For fans ofHorizon Zero Dawn,“The Frozen Wilds” DLC is an amazing expansion that takes Aloy to brutal Northern territory, where she encounters a new tribe andfaces off against monstrous new machines. For those that enjoyed the original game, it’s a must-play and offers a much-needed difficulty boost alongside a captivating new story. While the story isn’t completely detached from the events of the main game, it does stand on its own.
“The Frozen Wilds” feels a little bit likeWitcher 3’s larger expansion, “Blood and Wine.“TheHorizonDLC is nowhere near as large as that, but it does open up a new area of the map and allows Aloy to obtain improved gear, new armor, and adds innovative new weapons to her arsenal. It’s an all-around great time, but it does take quite a few hours to complete and not every player may feel up to completing the most difficult section of Aloy’s story. “The Frozen Wilds” features enemies that are effective even against the secret Shield Weaver armor. But withHorizon Forbidden Westcoming out later this year, players might want to consider revisiting “The Frozen Wilds.”
RELATED:New Features Aloy Needs in Horizon Forbidden West
Playing the Frozen Wilds Isn’t Required to Understand Forbidden West
Even though “The Frozen Wilds” is an incredible DLC that fans ofHorizon Zero Dawnwill definitely want to play, it’s not going to be absolutely necessary forForbidden West.“The Frozen Wilds” takes place in a very different location, has an entirely new cast of characters, and deals with its own self-contained story.
Like any good DLC that connects itself to the main game world, “The Frozen Wilds” serves to build upon the world that was established inHorizon Zero Dawn.It introduces the Banuk tribe, which has its own culture and set of customs, and allows Aloy to explore more of the world.The region she explores is called the Cut, and while it’s not that far from the Nora Sacred Lands she called home for so long, it’s a vastly different and more brutal environment.
In the DLC,Aloy helps the Banukinvestigate a “Daemon” they believe has possessed the machines. In order to do so, she must seek out the shaman Ourea and challenge her brother, Aratak, for leadership over the tribe. With their help, Aloy learns that the Daemon is one of GAIA’s subsystems, HEPHAESTUS. Like HADES, it has also gone rogue as a result of a mysterious, yet-to-be-identified signal.
HEPHAESTUS was responsible for creating machines designed by GAIA to supplement Earth’s recovering ecosystem. In order to terrorize the Cut, HEPHAESTUS tried to take over CYAN, an AI separate from GAIA meant to prevent Yellowstone from erupting. CYAN reaches out to Ourea for help, causing them to forge an unlikely friendship.
Horizon Forbidden West Will Focus on a New Mystery
Although it’s definitely worth playing, it’s not terribly important to understand all of these plot pointsgoing intoForbidden West;as long as fans have an understanding of GAIA and the apocalypse in theHorizonuniverse, they should be fine. Forbidden West is a direct sequel to the previous game, and players shouldn’t expect to be confused by obscure references to CYAN and HEPHAESTUS.
That said, it might be mentioned. With HEPHAESTUS being another one of GAIA’s core subfunctions known to have gone rogue, it’s very likely that it will show up again. CYAN is unlikely to be mentioned, but it could be a nice little Easter egg. Even if CYAN and HEPHAESTUS don’t show up, it’s still nice to know about them to have a more complete picture of the world. In CYAN’s case, it’s also interesting to know that there are other AI’s still active that aren’t a part of GAIA.
InHorizon Forbidden West,HADESwill probably be the biggest focus once again. It would be great if fans were introduced to more of GAIA’S subfunctions, and they may come up inForbidden West,butHorizon Zero Dawnhas always thrived on mystery. GAIA isn’t a mystery anymore, andForbidden Westpromises to introduce a brand new one. It wouldn’t work to focus exclusively on an old mystery, so while GAIA remains incredibly important for the world-building,Forbidden Westwill need to be even more ambitious.
RELATED:Why Fans Shouldn’t Expect Romance Options in Horizon Forbidden West
The Frozen Wilds Builds Upon One Important Character
One character who ishighlighted in “The Frozen Wilds"is Sylens. He’s the only real tie-in, but Sylens is an essential character who will probably be one of the main antagonists inHorizon Forbidden West.For that reason, players might find it interesting to explore The Cut and learn about Banuk culture to have a better idea of who Sylens is.
Although Sylens is one of the most important characters inHorizon Zero Dawn,he didn’t get a lot of character development in the first game. Sylens’s primary goal is to learn about what happened to modern civilization, and while at times he can be blunt and insensitive, it seems like he’s just after knowledge for knowledge’s sake. Players haven’t experienced much of a character arc with Sylens. He’s not a hugefocus in “The Frozen Wilds,“but the DLC actually does teach Aloy quite a bit about her mysterious companion and his background.
Sylens’s most recognizable feature is the thick, glowing blue cables sewn through his skin. Players learn that this is a practice reserved for Banuk shamans. Considering Sylens’s personality and role in the story, it’s hard to envision him as a shaman. Aloy asks around to see if anyone has ever encountered her “friend,” but information about Sylens is shrouded in mystery. Eventually, it’s revealed that Sylens allegedly manipulated the Banuk by claiming to be a shaman of an obscure werak. After gaining their trust, he stabbed them in the back by clearing out their most sacred meeting place and disappearing.
Combined with the knowledge of who Sylens is to Aloy, it seems unlikely that he was ever a shaman or a member of the Banuk tribe in the first place. So"The Frozen Wilds” doesn’t completely explainSylens’s origins or his backstory, but it does offer a little more insight into his past and his character. Aloy doesn’t trust Sylens, and she’s right not to. Sylens doesn’t want Aloy to find out about his past judging by the way he tries to stop her from entering the Cut (one of the few times he elects to speak to Aloy outside a main story quest), but of course, Aloy isn’t having it.
So whileplaying “The Frozen Wilds"is far from necessary to understand and appreciateForbidden West,it might be worth playing if only to get some more insight into Sylens’s character. He’s likely going to be a huge part ofForbidden Westand could even be the primary human antagonist. It’s also possible that Aloy will bring up Sylens’s past with the Banuk again.
Horizon Forbidden Westis scheduled to release for PS4 and PS5 in 2021.
