Horizon Forbidden West players are noting all the Burning Shores quality-of-life changes Guerrilla isn't

Horizon Forbidden West
(Image credit: Sony)

Horizon Forbidden West fans think Guerrilla has quietly incorporated several quality-of-life features into the base game with the release of the Burning Shores DLC.

As one fan explains on Reddit, they've noticed some subtle changes to Horizon Forbidden West since the Burning Shores DLC was released last week. According to this player, they've seen changes in several areas of the game, including its NPCs, visuals, gameplay, animation, and more. 

One of the most noticeable changes comes down to the inhabitants of Horizon Forbidden West's world. According to this player, many of the game's locations are a lot livelier than before -  the main settlements apparently feature more children running around and other NPCs can be seen idly interacting with each other a lot more noticeably than they were pre-DLC.

Another highlight from the list is just how much better-looking Horizon Forbidden West is. This player has said they've noticed a number of visual improvements in the game, with several objects looking more detailed than they did before. More specifically, this player has noticed that the food that the Tenakth eat, the seafloor, sand particles, as well as other weather effects all look clearer. Speaking of the weather, this player also believes that Aloy reacts to the elements more than she did previously with new animations. 

There are also some potential gameplay improvements post-Burning Shores, as one player notes changes in things like enemy AI, Coils and Weaves drop rates, and more. As we said earlier, this isn't the only person to notice improvements in Horizon Forbidden West, other players have also been sharing what they've noticed including dialogue between NPCS, a new auto-pick option, plus many more. 

About to start exploring the Horizon DLC? Here's the full Horizon Forbidden West Burning Shores map to help you on your way. 

Hope Bellingham
News Writer

After studying Film Studies and Creative Writing at university, I was lucky enough to land a job as an intern at Player Two PR where I helped to release a number of indie titles. I then got even luckier when I became a Trainee News Writer at 12DOVE before being promoted to a fully-fledged News Writer after a year and a half of training.  My expertise lies in Animal Crossing: New Horizons, cozy indies, and The Last of Us, but especially in the Kingdom Hearts series. I'm also known to write about the odd Korean drama for the Entertainment team every now and then.  

Read more
Screenshots from Horizon Forbidden West running on PS5
Horizon Zero Dawn's multiplayer spinoff has big dreams, as Guerrilla confirms it's hoping to attract more than 1 million users
Monster Hunter Wilds lance wielder in Balahara armor
Putting beta feedback into action, Monster Hunter Wilds devs show off improved hitstop and reworked weapons that feel how you remember them
Horizon Forbidden West
PlayStation veteran Shuhei Yoshida says he's surprised by Horizon Forbidden West's success compared to Zero Dawn's own: "I was hoping that the sequel would do even better"
Helldivers 2 Escalation of Freedom
Helldivers 2's funniest feature was removed last year, but it's finally been reinstated – although it won't save you from certain doom anymore
Helldivers 2
After an eventful year, Helldivers 2 devs hope "it will be less of a bumpy road when it comes to release accuracy" - but Arrowhead is still "prepared to take risks"
Helldivers 2
Now that the Illuminate faction's arrived, Helldivers 2 is "finally the three-front battle of the galactic war" fans have been "waiting for"
Latest in Action
Jordan A. Mun looks at herself in a mirror in just a vest in Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet screenshot
5 years after starting development, Neil Druckmann says Naughty Dog's new game Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet is "still evolving and changing as we're making it"
Jordan A. Mun looks at herself in a mirror in just a vest in Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet screenshot
The Last of Us creator Neil Druckmann says Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet will also be about "being lonely," as if his zombie apocalypse wasn’t isolating enough: "I really want you to be lost"
A screenshot of Jordan drinking a soda during the reveal trailer for Intergalactic: The Hertic Prophet.
Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet is "a game about faith and religion," which Neil Druckmann jokes will surely get less hate than The Last of Us 2
Indiana Jones and the Great Circle Indy hanging onto a vine as in Raiders of the Lost Ark
Indiana Jones and the Great Circle PS5 release date reportedly set for April after ESRB leak
Death Stranding 2
Hideo Kojima says he'll "apologize beforehand" for Death Stranding 2 moments with Troy Baker's Higgs which are "so ridiculous" that "you'll probably throw the controller"
a titanium watch with grey and orange features on the arms and face
You can look like Solid Snake with this Death Stranding 2 watch, but it'll cost you over $1,500
Latest in News
Jordan A. Mun looks at herself in a mirror in just a vest in Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet screenshot
5 years after starting development, Neil Druckmann says Naughty Dog's new game Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet is "still evolving and changing as we're making it"
Silent Hill f
After 2 years of silence, the next mainline Silent Hill game is getting a dedicated stream this week with "the latest news"
Original Xbox console
Former Microsoft exec says the first Xbox was killed early in favor of 360 because it was "losing money left right and center," but luckily "we could afford to hemorrhage cash"
A Monster Hunter Wilds character holding binoculars.
Despite Monster Hunter Wilds suffering monstrous performance problems on PC, it still outsold the PS5 and Xbox Series X versions in the US
Jordan A. Mun looks at herself in a mirror in just a vest in Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet screenshot
The Last of Us creator Neil Druckmann says Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet will also be about "being lonely," as if his zombie apocalypse wasn’t isolating enough: "I really want you to be lost"
A screenshot of Jordan drinking a soda during the reveal trailer for Intergalactic: The Hertic Prophet.
Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet is "a game about faith and religion," which Neil Druckmann jokes will surely get less hate than The Last of Us 2