In an era where Machines roam the land and mankind is no longer the dominant species, a young hunter named Aloy embarks on a journey to discover her destiny.
In a lush, post-apocalyptic world where nature has reclaimed the ruins of a forgotten civilization, pockets of humanity live on in primitive hunter-gatherer tribes. Their dominion over the new wilderness has been usurped by the Machines – fearsome mechanical creatures of unknown origin.
Shunned by her tribe since birth, Aloy has never known a mother’s embrace or the acceptance of a community. Her only companion was Rost, the stern, impassive recluse who fostered her.
Rost taught Aloy to survive any physical hardship and to scorn comforts as weakness – but he couldn’t provide the answer to the questions which troubled her above all else: who her parents were, and why she was cast out.
A rugged outcast who fosters Aloy in the wilds, Rost is an honorable man whose life has taken a number of tragic turns. Only the Matriarchs know why he was cast out, but no one who’s ever met him could believe he would commit a crime against the tribe…
A soft-spoken brave of the Nora tribe, Varl has had to content with being the son of Sona – one of the greatest heroes the tribe has ever known and its iron-willed War Chief. Along with his sister Vala, Varl has rarely seen positive encouragement from his mother, who deemed excellence was its own reward… and attainable to a very few.
Sun-King Avad is the 14th monarch of the Carja tribe and, paradoxically for such a gentle soul, the only one to ascend to the throne through regicide. Avad never thought he would be king, thinking his older brother as a more fitting heir. But the younger sibling has discovered that his intelligence, perception and empathy has prepared him better for the crown than all his brother’s might and confidence…
Haunted by his father’s terminal alcoholism and poor leadership, Erend has watched the Oseram clan broken by vicious infighting. And while this legacy saw his sister Ersa fight hard for a better life, Erend’s feelings grew into a powerful hatred of his father’s failings… and the creeping fear that he is doomed to repeat them, as he spirals into depression, self-destructive impulsiveness and excessive drinking.
Tasked with the mission to convince Dowager Queen Nasadi to defect, the Meridian born Vanasha has worked as an undercover spy among the Shadow Carja for the past two years. It’s an objective which has almost seen success – if not for the Citadel being locked down under mysterious circumstances.
Journey through a world filled with strange artifacts and crumbling ruins...
Tallnecks are majestic patrolling Machines that can be scaled – with a little help from the immediate environment. Successfully climbing and overriding a Tallneck will reveal the surrounding area of the map, including Machine sites, and trigger an energy discharge that weakens nearby Machines.
Hunting grounds are timed arena-style challenges that require you to try diverse combat tactics against different types of Machines.
Earn at least three Sun marks – the rewards from completing Hunting Ground trials – to gain access to the Hunters’ Lodge in Meridian.
Bandit camps are combat encounters with large numbers of entrenched human enemies. Clearing out these camps allows settlers to move in, adding a merchant and valuable fast-travel point.
Vantage points are geocached remnants of the ancient past, left in scenic areas. Focus scanning a Vantage shows a glimpse of the Ancient World, and unlocks a segment of their creator’s story. You can read these from the Collectables tab in the Notebook menu.
Collectible items include Metal Flowers, Banuk Figures and Ancient Vessels. Completed sets can be brought to special collectors in Meridian – Kudiv, Cantarah, and the Studious Palas – for rewards.
Cauldrons are the source of the Machines: cavernous, self-operating robot foundries. By reaching the core at the center of a Cauldron, you can learn to override additional types of Machines in the world.
Exploring the Cauldrons also reveals more about the life cycle of the Machines.
Bunkers contain the secrets of the ancient past – be sure to use the Focus device to check for clues and other items…
Learn more about both the ancient and tribal world by scanning Datapoints with the Focus device.
The world of Horizon Zero Dawn is inhabited by Machines of all shapes and sizes. Terrifyingly alien yet strikingly familiar, these mysterious automatons combine mechanical strength with organic features and an animalistic ferocity.
The combat-class Thunderjaw is one of the deadliest Machines in Horizon Zero Dawn. A formidable beast equipped with cannons, disc launchers and a mouth laser, its powerful ranged attacks will quickly cut down any hunter foolish enough to alert it. Space permitting, it can also unleash with a devastating range of melee attacks such as charges and tail swipes.
An acquisition-class Machine, the Snapmaw is frequently found basking in or near bodies of water, where it gathers valuable minerals from the sediment. It can move with surprising ferocity when alerted, lashing out with an array of melee attacks that include powerful lunge bites and tail swipes. For ranged attacks, it fires off cryo mortars that freeze the target on impact.
Soaring through the sky at high altitude, the fearsome Stormbird is a combat-class machine that can swoop down and attack its prey with tremendous force. It’s just as dangerous on land as it is in the air, with a variety of swift and powerful attacks that range from wing blasts to claw slashes. Its enormous metal wings are also capable of collecting and discharging the electricity in the air.
The Behemoth is a huge, rugged transport-class machine that uses anti-gravity technology to transfer precious cargo from smaller acquisition-class machines into its stomach container. When provoked, it may charge at the enemy or use its anti-gravity unit to hurl heavy objects. It is also equipped with a set of grinding drills that allow it to pulverise and propel rock projectiles.
Fuse primitive gear with advanced technology to craft devices that turn predators to prey.
Use stealth and agility to outsmart your opponents, and lay traps to catch them off-guard. Then utilize modifiable weapons to move in and bring down your quarry.
The Focus is an artifact from the old world – a wearable computer and augmented reality system that you can use to:
You can craft most of the ammo and supplies you need from resources you discover in the world, or loot from downed enemies. Make sure you don’t enter a battle unprepared – craft traps, arrows and pouch upgrades on the go.
Merchants will offer Aloy a wide range of goods, varying from resources to craft items, as well as new gear. Trade in your metal shards and resources for special weapons and outfits to protect you from the dangers you'll encounter.
Most weapon types come in three variants – Nora, Carja, and Shadow Carja. These variants affect which types of ammo the weapon can fire, and the number of modification slots available.
Weapons can have up to three modification slots to improve their existing statistics, or add new ones. Modification items such as Weapon Coils can be found as loot, or purchased from merchants.
The Hunter Bow is a lightweight, low-powered bow capable of firing regular arrows, fire arrows and hardpoint arrows. It is particularly effective against unarmoured humans and animals.
The Sling is a short range weapon with a lower fire rate, suitable for launching projectiles that break on impact and spread damage across a wide area of the target.
The Ropecaster is ideal for temporarily slowing down or immobilizing targets. The arrow on one end of the rope is fired at the target, while the arrow on the other end is fired into the ground.
The many outfits available to buy can be used to protect Aloy against different sources of damage. Most outfits have light, medium and heavy variants, affecting the level of protection and the number of modification slots available – the latter of which can be used to improve existing stats, or even add new ones. Modifications items such as Outfit Weaves can be found as loot, or purchased from merchants.
Explore a vibrant landscape rich with the beauty of nature. Travel through stunningly detailed forests, imposing mountains and the atmospheric ruins of a bygone civilization, all brought together in a world that is alive with changing weather systems and a full day/night cycle.
As you travel you’ll discover different ecotopes, tribal settlements and Machine types, as well as the towering ruins of a forgotten era. Can you unlock the mysteries that link them together and discover the fate that befell mankind?
From the frozen mountain ranges of the north, to the hot, dense jungles of the south, the world of Horizon Zero Dawn offers a wide variety of different geographies.
During your travels you will experience a full day/night cycle and dynamic weather conditions, ranging from sunny days to ominous rainstorms. Adapt your tactics accordingly…
Traces of a lost civilization linger throughout – discover overgrown ruins and buried secrets that have lain undisturbed for generations.
Along your journey, you’ll meet several different tribes, each with their own culture and traditions.
The Nora are an isolationist, matriarchal tribe of fierce hunters who worship their nature goddess, All-Mother. They are forbidden to leave her Sacred Land, or explore the ancient ruins of the Metal World, without risking exile. They view the other tribes as heathens at worst, interlopers at best.
The other tribes see the Nora as mysterious barbarians, though many colourful rumours and legends circulate about the tribe.
The sun-worshipping Carja consider themselves the most civilized of the tribes, ruling a great empire from their City of the Sun, Meridian. Under the tyrannical rule of the previous Sun-King Jiran, they waged war against the other tribes for sacrificial slaves until a coup by the king’s progressive son, Avad.
The other tribes, having hated and feared the Carja, are now warily re-establishing contact – though most still consider them stuffy and pompous.
After a coup against their previous Sun-King Jiran, the Carja tribe descended into a civil cold war. Jiran’s surviving hardliners declared themselves the Shadow Carja and claimed a fortress citadel in the west, Sunfall.
The Shadow Carja fanatics are universally despised.
The Oseram are a secular, hardy tribe of metalworkers, explorers and tinkerers – inventors of unusual devices or powerful weapons. It was an Oseram-Carja alliance that allowed Sun-King Avad to overthrow his father’s regime, and now the two tribes are strange neighbours in the streets of Meridian.
The other tribes respect Oseram steel, but their brash, forward behaviour is often taken as boorishness – particularly by their new allies.
The aloof Banuk seldom descend from the snowfields of their homeland, but are renowned for the Machine-hunting skills of their warriors and the strange mysticism of their shamans. A tribe of survivalists, they prioritise proving themselves against the odds, instead of engaging with other tribes or their politics.
Due to this frostiness, the other tribes view them much as they do the Nora: curious but largely unknowable savages from the east.
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Bandits survive by raiding the villages and caravans of other tribes. Occasionally they will claim abandoned habitats entirely, turning them into staging grounds for new raids. They take great pleasure in repurposing loot for their own twisted designs.
Opportunistic and hostile, Bandits live in a near-constant state of chaos. This is also their primary weakness when facing tribes that are better organized.
Become a better Machine hunter with these pointers from Guerrilla Games.
Expand the vibrant, post-apocalyptic world of Horizon Zero Dawn with this stunning new downloadable add-on, which gives you a brand new area with its own compelling storyline, adventures and side activities to enjoy… and survive.
In The Frozen Wilds, Aloy travels to the borderlands of the survivalist Banuk tribe to investigate a mysterious new Machine threat. Only by enduring the harsh landscape and earning the respect of the Banuk, will Aloy gain the allies, abilities and knowledge she needs to uncover a secret from the past – and stop a threat to the future…
Learn more about the challenges involved with bringing the world of Horizon Zero Dawn to life! In these exclusive behind-the-scenes videos, Guerrilla’s developers reveal more about the creation process for Horizon Zero Dawn, as well as its main character.
In order to create Horizon Zero Dawn, Guerrilla had to transition from specializing in first-person shooter development to creating a brand-new open-world action RPG.
Before Guerrilla could fully realize its vision for Horizon Zero Dawn, the studio had to recruit new talent for a variety of specialized positions first.
A PlayStation icon isn’t designed overnight. For Aloy, Guerrilla went to great lengths to create a strong, versatile and relatable character.
Browse the full range of Horizon games in the series and learn more about Aloy's story on the official Horizon franchise hub.
Includes:
*Some gameplay required to redeem bonus outfits and weapons.
The Frozen Wilds contains additional content for Horizon Zero Dawn, including new storylines, characters and experiences in a beautiful but unforgiving new area.
*Compatible 4K display required for 4K resolution.
PlayStation strives to create experiences that fit the needs of players of all abilities. Find out more about accessibility features included in this game, and other titles from PlayStation Studios.
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