Horizon Zero Dawn: How to Use The Ropecaster (All Types & How To Get Them)

Players have access to several weapons in Horizon Zero Dawn, but the Ropecaster is among the best ones to use. Machines in the game are quick on their feet and targeting their weak points can become challenging.

The Concentration and Hunter Reflex skills are useful to slow down the time to line up a shot properly, but sometimes they won’t be enough. So, that’s where the Ropecaster will help you pin down the machines to help you land devastating blows on them.

Things To Do After Beating Horizon Zero Dawn (Endgame Content)

After completing the story for Horizon Zero Dawn, there are still many things players can do in the game, let’s explore all of them.

How to Use Ropecaster in Horizon Zero Dawn

Using a Ropecaster in Horizon Zero Dawn can be a bit tricky for players who are using it for the first time. It requires an understanding of the level of Ropecaster you’re using, the strength of its ammo, and the type of machine you’re trying to pin down. However, let’s first look over the basics of using a Ropecaster.

Assign the Ropecaster to your weapon wheel from the inventory menu.
Equip the Ropecaster from your weapon wheel before engaging in a fight.
Try to find an opening and launch the Ropecaster’s rope into the machine.
An Icon will pop up which will indicate the strength of the Ropecaster on the machine.
Keep shooting ropes into the machine until the Icon fills up, and it becomes immobilized.

Once a machine is completely immobilized, it will stay pinned for about 90 seconds given the machine doesn’t receive damage from any source. The amount of rope it will take for a machine to completely get pinned down depends on the Ropecaster’s ammo. Here’s a quick breakdown of different ammunition for Ropecasters and their stats.

The higher the anchor strength of a Ropecaster’s ammunition, the less is consumed to completely immobilize a machine. For example, it will take 4 shots from Tie Rope Heavy to
completely immobilize a Thunderjaw
compared to 8 shots from Tie Rope Light.

Ammo Type	Supported Ropecaster	Ropecaster Rarity	Anchor Strength
Tie Rope Light	Basic Ropecaster	Uncommon	50
Tie Rope Medium	Rare/Carja Ropecaster	Rare	75
Tie Rope Heavy	Shadow, Lodge, Adept, Lodge Adept Ropecasters	Very Rare	100

How to Get Ropecaster in Horizon Zero Dawn

There are a total of 6 Ropecasters in Horizon Zero Dawn and the Frozen Wilds DLC. Players will be able to purchase the first three Ropecasters by simply buying them from the Hunting Goods Merchants in the game. However, unlocking the other 3 variants of the Ropecaster is a bit challenging. Here are all the Ropecasters you can unlock in Horizon Zero Dawn.

Game Mode	Ropecaster	Rarity	Mod Slots	How To Unlock
Base Game	Basic Ropecaster	Uncommon	1	Available to purchase at the Hunting Goods Merchants early on in the game.
	Carja Ropecaster	Rare	2	Available to purchase at the Hunting Goods Merchants after reaching Daytower.
	Shadow Ropecaster	Very Rare	3	Available to purchase at the Hunting Goods Merchants after reaching Meridian.
	Lodge Ropecaster		3	Completing all the Hunting Grounds Challenges with 15 Blazing Sun Ranks.
The Frozen Wilds DLC Required	Adept Ropecaster		4	Available from Hunting Goods Merchants after starting a New Game+ Mode.
The Frozen Wilds DLC Required	Lodge Adept Ropecaster		4	Completing all the Hunting Grounds Challenges with 15 Blazing Sun Ranks in New Game+ Mode.