- "This weapon creates traps which detonate when the tripwire connecting two anchor points is broken. It is best used across enemy patrol routes or in narrow spaces."
- ―Inventory description
The Tripcaster is a stealth weapon in Horizon Zero Dawn. It remotely places Tripwire traps between two horizontal points, either shocking them, burning them, or dealing blast damage when detonated. This weapon is more useful on larger machines, narrow spaces or tightly clustered groups of smaller enemies.
Usage
Setting a Tripwire requires two shots, the first of which drives an anchor into a solid surface while the second anchors the other end and arms the Tripwire connecting both points. Tripwires can span considerable distances, but placing the anchors too far away from Aloy or each other will snap the line and waste one unit of ammunition. Tripwires already in place that have not detonated can be reclaimed and reused with the Disarm Traps Skill.
The Tripcaster is best suited for prepared ambushes. Highlight enemy patrol routes and lay down tripwires across a target's path, then retreat out of detection range. Tripwires may also be laid down at intervals in choke points; lure enemies through them using bombs, rocks or the Lure Call skill while Aloy hides in nearby tall grass.
Ammo
The Tripcaster's ammo pouch can hold a maximum of 12 rounds with all upgrades.
Numbered damage values are of unmodded level and displayed from left to right following difficulty level from Story to Ultra Hard. Numbers in bold are of normal difficulty. Note that Elemental damage remains unchanged between Easy and Very Hard.
| Ammo Type | Variant | Damage 
|
Elemental Severity |
|---|---|---|---|
| Shock Wire | Basic / Carja Shadow / AdeptNG+ |
N/A |  240-160-80
|
| Blast Wire | Carja / Shadow / AdeptNG+ | 1,000-313-250-225-200-175 | N/A |
| Fire Wire | Shadow / AdeptNG+ | N/A |  240-160-80
|
Ammo slots by variant
| Variant | Shock Wire | Blast Wire | Fire Wire | Mod Slots |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Basic | 
|
1 | ||
| Carja |
|
|
2 | |
| Shadow |
|
|
|
3 |
| AdeptNG+ |
|
|
|
4 |
Acquisition details
| Variant | Sources | Regular Cost | Ultra Hard Cost | Sell Value |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Basic |  General Merchants
|
 90
|
450
|
25
|
| Carja | Tier 2-4 Merchants
|
180 10 Chillwater |
900 20 Chillwater |
50
|
| Shadow | Tier 3 & 4 Merchants
|
750 1 Scrapper Heart |
3,750 2 Scrapper Heart |
100
|
| AdeptNG+ | Tier 3 & 4 Merchants
|
1,500 1 Scrapper Heart 1 Grazer Heart |
7,500 2 Scrapper Heart 2 Grazer Heart |
100
|
Trivia
- The Tripcaster appears in Monster Hunter: World as a wrist-attached Slinger, a standard tool in the game. This variant of Tripcaster is part of the collaboration equipment with Horizon: Zero Dawn which apply Aloy's look to the player's character.
- A less obvious advantage the Tripcaster has over conventional Traps is that the damage and severity of the Tripcaster's Tripwires can be improved with Modification coils.
- One can actually hold a Tripcaster's shot like bows by not immediately releasing the R2 button. This doesn't affect the fired Tripwire's performance, however.
| Horizon Zero Dawn Weapons | |
|---|---|
| Ranged Weapons | Blast Sling - Forgefire - Hunter Bow - Icerail - Rattler - Ropecaster - Sharpshot Bow - Sling - Stormslinger - Tearblaster - War Bow |
| Melee Weapons | Spear - Sylens' Lance |
| Stealth Weapons | Traps - Tripcaster |
| Heavy Weapons | Deathbringer Gun - Disc Launcher - Firespitter - Firestriker - Mine Launcher - Oseram Cannon - Ravager Cannon |