Few side quests in Horizon Forbidden West are as long as The Second Verse, nor are there many that are quite so impactful. Zo's determination to heal the Land-Gods of their derangement is truly admirable, particularly given everything else that she loses in the build-up to its introduction and all that's at stake. With this in mind, and given how much she helps Aloy throughout the game, it only seems right for players to lend her a helping hand.
Sadly, the rewards on offer for completing the quest are a little lackluster when compared to the narrative clout, but the latter arguably makes up for this. The Second Verse is also one of only ten side quests and errands in Horizon Forbidden West to reward players with a trophy, which will probably be incentive enough for most players. They should be warned though, that this is neither an easy side quest nor a short one, with combat, climbing, and, potentially, a whole lot of waiting around involved.
How to Unlock The Second Verse
The Second Verse is one of the longest side quests in Horizon Forbidden West and is broken up into two parts. The first of these can be initiated at any point after players have completed the Cradle of Echoes main story mission by speaking with Zo at the base and selecting the "The land-gods" option. It is worth noting though that those who decide to complete the main story before triggering the quest will need to speak with her in Plainsong instead.
How to Gather the Grimhorn Cores
Initially, Zo will ask for Aloy's help gathering some Grimhorn Control Cores, which she needs to bring an end to the Land-Gods' derangement. Once the conversation is over, players should make their way to the campfire marked on their map and then press the Triangle button to call Zo. She'll lead Aloy to a nearby Grimhorn site, where, after killing all of the hostile machines, players will be able to gather all of the necessary materials.
With the cores now in hand, players should return to the base (or Plainsong, if the main story has already been completed) and speak with Zo again. Depending on where players are in the story, she may say that she needs more time to complete the Reboot Code, in which case, players should continue on with the main story until they've unlocked the Faro's Tomb mission. After doing so, players can continue The Second Verse by choosing the "Healing the land-gods" option while talking to Zo.
Where to Find the Three Land Gods
During the second part of The Second Verse, players will need to reboot three stranded Land-Gods using a special code provided by GAIA and Zo. The first of these, Do, can be found at the "Shrine at the Canyon" quest marker and is by far the most difficult to reboot. This is because players will need to remove the vines holding it down by destroying a number of Metal Flowers that can be found scattered throughout the surrounding area.
Upon their arrival at the "Shrine at Cinnabar Sands" marker, players will be greeted by a couple of dead Utaru. Scanning the area with Aloy's focus will reveal a trail, which they'll then be able to follow to a nearby area containing the second Land-God Ti and some hostile machines. After killing the spares and attempting to install the code, an angry Stormbird will swoop down and players will need to defeat it before they'll be able to successfully reboot the Land-God.
The last of the three Land-Gods, So, is located near the "Shrine at the Lake" quest marker and is by far the easiest to reboot. Players will simply need to swim down into the lake and move the debris that's on top of the stranded Land-God by holding R2. After doing so, they can install the code by using the Triangle button. It's worth noting that there are a few hostile machines swimming around nearby, but, providing players stay near the debris in the center of the lake, they should be able to install the code without attracting any unwanted attention.
With all of the Land-Gods now updated, players should make their way back to Plainsong and look for Zo out in the fields. Upon speaking to her, she'll send out the reboot signal, which will bring the Land-Gods back online and cause them to burst into song. Players will then get the Utaru Birthsinger Face Paint, some XP, and three Skill Points, as well as the "Healed the Land-gods" bronze trophy. If they like, players can then speak to Zo again to find out how her meeting with the Plainsong Chorus went, but this isn't actually necessary in order to complete the quest.
Horizon Forbidden West is available now on PS4 and PS5.
