PlayStation’s first big launch of 2022,Horizon Forbidden West,is almost exactly a month away. Gamers who haven’t had the opportunity to finishHorizon Zero Dawnaren’t out of time just yet, but the clock is definitely running out.Zero Dawnis a game people will want to be familiar with before diving intoHorizon Forbidden West, because the latter is likely to build upon the background lore established in the first game.
Even for fans who have playedHorizon Zero Dawn, some of the most important late-game lore is pretty confusing at times. Everyone looking to enjoyForbidden Westto its fullest should take some time to review the most important information andplot points that will be important inHorizon Forbidden West.
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The Faro Plague and Project Zero Dawn
Horizon Zero DawnandForbidden Westboth take place in a post-apocalyptic version of the United States, where humanity has reverted to tribalism and mechanical beasts roam the world. Much ofHorizon Zero Dawnis discovering why the world is like this, and it will be important to know and understand the apocalypse before playingHorizon Forbidden West.
The apocalypse happened because of Faro Automated Solutions, a company which specialized in building machines. Due to a series of very bad design decisions, such as allowing machines to duplicate themselves and consume biomass as fuel, theChariot line of Faro machineswent rogue.
Renowned scientist Elisabet Sobeck proposed a grisly solution. There was no way to stop the machines from destroying all life on Earth. In order to buy a group of scientists some time to figure out how to preserve life, the general population was given false hope and encouraged to fight against the machines and ultimately meet their deaths. This was Project Zero Dawn.
In underground bunkers, scientists worked on Project Enduring Victory. Under Sobeck’s direction, a sophisticated mother-nature AI called GAIA was created to rebuild the Earth once the machines did their damage. GAIA was capable of designing machines to act in place of most living animals, and each served a particular function in the ecosystem. Humanity re-emerged with GAIA’s help, but retained none of their ancestors' knowledge about technology.
HADES and the Rogue Machines
GAIA had many sub-functions that she directed, but the most important ones are APOLLO and HADES. APOLLO was intended to preserve human knowledge for the new generations, but riddled with guilt over the catastrophe his machines caused, Ted Faro destroyed it. Because of his actions, theinhabitants ofHorizon Zero Dawn’sgame worlddon’t understand technology and believe AI personas are deities.
HADES was GAIA’s apocalypse function, only to be used if GAIA made mistakes and needed to start over. Prior to the events ofHorizon Zero Dawn,a mysterious signal caused HADES to go rogue and destroy GAIA. As her final act, GAIA created Aloy with Elisabet Sobeck’s DNA so that she will be able to stop HADES from causing another apocalypse.
As Aloy grows up, the machines become increasingly violent towards humans. Meanwhile, HADES is busy manipulating a group called the Eclipse into awakening ancient Faro war machines that will cause another apocalypse. Aloy was able to stop this from happening in the final act ofHorizon Zero Dawn,but she didn’t completely destroy the rogue AI, or the unidentified power that awoke it.
Aloy’s Identity Explained
Aloy is obviously the protagonist ofHorizon Zero Dawn,but much of the first game is about herfinding her true identity. Aloyis part of the Nora tribe, but she was born as an outcast due to her mysterious origins. Raised by her adoptive father Rost, who was also an outcast of the tribe, Aloy grew to wonder about where she came from and question why she was born an outcast.
After Rost’s sudden death,Aloy’s journey to find the truth about herselfled to a much larger truth about the post-apocalyptic world she lives in and what it used to be. She discovered that she is actually a genetic clone of a scientist called Elisabet Sobeck, who headed Projects Zero Dawn and Enduring Victory in response to the robot uprising.
Because of this, she is the only one who can destroy HADES. The AI knows this, which is why it actively seeks her out. It’s also why she was born an outcast; the Nora matriarchs believed her birth was a supernatural curse because she has no parents. When the story concludes, Aloy understands her place in the world and what it means to fight for the benefit of others rather than just herself.
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Horizon Forbidden West’s Important Characters
AfterZero Dawn,it’s implied that Aloy stays in or near Meridian, the capital of the Carja tribe and home to her closest friends and allies.Aloy doesn’t have many close relationships inHorizon Zero Dawn,but the most important characters to know are Erend and Sylens.
Erend is from the Oseram tribe, which specializes in metalworking. He works for Carja Sun King Avad as an ambassador to the Nora tribe, and later as Avad’s captain. He helped Aloy get into and navigate Meridian, and in exchange, Aloy helped him find out what happened to his sister Ersa.Erend was in theForbidden Westgameplay trailer, so he is making a comeback and will hopefully be a larger part of the story this time.
Sylens is a mysterious man who helped Aloy learn the truth about her identity and the Old Ones. Sylens values the pursuit of knowledge and has made it his life’s goal to understand ancient technology, but he is very self-serving. He guided Aloy, but only because it helped him achieve his own goals. Aloy never fully trusts him, and it looks likeSylens could be the villain inForbidden West.
The end credits scene forHorizon Zero Dawnshowed Sylens capturing HADES and insisting that the AI teach him about its leaders. As he says this, the camera pans to show a Metal Devil, the largest and most fearsome of the Faro machines. There is noMetal Devil boss fight inHorizon Zero Dawn,but players are desperately hopingHorizon Forbidden Westwill have one.
There are a lot of directionsHorizon Forbidden Westcould take, but the main takeaway is that HADES hasn’t been destroyed and isn’t finished. Sylens is up to no good, and the machines are out of control. Aloy says in the reveal trailer that this mission is hers alone, implying that her unique identity and abilities will play a role again. Aloy will likely uncover tons ofnew secrets in the Forbidden West, but most of them should build on what was established inHorizon Zero Dawn.
Horizon Forbidden Westreleases on PS4 and PS5 on July 10, 2025.
