The Eclipse Main Base is an unmarked location in Horizon Zero Dawn. It is located in a very remote area deep in The Jewel, northwest of the Carja prison known as Sunstone Rock and above the waterfalls southwest of the Carja settlement Brightmarket. It served as the base of operations of the Eclipse and the stronghold of the cult’s master, HADES.
Description[]
The location’s only known means of access is via a series of cliffs. At the top is a tunnel entrance leading to two clearings connected by a short, narrow gorge. Both these clearings were patrolled by Corrupted machines when the base was active. At the far end of the second clearing is another short gorge leading to a rise. This rise overlooks a camp, the largest structure of which was the tent of the Eclipse leader Helis. Datapoints present in Helis' tent contain his dictations about his late wife, his philosophy, his fanatical goal of retaking Meridian and his reason for serving HADES.[1][2][3][4][5][6] He also kept his Kestrel armor here.
Beyond this camp is a series of high cliffs through which a river runs. A footpath runs along one cliff. Along this path, before it was destroyed, were the upright remains of a derelict Tallneck. This was next to the derelict chassis of an FAS-BOR7 Horus that HADES housed itself in its still-functional computer core. It had a wired connection to a data node installed atop the Tallneck’s head, where its own data node would have been. This allowed HADES to directly access the Eclipse’s Focus network for communication with Helis and other Eclipse agents. HADES also kept a force of at least two Deathbringers around this area.
History[]
The Eclipse[]
Upon its escape from GAIA Prime, HADES found refuge in the core of the aforementioned Horus. Unable to move or communicate, it broadcast a distress signal that was detected by the wanderer Sylens. Upon learning of HADES’ desire to gain control of the Spire, Sylens devised a scheme by which HADES would pose as the Carja religion’s Buried Shadow to induce the tribe’s leaders to form a warrior-priest cult in its service. This cult would be the army by which it would conquer Meridian and thus gain control of the Spire. HADES approved, and Sylens invited the leaders, Helis and Lucent Bahavas, to meet HADES. The two men accepted and were deceived, forming the Eclipse in HADES’ service, with Helis leading the cult.
Sylens and Aloy[]
The cult established its base around the Horus that was HADES’ refuge. Corrupted Machines guarded the only known approach to the base, while the derelict Tallneck served as the hub of the Eclipse’s Focus communication network, set up by Sylens. However Sylens grew suspicious of HADES’ overall intentions when it had the Eclipse begin exhuming Corruptors and Deathbringers, which it reactivated. The situation came to a head when Sylens heard HADES transmit an order to Helis to detain and kill him, as he was no longer useful. Sylens escaped and, to stop HADES and the Eclipse, allied with one who would become the cult’s nemesis: the Nora huntress Aloy.
The Crashing of the Eclipse Network[]
During their work together, Sylens and Aloy realized that they would have to crash the Eclipse Focus network in order to sneak into Sunfall, where the ruins of the Zero Dawn Project Facility rested below. Sylens directed Aloy to a "back way" into the base and instructed her to destroy the Tallneck. However, the plan eventually went awry: since Sylens's escape, HADES had the Tallneck moved to an area within its range of sight. When Aloy reached the Tallneck's head, she was inevitably spotted by HADES. While Aloy destroyed the data node and crashed the network, HADES unleashed a group of Deathbringers (one of which destroyed the Tallneck) and cultists, and Aloy barely escaped with her life.
Battle of the Alight[]
Ultimately, HADES had itself transported to Meridian in the computer core that housed it, as part of the Eclipse’ assault on the city to gain control of the Spire. However, the Eclipse was ultimately defeated. HADES was ultimately purged both from the computer core and from Zero Dawn by Aloy, and then secretly captured by Sylens.
Current Status[]
Following the Eclipse's defeat at the Battle of the Alight, it is all but certain that the base has been abandoned.
Collectables[]
Audio Datapoints[]
- #28 Wife
- #29 Meridian's Fall
- #30 Prophecy
- #31 Itamen Coddled
- #32 Without Pity
- #33 Chosen of the Sun
Trivia[]
- If Aloy fails to find all the datapoints in the Base during To Curse the Darkness, they will be available at the base of the waterfall.
- The base is located outside the game map.
Gallery[]
