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"The lesson will be taught in due time, Aloy. Until then, we wait." This article contains heavy spoilers. Read ahead with caution.
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- "It looks like that machine carries fluid in those sacs. Not sure I want to find out what kind."
- ―Aloy, upon sighting a Freeze Bellowback
The Freeze Bellowback is a machine in Horizon Zero Dawn and a returning machine in Horizon Forbidden West and Horizon Call of the Mountain. It is a dinosaur-like medium-sized machine of the Transport Class. It is a variant of Bellowbacks.
History[]
Presumably, Freeze Bellowbacks functioned as fire extinguishers alongside Fire Bellowbacks to control the fires they set to clear away large tracts of land by burning as part of Zero Dawn terraforming operations. This is suggested by the fact that they frequently associate with each other. It may also be surmised that they transport the large reserves of Chillwater they carry to cauldrons to serve as coolant. However, HEPHAESTUS, in response to human machine-hunting altered the default programming of Zero Dawn machines, including Freeze Bellowbacks, to a state of hostility against any human they encountered, in a phenomenon known as the Derangement.
The huntress Aloy first encountered Freeze Bellowbacks in the northern regions of the Nora Sacred Land, frequently together with their twin machines the Fire Bellowbacks. Additionally, she encountered them in the Carja Sundom, in the area south of the Carja capital Meridian. She also encountered their more formidable Daemonic states in the Banuk region known as The Cut. She furthermore engaged them in The Cut on multiple occasions: they were one of the machines she slew during her challenge of the Banuk chieftain Aratak for his chieftaincy; they were also one of the machines she slew during a friendly challenge she undertook alongside the Banuk hunter Ikrie; finally she slew a Daemonic Freeze Bellowback in the Firebreak facility as part of an expedition to the cauldron that had been built there, Cauldron EPSILON.
Appearance[]
The Freeze Bellowback’s chassis bears a vague similarity to a theropod dinosaur, particularly Spinosaurus or Baryonix. Two long, sturdy hind legs with three-toed feet, similar to those of a theropod, are attached to its torso. The torso is primarily composed of a large cargo sac carrying Chillwater, and an array of four smaller tanks longitudinally located at its gullet. Just beneath the cargo sac is a long tail, at the base of which are two antennae. Three Freeze canisters are located at the base of the tail between the legs. The sac and tanks are semi-armored and made of a tough, transparent material that can withstand multiple arrow strikes before rupturing. A crest-like array of armor plates is located on its upper back. This protects the sac from frontal attacks. The head is primarily composed of a long, armor-plated snout. The Freeze Bellowback has no mouth; instead, the snout ends in an opening akin to a spray nozzle. A pair of optical sensor arrays is located near the base of the head, on either side. Although classified as a medium-sized machine, the Fire Bellowback is actually larger than the Behemoth, which is classified as a large-sized machine.
Behavior[]
Freeze Bellowbacks usually are found in pairs or groups of three, frequently together with Fire Bellowbacks. Undisturbed, they mill about their sites, emitting low, gurgling growls, their heavy footfalls reverberating. They are heavy and strong enough knock over large trees in their way. Upon encountering a perceived threat such as a human, they emit a loud, angry shrieks.
Abilities[]
The Freeze Bellowback’s attacks all revolve around its ability to release a high-pressure stream of Chillwater from its nozzle. It can spray it directly at an enemy, or around on the ground in a circular pattern to engulf an enemy in a wide, freezing arc. At long range, it can fire balls of Chillwater in a trajectory at an enemy. In addition to the damage caused by being struck by a Chillwater stream or projectile, being doused with Chillwater greatly retards a human’s movement and greatly increases an enemy machine’s susceptibility to damage. Additionally, the Freeze Bellowback is capable of using its bulk to rush at an enemy in a surprisingly fast melee attack.
Weaknesses[]
A Freeze Bellowback’s cargo sac and gullet tanks are its main tactical weaknesses. Multiple arrow strikes will rupture them, causing a large Freeze explosion and inflicting severe damage on the machine, and any machine, animal or human in the blast radius. Additionally, the explosion may inflict a Freeze state on nearby machines, depending on their size. The destruction of the cargo sac and tanks also deprives the Freeze Bellowback of all its Freeze-based attacks.
Attacks[]
| Name | Damage Type | Primary Damage | Secondary Damage | Trigger Range | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Elemental Circular Attack |  Freeze
|
150 per second | 10 per second | 0m - 9m | Crescent-shaped wall of Chillwater around enemy |
| Elemental Projectile | Freeze
|
60 | 70 per second | 20m - 50m | Lobs Chillwater projectiles at enemy from long range |
| Elemental Spray | Freeze
|
125 per second | - | 4m - 20m | Sprays Chillwater directly at enemy |
| Leaping Smash | Melee | 145 | - | 19.5m - 21.5m | Jumps and smashes head down at enemy |
| Shoulder Barge | Melee | 180 | - | 5m - 17m | Charges at enemy in ramming attack |
| Tail Swipe | Melee | 250 | - | 8.5m - 12m | Uses tail as bludgeon |
Components[]
| Component | Image | Information | Weakness | Strength |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Body | 
|
Hard outer casing to protect synthetic muscle and operational systems. |  Fire
|
Freeze |
| Freeze Canister | 
|
Freeze storage container. Shoot with Freeze arrows to trigger an explosion. Shoot off this component to collect the Chillwater inside. | Freeze Tear
|
None |
| Cargo Sac | 
|
Destroying this component disables the ranged elemental attacks and triggers an elemental explosion. | All | None |
| Gullet | 
|
Destroying this component will disable the Freeze Attacks and trigger a large explosion. | All | None |
Loot[]
Trivia[]
- During development, Freeze Bellowbacks were originally named "Cryo Bellowbacks". The original name is still used in the description for the Shadow Sling Tutorial.
- Despite the official guide listing the Elemental Projectile attack dealing Freeze damage, its primary damage cannot be mitigated by freeze resistance. This is either an oversight, or the guide is incorrect about the damage type.