How to Beat Specters: Boss Fight Guide

The Specter, a type of boss machine, is an enemy in the Cradle of Echoes quest in Horizon Forbidden West. Read on to learn Specter's weaknesses and how you can exploit them.

Specter Basic Information

Specter
Description	A highly-advanced mobile combat drone. Its gold armor-like plates can morph into highly lethal weapons and can gravitationally reattach when torn off.
Cauldron Override	N/A
Type	Combat
Class	Midweight
Weak Against	Acid Damage Plasma Damage
Strong Against	Shock Damage Fire Damage Purgewater Damage

Specter Components

Component	Attributes
Enlarge Body	None
Enlarge Pulse Cannon	Detachable - Component can be detached with Tear damage. Attack Removal - Disables an attack if detached or destroyed. Persists When Killed - Component is not destroyed when the machine is killed. Useable Weapon - Drops a usable weapon or shield if detached.
Enlarge Shock Unit	Explosive - Component explodes when destroyed Persists When Killed - Component is not destroyed when the machine is killed. Contains Resources if Intact - Leave components on the machine to gain valuable resources.
Enlarge Resource Repository	Detachable - Component can be detached with Tear damage. Contains Valuable Resources - Tear off component to loot valuable resources. Destroyed when Killed - Component is destroyed if not detached.
Enlarge Regeneration Unit	Indestructible - Component cannot be destroyed. Ability Removal - Disables an ability if detached or destroyed.
Enlarge Vector Thruster	Detachable - Component can be detached with Tear Damage. Ability Removal -Disables an ability if detached or destroyed. Contains Valuable Resources - Tear off component to loot valuable resources. Destroyed When Killed - Component is destroyed if not detached.
Enlarge Plasma Unit	Explosive - Component explodes when destroyed Persists When Killed - Component is not destroyed when the machine is killed. Contains Resources if Intact - Leave components on the machine to gain valuable resources.
Enlarge Nano Plate	Detachable - Component can be detached with Tear damage. Ability Removal - Disables an ability if detached or destroyed. Elemental Weak Spot - Component is vulnerable to elemental damage.
Enlarge Control Nexus	Weak Spot - Component is vulnerable to damage. Contains Valuable Resources - Tear off component to loot valuable resources.

Specter Item Drops

Body Loot

Item Drop Chances
Crystal Braiding (100%)	Glowblast (100%)	Metal Shards (100%)
Sparker (100%)	Blastpaste (100%)	Piercing Spike (51%)
Machine Muscle (30%)	Braided Wire (21%)	Metal Bone (11%)
Sturdy Hardplate (10%)

Pulse Cannon Loot

Item Drop Chances
Useable Weapon (100%)

Shock Unit Loot

Item Drop Chances
Sparker (100%)

Resource Repository Loot

Item Drop Chances
Braided Wire (90%)	Sturdy Hardplate (56%)	Piercing Spike (51%)
Volatile Sludge (50%)	Luminous Brainstem (15%)

Vector Thruster Loot

Item Drop Chances
Blastpaste (100%)	Braided Wire (89%)	Sturdy Hardplate (56%)
Crystal Braiding (16%)

Plasma Unit Loot

Item Drop Chances
Glowblast (100%)

Control Nexus Loot

Item Drop Chances
Braided Wire (90%)	Sturdy Hardplate (57%)	Volatile Sludge (51%)
Piercing Spike (50%)	Luminous Brainstem (16%)

How to Beat Specters

Tear Off Armors and Components

Specters are heavily armored, including their weak spots. You can tear them down and expose them easily to attacks using Tear Precision Arrows from your Sharpshot Bow.

Aside from ripping their armors off, you can also take out some of their components to decrease their abilities and limit their ways of attacking you.

Use the Pulse Cannon

One of their weapon components is the Pulse Cannon. It's a usable heavy weapon with a high fire rate and damage. If you can take it out from the Specters, it can help you kill them faster.

Inflict Acid and Plasma Damage on the Nano Plate

Specters' Nano Plate component is weak against elemental attacks, such as Acid and Plasma damage. You can tag the Nano Plate using your Focus to know where to aim and then shoot it down using weapons with Acid and Plasma projectiles.

Hit the Control Nexus on the Back

You can deal increased damage on the Specters if you hit their Control Nexus on their back. However, it will be hard to do on the first specter inside the facility, as it focuses only on you. You can do it on the one outside as you can sneak through it using the bushes.

It will also drop a Luminous Brainstem, one of the rarest items used for upgrading if you managed to tear it off from their back.

Specter Map Locations

Horizon Forbidden West Guides

List of All Enemy Machines ## Machine Types

List of Enemy Machines
Grazer	Burrower	Scrounger
Leaplasher	Scrapper	Spikesnout
Skydrifter	Plowhorn	Charger
Lancehorn	Longleg	Bristleback
Fanghorn	Redeye Watcher	Widemaw
Clawstrider	Corruptor	Bellowback
Glinthawk	Shell-walker	Stalker
Grimhorn	Ravager	Snapmaw
Sunwing	Clamberjaw	Rollerback
Rockbreaker	Behemoth	Dreadwing
Tideripper	Shellsnapper	Stormbird
Thunderjaw	Frostclaw	Scorcher
Slitherfang	Tremortusk	Fireclaw
Slaughterspine	Tallneck	Specter
Specter Prime