Horizon Zero Dawn: Thunderjaw - how to defeat in Cauldron ZETA?
Last update: 06 August 2020
This chapter is dedicated to the tips on how to defeat the Thunderjaw that serves as the boss in Cauldron ZETA. Here, you can learn which tactic and equipment you should choose before the fight to finish it quickly regardless of the level difficulty.
When it comes to this enemy you need, besides a good timing for dodges, a bit of luck to survive this fight. You must face this machine in a smaller arena than usual when it comes to machines of this size. It is possible that sometimes you won't even know that the machine is right next to you and it must be admitted that its attacks has a lot of reach.
However, there is a way that won't grant you victory but you can maximize your chances for winning. Notice that Thunderjaw has two disk launchers. Getting them makes this fight much easier and allows you to deal a lot of damage to the machine if you aim them carefully.
In order to get these weapons you must first tear them off of machine's torso. Explosive arrows, that you can use while shooting from a sharpshot bow, are perfect for that. Just draw two or three arrows and aim at one of the launchers. They are big when compared to Aloy so it is hard to miss them, especially during a slow motion.
When you manage to tear off a weapon then you should wait patiently for the right moment to pick it up. The best moment for tearing off a weapon is when the machine is on the edge of the arena. Next, wait for the machine to leave the place where the weapon is and run there. Picking up a heavy weapon takes time and Aloy's turning speed is very slow. You won't have a lot of time because the machine will immediately shorten the distance. When you pick up the weapon you must aim immediately (L2).
Aim at machine's "mouths". It is important because there is a chip that is important for machine's functioning. If you make a few accurate shots then the machine will experience a temporary malfunction. However, restrain yourself from running towards it. Keep aiming at the area with the chip because this is the place where the machine receives the biggest amount of damage. Disk launchers have a small amount of ammo (about 10 each) so you can't make any mistakes. Repeat the whole procedure twice. If you succeed then you should reduce the machine's health to about 10-15%.
The rest is the typical machine beating. Use your knowledge about its weak points and eliminate them one after another. Remember that the biggest amount of damage that a Thunderjaw can deal when using melee attacks is when it uses its tail. Try to get rid of its tail by using arrows. You should keep your distance, as far as it is possible in a such small arena.