Highlights

  • Aloy climbs Tallnecks for a better view and to expand her map in a fun mini-game.
  • Tallnecks are communication hubs between machines and stay passive to humans.

The Horizon franchise features a post-apocalyptic world where nature has reclaimed the planet and dangerous robots known as machines roam about. In this new world, the red-haired adventurer Aloy sets out to defend humanity from these machines and the forces that threaten the extinction of life on Earth in Horizon Zero Dawn, and its sequel, Horizon Forbidden West.

Using primitive but cleverly designed weapons, Aloy takes on machines as small as the Watcher and as large as the Slitherfang. Strangely enough, one of the largest machines, the Tallneck, remains oddly passive despite its imposing size. However, there are good reasons why this is the case in the Horizon series of games.

3:37
Aloy from Horizon Forbidden West
Related
Every Companion Who Visits The Base In Horizon Forbidden West

One of the defining aspects of Horizon Forbidden West has to be the list of endearing characters that Aloy interacts with during her travels.

Tallnecks in the Horizon Franchise

Tallnecks are large giraffe-like machines that are climbable and can be found throughout the regions of both Horizon Zero Dawn and Horizon Forbidden West. Instead of defeating them like other machines, Aloy climbs to the top of Tallnecks to get a better view of the terrain which allows her to expand her map. Climbing to the top of a Tallneck is a fun mini-game, especially because each machine presents unique obstacles.

Tallnecks cannot be harmed due to their high durability, so Aloy won’t be taking one down any time soon. They’re so durable that they can be reactivated after years of disuse. The machines walk in a predefined loop and remain oblivious to everything around them.

Tallnecks Serve a Crucial Purpose in the Horizon Franchise

Tallnecks exist to allow for long-range communication between machines. In Horizon Zero Dawn it was listed as a Communications Class machine, though it was changed to a Recon Class machine in Horizon Forbidden West. It is the only machine that isn’t hostile to humans and will not attempt to harm Aloy when she’s nearby, even when she attempts to scale their necks. However, players can still be damaged if they find themselves underneath the foot of a Tallneck as it moves.

Understanding Why Tallnecks Are Not Hostile

The Derangement is a term used to describe the phenomenon of machines suddenly becoming hostile towards human beings. The Derangement is caused by HEPHAESTUS, which is a subordinate function of GAIA. It is responsible for creating new machines, but it starts creating hostile machines once it realizes humans are hunting machines.

Tallnecks are seemingly unaffected by the Derangement, and there are a few theories that attempt to explain why. One is that the Tallnecks' lack of external perception leaves them invulnerable to the Derangement. Another theory is that Tallnecks serve an important purpose as a communication hub for all the machines. Turning it into a killing machine would have required resources, which would be unnecessary for Hephaestus, as there are already so many killing machines available.

The Story Behind the Tallnecks' Invulnerability

Originally, Tallnecks were meant to be killable like any other machine. However, Guerrilla Games looked at how majestic and peaceful they were and decided it would go against Aloy’s character to kill a Tallneck. Instead, we find that Aloy is somewhat affectionate toward the Tallnecks she overrides.

Tallnecks are some of the most interesting machines in the Horizon franchise due to their peaceful nature. It’s a good thing they aren’t hostile, as it would be a mammoth task to take down these gigantic machines. To some degree, Tallnecks are made somewhat less impressive thanks to Horizon Forbidden West's flying mounts, but it never gets old seeing these majestic machines marching slowly.