Thanks to the collaboration between miHoYo and Sony, from now on Genshin impact they can add to their team Aloy, the protagonist of Horizon Zero Dawn and the highly anticipated Horizon Forbidden West. At the moment the character is only obtainable from PS4 and PS5, but with a little "trick" even PC, iOS and Android players can redeem it right now.
Aloy in Genshin Impact represents the Cryo element and fights using the bow, a good choice considering the original counterpart. He is a 5-star character with several interesting characteristics, who could very well join your main team, especially if you have just started Genshin Impact and don't have many "strong" fighters available. In this Genshin Impact guide we will give an overview of the best skills and builds for Aloy and how to get it on PS5, PS4, PC, iOS and Android.
How to get Aloy and the Predator bow
Aloy from Horizon Zero Dawn and Forbidden West and the Predator arc are available to all PS4 and PS5 players who have installed Genshin Impact update 2.1. The requirement to redeem them is to have reached theAdventure Rank level 20 or higher and log into the game on a Sony platform. Those who have played the miHoYo title for some time will have already reached this threshold, while those who have only started now, perhaps because they are enticed by the idea of using Aloy while waiting for Forbidden West, instead will have to get busy. Starting at level 1 it takes about 20 - 25 hours of gameplay to reach Adventure Rank 20. But rest assured, there's no need to rush. In fact, you will have until November 23, the launch day of update 2.3, to get the character. Once logged in, you can redeem Aloy and the 4-star Predator bow from the mailbox, accessible from the Paimon menu.
The bow Predator has the Strong Strike passive bonus: dealing Cryo element damage increases the damage of normal and charged attacks by 10% for 6 seconds. The effect can be stacked twice. Also if the bow is used by Aloy it increases its attack value by 66. In short, it looks like a weapon made to measure for the car hunter of Horizon Zero Dawn and Forbidden West.
PC gamers and those using Android and iOS smartphones and tablets instead will have to wait until Genshin Impact Update 2.2, scheduled for October 13, 2021, before you can redeem Aloy and the Predator bow. Also in this case it is necessary to have reached at least Adventure Rank 20 and you will have until November 24, 2021 to redeem the character.
However, thanks to the cross-play and cross save by Genshin Impact all PC, iOS and Android gamers can get Aloy before Update 2.2, as long as they have a Sony console. In fact, it is sufficient to simply log in from PS4 or PS5 and redeem the character from this platform, and then you can also use it on all other devices. That said, keep in mind that the Predator arc's Strong Strike passive bonus only activates when playing on PlayStation platforms. It is not yet clear whether the effect will be "unlocked" for other platforms with update 2.2.
In summary, Aloy's distribution will take place in two phases:
- Phase 1: From the release of Update 2.1 (September 1st) to the release of version 2.2 (October 13th) Aloy and the Predator bow are redeemable on PS4 and PS5 from the Genshin Impact internal mailbox.
- Phase 2: From the release of Update 2.2 (October 13) to the release of version 2.3 (November 24) Aloy and the Predator bow are redeemable by all players of any platform from the internal mailbox of Genshin Impact.
Combat Feats, Passives and Constellations
Despite being a free character, Aloy is still a 5 star fighter with very interesting abilities. Especially if you have just started your adventure in Genshin Impact or prefer a "free-to-play" approach and have few "strong" characters, the heroine of Horizon Zero Dawn and Forbidden West could be a great addition to your team. . Aloy fights using the bow and element powers Cryo. He can auto-power normal attacks and cause area of ice damage (AoE) with his Elemental Burst, Prophecies of Dawn.
Here is an overview of his combat talents:
- Quick Fire: Aloy's normal attack. He performs up to 4 consecutive quick attacks with the bow. Pressing the aim button delivers a precision charged shot that you can target specific enemy points using the scope. If you hold down the aim button, the arrowhead will also become covered with ice, causing ice damage. Aloy's drop attack is in two stages: first he fires a shower of arrows in midair and then swoops at the unfortunates, causing AoE.
- Elemental Skill - Frozen Wilds: Aloy throws a Freeze Bomb at the indicated location which explodes on impact, causing Cryo damage. After deflagration, the bomb splits into multiple small mines (Chillwater Bomblet) which explode upon contact with opponents or after a short time, causing Cryo damage. When the Freeze Bomb or Chillwater Bomblet hits an enemy, they will have their attack reduced while Aloy will get a stack of "Coils". This bonus can be stacked up to three times by increasing the power of normal attacks by 5,8 / 11,7 / 17.5% (with talent level 1). A fourth stack of "Coil" clears the build up, with Aloy entering the "Rushing Ice" state. The effect lasts for 10 seconds and further increases the power of normal attacks (29,2%) and converts normal damage to Cryo damage.
- Elemental Burst - Prophecies of Dawn: Aloy launches an energy cell infused with the Cryo element and then detonates it with an arrow, causing massive AoE damage.
Here are the bonuses given by passive talents by Aloy:
- Combat Override: Unlocked by making the character "ascend" to stage 1. When Aloy gains a stack of "Coil" her attack increases by 16% and that of other party members by 8%. The effect lasts for 10 seconds.
- Strong Strike: Unlocked by making the character "ascend" to stage 4. When Aloy enters the "Rushing Ice" state the Cryo damage bonus increases by 3,5% per second, up to a maximum of 35%.
- Easy Does It: When Aloy is in the squad, all the animals that Fowl, Raw Meat or Chilled Meat can be procured from will not be frightened when a party member approaches them.
And the bonuses of Constellations? Aloy is a character that can only be obtained through the free distribution and not through the classic banners. This means that you will not be able to find a "double" and consequently the "Star Luck" needed to unlock the various constellation bonuses. Bonuses which by the way are still unknown. Having said that miHoYo explains that "the time has not yet come to light up Aloy's night sky". This would seem to suggest that in the future it will be possible to obtain the Luck Star of the heroine of Horizon Zero Dawn and Forbidden West, perhaps with special missions or new collaborative events.
The best builds for Aloy
Aloy can turn out to be a great candidate for your team like sub-DPS, using his abilities to inflict area damage, debuff enemies, and chain elemental combos. Depending on your needs, it can also get by with dignity as a main DPS, using the buff to normal attacks to put enemy lines on fire.
As for equipment, PS4 and PS5 players can currently take advantage of the 4-star arc "Predator" which increases the power of normal and charged attacks when dealing Cryo damage and offers a bonus to the attack stat when equipped by Aloy. Considering that the bow is free this is a very good option.
If you are aiming to improve Aloy's elemental abilities, we recommend the 4-star arc instead "The Stringless", which increases Elemental Skill and Elemental Burst damage by 24% base. Alternatively the Sacrificial Bow (4 stars) increases the Energy Recharge and has a 40% chance (80% if fully upgraded) to reset the Elemental Skill cooldown.
If you are aiming to improve the damage of Aloy's basic attacks instead we recommend the "Rust", a 4-star bow that increases the damage of normal attacks by 40% (80% when fully upgraded), but reduces the power of charged ones by 10% (not that it's a big loss). And if you are lucky enough to have the Thundering Pulse 5-star bow in your collection, then you are on horseback.
As far as the Artifacts, you can use two pieces from the Blizzard Strayer set (15% Cryo damage bonus) and two Noblesse Oblige pieces (20% bonus damage with Elemental Burst). Or two Blizzard Strayer pieces with two Gladiator's Finale (+ 18% attack). Alternatively, the two or four-piece effects from Shimenawa's Reminiscense and Martial Artist are also fine.
Obviously these are just a few tips from us, the beauty of Genshin Impact is that you can experiment with various combinations of characters, weapons and accessories according to your needs and still get excellent results. Let us know your impressions of Aloy and your builds in the comments below!
