Of all the new characters who are introduced in Horizon Forbidden West, Kotallo just might be the most interesting. The Tenakth Marshal loses his arm during the opening stages of the game, and, with it, his confidence and sense of purpose. After being impressed by Aloy's resolve and dedication to her mission though, he eventually finds a new lease on life and agrees to help the heroic Nora to save the earth from the Far Zenith threat and the impending blight.
After Kotallo joins Aloy and her companions at the base, he learns about prosthetic limbs from GAIA and asks Aloy to help him to recover the materials and information needed to build one for himself. What follows is the What Was Lost side quest. It's arguably one of the very best in Horizon Forbidden West when it comes to character development; providing an additional layer of depth to Kotallo as well as some fantastic rewards for players.
Updated June 18, 2022, by Tom Bowen: Much like its predecessor, Horizon Forbidden West is actually pretty lenient when it comes to completion; at least it is in terms of trophies, anyway. Those hoping to unlock the platinum trophy will only actually need to complete around a fifth of the side quests and errands found throughout the game, one of which being "What Was Lost." For those wondering which other side quests and errands have trophies attached to them in Horizon Forbidden West, this guide has been updated to answer that very question. It now includes links to guides for all of the relevant quests, in addition to a full "What Was Lost" walkthrough.
How to Unlock What Was Lost
Players will unlock the What Was Lost side quest after recovering AETHER, POSEIDON, and DEMETER and triggering the Faro's Tomb main story quest. To get the ball rolling, they'll need to speak with Kotallo at the base and then choose the "A personal request" option. He'll proceed to ask Alloy for help building a prosthetic arm and the pair will agree to meet up at a campfire near the Zenith research facility where players found Beta a little earlier on.
How to Build Kotallo a New Arm
Whenever they're ready to take on the quest, players should follow the quest marker to the campsite near the facility and then press the Triangle button to give Kotallo a call. After the resulting cutscene, players will then need to sneak past or kill a few machines before heading through the nearby tunnel to the derelict facility. They'll then need to make their way to the large room where they found Beta's storage pod a little earlier.
Opposite the terminal that was used to retrieve the pod is a green Operations Console that players will need to interact with by pressing Triangle. Doing so will reveal the information needed to create a prosthetic arm, but also trigger a battle with a pair of angry Specters. Thankfully, they're incredibly weak to both Acid and Plasma damage, so players can use this to their advantage to keep the fight from dragging on.
With the Specters out of the way, players should head down into the depths of the facility to find the components needed for Kotallo's new arm. They'll eventually come to a room with a vent shaft in the ceiling, and, after using the Pullcaster to open it, should follow the shaft into a small storage room nearby. After looting the safe and supply chest, players should open the door and head into the next room. In one of the far corners is an ancient trunk, which players will find the Zenith Components inside after prying it open.
With the Zenith Components now in hand, players should ignite the Firegleam crystal opposite the trunk to blow a hole in the wall and then make their way back up to Kotallo. He'll be waiting for them in the large storage room from earlier, and, after receiving the components, will head back to the base. Whenever they're ready, players should make their way back there too, as the side quest isn't over just yet.
Testing Kotallo's New Arm
By the time players arrive back at the base, Kotallo already has his new arm. Players should therefore talk to him and choose the "Testing the arm" dialog option, which will result in Kotallo asking Aloy to meet him where the pair felled Regalla's Tremortusk a little earlier on in the game. Players should then head to the campfire in question and press the Triangle button once again to summon Kotallo.
Upon his arrival, Kotallo will ask Aloy to follow him to an unknown location a minute or two away. When the pair arrive at their destination, players will need to speak with Kotallo once more to spawn in a high-level Scorcher nearby. Players should take it down with Frost ammo if possible, being sure to target the Power Generator on its back in order to stun it. It's also possible to tear off its mine launcher and use the heavy weapon against it, but this shouldn't really be necessary.
Once the Scorcher has been defeated, Kotallo will thank Aloy and then return to the base. Players will get three Skill Points, two Ancient Sculptures, two Behemoth Force Loaders, and a Shellsnapper Circulator as a reward, as well as a healthy dose of XP. They'll also unlock the "Aided Kotallo" trophy at this point, which is bronze and one of only a handful of trophies connected to the game's side quests and errands.
Other Horizon Forbidden West Side Quests that Award Trophies
Despite there being almost fifty side quests and errands scattered throughout the world of Horizon Forbidden West, players will only actually need to complete a small fraction of them in order to unlock all of the game's trophies. In addition to "Aided Kotallo," there are six other trophies that are tied to quest completion, though one or two of them will require players to turn in multiple quests or errands before they unlock.
- Chose a Desert Commander: To Unlock the "Chose a Desert Commander" trophy, players will need to complete the "The Gate of the Vanquished" side quest by choosing either Drakka or Yarra at the Gate of the Vanquished.
- Saved the Daunt: Unlocking the "Saved the Daunt" trophy requires players to complete a number of quests and errands in the game's starting area. There are four of them in total, those being "The Bristlebacks," "The Twilight Path," "Shadow from the Past," and "Shadow in the West."
- Healed the Land-gods: The "Healed the Land-gods" trophy is unlocked once players have completed the "The Second Verse" side quest for Zo.
- Recovered Alva's Data: Players will unlock the "Recovered Alva's Data" trophy after completing the "Forbidden Legacy" side quest for Alva.
- Defeated Asera: "First Forge" becomes available after players have completed the first five rebel camps in Horizon Forbidden West. Infiltrating the final rebel stronghold with Erend and defeating Asera will unlock the "Defeated Asera" trophy.
- Completed 2 Flying Mount Quests: After unlocking the flying mount, players will gain access to four special side quests and errands. To unlock the "Completed 2 Flying Mount Quests" they'll simply need to do as the trophy description tells them. Though, strictly speaking, it doesn't really matter which two quests players choose, they'll likely want to prioritize "The Way Home" and "First to Fly." This is because the former rewards players with one of Horizon Forbidden West's Legendary Weapons, while the latter will lead to them getting their hands on a Very Rare armor set.
Horizon Forbidden West is available now on PS4 and PS5.
