Horizon Zero Dawn quests

Main quests

There are a total of 22 main quests in the game, of which 21 (all except The Looming Shadow) count for 1% game completion each. The main quests are compulsory missions and without completing them, the game and storyline cannot continue.

Main quest line

These quests must be completed in the following order. Upon completion of the final quest, The Face of Extinction, the game will reset to a state just prior to starting the penultimate quest, The Looming Shadow, although you will retain any items or XP acquired during the final quest.

Name	Level	Location	Given by	Reward
A Gift from the Past	Tutorial	Ruins (Mother's Watch)	Introduction	None
Lessons of the Wild	Tutorial	The Embrace	Introduction	None
The Point of the Spear	3	The Sacred Land	Rost	1500 XP +1 Skill Point +1 Generous Reward Box
Mother's Heart	4	Mother's Heart	Rost	2000 XP +1 Skill Point Nora Brave Outfit
The Proving	5	Mother's Heart	None	2500 XP +1 Skill Point
The Womb of the Mountain	7	Mother's Watch	None	3500 XP +1 Skill Point PSI Overrides
A Seeker at the Gates	12	Daytower	Teersa	6000 XP +1 Skill Point
The City of the Sun	12	Meridian	None	6000 XP +1 Skill Point
Maker's End	14	Maker's End	Olin	7000 XP +1 Skill Point
The Grave-Hoard	18	The Grave-Hoard	Sylens	9000 XP +1 Skill Point
To Curse the Darkness	20	Eclipse Base	Sylens	10,000 XP +1 Skill Point
Deep Secrets of the Earth	21	Zero Dawn Project Facility	Sylens	10,500 XP +1 Skill Point
The Terror of the Sun	22	The Citadel	Helis	11,000 XP +1 Skill Point
The Heart of the Nora	25	Mother's Watch	None	12,500 XP +1 Skill Point
The Mountain That Fell	28	GAIA Prime	GAIA	14,000 XP +1 Skill Point Sylens' Lance
The Looming Shadow	34	Meridian	Marad	17,000 XP +1 Skill Point
The Face of Extinction	36	The Spire	None	18,000 XP +1 Skill Point

Nora tribe quests

These quests must be completed in the following order. The first quest becomes available during A Seeker at the Gates, and the second quest must be completed prior to To Curse the Darkness.

Name	Level	Location	Given by	Reward
The War-Chief's Trail	7	Devil's Thirst	Varl	1750 XP
Revenge of the Nora	12	Devil's Grief	Sona	4000 XP +1 Skill Point

Oseram tribe quests

These quests must be completed in the following order. The first quest becomes available during The City of the Sun, and the last quest must be completed prior to The Looming Shadow.

Name	Level	Location	Given by	Reward
The Field of the Fallen	19	Red Ridge Pass	Erend	6330 XP
Into the Borderlands	15	Pitchcliff		5000 XP
The Sun Shall Fall	18	Meridian		6000 XP

Side quests

Side quests are optional missions which are not required to complete the main questline. They are typically started by speaking to non-player characters, although some can be started in other ways.

There are 22 side quests in the base game, each counting toward 1% game completion. There are an additional nine side quests in The Frozen Wilds. The introductory quest, Into the Frozen Wilds, counts for 1% Frozen Wilds completion, and the remaining eight quests count for 3.75% Frozen Wilds completion each.

Side quests marked with an asterisk count towards the secret trophy, "All Allies Joined", and should be completed before resting during the main quest, The Looming Shadow.

Name	Level	Location	Given by	Reward
Side quests started in the Embrace - Available after Lessons of the Wild
In Her Mother's Footsteps	4	The Embrace	Thok	1000 XP Boost to Spear Damage
The Forgotten	4	The Embrace	Olara	1000 XP +1 Remarkable Reward Box
Ancient Armory	25	The Bunker	None	Shield-Weaver Outfit Box
Side quests started in the Sacred Land - Available after The Womb of the Mountain
Insult to Injury	7	The Sacred Land	Enara or Fia	2330 XP +1 Remarkable Reward Box
Underequipped	10	Hunter's Gathering	Lubavad or Marzavid	2500 XP +1 Remarkable Reward Box
A Moment's Peace*	12	Banuk Encampment	Vilgund	3000 XP +1 Extraordinary Reward Box
A Daughter's Vengeance*	15	Mother's Rise	Yan	5000 XP
Side quests started in the Sundom - Available after A Seeker at the Gates
Fatal Inheritance	15	The Estate	Ranaman	3750 XP +1 Remarkable Reward Box
Heap of Trouble	17	Free Heap	Petra	4250 XP
Acquired Taste	20	Brin's House	Brin	5000 XP +1 Skill Point
Cause for Concern - Farewell	20	Spearshafts	Nil	5000 XP
Sun and Shadow*	20	Brightmarket	Lahavis	5000 XP
Sunstone Rock*	20	Sunstone Rock	Janeva	6670 XP +1 Extraordinary Reward Box
Blood on Stone	24	Cut-Cliffs	Quarry Foreman	6000 XP +1 Remarkable Reward Box
Death from the Skies	25	Pitchcliff	Hakurt	6250 XP +1 Extraordinary Reward Box
Side quests started in Meridian - Available during The City of the Sun
Hunters' Blind	12	Lone Light	Talanah	3000 XP Tearblaster Weapon Box
Robbing the Rich	12	Meridian	Ravan	3000 XP +1 Remarkable Reward Box
Weapons of the Lodge	15	Hunters Lodge	Aidaba	Lodge Blast Sling Lodge Ropecaster Lodge War Bow
Honor The Fallen*	16	Meridian	Namman	5330 XP +1 Remarkable Reward Box
Redmaw*	19	Spearshafts	Ligan	6330 XP +1 Skill Point +1 Extraordinary Reward Box
Side quests started in Sunfall - Available during Deep Secrets of the Earth
Traitor's Bounty*	21	Shadowside	Vanasha	7000 XP
Queen's Gambit*	28	The Branded Shore	Vanasha	9330 XP +1 Skill Point

The Frozen Wilds

Name	Level	Location	Given by	Reward
Frozen Wilds main quest line
Into the Frozen Wilds	30	The Cut	Ohtur, Rhavid or Yariki	None
The Shaman's Path	30	Shaman's Path	Burgrend	10,000 XP +1 Extraordinary Reward Box +1 Banuk Stormslinger Weapon Box +6 Bluegleam
For the Werak	40	The Cut	Ourea	13,330 XP +1 Extraordinary Reward Box +1 Banuk Icerail Weapon Box +1 Banuk Werak Cheiftain Outfit Box +8 Bluegleam
Firebreak	50	Firebreak	Ourea	16,670 XP +1 Extraordinary Reward Box +3 Bluegleam
The Forge of Winter	50	Cauldron EPSILON	None	16,670 XP +1 Skill Point +1 Extraordinary Reward Box +7 Bluegleam EPSILON Overrides
Frozen Wilds side quests
Waterlogged	30	Deep Din	Laulai	7500 XP +3 Bluegleam
The Survivor	35	Keener's Rock	White Teeth Chieftain	8750 XP +1 Extraordinary Reward Box +3 Bluegleam
Frontier Justice	35	The Cloud-Shear	Inatut	8750 XP +1 Extraordinary Reward Box +3 Bluegleam
The Hunters Three	40	The Cut	Burgrend	10,000 XP +1 Extraordinary Reward Box +3 Bluegleam

Errands

An errand is a type of side quest that typically has weaker narratives and requires less direct action on the part of the player.

There are a total of 14 errands in the base game, each one counting towards 0.5% completion.

Name	Level	Location	Given by	Reward
Odd Grata	4	Grata's Camp	Grata or Rost	1000 XP
Sanctuary	10	Mother's Crown	Den	5000 XP +1 Remarkable Reward Box
Luck of the Hunt	10	Mother's Crown	Taim	1670 XP +1 Generous Reward Box
Shortage of Supplies	10	Mother's Crown	Sona	1670 XP +1 Generous Reward Box
In Foreign Lands	15	Daytower	Balahn	3750 XP
Demand and Supply	15	Meridian Village	Lorund and Ranin	2500 XP +1 Generous OR Remarkable Reward Box
A Curious Proposal	15	Brightmarket	Fernund	2500 XP +1 Generous Reward Box
Sun's Judgment	15	Brightmarket	Gulahni	2500 XP
To Old Acquaintance	15	Hunter's Gathering	Gera	2500 XP +1 Generous Reward Box
Hunting for the Lodge	16	Hunting Grounds	Ukan	5330 XP +1 Remarkable Reward Box
Deadliest Game	18	Hunters Lodge	Talanah	6000 XP +1 Extraordinary Reward Box
Collateral	20	Spurflints	Olin	5000 XP
Hammer and Steel	20	Free Heap	Kaeluf	5000 XP
Healer's Oath	22	Shadowside	Abas	5500 XP

The Frozen Wilds

There are seven errands in The Frozen Wilds, counting for ²⁰⁄₇% (≈2.86%) Frozen Wilds completion each.

Name	Level	Location	Given by	Reward
A Secret Shared	30	Drone Hangar	Kamut	5000 XP +1 Spear Modification Box +1 Bluegleam
Geared Up: Forgefire	35	Longnotch	Varga	5830 XP +1 Improved Forgefire
Geared Up: Icerail	35	Longnotch	Varga	5830 XP +1 Improved Icerail
Geared Up: Stormslinger	35	Longnotch	Varga	5830 XP +1 Improved Stormslinger
Ikrie's Challenge		Snowchants	Ikrie	Varies
The Claws Beneath	40	The Cut	Umnak	13330 XP +1 Extraordinary Reward Box +1 Bluegleam
Out of the Forge	50	The Cut	Aratak	16670 XP +1 Extraordinary Reward Box +1 Bluegleam

Activities

Bandit Camps

There are six Bandit Camps in the base game, each counting for ⁵⁄₆% (≈0.83%) game completion. There is an additional Bandit Camp in The Frozen Wilds DLC, which counts for 5% Frozen Wilds game completion.

Name	Level	Given by	Reward
Devil's Thirst Bandit Camp	7	Nil	5000 XP
Two-Teeth Bandit Camp	9	None	7500 XP
Gatelands Bandit Camp	12	Nil	10,000 XP
Blackwing Snag Bandit Camp	15	None	10,000 XP
Shattered Kiln Bandit Camp	20	Nil	15,000 XP
Hollow Fort Bandit Camp	25	None	15,000 XP
Stone Yield Bandit Camp	35	Ourea	15,000 XP +1 Skill Point

Tallnecks

In addition to the experience and skill points rewarded, completing each Tallneck activity reveals a portion of the world map.

There are five Tallnecks in the base game, each counting for 1% game completion. There is an additional Tallneck in The Frozen Wilds DLC, which counts for 5% Frozen Wilds game completion.

Name	Level	Given by	Reward
Tallneck: Devil's Thirst	7	None	7500 XP +1 Skill Point
Tallneck: Copper Deeps	13
Tallneck: Sun-Steps	17
Tallneck: Spearshafts	21
Tallneck: Rustwash	23
Tallneck: Frostfigures	35	Ourea

Hunting Grounds

There are five hunting grounds in the base game, each counting for 1% game completion. There is an additional hunting ground in The Frozen Wilds, counting for 5% Frozen Wilds game completion.

Name	Level	Given by	Reward
Nora Hunting Grounds	8	Cren	Varies
Valleymeet Hunting Grounds	18	Lut
Spurflints Hunting Grounds	18	Hunters Lodge
Greatrun Hunting Grounds	20
Sun Furrows Hunting Grounds	30
Snowchants Hunting Grounds	40	Ourea

Cauldrons

There are four cauldrons in the base game, counting for 1.25% game completion each. There is an additional cauldron in The Frozen Wilds which does not directly count towards Frozen Wilds game completion, but must be completed during the Frozen Wilds quest, The Forge of Winter.

Name	Level	Given by	Reward
Cauldron SIGMA	8	Dral	4000 XP +1 Skill Point
Cauldron RHO	11	None	6000 XP +1 Skill Point
Cauldron XI	18	None	8000 XP +1 Skill Point
Cauldron ZETA	20	None	8000 XP +1 Skill Point
Cauldron EPSILON	50	The Forge of Winter	None

Corrupted Zones

Corrupted Zones are small areas containing Corrupted machines, and become available after completing The Womb of the Mountain.

There are eleven Corrupted Zones in the game, each counting for ⁵⁄₁₁% (≈0.45%) game completion.

Two are required to be cleared during A Seeker at the Gates in order to pass through Daytower Gate, en route to Meridian. The quest directs the player to the first two on the following list, although any two of the five in the Sacred Land will suffice.

Location	Region	Level	Corrupted Machines	Reward
Halfway between Mother's Crown and Hunter's Gathering	Sacred Land	15	Grazer x 3	5000 XP
Forsaken Village, southeast of Two-Teeth Bandit Camp		15	Watcher x 3, Scrapper x 2
North-northeast of Southern Embrace Gate		15	Scrapper x 4
West of Devil's Grief		18	Fire Bellowback x 1, Charger x 4
South-southeast of Daytower		20	Longleg x 2, Scrapper x 1	6000 XP
Southwest of Gatelands Bandit Camp	Sundom	20	Trampler x 2, Longleg x 3
Southwest of Spurflints Hunting Grounds		23	Stalker x 3
Southwest of Meridian		23	Glinthawk x 3, Scrapper x 3
East-southeast of Maker's End		27	Fire Bellowback x 1, Ravager x 2	8000 XP
Northeast of Sun Furrows Hunting Grounds		32	Rockbreaker x 2	10,000 XP
West-northwest of Tallneck (Rustwash)		34	Behemoth x 2, Broadhead x 3

Tutorials

Each of these becomes available upon acquiring the related weapon, but can also be completed with higher-quality versions of the same weapon. For example, the Blast Sling tutorial can be completed with the Blast Sling, Carja Blast Sling, or Shadow Blast Sling. While Lodge weapons can be used to carry out the tutorials, receiving a Lodge weapon does not unlock the corresponding tutorial (for example, receiving a Lodge Blast Sling will not unlock Tutorial: Shadow Blast Sling if the player hasn't already acquired a Shadow Blast Sling).

Note that a tutorial must be selected as the active quest in order to be completed, and that these are not required for 100% completion.

Name	Level	Reward
Tutorial: Blast Sling	8	1330 XP
Tutorial: Rattler	7	1170 XP
Tutorial: Ropecaster	8	1330 XP
Tutorial: Sharpshot Bow	8	1330 XP
Tutorial: Sling	18	3000 XP
Tutorial: Tearblaster	10	1670 XP
Tutorial: Tripcaster	8	1330 XP
Tutorial: War Bow	13	2170 XP
Tutorial: Carja Blast Sling	12	2000 XP
Tutorial: Carja Rattler	18	3000 XP
Tutorial: Carja Ropecaster	18	3000 XP
Tutorial: Carja Sharpshot Bow	18	3000 XP
Tutorial: Carja Sling	18	3000 XP
Tutorial: Carja Tripcaster	12	2000 XP
Tutorial: Carja War Bow	22	3670 XP
Tutorial: Shadow Blast Sling	16	2670 XP
Tutorial: Shadow Hunter Bow	15	2500 XP
Tutorial: Shadow Rattler	15	2500 XP
Tutorial: Shadow Ropecaster	23	3830 XP
Tutorial: Shadow Sharpshot Bow	18	3000 XP
Tutorial: Shadow Sling	18	3000 XP
Tutorial: Shadow Tripcaster	16	2670 XP
Tutorial: Shadow War Bow	30	5000 XP
Tutorial: Forgefire	35	5830 XP
Tutorial: Banuk Icerail	40	6670 XP
Tutorial: Banuk Stormslinger	30	5000 XP
Tutorial: Improved Forgefire	40	6670 XP
Tutorial: Improved Icerail	45	7500 XP
Tutorial: Improved Stormslinger	35	5830 XP