For those who are already familiar with the Horizon series, the sight of a gigantic Tallneck probably won't evoke too much of a reaction. For new players, however, these gigantic metal machines really are a sight to behold and account for just one of the numerous pieces of side content that's available in Horizon Forbidden West.
Like many of the other machines in Horizon Forbidden West, players are able to override Tallnecks and will gain valuable information about the surrounding area when they do. The Tallneck in The Stillsands is a little different though, as, rather than having to get on top of it as they usually would, players must instead bring it down before in order to override it.
Investigating The Stillsands Tallneck
Players can find The Stillsands Tallneck just south of the western entrance to The Base. Upon their arrival, they should scan the Tallneck and then head for the campfire in the center of the area that the Tallneck's encircling. There, they'll find some dead Oseram which will prompt Aloy to suggest using her Focus to figure out what happened to them. Doing so will highlight some Tallneck antennas, an anchor, and a Ballista for players to examine.
After checking out these three items, Aloy will come to the conclusion that she'll need to bring the Tallneck down in order to reboot it. This proves to be a lot easier than done though, as the nearby ballista only has one anchor, and it's nowhere near heavy enough to topple the gigantic Tallneck. Thankfully, there are two more ballistae in the surrounding area, each of which has an anchor that players can use.
How to Use a Ballista
In order to use a ballista, players simply need to stand next to it and press the Square button. From there, it's pretty similar to using any other ranged weapon, with aim handled by the analog stick and R2 used to fire. Players will need to hit the Tallneck once with each ballista so that its anchor attaches and then move on to the next. The ballistae can also be used to take down regular enemies too, though can be a little annoying to use due to its restrictive range.
Where to Find Every Ballista
The second ballista is near a crumbling structure to the southwest of the first and the final one is on a raised platform over to the east (players may need to grapple their way up there). This one's actually on the outside of the circle rather than the inside, but is still able to hit the Tallneck when it's in range. There are hostile machines near each one (mainly Tracker Burrowers and Acid Bellowbacks), so players should be sure to sneak past these or take them out quickly to avoid having to wait for the Tallneck to perform another lap.
How to Override the Tallneck in The Stillsands
Once all three anchors have been attached, The Stillsands Tallneck will fall to the ground, allowing players to climb onto its head with ease. From here, overriding it is just like overriding any other Tallneck, with players simply needing to press the Triangle button while standing near the red port on the top of its head. Doing so will cause the Tallneck to stand back up, after which the quest will be marked as complete and players can glide or rappel back down to the ground.
Horizon Forbidden West is available now on PS4 and PS5.
