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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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- "I can't move troops to the border without provoking the Oseram. But I could send a few Vanguardsmen - and perhaps an exceptionally gifted Nora as well?"
- ―Sun-King Avad
Into the Borderlands is the twelfth main quest in Horizon Zero Dawn.
Synopsis[]
Met with the realization that Erend's sister Ersa may still be alive after discovering the ambush was staged, Erend heads back to Meridian to re-examine the body. Upon arriving at the Sun-King's palace, Aloy is escorted by Blameless Marad to meet with Sun-King Avad and Erend. After a brief introduction to Avad, Erend confirms that the body isn't Ersa's. Through Marad they learn that the most likely candidate for her kidnapping is an Oseram named Dervahl. After Avad fills Aloy in on his and Ersa's history, she agrees to assist in finding Ersa. Marad instructs her to travel to the Oseram border town of Pitchcliff to meet with one of his agents who will know more about where to find Dervahl. Erend agrees to meet them there.
At Pitchcliff, Erend and Aloy meet in the marketplace and become concerned when they don't see Marad's agent. Using her Focus, Aloy follows some hurried tracks through the settlement and finds the agent's dead body, likely killed by Dervahl's men. Before dying, the man drew a crude map with his blood. Examining the markings, they are able to determine the likely location at which they will find Dervahl and his men.
Navigating into the mountains behind Pitchcliff, Aloy finds Dervahl's Camp. They discover that he has restrained a number of machines which are chained up around the camp. Aloy and Erend must fight through the camp, and they are joined by a few members of the Oseram guard. Aloy is able to break the machines' chains by shooting the mechanisms holding then in place. Releasing the machines and taking out the Oseram fighting for Dervahl, they head further into the camp where they find a set of cellar doors. As Aloy begins to descend into the basement, she triggers a sonic blast that alerts the Oseram guard within. He emerges from the stairway brandishing a heavy weapon. After killing Dervahl's champion, Aloy loots a pair of earplugs from his body that will protect her from the sound waves barring their access to the basement.
Erend and Ersa reunited
After disabling the sonic devices, Aloy and Erend enter the basement and find a captive and badly injured Ersa. As Erend comforts her, she explains that Dervahl invited her to meet, claiming he wanted to negotiate. Ersa agreed, but she guessed that the meeting would be a trap and took her best men from the Vanguard in an attempt to finish him off.
Ersa then reveals them that Dervahl is planning an attack on Meridian. After some final words to Erend, Ersa finally passes away. Looking around the workshop, Aloy finds a clue that will help them find Dervahl - a receipt for a large shipment of Blaze sent to an Oseram in Meridian. Leaving Erend to mourn his sister, Aloy embarks for the city.
Objectives[]
- Meet Erend at the Palace of the Sun
- Talk to Marad
- Follow Marad
- Go to Pitchcliff and meet with Marad's operative.
- Meet Marad's Operative in the marketplace at Pitchcliff.
- Find Marad's Operative
- Examine the Operative's Body
- Go to Dervahl's Camp
- Kill the Outlanders and Machines
- Find Ersa
- Defeat Dervahl's Champion
- Loot Dervahl's Champion (only possible after all machines - even permanently overridden ones - are defeated)
- Disable the Sonic Barrier
- Investigate Dervahl's Workshop to find a lead on his whereabouts.
- Talk to Erend
Walkthrough[]
Collectables[]
The following datapoints are obtained automatically during this quest and cannot be missed.
Audio Datapoints[]
- #63 Recording Device
Text Datapoints - Quests[]
Trivia[]
- Avad's greeting to Aloy is slightly different if Queen's Gambit has been completed. Additionally, another dialogue option is available for both him and Marad. There are also additional lines depending on the completion of To Curse the Darkness and The Mountain that Fell.
- While clearing out the camp, if the player dies or reloads the last save, a third generic Vanguard member joins Erend's group to assist.