Horizon Forbidden West’s expansion Burning Shores introduces the Waterwing, a new flying mount that can also dive. Players can finally traverse the seas of Horizon Forbidden West, as this marks the first mountable aquatic machine in the franchise. The only way for players to explore the depths of the Forbidden West's ocean, rivers, and lakes was through Aloy’s new ability to swim around an amazingly detailed underwater environment. After a while, the speed of Aloy’s swimming can become a bit tedious – especially for long stretches. So the Waterwing’s capability to dive provides a much faster traversal option for players, whether they feel like exploring ruins or need a quick exit from combat. But first, they’ll have to secure a Waterwing override.
How To Dive in Horizon Forbidden West: Burning Shores
Before being able to dive, players will need to complete the “For His Amusement” main story mission. Sekya suggests that to get to Londra’s Park, they should override a Waterwing to duck under the waves to avoid being detected by the Zenith defenses. As Sekya scouts for Waterwing sites, Aloy contacts Beta to help modify a Sunwing override to work on a Waterwing.
After collecting the necessary parts, Beta sends Aloy the override for her to use on one of the machines. Players will then need to continue on with the mission before being able to freely explore with the Waterwing, which involves checking out Pangea Park, defeating the guards, and searching for where Londra is hiding.
How to Control the Waterwing
The Waterwing operates the same as a Sunwing, with X being used to accelerate, the Circle button to break, and the analog stick being used to pitch the mount up and down (the controls are inverted). There’s no specific button to press when diving - all players need to do is aim the Waterwing at a deep piece of water for the machine to seamlessly duck under the waves.
Underwater, the Waterwing can perform a barrel roll by pressing the Triangle button, and Aloy can dismount by pressing Square. The Waterwing will swim around Aloy as she explores the ocean's depths and can be mounted by calling it back. So if players want to go resource gathering, they can do so without swimming back up to the surface and mounting the Waterwing from the air.
What Can Players Do with a Waterwing?
Much like its controls, Waterwings can do everything a Sunwing can do with the addition of diving and swimming. This includes scanning machines and attacking from the skies, which works well with the new Grapple Launch mechanic. Flying mounts can also help Aloy access restricted places in the Burning Shores, including Flying Mount Dislodge and Pickups.
Can Players Use a Waterwing in the Forbidden West?
While players can’t fly straight back to the Forbidden West, they can take their new Waterwing mount with them. This is a game-changer for traversal, providing a completely different experience for those who decided to start a New Game+.
Players can override a Sunwing and still have a Waterwing for a period of time (when they’re close to one another). But like with regular mounts, once Aloy is moved out of that area, the Sunwing will become her primary mount.
Horizon Forbidden West: Burning Shores is available now on PS5.