The Fastest Way to Hunt Rats in Horizon Zero Dawn

Hunting the various machines of Horizon Zero Dawn is a core part of the experience, but tracking the world’s smaller, more elusive wildlife can be a unique challenge. Among these creatures, the common rat is surprisingly difficult to find and hunt effectively. Players may go through the entire story without ever needing to, but for those looking to upgrade their equipment, farming rat materials becomes a necessity. Rat Skin and Rat Bone are crucial early-game components for expanding Aloy’s carrying capacity, allowing her to hold more potions, traps, and ammunition.

Without a reliable hunting spot, gathering these resources can be a frustrating exercise in patience. Rats are tiny, fast, and blend easily into the environment, making them nearly impossible to spot from a distance or hit with an arrow. Fortunately, there is one location where they gather in predictable numbers, turning a difficult task into a simple, repeatable farming loop.

The Ideal Rat Hunting Ground

The single best location for hunting rats is one of the first areas players explore: the ruins where Aloy fell as a child. This underground complex is located south of the main road that runs between Mother’s Watch and Mother’s Cradle in the Nora Sacred Lands. Because this area is part of the game’s prologue, most players will have a general familiarity with its layout. To find it again, travel to the area between the two settlements and look for the distinct opening leading down into the earth.

Upon entering, you must navigate down to the lowest level of the ruins. Follow the same path Aloy took in her youth, descending through the metallic corridors and drops. Once you reach the bottom floor—a large, open chamber—the hunt can begin. This enclosed environment is key to the strategy’s success. Unlike the open world, where rats can scatter in any direction and disappear into dense foliage, here their movement is restricted, making them much easier to manage.

This specific location consistently spawns a pack of rats in a concentrated area. This predictability removes the guesswork and random searching often associated with hunting the game’s smaller animals. The ruins are also relatively safe, free from the dangerous machines that patrol the surrounding wilderness, allowing for an uninterrupted focus on the task.

A Step-by-Step Hunting and Farming Strategy

Once inside the main chamber of the ruins, the process for hunting and farming the rats is straightforward. The goal is to be as efficient as possible to minimize time spent and maximize the resources gathered. This method requires no special ammunition or advanced skills, making it accessible even in the early stages of the game.

1. Locate the Rats with Sound and Focus: When you land on the bottom floor, stand still for a moment and listen. You will hear distinct squeaking noises, which signal the rats are nearby. To pinpoint their exact locations, activate Aloy’s Focus by pressing the R3 button. The Focus will highlight the rats in the environment, making them visible even in the dim lighting of the ruins. Their small silhouettes will glow, distinguishing them from the surrounding debris.

2. Use the Right Weapon and Attack: While the bow is Aloy’s signature weapon, it is the worst possible choice for hunting rats. Their small size and erratic movements make them incredibly difficult to hit with an arrow, leading to wasted ammunition and frustration. Instead, the spear is the ideal tool. Approach a highlighted rat and use the heavy spear attack by pressing R2. This attack has a wide swing and a generous hitbox that often connects even if your aim isn’t perfect. It functions with a slight auto-lock when you are close enough, ensuring a high success rate. One heavy attack is enough to kill a rat instantly.

3. Loot and Clear the Area: After killing a rat, be sure to approach its body and loot it to collect the Rat Skin and Rat Bone. Systematically move through the chamber, using the Focus to find and eliminate every rat in the pack. Be thorough, as some may scurry into corners or behind objects.

4. Reset the Area for Farming: Once you have killed and looted all the rats, you can force them to respawn. To do this, you must leave the immediate area. The fastest way is to use a Fast Travel Pack. Open your map by pressing the touchpad, navigate to a nearby discovered campfire, and press R2 to travel. A campfire just outside the ruins is a perfect choice. If you do not have a Fast Travel Pack, you will need to climb back out of the ruins and run a significant distance away before returning. Once you travel back to the ruins and descend again, the pack of rats will have respawned, allowing you to repeat the entire process.

This loop can be repeated as many times as needed to acquire the necessary number of Rat Skins and Bones for all your crafting upgrades. For players planning to do a lot of farming, acquiring the Golden Fast Travel Pack from a merchant will allow for unlimited fast travel, making this process even more efficient.

Crafting Upgrades Requiring Rat Parts

The primary reason to hunt rats is to craft upgrades for Aloy’s various pouches and quivers, increasing her carrying capacity. These upgrades are vital for taking on more challenging encounters, as they allow you to carry more healing potions and ammunition. Several early-tier upgrades require either Rat Skin or Rat Bone.

Upgrades requiring Rat Skin:

• Hunter Bow Quiver 2: Increases Hunter Arrow capacity.
• Ropecaster Ammo Pouch 2: Increases Ropecaster canister capacity.
• Tripcaster Ammo Pouch 2: Increases Tripcaster wire capacity.

Upgrades requiring Rat Bone:

• Potions Pouch 2: Increases the number of health potions you can carry.
• Traps Pouch 2: Increases the number of traps you can carry.

Securing these upgrades early on provides a significant advantage. By using the targeted hunting method in the prologue ruins, you can quickly gather all the necessary materials in a single session, preparing Aloy for the greater challenges that lie ahead in the world.