Horizon Forbidden West may not reinvent the wheel, but that's not to say that there aren't still plenty of interesting new ideas and mechanics on offer. Things like gliding and grappling are undoubtedly the biggest additions, but there's also a few new environmental obstructions that both new and returning players will need to learn how to overcome.
The first such barrier comes in the form of Firegleam, a red crystalline and fungal hybrid which can be found on walls and doors right throughout the world of Horizon Forbidden West. When most players first encounter it, they'll likely be left wondering how to destroy the red crystals: a question that the game fails to answer until a little later on in the main story.
How to Destroy the Red Crystals
The majority of players will probably first come across Firegleam crystals while exploring The Daunt near the beginning of the game or upon their arrival at the Relic Ruins in No Man's Land. Unfortunately, however, they won't actually obtain the tool that's needed to destroy the red crystals until progressing the main story a little further.
After following Sylens into the Forbidden West and triggering the Death's Door mission, players will find themselves at a GAIA facility with a gene-locked door. Upon disengaging the lock, however, they'll find that Firegleam crystals have formed within the door's locking mechanism and are now preventing it from fully opening. It's here that Sylens finally reveals that players will need a special piece of gear known as an Igniter to destroy the red crystals.
How to Craft an Igniter
Luckily, Sylens is more than happy to teach Aloy how to craft an Igniter and the materials required can be found not too far away. By heading to the nearby lake, players will find a herd of Leaplashers and will need to shoot off one of their Spark Coils using Aloy's Hunter's Bow. This will need to be done before the Leaplasher is defeated and is best achieved using stealth. If players are having difficulty identifying the Spark Coil, they can simply scan the machine with their Focus in order to highlight it.
The second component needed to craft an Igniter is Deepwater Kindle Weed Oil, which can be found growing underwater in the shallows of the nearby lake. After players have one of each material, they'll be prompted to head back to the workbench near the entrance to the facility and will then be able to craft the Igniter from the "Special Gear" sub-menu of the crafting menu. Once they've crafted an Igniter, players can destroy the red Firegleam crystals by holding R2 while standing in front of them.
Horizon Forbidden West is available now on PS4 and PS5.