Cut Content/Locations

"We live in a world of fallen cities and vanished tribes." This article or section refers to content that was removed or changed from the final product. The canonicity of this content is unclear, although is likely non-canon.

This page contains a list of all cut locations, as well as other notable changes that some locations in the final game went through during the development of the Horizon series.

Horizon Zero Dawn

Cut Locations

Ancient Ruins in the Valleymeet

The map as seen in the E3 2016 Gameplay Video.

As seen in the E3 2016 Gameplay Video, the icon for an Ancient Ruin is shown on the map, located west of Mother's Rise (which would become the Forsaken Village later) and south of Two-Teeth. However, no such ruins exist in the final game.

The Claim

The Claim.

While the Claim is a canon location in the Horizon universe, it was intended to be an accessible location in Horizon Zero Dawn, where a cut quest line would take Aloy to the Claim, where she would "shake things up a bit". It was something that Ben McCaw considered the coolest or biggest thing that he wished made it to the final game.

Changed Locations

Cauldron ZETA

Cauldron ZETA.

It appears that Cauldron ZETA may have originally been named Cauldron THETA at some point during Horizon Zero Dawn's development, as the datapoint received by overriding ZETA is named M/THETA CORE LOG 893V as opposed to M/ZETA CORE LOG 893V.

Cauldron THETA's name was later given to another Cauldron in Horizon Forbidden West: Burning Shores.

Forsaken Village

The Forsaken Village.

The Forsaken Village played a very different role during the game's development. As seen in the E3 2016 Gameplay Video, it was originally named Mother's Rise. A cut quest had Aloy learning from a Nora that a demon and corrupted machines had attacked Mother's Rise. Once at the village, Aloy witnessed a Corruptor corrupting a Watcher, which she quickly killed before killing the Corruptor. Aloy notes that the Corruptor looks ancient and wonders where it came from. The video ends here.

In the gameplay video, the Forsaken Village has much less vegetation on the houses, owing to the fact that it hasn't been abandoned for years in this iteration. Additionally, its original name of "Mother's Rise" was given to a different settlement later in development.

Meridian

Meridian in the E3 2015 Trailer.

As seen in the E3 2015 Trailer, Meridian originally had a somewhat different design.

Mother's Crown

The northwestern entrance to Mother's Crown originally had a gate that would be opened and closed by Nora tribepeople when Aloy approached. However, there is no sign of this gate in the final game.

Rost's Hovel

As seen in the E3 2015 Trailer, the area around Rost's Hovel was noticeably different, with no pathway leading out the front. Additionally, the interior is shown with more detail than in the final game, although there are no signs of Rost and Aloy's beds or the fireplace.

Gallery

The location of Rost's Hovel in the E3 2015 Trailer.

The interior of Rost's Hovel in the E3 2015 Trailer.

Machine Sites

The map as seen in the E3 2016 Gameplay Video.

As seen in the E3 2016 Gameplay Video, some of the machine sites in the Valleymeet were different at that stage of development. A Strider site south of Mother's Rise (which later became the Forsaken Village) was later changed to a Broadhead site, a Watcher site was later added, and what appears to be a Grazer site was later removed.

Horizon Zero Dawn: The Frozen Wilds

Changed Locations

Song's Edge

Song's Edge.

As revealed in the localization files of Horizon Zero Dawn Complete Edition, Song's Edge was originally planned to be named Cold Neck.

Horizon Forbidden West

Cut Locations

Cauldron 3

Cauldron 3 is a cut Cauldron, designed to be played between Cauldrons IOTA and CHI. It was the last Cauldron intended to be in the game to begin development, starting in early-to-mid 2019, but was cut later that year for unknown reasons.

Los Angeles

The ruins of Los Angeles, otherwise known as the Burning Shores.

Ben McCaw has stated in an interview that he believes there was a very brief consideration of having Los Angeles be part of the base game and within the Forbidden West itself. However, it wasn't included as it "really wasn't possible." However, Los Angeles was later added as the Burning Shores in Horizon Forbidden West: Burning Shores.

Tunnel under the Greypeak

A Survey Drone at the Greypeak.

The localization files for Horizon Forbidden West reveal a quest that took place in/around a tunnel on the Greypeak (possibly called the "Razor Way").

The quest appears to involve Aloy being sent to the Greypeak by Mestokka to follow up on Dratekko's rescue mission of some Tenakth soldiers after a collapse in the tunnels (possibly called the "Razor Way") under the Greypeak. It seems that the Tenakth soldiers were destroying Clamberjaws, which attracted an Apex Slaughterspine, forcing them to take shelter in a tunnel, which subsequently collapsed. Aloy managed to find three survivors (Dratteko, Charatta, and one unnamed). Charatta appears to have injured her legs and is unable to fight, but Aloy was able to destroy the machine alone. The tunnel was able to be cleared, allowing Aloy to leave the area through it.

Changed Locations

Cauldron CHI

Cauldron CHI.

Originally, Cauldron CHI was named Cauldron KAPPA, which would later be given to another Cauldron, as well as Cauldron ALPHA. Notably, the boss machine in the Cauldron is shown to be a Rockbreaker, although a developer note appears onscreen in the gameplay, noting that a Snake would appear from the sand, indicating that the Rockbreaker was simply a placeholder for the Slitherfang that would be implemented later in development.

Cauldron IOTA

Version 1

The Tallneck in Cauldron IOTA.

Cauldron IOTA's layout was vastly different, and was located near the ruins of Las Vegas. Additionally, HEPHAESTUS was planned to have infected IOTA, similar to that of Cauldron EPSILON, where it was having the Cauldron manufacture combat machines instead of Tallnecks. Aloy would need to use an EMP from an intact Tallneck to purge away the physical infestation. She would find an unfinished Tallneck set aside, which she needed to fix. After purging HEPHAESTUS from machinery in two rooms needed to manufacture Tallneck parts, allowing these parts to be installed, HEPHAESTUS would then send in a machine for Aloy to fight. After defeating it, Aloy would climb the Tallneck and overrides it, triggering the EMP, which purges all of HEPHAESTUS's infection. After climbing down to override the core, Aloy would then climb the Tallneck again to ride it out of the Cauldron.

When reviewing Version 1, needing to have Aloy climb the Tallneck twice was considered bad flow, and having HEPHAESTUS be part of the objective was unwanted due to its role in Gemini. With HEPHAESTUS removed, the entire idea of Version 1 was scrapped.

Version 2

With IOTA now located in its final location, Aloy would enter the Cauldron in the same way as in the final game, finding herself in the room with an incomplete Tallneck (lacking the neck and head), but no core. After passing through a production area, Aloy would find the core, defeat a boss machine, then override the core. While the platform with the core is rising to take Aloy out, another earthquake or aftershock would occur, stopping the platform from progressing and forcing Aloy to find another way out. Aloy would enter a passage under the core and find herself back in the room with the Tallneck. Needing two parts to be complete, Aloy figured that she could use the Tallneck's EMP to reboot IOTA's systems in order to escape. She would free and ride and ride the Tallneck head onto the Tallneck itself, trigger the EMP, then would ride it out of the Cauldron.

When to the game director, he didn't like Version 2's idea. The main problem was the rule that machines are built in the core room, and as the Tallneck wasn't located in the core room, this meant that IOTA would need two cores, which would clash with Cauldron GEMINI's having two cores being an anomaly.

Version 3

The boss machine in the Cauldron is shown to be a Behemoth, although a name tag above it and the quest objective refers to it as an "Armadillo", with Dennis Micka also noting that it was a placeholder as the Rollerback was still in development.

As mentioned by play testers, the core room in IOTA, as well as other Cauldrons, was too small to comfortably fight the boss machines in, some players missed the reveal of the Tallneck by simply not looking in the right direction, and the death traps were excessive. These problems were mitigated by covering up some of the death traps, scaling the core rooms from 100 meters up to 150 meters across, and implementing a camera magnet to force the camera to turn towards the Tallneck. However, the camera magnet was found to be unappealing as it wouldn't allow players to look away from the Tallneck. Instead, a short sequence was implemented upon Aloy opening the door that made it impossible to miss the Tallneck. A disc-like frame was also added where the Tallneck's head would be installed, as a completely decapitated Tallneck was seen as too brutal.

Horizon Forbidden West: Burning Shores

Changed Locations

The area around the Horus as seen in the Announce Trailer.

As seen in the Announce Trailer for the DLC, the area around the Horus originally had much more igneous rock and lava streams around it than is present in the final game. Additionally, the Horus' tentacles were arranged differently.