion, destroying the Grazer immediately. Repeating this for all three machines completed the wave using only six Hunter Arrows.

Wave 3: Two Tramplers

This wave could quickly deplete ammunition if not handled correctly. It pits Aloy against two heavily armored Tramplers. Players needed to switch back to Hardpoint Arrows and use the Triple Shot skill to prepare three arrows. After luring a Trampler to Ikrie for a freeze, the next step required repositioning. The target is the Processing Unit located on the machine’s underbelly, which is difficult to hit from the front.

Once a clear shot was available from the side, players would enter Concentration and fire the three Hardpoint Arrows into the weak point. This was immediately followed by another single Hardpoint Arrow to the same spot. This four-arrow combination was enough to detonate the Processing Unit, engulfing the Trampler in fire that would drain its remaining health. This strategy was then repeated for the second Trampler. A successful run used only eight Hardpoint Arrows for this wave.

Wave 4: One Fire Bellowback

The final wave is a single, durable Fire Bellowback. The primary strategy was to use the remaining Hardpoint Arrows to target its most vulnerable components: the Gullet under its throat and the large Cargo Sac on its back. Destroying these parts inflicts massive damage and can cause the machine to ignite.

If Hardpoint Arrows ran out, players would switch to Hunter Arrows and Fire Arrows to finish the job. For those running critically low on ammunition, an environmental trap was available. Near Ikrie’s perch, a container of logs could be released by shooting a metal scrap. Luring the Bellowback underneath this trap and triggering it would deal a huge amount of damage.

Completing the Challenge

Successfully defeating all ten machines and completing Ikrie’s Challenge for the first time unlocked the bronze trophy “Won Ikrie’s Challenge” in The Frozen Wilds.