Horizon Forbidden West's first patch out now, takes aim at HDR issues

But shimmering and other graphical bugs still under investigation.

News by Tom Phillips Editor-in-Chief

Updated on Feb. 23, 2022

Last night, Horizon Forbidden West developer Guerrilla Games acknowledged various graphical issues with its big new PlayStation exclusive, and said it was "working vigilantly to resolve these issues with high priority."

Today brings the game's first post-launch patch, bringing the game to version 1.05, though this update is largely filled with quest bug fixes.

Still, today's update does address some visual issues, such as over-sharpening in HDR mode, an issue where the HUD would flicker when interacting with loot, as well as graphical anomalies when "rapidly opening and closing the map".

"Several streaming issues and unintended loading screens," have also been sorted, Guerrilla wrote in the full patch notes, available below.

Again, there was acknowledgement of the other visual issues players have reported since launch last Friday - and the promise these were being investigated urgently. These include "shimmering, sharpening and screen saturation when moving the camera", and a blur to Aloy's outfit in Photo Mode.

Digital Foundry enthused about Horizon Forbidden West's visuals in its appraisal of the game at launch, dubbing it a "graphics masterclass" on PlayStation 5. As for the game itself, Eurogamer contributor Malindy Hetfield was slightly less enthused, calling it "another beautiful technical achievement... held back by clunky characters and new features that lack purpose" in Eurogamer's Horizon Forbidden West review.

Here are today's Horizon Forbidden West 1.05 patch notes in full:

KNOWN ISSUES

We are currently looking into several issues reported by the community:

The team is investigating with high priority, several graphical issues reported by players regarding shimmering, sharpening and screen saturation when moving the camera.
Some players are experiencing an issue with infinite loading screens when attempting to load into Melee Pits.
Some players are experiencing an issue where Aloy's outfit appears blurry in Photo Mode.
Some players are experiencing an issue in main quest 'Reach for the Stars' where Aloy can't interact with a machine carcass, blocking progression.

FIXES AND IMPROVEMENTS

Main Quests

Fixed an issue in main quest 'Reach for the Stars' where reloading a certain auto-save after completing the first quest could block progression.
Fixed an issue during interlude 'The Eye of the Earth' where Aloy could fall out of the world after skipping a cinematic.
Fixed an issue in main quest 'Cradle of Echoes' where Varl would wander off on a reload from save.
Fixed an issue in main quest 'The Sea of Sands' affecting several grapple points.

Side Quests and Errands

Fixed an issue in side quest 'Blood Choke' where Atekka would appear to fall out of the sky.
Fixed a progression issue in side quest 'In The Fog' related to fast travel during the quest.
Fixed an issue in errand quest 'Night of Lights' where a pullable box could get stuck and block the quest progression.

World activities

Fixed an issue where Relic Ruin: The Daunt could not be started in certain circumstances.
Fixed an issue in salvage contract The Greenswell: Plowhorn and the Plants where an optional objective could not be completed if the required item was sent to the player stash.
A rogue Tallneck near The Sand of the Sentinels that would sometimes change the direction of its route has been disciplined.

Gameplay fixes

The Second Chance skill should now work correctly.
Fixed an issue where the camera had an unintended position when using certain weapon techniques.

General fixes

Image over-sharpening in HDR mode has been corrected.
Fixed an issue where some settlements would stream in, then stream out in certain circumstances.
Fixed an issue where the HUD would flicker when the player performs a loot action.
Fixed an issue where rapidly opening and closing the map could cause graphical anomalies.
Fixed an issue where Aloy's animation would sometimes jitter rapidly when climbing after picking up a plant has been fixed.
Fixed a global issue where the direction of Aloy's gaze, or that of certain NPCs, was incorrect.
Fixed several instances where Aloy, NPCs or enemies could get stuck in geometry.
Fixed an issue where roads and icons on the map would sometimes appear with a delay.
Fixed several streaming issues and unintended loading screens.
NPCs that seemed to suffer from insomnia and would gather in large groups at night in settlements should act more naturally now.
Petra will no longer teleport into her seat inside the Chainscrape brewery if followed immediately after the initial conversation with her.