Horizon Zero Dawn Guide – Main Missions for PS4

All the main missions and their objectives in Horizon Zero Dawn

After the opening sequence, we will see that Aloy falls into a cave while walking with Rost.

Mission 1 – A gift from the past

Horizon Zero Dawn - Mission 1 - Focus

We have to advance through the cave (a very simple path) until we reach some stairs, we continue and we will find a body with a strange device in its head. Upon examining it we find the Focus, a tool that helps us scan the outline and enemies by pressing R3 button.

Horizon Zero Dawn - Mission 1 - Cave Gate

Once we have it we have to return, but the door is closed, if we advance through the area on the right when going up from the stairs where we found the device, We will see a Holographic Lock on the wall that we can turn left 2 times to unlock the door and continue.

Horizon Zero Dawn - Mission 1 - Cave Exit

Now we just have to move forward until a sequence jumps where Rost finds us and we leave the cave. Before leaving, We can collect various data by scanning bodies and the indicated areas using the Focus, in the HUD we see practically everything, we will see above in the compass that we see box-shaped icons where we can pick up something.

Mission 2 – Lessons from nature 

Horizon Zero Dawn - Mission 2 - Medicine

Now Rost is going to teach us how to heal ourselves and fill our medicine bag, it is a tutorial, we have to collect Medicinal Berries from the medicinal Shrubs, we will see that in the area we have other resources to collect, such as Wild Embers and Cliff Wood. When we have the necessary amount of Berries, Rost will teach us that by pressing D-Pad up On the cross we heal (as the green bar, which is our berries, goes down, our red bar, our health, increases). With this learned we follow Rost.

Horizon Zero Dawn - Mission 2 - Lookouts

Now it's time to learn to be stealthy, we meet the first machines, the Watchers, these machines track, so we have to camouflage ourselves among the tall grasses by pressing square button and avoid being seen, in total we have to avoid 3 of these machines, they also teach us that the eye indicator that we see above indicates if we are visible depending on how open it is and if it is closed they do not see us, in turn The lines that appear on the sides of the eye indicate the noise we make when we walk.

Horizon Zero Dawn - Mission 2 - Stones

We continue after passing the Watchers, we see a sequence with a strange boy who climbs, the next thing is to learn to use the stones to mislead the machines, You have to collect three stones and throw one near Rost's position so that a Watcher approaches him and kills him by surprise, we use the stones by pressing D-Pad down on the crosshead, when we release it we will throw the stone. By searching the corpse we will get Metal Shards and learn how to make arrows.

Horizon Zero Dawn - Mission 2 - Galloper

Our next objective is to kill a Galloper, another machine that is in the area, they are clumsier than the Lookouts, but they are more robust and do more damage with their kicks. Using the Focus we can analyze the enemies to see their weaknesses, in this case the eye and the tank they have on their back, it will be easy to take down one to meet the objective.

Horizon Zero Dawn - Mission 2 - Rescue

We will see a sequence in which the boy we saw before falls to the ground in an area full of Lookouts and Gallopers. Rost warns us that it is practically impossible to save him but Aloy insists on it, we have to get to his position without being seen. If they attack us we will die, Now we discover that using the Focus we can see the routes that the Watchers and other machines are going to follow, this will be very useful to us to avoid them. On the right we can take the opportunity to reach some trees and surround the area where the boy is to arrive without problems.

When we rescue him and after the sequence the mission will conclude, we see that a child throws a stone at us, here They give us the option to choose between several options, marked with a Brain (reasoned choices), a Fist (aggressive choices) and a Heart (compassionate choices), the choices influence us in the game, just some subsequent dialogue.

Mission 3 – The Tip of the Spear

Horizon Zero Dawn - Mission 3 - Rost

After the sequence, Aloy will be older, Rost has prepared us for years to pass the test of the Nora people. When leaving the cabin, Rost is not there, we have to look for him, from here we can access the map, consult the inventory and missions by pressing the touch panel of the controller. We go to the position where we will see Rost on a rock, when talking to him he gives us several tasks, Trade Karst to get a Stunner and create Fire Arrows. On the map we will see both objectives marked.

Create Fiery Arrows

Horizon Zero Dawn - Mission 3 - Gallopers

For this objective we have to kill Gallopers and collect Lumbre from their bodies, we have to gather 3 units of this resource, we go to the area marked with the Galapadores symbol, where we will find a herd, apart from these machines, in the area we can find Lookouts and Scrappers (like wolves), we should also go collecting everything we find. Once we have 3 units of Fire, we can create the fiery arrows, we also need Cliff Wood x2 and Metal Shards x5.

Buy Stunner

Horizon Zero Dawn - Mission 3 - Stunner

We headed to the Karst store, South, there we will find this friendly merchant who gives us a Stunner, a new weapon. The Stunner places electric traps for the machines to fall into, we simply shoot at one point and then another to place the electric rope.

Meet Rost

Horizon Zero Dawn - Mission 3 - Serrated Teeth

After completing both objectives we meet with Rost in his position, he has something to teach us when it is night and invites us to rest, at the bonfire we can record the game and as we do so the mission continues. Well, we advance with it at night to an area where there is a new enemy that is causing havoc, a Serrated Teeth, this machine is more dangerous than the ones we have encountered so far, be very careful if it locates us, it will finish us off quickly, thank you We can set a trap for the Stunner by knowing its route. If the stunner explodes, we will leave it on the ground for a while to be able to hit it with the spear. Another weak point is the chest tank with incendiary arrows. When we finish it, the mission ends.

Mission 4 – Mother's Heart

Horizon Zero Dawn - Mission 4 - Teb Suit

After the sequence, we enter Mother's Heart On the eve of the test, Teersa, the old woman who blessed us in the introduction of the game, tells us that an old friend is waiting for us, we go to the point to meet Teb, the boy we helped as a girl and he gives us the Suit. "Brave Nora." 

Horizon Zero Dawn - Mission 4 - Hunters Lodge

Now we simply have to go towards the objectives that are asked of us, the Lodge of the Matriarchs where we will meet Olin, a man with a Focus like ours, then to the Blessing Ceremony and later at la la Hunters Lodge to sleep and face the test rested, inside we will meet Vala ya Bast the blonde boy who threw the rock at our heads at the beginning of the game. As soon as we get into bed the mission ends.

Mission 5 – The Test

Horizon Zero Dawn - Mission 5 - Grazer

When we get up directly we go to the test area, after the sequence our objective is kill a Shepherd, machines that come running from the left and loot his corpse to get the hunting trophy, but when he picks it up, Bast destroys it with his bow and we must get another one.

Horizon Zero Dawn - Mission 5 - Shortcut

Once done, we have to make up ground, and venture along an abandoned route, you just have to follow the path to end up arriving first and win the test, the platforms are practically automatic and it is quite difficult to fall.

Horizon Zero Dawn - Mission 5 - Ambush

When we reach the end, the Judge names us champions of the test, a group of enemies begins to open fire on us and our companionsFrom above, we have to finish them off. There are 3 waves, there are archers located in elevated positions, in the second there are also enemies who come down armed with clubs and in the third the one who seems to be their leader carries a weapon called DeathbringerBe very careful not to reach us with it, when we kill it we can take it to finish off the rest. At the end of the combat, a strange character appears and a sequence jumps where the mission ends.

Mission 6 – The Mountain Matrix

Horizon Zero Dawn - Mission 6 - Team

At the beginning of the mission we find ourselves inside the Holy Mountain, a cave in which the tribe of Nora They take refuge from the attacks, the first thing we have to do is recover our equipment and the damaged Focus, where a sequence will jump.

Horizon Zero Dawn - Mission 6 - Sacred Chamber

After this the Mother Teersa and we have to follow her to the Sacred Chamber where something more of our past will be revealed to us. Once finished we must follow Teersa to the meeting with the other Matriarchs, where they will name us Seeker to explore the world by meeting Varl at the Gate that leads to the lands beyond the Nora area, but first we must leave the village talking with Resh the local chief.

Horizon Zero Dawn - Corruptor

Upon arriving after the sequence with Resh we will see a new machine, a corrupter, who, using a device, manages to dominate several Galapodores in the area and initiate an attack against the door. They will quickly be inside, we also have companions who help us in this fight, the main enemy is the Corruptor, you simply have to dodge its jump attacks by rolling and be careful with the stones that it throws at us with its metallic tentacle, a good option to kill it is to place ourselves between his legs and make strong attacks with the spear, we will finish him off quickly, if we scan him we will see that he has weak points on both turrets next to his head, his weakness is heat. As soon as we finish with him, we must collect his device to hack the machines and the chapter concludes.

After taking the Corruptor's device we can sabotage the following machines:

  • Galloper
  • Horned
  • Rammer
  • longneck
  • Look-out

Mission 7 – Gate Seeker

Horizon Zero Dawn - Mission 7 - Ride Galloper

This quest starts automatically after completing the previous main quest. Leave Mother's Eyes and go to the area indicated in search of Gallopers to test the Saboteur on one of them. To sabotage one we have to approach them stealthily and when we are close to one we have to hold down triangle button and we will have it.

Horizon Zero Dawn - Mission 7 - Varl

We advance to the marked door, there we will meet Varl, who asks us to try to find Sora, his mother and former Chieftain, here we can start mission 7, "The trail of the chieftain", but first we better continue with the objective of the mission that is to go talk to Marea in Corona Madre.

Along the way we will meet Cren, marked with a green Mission question, by talking to him we will unlock a new type of mission "The Hunting Trials", Likewise, as we advance we will reach another area, where we will unlock other types of missions, the "Corrupted Zones", Both are new activities that we can consult in the missions tab of the Menu.

We continue our way until we reach Marea's position, when talking to her she asks us let's clean 1 corrupted area, in this area several secondary missions are open to us. We head to the place and kill them, we won't have too many problems using stealth and shooting accurately. Now you have to head towards the Carja border fort, but when a Corruptor arrives he is wreaking havoc, we kill him and the other machines so that they let us enter and complete the mission.

Mission 8 – The trail of the chief

Horizon Zero Dawn - Mission 8 - Massacre Site

The first thing is to go investigate the area of the massacre to find out what happened to Sona and the Braves in the ambush, when they arrive at the area we have to investigate a destroyed Watcher and Defiler, soon a survivor will also appear, Dren, who Sona sent to report.

Horizon Zero Dawn - Mission 8 - Longneck

We are heading towards the last known position of Sona thanks to Dren, along the way we will find a longneck, these machines are huge and we cannot kill them, but we can climb to the top and sabotage them so that they reveal all the map positions they cover, we simply climb to the top of the buildings and jump on their backs when they pass by. After sabotaging it we advance to the position marked in the mission and we will have to inspect a bonfire, a bow, arrowheads and some bandages, now you have to mark the footprints to follow the trail.

Horizon Zero Dawn - Mission 8 - Cultist Assault

We will reach Sona's position and we must attack a settlement of cultists and corrupted machines, stealth will be our greatest ally, and as soon as they see us, Sona and her companions will start an attack, but you can practically kill everyone with stealth and patience. When we finish them off using the Focus we find another trail that takes us to a sound file, when we communicate the content to the others the mission concludes.