Horizon: Forbidden West is a massive game with different activities to do around every corner. Salvage contracts, rebel camps, and ancient ruins are just a few of the numerous tasks laid out before players when they boot the game up for the first time.

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The most involved of these activities are the side quests, bespoke missions that involve named characters and often end up being far deeper than they initially seem. There are plenty of quests for players to pick up throughout their journey, each with its own impressive cast of likable, well-rounded characters, but a select few stand out as the best side quests Horizon Forbidden West has to offer.

Updated March 1, 2023, by Sophie McEvoy: Horizon Forbidden West is one of the most expansive open-world games, and it’s about to get a whole lot bigger thanks to its first DLC titled Burning Shores. The expansion sees Aloy travel further down the California coast to Los Angeles, which is now a broken mess of islands and lava all under the vengeful eye of a Horus. But if players are still checking off side quests in the game along with the main story, there are many more of the best side missions in Horizon Forbidden West that players won’t want to miss that include unforgettable characters and stories that Aloy can help with.

13 The Promontory

The Promontory side quest

A side quest found in Plainsong, "The Promontory" reveals the inner struggles of the Utaru tribe. Aloy is tasked with finding the seed pouch of Kalae, who is believed to be dead, after making a pilgrimage to the sacred site of the Promontory. After reaching an area that wasn't searched by the Utaru, Aloy happens upon two bodies – that of Kalae and a mystery woman who Aloy assumes to be Kalae's killer.

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After a surprise Stalker fight on the clifftop, Aloy discovers that Kel, one of the Chorus members, ordered Lyna to kill Kalae because she wanted the Utaru to move from Plainsong to a more prosperous land. While "The Promontory" has no reward, the story is full of twists and turns that aren't much expected for a side quest.

12 Lofty Ambitions

aloy and morlund in a wooden, hot air ballon basket with a japanese pagoda on the ground behind them

After aiding the Oseram Delver Morlund during "The Sea of Sands" quest, Aloy can return to the ruins of Las Vegas to find Morlund hard at work on his latest invention: a hot air balloon. The apparatus is just about finished, but he needs an Old World burner in order to get it working properly.

After Aloy recovers the burner from within Dunehollow, Morlund offers to take her up in the balloon for its maiden voyage. The sequence of the balloon rising is one of the most breathtaking in the entire game, offering an unbelievable view of the holographic light display among the ruins of Las Vegas.

11 The Roots That Bind

a large, green tree with various crystalline lanterns hanging from its branches

Once Aloy has reached Plainsong and spoken with the Chorus, a slew of new side quests will become available around the Utaru capital. One of these is "The Roots That Bind," a quest that tasks Aloy with aiding the town of Riverhymn in its defense against marauding Tenakth rebels.

During this side quest, Aloy learns more about the culture of the Utaru and how they approach the concept of death. Both Riverhymn and the lofty plateau known as the Drumroot are two of the most beautiful places in Horizon Forbidden West, and completing the mission awards Kue's Sharpshot Bow, a powerful precision weapon for the early portions of the game.

10 Blood For Blood

Blood For Blood side quest

After the events of the Kulrut, Chaplain Dekka of the Lowland Tenakth asks for Aloy's help in finding her grandson, Kavvoh. He joined Regalla's rebels, but Dekka believes there's still good in him – plus, he's the only family she has left, so it's a very personal mission to her. Told in two parts, "Blood for Blood" eventually leads the duo to Fall's Edge, where Kavvoh is set to face a trial by combat.

Kavvoh is adamant that the rebels are planning to ambush the settlement, so Dekka trades places with Kavvoh in the process of "blood for blood", so he leads Aloy to their camp to thwart their plans. Once there, they discover an ambush with a Behemoth was set in motion, but Aloy, Kavvoh, and Fall's Edge's leader Arokkeh put a stop to it. A side quest with a hefty battle and a heartwarming story, "Blood for Blood" also rewards Aloy with the Perimeter Tripcaster.

9 The Valley Of The Fallen

Aloy speaking to a tenakth soldier in blue and yellow, feathered armor with blue and white face paint

"The Valley of the Fallen" is a side quest that is integrally tied to the game's main story, bringing Aloy into a hidden valley on the south side of the map that offers the clearest look at the Zeniths' base of operations. Dangerous machines have been congregating there for some unknown reason, and Aloy is determined to get to the bottom of this mystery.

The cause of this abnormal behavior is revealed to have close connections to the Zeniths themselves and includes some illuminating data points on how the Zeniths operate. It also features battles with some of the biggest and most impressive machines in the game, including a Thunderjaw, a Tremortusk, and two Specters.

8 The Way Home

aloy with her back turned speaking to a woman with white clothing and her hair in a bun

"The Way Home" is one of Horizon Forbidden West's later side quests that can only be completed once Aloy has mastered the ability to override the Sunwing machine, in addition to the "Wings of the Ten" side quest. Two Quen navigators need help retrieving their broken navigational tool that will allow them to return home to their families.

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This, coupled with the audio logs that reveal the fate of a fleet of warships in their final stand against the Faro Swarm, gives "The Way Home" a heightened level of emotional stakes. Not only does Aloy succeed in helping the navigators recreate their lost equipment, but she can also find The Skykiller legendary Spike Thrower in a chest on the warship with the Dreadwing.

7 The Gate Of The Vanquished

The Gate of the Vanquished side quest

"The Gate of the Vanquished" is the culmination of several smaller quests Aloy can complete for different members of the Tenakth Desert Clan. Drakka and Yarra are two members of the clan who have been at odds with one another for years, and it's finally come to a head. Aloy must choose which of these warriors she believes should lead the clan, sparking a battle between each faction.

This is one of a few different side quests that show Guerrilla Games' attention to detail when it comes to developing these side quests. It turns what feels like a disparate batch of activities with isolated people into something resembling a story arc; characters will reference the aid you've provided to other people in the region, establishing a more cohesive world in the process. And, whoever Aloy chooses to side with will be beside her during one of the penultimate moments of the game at the Memorial Grove during The Kulrut ambush.

6 Need To Know

talanah in her metal, feather armor and headdress smiling with her back to a blue sky with the sun setting on the left

One of Horizon Zero Dawn's best characters, Talanah, returns in Horizon Forbidden West with a new mission: track down her wayward boyfriend. When Aloy hears of a Carja huntress roaming the Forbidden West with a Thrush in tow, she eagerly seeks out her old friend and offers any help she can in tracking the poor man down.

"Need To Know" offers some excellent fights that range from a high-level Fireclaw to a prison filled with Tenakth rebels before culminating in a beachside battle with a Tideripper. Afterward, Aloy can catch up with Talanah back at Barren Light for a little more conversation before the Sunhawk heads back East.

5 The Blood Choke

a town made up of logs and colored metal plates set over a shallow pool of water

One of the most transformative side quests in Horizon Forbidden West, "The Blood Choke" teams Aloy up with the leader of the Tenakth Lowland Clan, Atekka. The water around the city of Thornmarsh has been clotted with toxic, red sludge, and Atekka is determined to get to the bottom of its origin.

Once she and Aloy discover Tenakth rebels have dammed the river with dead machines, the two go to work dismantling the entire camp before blowing up the dam. What makes this such a great side quest is how it visually alters the environment after—Thornmarsh and the surrounding region are now free of the toxic, red sludge, making it look and feel more hospitable.

4 The Deluge

The Deluge side quest

"The Deluge" sees Aloy travel to Bleeding Mark, a settlement that the Tenakth Desert Clan capital Scalding Spear relies on for ashblood – a powder used as ink for their tattoos. She soon discovers Bleeding Mark has been ravaged by a mudslide and rushes to save the survivors from precarious positions around the flooded settlement.

One survivor, Nakitta, tells Aloy to keep on the lookout for her teacher, Kentokk, who she was looking to make amends with before the storm hit. Aloy soon finds him injured in a mine shaft known as the Gouge, and though she rescues him, Kentokk dies by the time Nakitta arrives. Aloy can return to the settlement later on, which becomes a functioning settlement thanks to Aloy's help draining the water. The Nora warrior will also come across Nakitta once again at the Memorial Grove, where she has followed her path and become a Marshal of the Chief's Guard.

3 Forbidden Legacy

HFW Forbidden Legacy

"Forbidden Legacy" is one of a few different quests Aloy can complete to aid her companions in their own missions to help their people. Alva, a Diviner of the Quen, wants to investigate an Old World program called Leviathan to help her people with the devastating floods that have hit their home.

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This quest reveals more about Alva's life back in the Quen homeland, features an entertaining Slitherfang battle, and has some of the game's most intense climbing sequences. But "Forbidden Legacy" is ultimately one of the best side quests in the game because Alva herself is just a fantastic character and spending more time with her is always worthwhile.

2 What Was Lost

kotallo standing inside a dark room with a dim light shine on his blue and yellow armor and white body paint

During the Embassy in the early hours of the game, one of the Tenakth Marshals named Kotallo loses his left arm to a violent machine controlled by Regalla's rebels. Later, after Kotallo joins Aloy's mission and is staying at her mountain base, he'll ask Aloy for her assistance in helping him build and test a metal, prosthetic arm.

"What Was Lost" has two challenging fights, one against a pair of Specters and another against an Apex Scorcher, but it's Kotallo's character development that really shines through. He ultimately decides to only wear the arm when necessary, as he doesn't feel the need to hide his disability anymore.

1 The Second Verse

Zo and Aloy talking inside a metal bunker with scrolls and leatherbound books on the counter

"The Second Verse" is one of the best side quests in Horizon Forbidden West, as it combines a grand sense of control over the world with one of the game's best new characters, Zo. She's determined to save the Land Gods her people worship, and she needs Aloy's help to do so.

Split into two separate parts, "The Second Verse" tells the powerful story of a dedicated woman who will stop at nothing to protect her people and their faith. Occurring after retrieving reboot codes from GAIA, Aloy, and Zo use these codes to reprogram the Land Gods stuck around Plainsong so they can rid the blight-ridden fields around Plainsong. As a result of their efforts, these fields turn into lush, healthy croplands, a profound change that reflects how much good Aloy's work is doing for the world.

Horizon Forbidden West is now available for PS4 and PS5.

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