"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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"There's so much to learn, and less time than I'd hoped." This article or section does not reflect changes introduced by new releases in the series.You can help by updating the contents. |
The Snapmaw is a machine in Horizon Zero Dawn and a returning machine in Horizon Forbidden West and Horizon Call of the Mountain. It is a medium-sized Acquisition Class machine, and the only machine known to be amphibious until Horizon Forbidden West.[1] They were originally created as docile water purifiers as part of Zero Dawn. However, as a consequence of the Derangement, they have become a lethal danger to humans who pass within their sight at any body of water in which they are found.
History[]
Snapmaws were designed by Zero Dawn’s governing AI GAIA and manufactured by GAIA’s subordinate function responsible for machine manufacture, HEPHAESTUS. They were supposed to work under POSEIDON, the subordinate function responsible for detoxifying Earth’s poisoned rivers, lakes and seas. These had been ravaged to sterility when the Faro Plague destroyed the biosphere and thus exterminated all life in the mid 21st century. However, subsequent events led GAIA’s self-destruction and all of the subordinate functions becoming true AIs. Hostile to humans for hunting machines, HEPHAESTUS seized control of at least four of Zero Dawn’s machine manufacturing cauldrons, including RHO, the cauldron that made Snapmaws. To dissuade hunters, it weaponized Snapmaws and other machines, making them combat-ready, and also made them hostile to humans, attacking them on sight. This is the phenomenon that the tribes call the Derangement.
The Nora huntress Aloy first encountered Snapmaws at a lake in the region known as Valleymeet. They had trapped a Carja soldier named Lakhir, commander of a unit from the Daytower garrison, on an island in the middle of the lake. She killed the Snapmaws, allowing Lakhir to leave the island and return to Daytower.
During her subsequent journeys throughout the Carja Sundom and environs, she saw Snapmaws at various sites. She encountered the machines yet again at a site on the Way of Broken Stones, in the vicinity of the Carja settlement Lone Light. She hunted and killed them to gather their CPUs or “hearts” to give to a group of Carja farmers who had been killing Snapmaws for their hearts to pay off a debt. The profusion of Snapmaw chassis in the gorge where they had been conducting their operation had attracted Glinthawks, which constantly attacked Lone Light. The farmers left after Aloy gave them the hearts, which were the last ones they needed to settle their debt.
Finally, Aloy encountered, hunted and killed Snapmaws during her visit to the Banuk region known as The Cut. Unlike the Snapmaws she was familiar with, these were units that had been heavily augmented by HEPHAESTUS, and were known as Daemonic Snapmaws, much more formidable than the Snapmaws she has hunted previously. However she quickly adapted and proved well able to deal with them. She hunted them on two occasions. One was to clear them out from an ancient ruin known as Deep Din during the course of her investigation into its sudden flooding. The second occasion was alongside three Banuk hunters: Urkai, Tatai ,and Tulemak, to help them gather Snapmaw fangs as part of their payment to the Oseram trader Burgrend for the supplies they needed to migrate from The Cut to the Carja Sundom.
Appearance[]
Snapmaws are classed as medium-sized machines, but compared to a human they are quite large. A Snapmaw's chassis resembles the body of an enormous crocodile such as the extinct Deinosuchus, with a long, crocodilian snout, a heavyset reptilian body, four crocodilian legs and feet, and a long, stout, powerful tail. Its gait exactly mirrors that of a crocodile. The snout’s upper mandible is long, tapered and toothy, while the lower mandible is actually a chainsaw-like blade with a system of small grinders at its base. There are two optical sensor arrays in the same position as a crocodile's eyes. In Horizon Zero Dawn, Snapmaws have an armored Blaze canister sitting atop each shoulder. In Horizon Forbidden West, the Blaze canisters are replaced with Purgewater canisters. The gullet is composed of a sac-like reservoir of Chillwater, called a Freeze Sac. Presumably this is used as a coolant. An array of resource containers that resemble armor plating line its back.[2] Solar panels line its back beside the containers, acting as armor.
Apex Snapmaws resemble normal Snapmaws apart from their black armor and purple muscles. Their gullet contains a reservoir of Metalbite, called a Metalbite Sac. Also, Apex Snapmaws have Glowblast canisters on their shoulders instead of Purgewater canisters.
Behavior[]
Snapmaw sites are scattered throughout the Carja Sundom, from the jungles of The Jewel in the south to the snowy regions in the far north. Daemonic Snapmaws are found in The Cut. Whether Daemonic or not, undisturbed Snapmaws invariably bask lazily in the sun on the bank of lakes, rivers, and other bodies of water. They purify the water and the soil at the bottom by destroying toxins and removing minerals, periodically ejecting them from the pods in the resource containers their backs.[3] Presumably the Snapmaw can use some of its collected resources to manufacture replacement pods in situ, as no Snapmaw has ever been seen to run out of pods.
Abilities[]
Like crocodiles, a Snapmaw’s apparent sloth belies the great speed it displays when confronting a perceived threat. Snapmaws employ a ranged attack in which they belch projectiles of Chillwater at an enemy. These are similar to the projectiles hurled by Glinthawks from their beaks and, like them, cause damage, pain and markedly reduced ability to move in human enemies, and will freeze machine enemies such as corrupted or overridden machines provided enough of them hit home. Additionally, they employ melee attacks such as lunging jumps at an enemy, snapping with their jaws, and using their tails as bludgeons. They are also capable of attacking perceived enemies in water, such as swimming humans.
Weaknesses[]
A Snapmaw’s major structural and tactical weakness is its Freeze Sac. Strikes on it from high-powered impact ammunition such as Precision Arrows trigger a corresponding elemental explosion that freezes the machine and disables its ranged Freeze-based attacks. The Freeze effect of the explosion is powerful enough to overcome a Daemonic Snapmaw’s high resistance to elemental attacks. Additionally, Snapmaws are particularly susceptible to weapons that utilize fire, though the inflicted damage is less with a Daemonic Snapmaw, as is the number of strikes needed to induce a Burn state.
Attacks[]
Horizon Zero Dawn[]
Horizon Forbidden West[]
Apex Variant[]
Variants[]
Variant | Weak Vs. | Strong Vs. |
---|---|---|
Snapnaw | Fire | Frost |
Apex Snapnaw | Fire | Purgewater |
Components[]
Horizon Zero Dawn[]
Horizon Forbidden West[]
Name | Variant | Image | Description | Attributes |
---|---|---|---|---|
Body | All | Hard outer casing to protect synthetic muscle and operational systems. | None | |
Chillwater Sac | Standard | Chillwater storage. Destroy to cause a Frost explosion and disable Frost attacks or leave intact to add loot to the carcass. |
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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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Metalbite Sac | Apex | Metalbite storage. Destroy to cause an Acid explosion and disable Acid attacks or leave intact to add loot to the carcass. |
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Glowblast Canister | Apex | Glowblast storage. Tear off to collect this resource or shoot with a Plasma Arrow to detonate. |
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Dispersal Tank | All | Resource processing and storage system. Once filled, each tank is expelled into the surrounding area for collection. |
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Resource Container | All | Storage container for valuable resources. Tear off to collect its contents. |
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Loot[]
Horizon Zero Dawn[]
Horizon Forbidden West[]
Body
- Metal Shards (100%)
- Purgewater (100%)
- Piercing Spike (100%)
- Machine Muscle (32%)
- Snapmaw Circulator (29%)
- Medium Machine Core (26%)
- Braided Wire (20%)
- Snapmaw Primary Nerve (19%)
- Sturdy Hardplate (11%)
- Metal Bone (10%)
Chillwater Sac
- Snapmaw Sac Webbing (100%)
- Chillwater (100%)
Purgewater Canister
- Purgewater (100%)
Dispersal Tank
- Braided Wire (75%)
- Sturdy Hardplate (45%)
- Blastpaste (16%)
- Snapmaw Primary Nerve (13%)
Resource Container
- Chillwater (21%)
- Braided Wire (21%)
- Sturdy Hardplate (20%)
- Purgewater (20%)
- Medium Machine Core (20%)
Body
- Metal Shards (100%)
- Purgewater (100%)
- Piercing Spike (100%)
- Apex Snapmaw Heart (59%)
- Volatile Sludge (49%)
- Machine Muscle (31%)
- Snapmaw Circulator (28%)
- Medium Machine Core (27%)
- Braided Wire (20%)
- Snapmaw Primary Nerve (20%)
- Sturdy Hardplate (11%)
- Metal Bone (10%)
Metalbite Sac
- Snapmaw Sac Webbing (100%)
- Metalbite (100%)
Glowblast Canister
- Glowblast (100%)
Dispersal Tank
- Braided Wire (76%)
- Sturdy Hardplate (44%)
- Blastpaste (15%)
- Snapmaw Primary Nerve (14%)
Resource Container
- Sturdy Hardplate (21%)
- Purgewater (21%)
- Chillwater (21%)
- Medium Machine Core (20%)
- Braided Wire (20%)
Trivia[]
- Before the announcement trailer for Horizon Forbidden West, the Snapmaw was the only machine that was able to fully submerge itself, as well as the only one with aquatic capacities.
- When successfully tied with Ropecaster wires whilst on water, Snapmaws will execute a "death roll," a maneuver by real life crocodiles in which they roll their body sideways, usually to help them bite off parts of prey to be eaten. This will instantly break the binding.
- The solar panels serve as armor in combat, and can be broken off.
- There is only one area in Horizon Zero Dawn that will spawn Corrupted Snapmaws. The waters just off the shore of Devil's Grief can spawn Snapmaws, and because every machine that spawns in the ruins is Corrupted, so too are the Snapmaws.
- During development, the Snapmaw was referred to as the Beach-Lizard.[4]
Gallery[]
References[]
- ↑ Though there is evidence in Old World records that Chariot class robots had some amphibious capability.
- ↑ Horizon Zero Dawn Collector's Edition Guide, page 204
- ↑ Horizon Zero Dawn Collector's Edition Guide, page 203
- ↑ https://youtu.be/4FAXv2H-VUA, 7:09
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 |