Horizon: Forbidden Westis 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 beforeplayers 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 questsHorizon Forbidden Westhas to offer.
Updated July 31, 2025, 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 thebest side missions in Horizon Forbidden Westthat players won’t want to miss that include unforgettable characters and stories that Aloy can help with.
13The Promontory
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.
12Lofty Ambitions
Afteraiding 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.
11The Roots That Bind
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 inHorizon Forbidden West, and completing the mission awards Kue’s Sharpshot Bow,a powerful precision weaponfor the early portions of the game.
10Blood For Blood
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.
9The Valley Of The Fallen
“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 ofthe biggest and most impressive machines in the game, including a Thunderjaw, a Tremortusk, and two Specters.
8The Way Home
“The Way Home” is one ofHorizon Forbidden West’s later side quests that can only be completed onceAloy 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.
7The Gate Of The Vanquished
“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 choosewhich 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.
6Need To Know
One ofHorizon Zero Dawn’s best characters, Talanah, returns inHorizon Forbidden Westwith 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.
5The Blood Choke
One of the most transformative side quests inHorizon 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.
4The Deluge
“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.
