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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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Zo is an Utaru Gravesinger and major character in Horizon Forbidden West.
Although she doesn't make an appearance in Burning Shores, Zo is the author of the The Long Season Ahead datapoint.
Appearance[]
Zo is a young woman, appearing to be no older than her early thirties, with dark skin and black hair held in a bun. Her face, upper back and right arm are decorated with white paint in patterns typical of Utaru.
Zo wears a sleeveless knee-length tunic similar to that of the Utaru Gravesinger outfit, although the color is an off-white rather than the usual verdant green. While in the wilds and in settlements, she wears a tall woven headdress with leaves trailing behind from the front. When in the Base, Zo removes her headwear.
History[]
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Zo comes from a small village near Plainsong, a village where her grandmother said any seed could take root. As she grew up, Zo moved to the Utaru capital to apprentice as a healer.[3]
The Buried Years[]
As the Red Raids began, also known among the Utaru as the Buried Years, Zo considered returning to her home village, but she kept putting it off as the injured kept being brought to Plainsong. One day, she received news that a Carja raiding party had ransacked her village during the night. Accompanied by more healers, Zo rushed back to the village, but found there were no survivors, and the smell of burning flesh she found there continues to haunt her to this day.[3]
When Zo's demand for retaliation was denied by the Chorus, she chose to take action on her own. More than a dozen other Utaru, inspired by her stand, joined her against the Red Raiders: aware they could not beat the Carja head on, Zo's squad relied on their familiarity with the land to ambush smaller raiding parts, sabotage their supply lines and attack encampments at night. Their actions were noticed by the Tenakth, and they were allowed to join the assault on the Carja, chasing them all the way back to Barren Light, and then as Kotallo infiltrated and opened the gates from within, took part in the battle that saw the Carja pushed out of not just Barren Light, but the Daunt as a whole. This battle is not something Zo likes to remember, having smelled the stench of burnt flesh again.[3]
After the Battle of the Daunt, Zo and the other Utaru returned to Plainsong, but Zo found herself feeling as if she had never returned. She became a Gravesinger, hoping that in easing the suffering of others, she would ease her own.[3] However, her tribe's plights only grew. A blight began to fester in Plainsong's fields, while machines and Tenakth rebels forced the Utaru to desert distant villages. Much to the Utarus' delight, one day, the land-god Fa entered the sacred cave. The Utaru initially believed that their troubles were ending, but when three weeks passed with no sign of Fa's return and instead vicious machines began pouring out from the cave, this hope was lost.[4]
Horizon Forbidden West[]
The Dying Lands[]
Zo was in Stone's Echo tending to the faltering land-god Re when Varl came to the settlement in great need: he was carrying Aloy, severely injured and unconscious. Zo allowed the two inside and tended to Aloy's injuries. As Aloy healed over the next two days, Zo became acquainted with Varl.[5] When Aloy woke on the third day, she amazed everyone present by soothing Re by removing a piece of her that was causing her trouble. With this feat, Zo agreed to speak to Aloy about the machine trouble in the mountains. Understandably, Zo was reluctant to let Aloy enter what her people held sacred: when Aloy explained that there was something inside (which Varl described as a spirit for ease of understanding) that could help end the Derangement and blight, Zo hesitantly agreed to speak to the Chorus and ask for permission on Aloy's behalf. While Varl initially declined on behalf of needing to keep an eye on Aloy, but as he tried to explain that it wasn't that he didn't want to go, Zo gave him a kiss and asked if that's what he was trying to say, to which Varl nervously agreed. Having seen the kiss, Aloy convinced Varl to go with Zo as she promised that she wouldn't try and run away again. Varl then caught up with Zo and the two travelled to Plainsong.[1] With Varl's help, Zo was able to assemble the Chorus for the request, one that breathed new life into the tensions within the tribe.[4]
Varl, Zo and Aloy seeing smoke rising from the cordon.
Upon Aloy's arrival to Plainsong, the three went to talk to the Chorus. During their argument, machines broke through the cordon surrounding the sacred cave: with no one able to stop them, Zo pushed forward with her companions, fighting through vicious machines along the way. Despite her reservations with trespassing, Zo entered the sacred cave with the two Nora. What awaited her inside was unlike she could have imagined or envisioned, beginning with an impassable wall of light. To enable Zo to continue forward, Aloy provided the Utaru with a Focus, granting her access to its "second sight". The three journeyed further into the cave, which they surmised to be a unique Cauldron variant, a Repair Bay. Zo's companions helped her grasp what they were facing, with Varl in particular providing emotional support to the overwhelmed Gravesinger. Through Aloy, Zo learned the Repair Bay had been overtaken by HEPHAESTUS, which Zo saw in the purplish tendrils snaking through the facility like an infection.[1]
A horrific sight awaited Zo at the Repair Bay's core: Fa had been converted by HEPHAESTUS into a Grimhorn, a Combat Class machine designed to kill any human it encountered. Recognizing the blow it would deal to the Utaru's morale should Fa be unleashed onto Plainsong, Zo reluctantly joined her companions in killing the transformed land-god.[1]
The ordeal left Zo's mind and beliefs shaken: in light of what she had done, she wondered if she even had a home to return to anymore.[1] With no other option, she followed Varl and Aloy into the facility connected to the Repair Bay, where the "spirit" MINERVA was hiding. Aloy went ahead to retrieve MINERVA when the entity blocked the group's process, after which Varl and Zo followed, joining Aloy and meeting the restored GAIA.[6]
Life in the Base[]
As Aloy ventured out into the Clan Lands to gather GAIA's missing subordinate functions and Varl went east to retrieve an old friend for help, Zo stayed behind in the facility to learn the true nature of the crisis and about GAIA. Through GAIA, Zo began to learn about Project Zero Dawn, the Old World, Far Zenith, and the terraforming system that guided the world. Interpreting her discoveries through her worldview, Zo was left largely with a deep sense of awe at what she learned. Towards the Zeniths, however, she felt nothing but disgust, viewing their immortality as the ultimate act of selfishness. In the meantime, Zo began moving supplies from Plainsong into the Base, and set up a garden by the eastern exit, eventually getting help when Varl returned with his friend Erend, who Zo befriended.[7]
Zo's budding romance with Varl continued, with the two sharing a private room[8] and spending much of their time studying together. When she noticed how Varl would avoid talking about his mother, Zo asked Aloy on the matter and learned the details of their strained relationship.[9] While the two did not always agree on matters (such as vegetarianism[8]), their relationship progressed without much obstacle. Conversely, Zo got off to an rough start with Erend: aside from disliking his taste in music (which he would often play at obnoxious volume),[10] Zo was incensed when Erend jokingly referred to her people as "leaf grazers" and implied they couldn't be good fighters. When the two engaged in a practice fight, Zo made her displeasure at Erend's comments abundantly clear, although the fight ultimately ended in a draw. Despite this, Zo provided Erend with a Machine Strike set (albeit in an unsuccessful attempt to distract him from his music).[7]
Two more companions would soon join the Base, although Zo would interact less frequently with both. Kotallo, a Tenakth Marshal, would share a few words with Zo but largely kept to himself. Beta, another clone of Elisabet Sobeck whom Aloy, Varl and Erend recovered from an ancient lab, confined herself to the Base's server room. After recovering from her initial shock, Zo tried as best she could to reach out to Beta, and remained patient with her despite her lack of success compared to Varl.[7]
Healing the land-gods[]
One of the land-gods restored.
Zo and GAIA began working together to find ways to fix Plainsong's land-gods. After a period of silence towards Varl after he suggested GAIA made new ones once she regained HEPHAESTUS,[7] the two came to an idea: alter the code within control cores obtained from Grimhorns and installing them into the land-gods to reboot them, freeing them from the Derangement. After working with Aloy to defeat two Grimhorns to gain these control cores, Zo returned to Plainsong to install the new code into the land-gods that remained there while Aloy did so for the land-gods who had wandered from Plainsong. Much to the Utarus' delight, this worked as the land-gods sang out alongside them.[11] After a period of time, the fields of Plainsong were restored to their former glory.
Sometime before the mission to capture HEPHAESTUS began, Zo realized she was pregnant, but decided to wait until after the mission to tell Varl.[12]
Mission to recapture HEPHAESTUS[]
During the mission, Zo travelled to a Cauldron atop an overridden Charger with a pulse rig to cause a power surge there in order to mask the one caused by GAIA absorbing HEPHAESTUS at Cauldron GEMINI.[13] However, when she, Erend, Kotallo and Alva lost contact with Aloy, they regrouped and went to GEMINI. Finding just Varl's body and a recording on his Focus that only showed what happened up to his death, they returned to the Base to decide what to do next.[12]
Aftermath[]
Zo agreed with Kotallo that they had to fight back, despite Erend wanting time to mourn and Alva's misgiving as to what they can actually do. Once Aloy returned, she gave Zo a hug before telling everyone what happened after Varl's death and told them about Tilda. Confirming that they would stop the Zeniths, but they had to stop Regalla first. Zo, along with Alva and Erend, were told to wait and resupply before the final battle.[2]
Zo asked for a private conversation with Aloy outside the east exit of the Base. Meeting Zo outside at Varl's grave, Zo told Aloy how Varl had told her about his sister and how she decorated her spear with Golden Blooms, much to their mother's disapproval. She then performed the Utaru ritual by planting Golden Bloom seeds and sang a song. Highlighting how new life follows death, Zo tells Aloy that she is pregnant. Aloy was sad that she never got to tell and thank Varl for everything he did, to which Zo assured her that he always knew.[2]
Attack on the Zeniths[]
During the final assault on the Zenith base, Zo performed covering fire for Aloy and Erend as they made their way further into the base. She finally caught up to Aloy as Erik collapsed to his knees after fighting her. Using Varl's spear in a final act of revenge, Zo stabbed Erik through the back and repeated the final words he spoke to Varl: "Now we're having fun, right?"[14] As Aloy left to rescue Beta, Zo regrouped with the rest of the team.[15]
Following the victory against the Zeniths, Zo left for Plainsong to warn the Chorus of Nemesis and hopefully gather their aid against the threat.[14] She mentions that things with the Chorus are slow, and that she imagines convincing them to take action regarding Nemesis won't be an easy task.[16]
Horizon Forbidden West: Burning Shores[]
When Aloy was away at the Burning Shores, Zo found Fane surprisingly receptive to what she had to say, with her believing he may prove himself to be an ally when she tells him about Nemesis. After doing so, she plans to make a pilgrimage to the Sacred Lands, wanting to tell Sona about everything that her son had done. She left a datapoint in Plainsong for Aloy to find once she returns.[17]
Personality[]
Zo is a woman whose soft-spoken nature masks her conviction and fighting spirit. She believes in actively fighting for the greater good rather than passively accept fate, an attitude which has led to conflict with the Chorus.[3]
Zo holds many of her Utaru traditions dear, including vegetarianism,[8] botany, music, reverence of the land-gods, and remaining connected to the earth and cycle of life. While her discovery of the terraforming system and GAIA initially caused her great turmoil, she was ultimately able to remedy her newfound discoveries with her culture and ideology.
Owing to traumatic experiences from the Red Raids, Zo is adverse to the smell of burning flesh.[3]
Abilities[]
While her Utaru affiliation has led people to underestimate her (such as Erend[18] and Kotallo[19]), Zo's agility and archery prowess make her a formidable opponent. Her fighting agility is roughly on par with Erend's, with sparring between the two ending in stalemate.[7][18] Like many in her tribe, she has a strong affinity for music and gardening.
Through her exposure with GAIA, Zo quickly learned how to read ancient glyphs,[20] and currently has a rudimentary understanding of Old Ones culture, history and technology.[7][11]
Associated Quests[]
Horizon Forbidden West[]
- The Dying Lands
- The Roots That Bind (mentioned only in skippable dialogue)
- The Eye of the Earth
- The Kulrut (skippable conversation)
- Cradle of Echoes (skippable conversation)
- The Sea of Sands (skippable conversation)
- Seeds of the Past (skippable conversation)
- Need to Know (skippable conversation)
- The Second Verse
- Faro's Tomb (skippable conversation)
- GEMINI
- The Wings of the Ten
- Singularity
Associated Datapoints[]
Horizon Forbidden West[]
Burning Shores - Companions[]
Gallery[]
References[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 The Dying Lands
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 The Wings of the Ten
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 As mentioned by Zo during a conversation at the Base after completing The Eye of the Earth.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 As mentioned by Zo during The Dying Lands.
- ↑ As mentioned by Varl during The Dying Lands.
- ↑ The Eye of the Earth
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 7.4 7.5 As mentioned by Zo during a conversation at the Base.
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 As mentioned by GAIA during a conversation at the Base.
- ↑ During a conversation between Aloy and Zo in the Base.
- ↑ As mentioned during a random conversation between Erend and Zo in the Base.
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 The Second Verse
- ↑ 12.0 12.1 As mentioned by Zo during The Wings of the Ten.
- ↑ GEMINI
- ↑ 14.0 14.1 Singularity
- ↑ As mentioned by Zo during Singularity.
- ↑ As mentioned by Zo after completing Singularity.
- ↑ The Long Season Ahead
- ↑ 18.0 18.1 As mentioned by Erend during a conversation at the Base.
- ↑ As mentioned by Kotallo after completing The Kulrut.
- ↑ As mentioned by Varl during a conversation at the Base.
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| Utaru Tribe | |
|---|---|
| Chorus | Drae - Fane - Kalae - Kel - Shael |
| Tribe Members | Bree - Daen - Emboh - Gana - Ioh - Jia - Kin - Kue - Lao - Lea - Lel - Mian - Milu - Nel - Rea - Vaus - Ven - Yef - Yull - Zo |
| Veterans given to the Utaru | Jaxx - Ziverra |