There are a ridiculous amount of things for players to see and do in Horizon Forbidden West, though not all of them are as worthwhile as others. Some of the collectible sets, for example, provide very little in the way of rewards, while many of the game's side quests and errands involve throwaway characters who are forgotten about almost as soon as their quests have been completed.
Buried amongst all of the fluff and filler, however, there are quite a few great storylines that are definitely worth exploring. These typically involve Aloy's companions, the most long-standing of whom is Carja Captain Erend, who is one of several returning characters in Horizon Forbidden West. He may not play quite as big a role this time around, but his quest to bring down the Sons of Prometheus allows him and Aloy to shine together again once more.
How to Unlock First Forge
As players begin to explore the forbidden west, they'll find themselves stumbling across rebel camps and outposts. The 17 outposts are fairly easy to clear, but the camps are much larger and so tend to provide a bit more of a challenge. Initially, there are five rebel camps that players can infiltrate, with the final one, First Forge, only becoming available once the others have all been cleared. It's important to note here that players do not need to complete any rebel outposts in order to unlock First Forge.
To clear a rebel camp, players will first need to defeat the camp's leader and then complete a few secondary objectives. These usually entail scanning certain parts of the camp with Aloy's Focus, or destroying weapons and ammunition crates to weaken Regalla's forces. Players can find the first five camps (Eastern Lie, The Hive, Breached Rock, Devil's Grasp, and Fenrise) by listening to rumors in and around settlements, overriding Tallnecks, or simply exploring the map.
As they travel from camp to camp, players will begin to intercept messages from Asera, who is one of Regalla's top lieutenants and wants to make a name for herself by bringing Aloy down. In some of the later recordings, she'll talk about a place called First Forge, which will eventually prompt Aloy to ask Erend for help figuring out its hidden location. He'll be at The Base if players haven't completed the main story yet, or at Hidden Ember near the Las Vegas ruins if they have.
How to Complete First Forge
After speaking with Erend, a marker for First Forge will appear on the map not too far from the Greenhouse research facility where players first meet Alva. Whenever they're ready, players should head for the nearby campfire, from which they'll be able to call Erend by pressing the Triangle button. After the resulting cut-scene, Aloy and Erend will make their way inside the camp, at which point, players can either use stealth or brute force to make it past the rebels.
As they venture deeper into the camp, players will eventually come to a large wooden door, which will need to be opened by turning the wheel to the left. This will lead to a system of caves that players will again need to navigate. Asera attempts to make life difficult by blowing up a bridge, but, with a little bit of climbing and some creative thinking (pushing down a tree), both Aloy and Erend will be able to make it through the cave system unscathed.
Just before leaving the caves, players will come across a Stash and a Workbench, which can be used to prepare for the fight ahead. It's not a particularly challenging one, but players should at least make sure that they're stocked up on ammo and healing items just to be on the safe side. They will need to look out for Asera's traps though, which can cause quite a bit of damage if they're not safely disarmed using the Triangle button.
Upon heading outside, players will need to dispose of two Rebel Clawstriders before taking on Asera herself. She's weak against Plasma and Fire ammo, so players should take advantage of this to wrap things up quickly and without too much trouble. The only thing that they'll really need to worry about are the numerous traps that litter the area, but these are fairly easy to spot, and so, by extension, are also fairly easy to avoid.
Once Asera has been taken care of, players can loot her corpse to receive The Sun Scourge, which is one of only nine Legendary weapons in Horizon Forbidden West. There's also a Datapoint beneath the nearby shelter, which player should scan before speaking with Erend. Doing so will lead to a short conversation, after which First Forge will be marked as completed and players will receive the "Defeated Asera" Silver trophy.
Horizon Forbidden West is available now on PS4 and PS5.
