With its stunning visuals and intriguing narrative, Horizon Zero Dawn turned a lot of heads when it was first released for the PS4 back in 2017. Now, just shy of five years later, players can finally get their hands on the game's highly anticipated sequel, Horizon Forbidden West. It may have taken a little longer than some would have liked, but early signs suggest that Guerilla Games' fantastic follow-up was well worth the wait.

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Horizon Forbidden West once again places players in the shoes of Aloy; a former outcast who now holds the fate of the entire world in the palm of her hand. They'll need to overcome an endless army of deadly machines in order to succeed, as well as solving some fairly challenging puzzles along the way. This guide will help them on their journey, providing puzzle solutions, collectible locations, and general tips and tricks as required.

Updated June 9, 2022, by Tom Bowen: As expected, Sony's recent State of Play event brought with it plenty of big surprises, including a plethora of new game announcements and gameplay trailers. One thing that nobody saw coming was a big update to Horizon Forbidden West, which adds a New Game Plus mode, an ultra hard difficulty setting, and eight brand-new Legendary Weapons into the game. This guide has been updated to include information about these new additions, as well as a brand-new section showcasing all of the best user-generated content to come out of the game so far.

Getting StartedMain Story
Side QuestsCollectibles
EquipmentNews & Opinions

Getting Started in Horizon Forbidden West

Horizon Forbidden West does an excellent job of building upon the foundations laid by its predecessor. Many of the mechanics found in the original game have been further developed, while a couple of new ones have also been introduced in an attempt to improve map traversal and combat. While this is certainly good for the overall experience though, these changes do mean that even some returning players will need a bit of time to get to grips with things; not to mention new ones.

This section of the guide will focus on the basics, with How-to guides explaining some of the game's core mechanics as well as answers to some of the more frequently asked questions. This is also where new and returning players can find tips and tricks that will hopefully make controlling Aloy and exploring the world of Horizon Forbidden West just that little bit easier.

How-to Guides

Tips & Tricks

Frequently Asked Questions

Main Story Walkthrough

Horizon Forbidden West's main story picks up around six months on from the events at The Spire. Despite dealing with Hades, a blight is starting to take hold of the planet: choking out life wherever it's able to take root. Hoping that GAIA may be able to help fix this new threat, Aloy heads out in search of a GAIA backup and runs into plenty of familiar faces as she delves deeper into the untamed Forbidden West in order to find one.

Rather than a step-by-step walkthrough for Aloy's entire journey, this section of the guide will instead focus only on some of the more pivotal moments that lay along the path. This includes information about door codes and choices, as well as solutions to some of the more difficult puzzles that players will need to solve during the game. This is also where players can find Game Rant's Horizon Forbidden West trophy guide, which has all of the information needed to unlock the Platinum.

Side Quests, Jobs & Errands

When it comes to side content, there's quite a bit more on offer in Horizon Forbidden West than there was in Aloy's debut outing. Granted, some of the side quests and errands can feel a little mundane when compared to others, but, for the most part, this additional content does a pretty decent job of padding out the experience and expanding upon the games' already rich lore.

Those having trouble with side quests, jobs, and errands would do well to check out this section of the guide, as this is where solutions to some of the more challenging ones can be found. Even the things that don't enrich the series' lore, like overriding Tallnecks and completing Hunting Ground trials can serve as a great way of earning experience points and so are definitely worth doing.

Side Quests

Hunting Grounds

Tallnecks

Collectibles

Much like its predecessor, Horizon Forbidden West has many different types of collectibles. Thankfully, the developers were once again able to restrain themselves, with most collectible sets still limited to around ten items or fewer. As a result, finding them all never really feels like too much of a chore, which bodes well given some of the fantastic rewards that are on offer for tracking everything down.

Anybody having trouble finding Signal Lenses, Relic Ruins, Vista Points, Survey Drones, or War Totems should find the following information useful, as too should those who enjoy playing the Machine Strike mini-game. It's worth noting though that while defeating all of the Machine Strike players is required for 100% completion, collecting every Machine Strike piece is not.

Relic Ruins

Vista Points

Other

Equipment

Like most other modern action RPGs, there are plenty of tools, weapons and armor sets available in Horizon Forbidden West. A lot of them are locked away behind main story progression and salvage contracts, though there are still some that can be picked up from regular merchants as well. Aloy is also able to improve her equipment using workbenches, though she'll need the appropriate crafting components in order to do so.

Players looking for the best weapons and armor sets in Horizon Forbidden West will find them listed here, as well as guides on where to locate some of the more elusive crafting materials. They may find themselves a little disappointed, however, as, unsurprisingly, perhaps, most of the game's best equipment can only be obtained towards the end of the main story.

News & Opinions

Given the huge success of its predecessor, Horizon Forbidden West was always likely to turn heads. It is, after all, the first big first-party exclusive for the PS5 and had been in development for nearly four years prior to its release. With all this in mind, the game's strong showing with critics was perhaps to be expected, as too were its impressive pre-order and opening weekend sales.

This section of the guide is where players can find out just how well the game has really sold, as well as read up on news regarding any new updates, DLC, or glitches. Opinions about the game can also be found in this section, including reviews, story critiques, and general thoughts on the game's overall strengths and weaknesses.

News

User-Generated Content

Opinions

Horizon Forbidden West is available now on PS4 and PS5.

MORE: Everything You Need to Know About Horizon Zero Dawn Before Playing Forbidden West