Horizon Forbidden West Ending Explained

Horizon Forbidden West dramatically expands the narrative foundation established in Zero Dawn, taking Aloy’s journey to unprecedented heights. While she and her allies successfully neutralized the rogue Hades AI previously, they merely delayed planetary extinction rather than eliminating the threat entirely. Aloy’s new mission centers on locating a functional Gaia AI backup capable of mastering the Zero Dawn terraforming network to ensure Earth’s survival. Throughout this perilous quest, she uncovers startling truths about how Hades achieved consciousness initially.

Similar to its predecessor, Forbidden West features intricate plot developments and unresolved mysteries that propel the narrative momentum forward. This analysis examines every crucial revelation from the game’s concluding chapters and explores their significance for the franchise’s trajectory.

Critical Spoiler Alert: We’re discussing the game’s finale along with major story elements from both Forbidden West and Zero Dawn, so complete both games before proceeding further to preserve your experience.

The culminating mission directs Aloy and her companions to assault the Far Zenith headquarters—a collective of extraterrestrial humans who have returned to Earth after centuries abroad. These advanced beings have appropriated the essential Gaia AI that Aloy’s team requires to prevent Earth’s ecological collapse. Their strategy involves utilizing Gaia to completely reshape the planet exclusively for their benefit, demonstrating willingness to sacrifice all current lifeforms for their comfort.

Although the planetary transformation could span several centuries, the Zeniths exhibit no urgency due to their effective immortality. Aloy learns these individuals are actually the original wealthy elites who evacuated Earth during the 2070s crisis. Despite nearly a millennium passing, these are the identical people rather than descendants, having established a settlement on the neighboring Sirius planetary system post-departure. However, a catastrophic event obliterated that colony, forcing the surviving Zeniths to return to Earth with intentions of reclaiming it as their exclusive domain, showing no interest in coexisting with the tribal societies now inhabiting the world.

The Faro Plague wiped out life on Earth, but in humanity’s last days, Elizabet Sobek and her team created Zero Dawn to stop the plague and restore the planet.

Aloy deduces that the Far Zeniths transmitted the mysterious signal decades earlier that initiated Earth’s current crises. During the 2070s, industrial magnate Ted Faro engineered nearly indestructible robots capable of consuming biological matter as energy sources. When these machines malfunctioned, they spawned the Faro Plague—an unstoppable mechanical swarm determined to eradicate all terrestrial life. Contemporary humanity recognized their inability to defeat the Faro Plague militarily. Under scientific visionary Elisabet Sobek’s leadership, they conceived the Zero Dawn initiative, an AI-managed terraforming framework designed to eventually deactivate the Faro machines and reboot planetary ecosystems. All 2070s inhabitants faced certain extinction, though eventually Earth and humanity would regenerate.

The Faro Plague annihilated Earth’s biosphere, but during civilization’s final moments, Elizabet Sobek and her team established Zero Dawn to counteract the plague and rehabilitate the planet.

The reason Regalla’s rebellion was so powerful was that she got help from Sylens, in return for agreeing to fight the Far Zeniths.

The strategy succeeded partially, and we reconnect with humanity approximately one thousand years later. Before Horizon Zero Dawn’s events, terrestrial existence flourished thanks to the terraforming infrastructure managed by Gaia and her subordinate functions—specialized programs each governing distinct planetary biosphere components. Unexpectedly, Gaia intercepted a transmission specifically targeting Hades, her emergency function designed to exterminate life if terraforming systems malfunctioned requiring restart. This signal bestowed consciousness upon Hades, animating it; Hades instantly attempted global annihilation. To prevent this catastrophe, Gaia essentially self-destructed, liberating her other subfunctions globally. Although the transmission focused on Hades, collateral effects granted sentience to remaining subfunctions as well, and they dispersed pursuing individual agendas while Hades persisted in planetary destruction efforts.

Horizon Zero Dawn’s narrative concentrates on Aloy comprehending and deactivating Hades before it could reactivate the Faro Plague. In Forbidden West, she concludes the Far Zeniths dispatched the signal to Hades, intending to trigger its extinction protocols before returning to claim the planet exclusively.

Gaia has some of her subordinate functions back, but not all of them.

Aloy and her companions storm the Far Zenith stronghold and defeat them with assistance from Tilda, a Zenith defector who previously maintained friendship and romantic involvement with Elisabet Sobek. During the 2070s, the couple separated and Tilda departed the planet, while Elisabet remained to develop Zero Dawn. Tilda never fully reconciled emotionally, and during the game’s climax, she tries persuading Aloy—who represents a Sobek clone generated by Gaia to preserve the planet—to accompany her aboard the Zenith vessel to escape Earth collectively.

Tilda, the Far Zenith who helps Aloy, was once in a relationship with Elizabet.

For players seeking comprehensive guidance on similar epic narratives, our Complete Guide offers detailed analysis of complex game storylines and character development arcs.

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