How To Swan Dive Horizon Forbidden West

Horizon Forbidden West's globe is a massive 1, congenital to be explored over long stretches of time. The vast, open wilderness is stunning and overwhelming, giving players the chance to roam freely around some of the w coast'due south nigh famous natural sites and cities. In that location are towering sequoia forests, owned to parts of Northern California, forth with the desiccated Death Valley and its body of water of sand. You'll climb mountaintops and iconic American landmarks like the Gold Gate Bridge. You'll as well swim lakes, caves, and oceans, which comprise one of the unique highlights of Forbidden West.

The way these elements weave together ultimately makes the exploration attribute of the game stand up out. "One of the first things we said when nosotros started development was that we wanted to focus more on variety and density," Mathijs de Jonge, director of Horizon Forbidden West, told Polygon.

Swimming is a primal part of this: It's beautiful, and all-time of all, information technology's admittedly seamless. Exterior of games specifically defended to pond, I've typically experienced bodies of water as gating mechanisms. When I tin swim, it's oft with a limited endurance bar — or it might exist on the back of a fauna, like in Pokémon Legends: Arceus. In Forbidden West, in that location'southward no running around lakes to avert falling in, or tiptoeing around waterfalls. I spring the fuck in. At that place are brimming ecosystems in there, aging American landmarks, and tons of collectibles.

Though Aloy is initially limited by property her breath, there'due south luckily a Diving Mask tool that allows her to breathe infinitely. Admittedly, swimming can feel graceless before finding this tool, as quests brand Aloy navigate labyrinthian underwater passages. Stick it out and get that Diving Mask, and swimming becomes truly liberating and exciting. Information technology turns the game into one of my all-time favorites for exploration.

Once you have unlocked your base, and accept spoken with GAIA, I would highly recommend getting that Diving Mask as before long as possible. Here'southward how yous can.

Aloy swimming past a coral reef in Horizon Forbidden West

[ Ed. annotation: spoilers follow for certain Horizon Forbidden Westward story quests.]

How to craft the Diving Mask for space underwater breathing

In gild to craft the Diving Mask, you will need to take exited The Daunt, unlocked your base, and uploaded the GAIA kernel. Crafting the Diving Mask is an early part of The Poseidon subordinate function quest line chosen "Bounding main of Sands." When GAIA tells you to cull which of the 3 subordinate functions y'all'd like to pursue — Aether, Poseidon, or Demeter — select Poseidon, and caput to Las Vegas.

When you go far, the map will show a big, yellow, round area. You are looking for a edifice that appears to be a pagoda, but has water spilling out of it. Y'all will know it'due south correct as Aloy will phone call it a "Tower of Tears" when she sees it. The easiest way to locate it is to head to a high signal, and search for the building.

To get inside, there is a grapple bespeak on the edge of the first floor, close to where the h2o is pouring out. Yous'll encounter three NPCs who have been attempting to dive into the recently flooded building. Speak to Morlund, and he will requite you lot the quest to craft the Diving Mask.

The inventory in Horizon Forbidden West, with the Diving Mask selected

In order to craft the Diving Mask, you will need three items:

Compressed Air Capsule
Motorcar Knee joint Cap
Synthetic Membrane

The Compressed Air Sheathing is within the flooded elevator shaft that the 3 NPCs had been diving in. Dive in, swim downward, and harvest the Compressed Air Capsule from a protruding console on the wall.

To obtain the other items, activate the hunting objective portion of the quest line, and follow the cues to activate Aloy'southward focus. The focus volition reveal tracks that lead Aloy to a Bellowback and Leaplasher site. Bellowbacks will take Synthetic Membranes; Leaplashers will accept Machine Knee Caps. You may need to kill several to obtain the items.

Afterwards, caput dorsum to the pagoda, speak with Morlund, and craft the Diving Mask at the workbench within the building. You'll now have information technology permanently, and information technology volition activate instantly when you jump into the water — no need to equip it.

What makes pond underwater then special

Aloy is swimming away from the viewer, and the image is framed such that the water's surface reflects the structures underwater

Equally in real life, exploring underwater in Forbidden West feels expansive and free — in larger bodies of water, like the lake (probable based on Lake Mead) which players tin first run into in The Daunt. At that indicate, y'all won't take infinite underwater breathing. But one time you unlock the Diving Mask, the options expand beautifully — allowing players to free swim the entirety of the large lake, pond past schools of fish, and exploring the many secrets that lie in its depths. This is only one of many many hidden nooks that will become available once you lot take the Diving Mask.

This sense of underwater freedom is largely by pattern. The developers chose not to make combat underwater an pick, instead giving players stealth options in the form of tall kelp. "I approximate information technology's quite like as on-ground movement; the mechanic itself needs to be responsive and you need to feel that yous're in control," de Jonge said. "Next to that, the surroundings matter, and the player needs options to avert underwater combat with machines. We didn't fifty-fifty attempt to develop that as role player movement is simply besides limited nether water and machines are big, fast, and deadly."

[ Warning : the following contains spoilers for tardily-game locations and motorcar types in Horizon Forbidden Westward.]

Some of the game's nearly cinematic moments happen when Aloy is underwater. You see some of Las Vegas's virtually famous hotels, imagined in a post-postal service-apocalyptic future that involves lite shows and holographics. This is where Aloy first encounters one of the game'south most lethal, intimidating enemies, the Tideripper, a Loch Ness Monster-inspired machine. It'due south also where players become to encounter how charming Burrowers are when they swim. The frustratingly boisterous entry-level enemies become otter-like underwater, chittering and winding around.

San Francisco's Ferry Building underwater in Horizon Forbidden West

Exploring underwater San Francisco, in the terminal stretches of the main quest, besides feel like a souvenir. It's haunting, seeing parts of the familiar city submerged — particularly as it's a city I've lived in. The post-apocalypse hitting dwelling as I swam around the Ferry Edifice in its oceanic grave. These are simply a few of my favorite memories from my time in Forbidden West'due south incredible underwater environments. My Diving Mask and I will be making many more.

Source: https://www.polygon.com/22949807/horizon-forbidden-west-how-to-breath-underwater-diving-mask