Hey friend, here‘s what you get with Horizon Forbidden West‘s Digital Deluxe Edition

I know you‘re excited about Horizon Forbidden West and wondering if it‘s worth paying extra for the Digital Deluxe Edition. As someone who‘s been immersed in this highly anticipated PlayStation exclusive, let me walk you through everything included so you can decide if it‘s money well spent.

The Digital Deluxe Edition runs $79.99, which is $20 more than the Standard Edition‘s $59.99 price tag. For that extra twenty bucks, you‘ll get plenty of digital goodies:

• 2 special outfit skins with gameplay perks
• 2 exclusive weapons not in the base game
• A unique Machine Strike game piece
• Resources to help progression like shards, potions, and coils
• A digital artbook, soundtrack, and comic
• Special photo mode unlocks for custom shots

I‘ll provide the details on each item below. But first, let‘s zoom out and look at why the Deluxe Edition could be worthwhile from a value perspective.

Horizon Forbidden West Deluxe Edition – Evaluating the value

Horizon Forbidden West is shaping up to be one of the highest quality releases in the first half of 2022 based on pre-release reviews and reception:

• It currently has an 89 average rating on Metacritic based on 96 critic reviews
• On OpenCritic, it‘s averaging a stronger 91% from over 65 critic reviews
• Early impressions praise the game‘s massive open world, gripping narrative, strategic battles, and technical achievements

This kind of critical acclaim at launch suggests Horizon Forbidden West will likely be well worth its $59.99 standard price tag.

But when you factor in all the extra digital content included with the Digital Deluxe Edition, the overall package pushes toward offering over $100 of value.

For context, here‘s what some comparable special editions provide beyond the base game:

• Uncharted: Legacy of Thieves Collection Digital Deluxe – $10 more for digital art book & soundtrack ($79.99 total)
• Dying Light 2 Digital Deluxe – $20 more for digital comic & artwork, soundtrack, skin, weapon charm ($79.99 total)
• Assassin‘s Creed Valhalla Ragnarok Edition – $40 more for expansion pass, cosmetic pack, in-game items ($99.99 total)

You can see the Horizon Forbidden West Deluxe sits in the middle range when it comes to expanded special editions. It offers notably more than just an artbook and soundtrack for the $20 increase.

In terms of target audience appeal, the Deluxe Edition seems geared toward:

• Fans who want behind-the-scenes content and collectibles
• Players seeking an early game boost to progression and resources
• Those interested in cosmetics with the outfits and photo mode unlocks

Casual players may be satisfied sticking with the Standard Edition. But if you want more ways to immerse yourself in Horizon‘s universe and customize Aloy‘s adventure, the Deluxe goodies will have extra appeal.

Alright, now let‘s get into the details of everything included so you know exactly what you‘ll get by purchasing the upgraded edition.

Exclusive outfits with gameplay perks

Two custom outfits come with the Deluxe Edition, each providing Aloy tangible combat bonuses:

Nora Thunder Elite

This stylish navy and yellow outfit gives an 18% resistance to shock damage from attacks and weapons with electricity. That will come in handy against robotic creatures that utilize shock as their primary element.

The Nora Thunder Elite also provides a 10% bonus to concentration while aiming with bows along with 10% extra focus regeneration in stealth. This can help you more consistently land high damage precision shots. Lean into high ground positions and silent takedowns to maximize these stealthy perks.

Carja Behemoth Elite

With its crimson and pearl white aesthetics, this outfit makes a bold visual statement. It also supplies 20% more maximum health to give Aloy a survivability boost in heated battles against larger foes.

For close quarters fighting, its 10% reduction to all melee damage taken combined with 40% increased melee attack damage offers an advantage on both offense and defense.

Having these specialized outfits from the start of the game provides tangible bonuses catered to different playstyles. I definitely recommend equipping them in situations that play to their unique strengths.

Exclusive weapons not in the base game

Two unique weapons come in the Deluxe Edition that offer statistically improved versions of the standard options:

Nora Thunder Sling

This sling weapon‘s key differentiator is its 3 bolt capacity compared to the regular 2 bolt capacity. Being able to volley an extra projectile at once increases your damage output.

It also has inherently better handling for faster reloads and firing rate. Combined with the extra bolt slot, this sling offers a nice boost in rapid fire damage potential.

Carja Behemoth Shredder

This imposing heavy melee option specialized in higher tear damage to rip off components from larger machines. Removing weapons, armor plating, and other parts is crucial to exposing weaknesses.

It also shines with increased critical hit damage allowing you to potentially cripple or sever additional components. Charged up heavy attacks will dish out particularly devastating blows.

Having these exclusive weapons in your arsenal from the beginning stages of the game provides uniquely improved stats to give you an advantage in battles. They can match or outclass standard gear of the same type.

Special Machine Strike game piece

Machine Strike is the in-world strategy game where you build an army of game pieces with varying attributes to battle on a board.

The Deluxe Edition includes an exclusive Vindicator piece with the following elevated stats compared to the standard:

• Health: 15 vs 10
• Power: 4 vs 3
• Cost: 4 vs 3

With increased durability, damage output, and deployment cost, this piece has obvious competitive advantages. During the early stages of building your game collection, it will be one of your strongest pieces.

This translates to better chances of winning matches, especially against early opponents. And more victories means earning more valuable rewards at Machine Strike stadiums to put towards Aloy‘s character growth.

Even if you‘re not big on strategy games, this piece can give you an edge to reap those progression benefits more quickly.

Resources to boost early game progress

No one wants to grind away gathering basic resources for hours on end. That‘s where the resources pack comes in handy:

• 10,000 Metal Shards – More than enough to buy better gear/upgrades
• 10 Health Potions – Refills to survive deadly encounters
• 10 Stamina Potions – Refills to extend climbing and evasion
• 3 Weapon Technique Scrolls – Unlock special moves and combos
• 5 Weapon Coils – Increase damage, elemental effects
• 5 Outfit Weaves – Boost defense and resistances

This bundle takes away a lot of the basic resource grind and gives you an early game progression boost.

With Shards, you can acquire quality weapons, outfits, and upgrades quickly. Consumables like potions keep you alive in otherwise fatal situations. Weapon techniques expand your combat moveset. And gear upgrades allow you to dish out and withstand more damage.

It‘s a nice way to skip some repetitive early work so you can focus on tackling the world and narrative at your own pace.

Digital artbook and soundtrack

For fans who want more insights into the game‘s development, the Deluxe Edition provides:

• 100+ page digital artbook showcasing concept illustrations, character designs, and commentary from the artists behind Horizon Forbidden West‘s distinctive visuals. It‘s always fascinating to see how the game‘s creatures and tribes evolved from early sketches to final renders.

• Digital soundtrack featuring over 2 hours of music composed by Joris de Man across 120+ individual tracks. This provides the epic, melodic backdrop as you journey through the frontier. The soundtrack inherits the fantastic fusion of acoustic guitars, driving percussion, and soaring orchestral strings that defined the first game‘s score. Unlimited on-demand access to the music is great for fans of game soundtracks.

These behind-the-scenes collectibles let you dive deeper into the creation of Horizon Forbidden West beyond just playing the game.

Digital comic book

A 48-page comic called "Aloy: Old Friends" helps connect the events between the first Horizon Zero Dawn game and Forbidden West.

It sees Aloy cross paths with an old ally as she journeys west, providing backstory enrichment. Long-time franchise fans will enjoy how the comic bridges the gap between the two installments.

For those less invested in Horizon‘s complete narrative, the comic may feel non-essential. But it‘s a nice inclusion for players who want the fully connected experience between games.

Photo mode unlocks

Horizon Forbidden West has a deep photo mode for capturing and customizing images from your journey. The Deluxe Edition throws in a few cosmetic additions with:

• 3 Unique Face Paints – Vibrant red, white, and yellow paints inspired by the Carja tribes

• 3 Poses – Hero pose (fists raised), sleep pose (lounging), and seated pose

With these bonuses, you can styled shots of Aloy that stand out compared to standard photo mode options.

Advanced poses and face paints enable more personality in your pics. They can enhance images you want to share of memorable moments. But for those who won‘t use photo mode much, the extra cosmetics may not offer much value.

Final verdict – a great experience either way

Hopefully breaking down everything you get with the Horizon Forbidden West Digital Deluxe Edition helps provide clarity around the value proposition.

Here are a few closing thoughts:

• The Deluxe extras provide real tangible benefits – but the Standard Edition still gets you the core Horizon experience
• If you love collecting merch, cosmetics, and behind-the-scenes content, the Deluxe perks will excite you
• Players focused just on combat and narrative can skip the extras without missing gameplay content
• Consider budget and how much you anticipate replaying; the bonuses have less appeal for one-time playthroughs
• Either edition is sure to satisfy and immerse you in Horizon‘s spectacular post-apocalyptic world!

Thanks for taking the time to learn all about the Horizon Forbidden West Digital Deluxe Edition and what it includes. Let me know if you have any other questions! I‘m always happy to chat more about this awesome game and help fellow players get the most out of it.

Enjoy embarking on Aloy‘s epic journey into the frontier!