Horizon Wiki
Register
Advertisement
RostHeadTransparent
"The lesson will be taught in due time, Aloy. Until then, we wait."
This article contains heavy spoilers. Read ahead with caution.

"A Strider. One of the weaker machines. But even a weak machine can kill a hunter -- if she is careless."
Rost, showing Aloy a Strider for the first time

The Strider is a machine in Horizon Zero Dawn. It is a small Acquisition Class machine, equine in appearance and behavior. A human equipped with the necessary technology can utilize a Strider as mounted transport.

History[]

Striders were designed by the AI GAIA as part of the terraforming process that was the first step in restoring life to the planet after its eradication by the Faro Plague. Originally Striders were docile, posing no threat to humans. However, humans began to hunt terraforming machines for parts and resources. Upon becoming sentient via the Extinction Signal, the subordinate function HEPHAESTUS altered their behavior from docility to increasing hostility.

A Strider was the first machine kill made by the Nora huntress Aloy as a child, under the guidance of her guardian Rost. As an adult, she discovered that ancient machines known as Corruptors possessed a component that allowed them to control any contemporary machine, in the sense that the machine fought alongside the Corruptor in battle. She was able to harness this component to override any specific herding terraforming unit such as a Strider, Broadhead or Charger. This made the unit docile toward her to the point of being able to ride it as transport. This skill was observed and copied by the wandering maverick researcher Sylens.

Appearance[]

About the size of a common draft horse, the chassis of a Strider is very equine in appearance, very closely resembling the body of a heavy-built draft horse. It stands on four equine legs with hooves and has powerful shoulders. The bulk of the chassis is composed of synthetic muscle, with white armor plating over the head, shoulders and legs. A vertical dual optical sensor array is on the tip of the snout.  Between the haunches is a Blaze canister. The Strider seems to share a nearly identical chassis design with the Broadhead and Charger, with its main difference being the head design.

Behavior[]

Striders are invariably found in herds grazing quietly, converting the grass they ingest into Blaze. For protection against threats such as hunters, they are accompanied by recon machines such as Watchers and Longlegs, or combat machines such as Sawtooths or Ravagers. Striders are quite skittish, fleeing at the sudden appearance of a human, at any sudden loud noise, or at the alert call of a Watcher. If a herd encounters a human alone, usually a single Strider will stay behind to fight while the rest of the herd flees.

Abilities[]

On encountering a perceived threat, Striders are capable of charging at high speed with head lowered to ram the enemy. Additionally, they employ a variety of kicks like the horses they resemble. However, if a Strider is overridden and used as a mount, these same kick attacks become weapons that can be employed by the rider against hostile machines or humans.

Compared to its sister machines, the Broadhead and Charger, the Strider is the weakest of the three in both health and offensive capabilities.

Attacks[]

Attack Name Damage Type Primary Damage Trigger Range Description
Charge Melee 85 15m - 50m A high-speed charge, ramming the enemy
Double Strike Melee 70 0m - 7m A forward twin front leg kick
Hind Leg Strike Melee 70 1.5m - 3.5m A twin hind leg kick straight behind
Rodeo Kick Melee 70 0m - 2.5m Multiple twin hind leg kicks in a circle
Spin Kick Melee 70 1.5m - 3.5m A single 180 degree spinning twin hind leg kick

Mounted Combat[]

Attack Name Trigger Direct Damage Impact Severity Description
Charge Contact while Sprinting 20 100 A high speed charge, ramming the enemy
Double Strike R1 35 100 A forward twin front to leg kick
Hind Leg Strike R1 + left stick backwards 70 100 A twin hind leg kick straight behind
Pivot Kick R2 70 100 A single 180 degree spinning twin hind leg kick

Components[]

Image: Component: Information: Weakness: Strength:
Strider-Body Body Hard outer casing to protect synthetic muscle and operational systems. None None
Strider-BlazeCanister Blaze Canister Blaze Storage Container. Shooting canister with Fire arrows will result in an explosion. Shoot off this component to collect the resource inside. Fire-Icon Fire
Tear-Icon Tear
None

Loot[]


Trivia[]

  • Striders seem to communicate vocally with horse-like whinnies and neighs, despite machines being capable of non-vocal communication.
  • Unlike Broadheads or Chargers, Striders don't seem to have any tools to assist them with terraforming. How they convert plant matter into biofuel is unknown.
  • If the player scans the environment when they first obtained Focus, a Strider is visible via environmental scan, thus making them first machine Aloy encountered.
  • Striders are one of the few machines from Horizon Zero Dawn that did not reappear in Horizon Forbidden West, presumably because of their similarity to Chargers in both form and function.

Gallery[]

Machines
Horizon Zero Dawn
Acquisition Class Broadhead - Charger - Fireclaw - Frostclaw - Glinthawk - Grazer - Lancehorn - Rockbreaker - Scrapper - Snapmaw - Strider - Trampler
Chariot Class Corruptor - Deathbringer - Metal Devil
Combat Class Ravager - Sawtooth - Scorcher - Stalker - Stormbird - Thunderjaw
Communication Class Tallneck
Recon Class Longleg - Watcher (Redeye Watcher)
Transport Class Behemoth - Bellowback - Shell-Walker
Unknown Class Control Tower
Horizon Forbidden West
Acquisition Class Bilegut - Bristleback - Clamberjaw - Fanghorn - Plowhorn - Scrounger - Spikesnout - Stingspawn - Sunwing - Tideripper - Waterwing - Widemaw
Combat Class Clawstrider - Dreadwing - Grimhorn - Shellsnapper - Slaughterspine - Slitherfang - Specter - Specter Prime - Tremortusk
Recon Class Burrower - Skydrifter
Transport Class Leaplasher - Rollerback
Unknown Class Defense Drone
Advertisement