Faro's Tomb

"The lesson will be taught in due time, Aloy. Until then, we wait."

This article contains heavy spoilers. Read ahead with caution.

"At last, Faro's legacy is mine."

―Ceo

Faro's Tomb is the thirteenth main quest in Horizon Forbidden West.

Synopsis[]

AETHER, POSEIDON, and DEMETER have all been merged back into GAIA, but HEPHAESTUS poses a unique challenge. Beta's analysis has confirmed that HEPHAESTUS has grown too large to be beamcast to GAIA or carried in Aloy's data kernel. For the merge to take place, GAIA must be physically installed on one of the two data cores in Cauldron GEMINI, and HEPHAESTUS must be contained on the other. To prevent the Zeniths from detecting them in the resulting power surge, Aloy proposes sending Erend, Zo, and Kotallo to the other Cauldrons, launching out pulses to conceal GEMINI's. However, one problem remains: HEPHAESTUS has written Alpha Clearance out of its access module. The only option is to obtain Ted Faro's Omega Clearance from his bunker Thebes, located somewhere in San Francisco.

Remembering Alva and the Quen have made camp there, Aloy journeys to the coast for their help, stopping at Fall's Edge along the way. While she finds no signs of the Quen at the ferry, she takes one of the boats left behind to the Isle of Spires, eventually finding their settlement, Legacy's Landfall. Aloy is brought to the expedition's Overseer Bohai, as well as the expedition's leader, the Ceo. After some initial apprehension regarding Aloy's true nature, the two relent upon learning that Aloy is looking for Thebes as well.

Bohai confirms that the expedition has found Thebes nearby, but have not yet found a way to enter, and the Digsite has been cutoff from Landfall by machines, including an Apex Thunderjaw that has Alva and a number of Quen pinned behind the defenses. After coming to an agreement, Aloy heads to the digsite and kills the machine, gaining entry inside. Alva, while happy to see Aloy, is rather nervous at her presence: she attempts to tell Aloy something about the Ceo, but the man himself arrives, accompanied by Bohai and a number of soldiers. The group descend into the excavation, eventually reaching the bunker door of Thebes. Aloy confirms the door is gene-locked to Faro: when the Ceo begins to lose his temper, Alva points out that there are likely flooded passage below that Aloy could reach.

Aloy is eventually able to reach the passages and enter Thebes, opening the main door from the other side. To her dismay, the Ceo emerges dressed in a clear imitation of Ted Faro's attire, proclaiming himself the reincarnation of Faro and forcing Aloy to wear a replica of Elisabet Sobeck's garments before she and the Quen descend into the bunker. After running into intact Corruptors (which they initially mistake to be statues), some of the Quen, including Bohai, choose to return to the surface.

As Aloy and the Quen venture further, the Ceo's insanity and megalomania become ever more apparent. Datapoints provide disturbing revelations about Faro. First, he secretly had the other inhabitants of Thebes implanted with devices that he could use to "put them to sleep": while only two victims are explicitly mentioned (his guru Grigori Fasbach and girlfriend Brianna, both of whom were killed for discovering his murder of Zero Dawn's Alphas), it is implied that he murdered most of the other inhabitants in this way. Second, he was undergoing genetic treatments in an attempt to become immortal, which appear to be successful but accompanied by mutations. Third, the bunker was given a "Safeguard Protocol", which would trigger in the event of Faro's death, causing Thebes's reactor to melt down and destroy the bunker.

The group arrive at a locked door providing access to Ted Faro's office. After crawling through vents to bypass the door, Aloy finds and retrieves Ted Faro's Omega Clearance. While the Quen work on breaching the door, Aloy goes through Faro's files and discovers his horrific fate: Faro is still alive but mutated past anything recognizable as human, with monitors indicating he has grown to fill the generator room. Meanwhile, the Quen finally get through the door. Ignoring Aloy's warning, the Ceo enters the power room and sees Ted's mutated form. Horrified, he orders his guards to burn the abomination and kill the other two witnesses: Aloy and Alva.

As Aloy and Alva fight off their attackers, the Safeguard protocol activates, and Thebes begins to crumble around them. While the two escape, the other Quen inside aren't so lucky, and the Ceo is crushed beneath the head of a crumbling Faro statue. Once they reach the outside, a bewildered Bohai demands answers about the Ceo. When Alva claims that the Ceo died to help uncover Thebes's secrets, Bohai scoffs at the obviously false answer and warns the two that further lies will result in their death. Fortunately, Aloy's more accurate account satisfies him, especially when she tells him they found something that will help the Quen (and that he can take credit when things start to improve).

With Thebes no longer of use, Bohai and the Quen return to Legacy's Landfall, which the Overseer tells Aloy will remain open to her. In exchange, Alva must accompany her to provide reports on her progress. Aloy contacts Varl and asks him to meet Alva and bring her to the Base, where she'll get a better Focus and all the data she could want.

Objectives[]

Find Alva
Go to Fall's Edge
Investigate the Quen Outpost
Examine the Outpost
Go to Legacy's Landfall
Go to Thebes
Talk to Alva
Find an Entrance to Thebes
Enter the Ruptured Pipe
Open the Main Door
Search Thebes for Omega Clearance
Kill the Corruptors
Scan the Device
Search for a Way Past the Locked Door
Recover Ted Faro's Omega Clearance
Kill the Bodyguards
Escape Thebes

Collectables[]

Missable[]

Audio Datapoints[]

Text Datapoints - Quests[]

Unmissable[]

Hologram Datapoints[]

#13 Longevity

Trivia[]

Completing this mission unlocks the trophy "Discovered Faro's Fate".
Aside from the initial wave of Quen Marines, combat during the escape of Thebes can be avoided entirely.
Once Aloy visits the Isle of Spires for the first time and discovers campfires (particularly the one in Legacy's Landfall), she no longer needs to use the boat to travel from the mainland as fast travel becomes available. Despite this, the boat to and from the island remains available.

Playthrough[]

Horizon Forbidden West Quests
Main Quest	Reach For The Stars - The Point of the Lance - To The Brink - The Embassy - Death's Door - The Dying Lands - The Eye of the Earth - The Broken Sky - The Kulrut - Cradle of Echoes - The Sea of Sands - Seeds of the Past - Faro's Tomb - Gemini - All That Remains - The Wings of the Ten - Singularity
Side Quests	A Soldier's March - A Tribe Apart - Blood for Blood - Boom or Bust - Breaking Even - Deep Trouble - Drowned Hopes - Forbidden Legacy - In The Fog - Lofty Ambitions - Need to Know - Shadow from the Past - Shadow in the West - Signal Spike - The Blood Choke - The Bristlebacks - The Burning Blooms - The Deluge - The Gate of the Vanquished - The Promontory - The Roots That Bind - The Second Verse - The Twilight Path - The Valley of the Fallen - The Way Home - The Wound in the Sand - Thirst for the Hunt - What Was Lost
Errands	A Bigger Boom - A Dash of Courage - A Hunt To Remember - Broken Locks - Burden Of Command - Call And Response - First To Fly - In Bloom - Learning Machine Strike - Nights of Lights - Shining Example - Signals of the Sun - Sons of Prometheus Data - Supply Drop - The Enduring - The Music in Metal - The Oldgrowth - The Souvenir - The Taste of Victory - Tides of Justice
Horizon Forbidden West: Burning Shores Quests
Main Quest	To the Burning Shores - Heaven and Earth - The Stars in Their Eyes - For His Amusement - His Final Act - Epilogue
Side Quests	A Friend in the Dark - In His Wake - The Splinter Within
Errands	The Delvers' Trove