The Stormslinger is a ranged weapon in Horizon Zero Dawn: The Frozen Wilds. It fires charged bolts which deal escalating damage in succession.
The Improved version has a larger ammo capacity and the ability to overcharge the weapon. When overcharging, the wielder will take shock damage, which becomes increasingly harmful with each overcharge level. Without sufficient shock protection, damage from overcharging can easily prove fatal.
Aloy first obtains the Stormslinger at the end of The Shaman's Path in a box offered by Ourea inside the Retreat. The Improved version can be gained by bringing a basic one to Varga, starting Geared Up: Stormslinger for which the Improved weapon is the reward. Both versions can be purchased at any Special Merchant in The Cut after they're obtained in the story.
Ammo[]
The Stormslinger can hold up to 60 bolts at a time. The Basic version can only shoot 5 times before reloading, while the Improved one can do 20 shots before needing to reload.
Stormslinger ammo deals explosive damage and thus ignores enemies' armor defenses, dealing the same damage most of the time. The Stormslinger does not deal double damage when machines are frozen or when impacting weak points in machines, like the Thunderjaw's Heart.
Given that the Improved Stormslinger can fire more charges, it is possible to deal the maximum damage (the fifth shot) by releasing the trigger and pressing it again before it de-charges. The best way to do this is to use Concentration to slow down time, providing enough reaction time to release and press the trigger. The player must be careful, given that the sixth to eighth shots deal more damage but also deal shock and standard damage to Aloy to the point that she can die if she does not have sufficient health. This damage can be mitigated by using the Shield-Weaver armor (only blocks the damage of one shot), Oseram Sparkworker armor, shock outfit weaves, or consuming Resist Shock Potions.
The numbered damage values of the different versions are displayed from left to right from easiest to hardest difficulty, with numbers in Bold representing Normal difficulty. Elemental damage is unchanged from Easy to Very Hard.
| Ammo Type | Variant | Damage
|
Elemental Severity 
|
|---|---|---|---|
| Storm Bolt | Banuk | 340-106-85-77-60-60 | 23-15-8 |
| Improved AdeptNG+ |
600-188-150-135-120-105 |
Modification slots by variant[]
| Variant | Mod Slots |
|---|---|
| Basic | 1 |
| Improved | 2 |
| AdeptNG+ | 3 |
Acquisition details[]
| Variant | Sources | Regular Cost | Ultra Hard Cost | Sell Value |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Basic | The Shaman's Path | N/A | N/A |  50
|
| Bluegleam Merchants | 825 1 Frostclaw Lens |
4,125 2 Frostclaw Lens | ||
| Improved | Varga | Stormbird Talon | Stormbird Talon | 100
|
| Bluegleam Merchants | 1,650 1 Scorcher Heart |
8,250 2 Scorcher Heart | ||
| AdeptNG+ | Varga | Stormbird Talon | Stormbird Talon | 100
|
| Bluegleam Merchants | 3,300 1 Scorcher Heart 5 Boar Skin |
16,500 2 Scorcher Heart 10 Boar Skin |
Trivia[]
- Like the other two Frozen Wilds exclusive weapons, the Icerail and Forgefire, the Stormslinger's original form is supposedly adapted for melee combat, as it also functions as the shaman Ourea's spear. Its upgraded version, however, is made completely to use Ranged attacks by Varga.
- The Improved version of the Stormslinger makes an appearance in Capcom's 2019 game expansion Monster Hunter World: Iceborne, as part of a collaboration with Horizon Zero Dawn: The Frozen Wilds. It is presented as a Light Bowgun with a special modification feature of being able to fire rapid shots with increasing firepower at the risk of the user's own health, reflecting its native game properties.
- Because the Stormslinger deals explosive damage, it is inadvisable to use this against enemies with explosive resistance, such as Fireclaws.
| Horizon Zero Dawn Weapons | |
|---|---|
| Ranged Weapons | Blast Sling - Forgefire - Hunter Bow - Icerail - Rattler - Ropecaster - Sharpshot Bow - Sling - Stormslinger - Tearblaster - War Bow |
| Melee Weapons | Spear - Sylens' Lance |
| Stealth Weapons | Traps - Tripcaster |
| Heavy Weapons | Deathbringer Gun - Disc Launcher - Firespitter - Firestriker - Mine Launcher - Oseram Cannon - Ravager Cannon |