In the six months following the defeat of HADES in Horizon Zero Dawn, Aloy has been searching fruitlessly for a working backup of GAIA to restore the planet's rapidly degrading biosphere. After she discovers that her former associate Sylens did not destroy but stole HADES, he contacts Aloy and asks her to continue her search in the region known as the Forbidden West.
The player controls Aloy, a hunter in a world populated by dangerous, animalistic machines. In an open world, she explores the mysterious frontier known as the Forbidden West, a post-apocalyptic version of the Western United States, specifically the states of California, Nevada, and Utah. The map is larger than in the previous game. Exploration is improved with new underwater discoveries, and improvements to combat using the Valor Surge system, freeform climbing, and tools such as the Shieldwing, Focus Scanner, Diving Mask, and Pullcaster. The mission structure for quests better supports variety in objectives with compelling reward systems.
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