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"The lesson will be taught in due time, Aloy. Until then, we wait." This article contains heavy spoilers. Read ahead with caution.
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- "Don't like the look of those barbs on that thing's spine."
- ―Aloy, spotting a Slaughterspine
The Slaughterspine is a large combat class machine in Horizon Forbidden West.
History[]
Like all combat class machines, the Slaughterspine was created by the rogue subordinate function HEPHAESTUS with the sole purpose of combating humans and curtailing the hunting of various machines.
Horizon Forbidden West[]
The first Slaughterspine Aloy encountered was S-Mark-1, having been hastily created by HEPHAESTUS while trapped within Cauldron GEMINI in an attempt to fight her off, but it was unsuccessful.[1]
After Beta released HEPHAESTUS into Far Zenith's machine printing network as part of Aloy's final assault on the Zenith base, the rogue AI fabricated several Slaughterspines, along with Thunderjaws and Dreadwings, with which it combated the Zenith's Specters, as well as the Zeniths themselves, to devastating effect.[2]
Horizon Forbidden West: Burning Shores[]
As Aloy and Seyka confronted Walter Londra in Pangea Park to save Kina and Peera, an Apex Slaughterspine ploughed its way into the ruins, immediately killing Peera underfoot. As Londra escaped, Aloy and Seyka destroyed the Slaughterspine.[3]
Appearance[]
The Slaughterspine has a design based roughly on an outdated reconstruction of Spinosaurus. The face of the Slaughterspine easily shows the long extinct creature's influence in the machines design, with a long, slender snout with a split jaw, orange headpiece and a pair of quad optical sensors. It is covered head to tail in heavy armor plating, protecting it from plasma, fire, shock, and acid damage. Armor juts around the neck, up to the back.
The Slaughterspine has a massive saw-bladed sail across its back, with two smaller, similarly sized spines around the main sail that serve as missile launchers. On its chest, it has a plasma earthblaster that covers a plasma core, and above it is a plasma energizer, which it uses to charge up its attacks. It has two massive legs, with the hips having circular plasma energizers that it uses to further charge its attacks, and two long forelimbs with Metalbite sacs on the shoulders. It has a long tail that ends in a three-pronged fan, each prong being capable of opening up to fire out lasers. It has Chillwater canisters on its neck and Purgewater canisters on its tail-limb.
Behavior[]
Like many large machines, Slaughterspines are solitary, never being seen in groups. They are frequently found along coasts, patrolling the beaches and attacking any human on sight.
Abilities[]
The Slaughterspine is one of the most dangerous machines created yet by HEPHAESTUS, combining agility with a large arsenal of Plasma attacks, as well as incredibly heavy armor which makes damaging the machine difficult. Both varieties of Slaughterspine are resistant to most elemental damages, with Shock and Plasma resistances being shared among them.
The Slaughterspine can bite the ground and try to charge into Aloy, slash her with its tail or stomp her if she gets too close. It can power up with the Plasma Energizers on its legs and release a massive plasma-infused shockwave, along with a high pitched screech that can deafen targets, giving the machine a window of opportunity to attack. Using its tail, it can fire 5 plasma beams at Aloy or infuse its normal attacks with Plasma. It can also blast a laser of plasma from its mouth, launch a plasma wave from its earthblaster, and shoot energized plasma missiles from its spinal launchers.
Weaknesses[]
While the Slaughterspine is incredibly deadly with its plasma attacks, it can only do this for so long before needing to recharge. Whenever it needs to recharge (or when the fight starts) it will open the plasma energizers on its hips and above the earthblaster. Hitting these allow for high damage and will cause them to retract, with one energizer fully retracting resulting in its deactivation. Shutting down all three prevents the Slaughterspine from getting enough charge, forcing it to attack with kinetics alone.
The Plasma Lancer and Plasma Spine Launcher can be shot off and used against it, though the machine itself is resistant to Plasma, making the weapons virtually useless against it.
Removing the armor around the plasma core in its chest reveals a key weak spot which can be shot for extra damage.
Finally, the machine has a Metalbite sack (Purgewater in case of the Apex variant) on each of its shoulders, which can be destroyed to cause an elemental explosion that automatically inflicts the status ailment on it.
The regular Slaughterspine is weak toward Freeze and Purgewater, whereas the Apex-variant is weak toward Acid and Fire.
Attacks[]
| Name | Windup Time | Damage | Trigger Range | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Enraged Plasma Blast | Short | 15m - 45m | ||
| Raging Breath (Lead Up) | Short | 25m - 60m | ||
| Raging Breath (Wave) | Short | 25m - 60m | ||
| Enraged Atomic Breath | Very Long | 10m - 40m | ||
| Spine Barrage | Medium | 15m - 40m | ||
| Precision Spine Strike | Long | 15m - 40m | ||
| Lancer Wave | Medium | 15m - 50m | ||
| Lancer Eruption | Long | 0m - 52m | ||
| Core Earthblaster | Medium | 15m - 40m | ||
| Thundering Roar | Very Short | Deafened | 0m - 31m | |
| Raging Plasma Discharge | Very Short | 25m - 40m | ||
| Slaughter Bite | Short | 14m - 22m
30m - 90m |
||
| Rampage Rush | Medium | 31m - 62m | ||
| Dragging Plasma Sweep | Medium | 15m - 22m | ||
| Slaughter Sweep 180 | Medium | 12m - 32m | ||
| Slaughter Sweep 360 | Medium | 7m - 16m | ||
| Double Maul | Medium | 4m - 19m | ||
| Rampage Stomp | Very Short | 4m - 19m | ||
| Slaughter Crush | Very Short | 0m- 9m |
Components[]
| Name | Variant | Image | Description | Attributes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Body | All | Hard outer casing to protect synthetic muscle and operational systems. | None | |
| Processing Capsule | All | Resource and materials storage for internal functions. Tear off to collect its contents. |
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| Purgewater Canister | Standard | Purgewater storage. Tear off to collect this resource or shoot with a Purgewater Arrow to detonate. |
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| Acid Canister | Apex | Metalbite storage. Tear off to collect this resource or shoot with an Acid Arrow to detonate. |
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| Metalbite Sac | Standard | Metalbite storage. Destroy to disable Acid attacks or leave intact to add loot to the carcass. |
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| Purgewater Sac | Apex | Purgewater storage. Destroy to disable Acid attacks or leave intact to add loot to the carcass. |
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| Plasma Core | All | Highly protected Plasma storage. Detach or destroy the Plasma Earthblaster to expose this weak spot. |
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| Plasma Earthblaster | All | Part of the Plasma arsenal, this devastating weapon launches homing payloads along the ground. Detach or destroy to disable. |
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| Plasma Energizer | All | When fully charged, this plasma generator can enhance the machine's attacks. Damage it is while it is charging to prevent this. |
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| Plasma Spine Launcher | All | Part of the Plasma arsenal, this powerful weapon fires homing orbs of Plasma. |
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| Capacitator Capsule | All | Reinforced resource storage. Tear off to collect its contents. |
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| Antenna | All | Signal transmitter used to call in machine reinforcements. |
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| Chillwater Canister | Standard | Chillwater storage. Tear off to collect this resource or shoot with a Frost Arrow to detonate. |
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| Blaze Canister | Apex | Blaze storage. Tear off to collect this resource or shoot with a Fire Arrow to detonate. |
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| Tail Canister | All | Storage container for valuable resources. Tear off to collect its contents. |
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| Spinetail Lancer | All | Part of the Plasma arsenal, this powerful weapon fires Plasma beans either as a long-range wave or a ground eruption. |
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Loot[]
Body
- Glowblast (100%)
- Piercing Spike (100%)
- Metal Shards (100%)
- Crystal Braiding (100%)
- Sturdy Hardplate (71%)
- Large Machine Core (70%)
- Slaughterspine Circulator (69%)
- Slaughterspine Primary Nerve (62%)
- Volatile Sludge (51%)
- Machine Muscle (45%)
- Braided Wire (31%)
- Luminous Brainstem (28%)
- Metal Bone (27%)
Processing Capsule
- Braided Wire (90%)
- Sturdy Hardplate (57%)
- Large Machine Core (30%)
- Blastpaste (26%)
- Luminous Brainstem (16%)
Purgewater Canister
- Purgewater Canister (100%)
Metalbite Sac
- Metalbite (100%)
Plasma Core
- None
Plasma Earthblaster
- Volatile Sludge (100%)
- Crystal Braiding (100%)
Plasma Energizer
- None
Plasma Spine Launcher
- Plasma Spine Launcher (100%)
Capacitor Capsule
- Braided Wire (90%)
- Sturdy Hardplate (57%)
- Blastpaste (26%)
- Slaughterspine Circulator (16%)
Antenna
- Braided Wire (67%)
- Sturdy Hardplate (34%)
- Slaughterspine Primary Nerve (11%)
Chillwater Canister
- Chillwater (100%)
Tail Canister
- Braided Wire (89%)
- Sturdy Hardplate (56%)
- Blastpaste (27%)
- Large Machine Core (16%)
- Slaughterspine Primary Nerve (16%)
Spinetail Lancer
- Spinetail Lancer (100%)
Body
- Piercing Spike (100%)
- Glowblast (100%)
- Metal Shards (100%)
- Apex Slaughterspine Heart (100%)
- Crystal Braiding (100%)
- Luminous Brainstem (28%)
- Sturdy Hardplate (71%)
- Slaughterspine Circulator (69%)
- Large Machine Core (69%)
- Slaughterspine Primary Nerve (63%)
- Volatile Sludge (50%)
- Machine Muscle (45%)
- Braided Wire (30%)
- Metal Bone (27%)
Processing Capsule
- Braided Wire (89%)
- Sturdy Hardplate (56%)
- Large Machine Core (30%)
- Blastpaste (26%)
- Luminous Brainstem (15%)
Acid Canister
- Metalbite (100%)
Purgewater Sac
- Purgewater Canister (100%)
Plasma Core
- None
Plasma Earthblaster
- Volatile Sludge (100%)
- Crystal Braiding (100%)
Plasma Energizer
- None
Plasma Spine Launcher
- Plasma Spine Launcher (100%)
Capacitor Capsule
- Braided Wire (89%)
- Sturdy Hardplate (56%)
- Blastpaste (26%)
- Slaughterspine Circulator (15%)
Antenna
- Braided Wire (68%)
- Sturdy Hardplate (33%)
- Slaughterspine Primary Nerve (11%)
Blaze Canister
- Blaze (100%)
Tail Canister
- Braided Wire (89%)
- Sturdy Hardplate (56%)
- Blastpaste (26%)
- Large Machine Core (16%)
- Slaughterspine Primary Nerve (15%)
Spinetail Lancer
- Spinetail Lancer (100%)
Variants[]
| Variant | Weakness | Strength |
|---|---|---|
| Slaughterspine |  Frost
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 Fire
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| Apex Slaughterspine | Fire
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Frost
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Trivia[]
- Slaughterspine sites are usually located along coasts and beaches. This appears to bear great similarity to its animal inspiration, as Spinosauri were semi-aquatic and frequently found on both land and water (although the Slaughterspine appears to lack any aquatic capabilities).
- Beta notes that the construction of a Slaughterspine requires an abnormally massive amount of power; this is likely due to its heavy use of Plasma.
- The Slaughterspine can be seen as something of a newer or more powerful alternative to the Thunderjaw introduced in the previous game, Horizon Zero Dawn; this is similar to the film Jurassic Park III, where Spinosaurus was presented as a newer, deadlier alternative to the Tyrannosaurus Rex used in previous Jurassic Park films.
- Additionally, both the 2D and 3D model Prototype versions of the Slaughterspine have designs that are very similar to the Thunderjaw.
- The Slaughterspine's appearance heavily deviates from its animal influence, Spinosaurus, in some areas. Most likely due to it being based on an outdated design:
- Its legs seem to be based off typical bipedal theropods dinosaurs, whereas Spinosaurus' legs were relatively short compared to its bodylength and was thus likely partly quadrupedal.
- Its tail is long and thin similar to typical theropods dinosaurs, whereas Spinosaurus' tail had a sail to propel itself through the water.
- The Slaughterspine's combat behavior and attack styles are a heavy reference to the titular monster Godzilla from the franchise of the same name, specifically the incarnation from the 2016 Shin Godzilla, many of the Slaughterspine's attacks ranging from the mouth to the tail and the split beams are almost identical to Godzilla , even one of its attacks the Enraged Atomic Breath, is of the same name as Godzilla's infamous attack.
Gallery[]
