Horizon Forbidden West: Burning Shores takes Aloy to the ruins of Los Angeles. The past millennia has seen the metropolis ravaged by tectonic and volcanic activity. The result: a dangerous archipelago of deadly machines. Among these islands, a large settlement of Quen fights for survival.
Spoiler alert: Please note that this article may contain some spoilers for Horizon Forbidden West and its plot.
A look at The Quen
Aloy first encountered the tribe in Horizon Forbidden West, in search of one of GAIA’s subordinate functions. “The Acquaintances are a seafaring tribe from across the Pacific Ocean,” explains Annie Kitain, Lead Screenwriter of Guerrilla. “Unlike the other tribes Aloy has encountered, the Acquaintances have built their society on the ability to use Focus, allowing them to access and read ancient data. This technological advantage has given them an edge over other tribes in their homeland, the Great Delta, but it has also shaped their culture in interesting ways.”
“Knowledge from the ancient past has allowed Quen to build an impressive empire. But unlike the Oseram tribe, who possessed technological prowess through their innovative inventions, the Quens relied solely on the knowledge they unearthed to fuel their advancements. As a result, an important part of their culture revolves around protecting some of the Focus that the tribe owns, as well as tightly controlling who can access the valuable information these devices reveal. .”
“Ultimately, the Fortune Tellers played a special role in the Clan. As a highly regarded Acquaintance class, only Diviners are allowed to use Spotlight to read data. Their job is to find and document ancient knowledge that could benefit the empire, making sure it doesn’t fall into the hands of outsiders.”
But Quen’s view of the Old World was skewed. Unlike Aloy’s Focus, we discovered while playing Horizon Forbidden West that the devices Quen uses can only view information up to a certain point in history – everything after that is unreadable. This limitation led them to misinterpret much of the data they found. Over time, they have come to venerate a pantheon of iconic Old World figures, including 21st-century CEOs and business moguls.
Eastern Expedition
Like the lands of Forbidden West, the hometown of Quen has suffered from environmental degradation over the past twenty years. Desperate for a solution, Quen believes data from San Francisco’s ancient tech hub could be the key to saving their land.
“Unfortunately, the Expedition faced many difficulties,” Annie pointed out. “From the very beginning, they lost half of their fleet in a violent storm. Then, after the remaining ships landed in San Francisco, the search for the data they were pursuing stalled, making it impossible for them to return home victorious. Things weren’t going very well for them…until Aloy showed up.”
During his quest to recover DEMETER from the ruins of an ancient Faro research facility, Aloy encounters one of the Expedition’s Oracles. “Intelligent and curious, Alva was the first acquaintance Aloy could call a friend,” Annie said. “The two are bound together by exploring the ruins of the Old World and the discoveries they have made about the ancient past. During their adventure, Aloy helps Alva discover a trove of data that can help her people. In return, Alva helped Aloy in her quest and even joined her growing group of companions in the Base.”
“At the end of Forbidden West, Alva chose to stay with a handful of soldiers while the rest of the Expedition set out to return home. Thanks to Aloy, she has a new understanding of the world. And with a new threat to life on Earth, she’s determined to do whatever she can to help.”
Go to the burning shore
When asked what else players should know about this tribe before diving into the Burning Shores, Annie replied, “I think it’s important to remember that we know a lot less about the Quen than any of the other tribes. other. We’ve only just begun to scratch the surface in Forbidden West, so get ready to discover even more about them and how the rigid hierarchy of the tribe affects the new characters you’ll meet. !”
The Acquaintances who ended up in Burning Shores have been here for a while, and although survival is a constant challenge, they have managed to establish a settlement that is impressive and fun to explore. Here you will meet new characters like Admiral Gerrit. “We meet him at the beginning of the story,” Annie explains. “He is a highly decorated commander in the Familiar Navy and the leader of this Quen group. He’s responsible for keeping things together even in their dire circumstances.
Horizon Forbidden West: Burning Shores’ main art shows Aloy accompanied by a new companion, recognizable through her Familiar costume – Seyka. “We are delighted to introduce Seyka! She is an aspiring marine who takes steps to help her people survive. As a new companion to the DLC, Aloy will spend a lot of time with her throughout the story and rely on her for help in many situations – a position she doesn’t often take on.”
“Confident, compassionate, and fierce, Seyka is unlike anyone Aloy has ever met, and she plays a vital role in the next chapter of Aloy’s journey.”
Horizon Forbidden West: Burning Shores is currently available for pre-order on PlayStation 5 and will be available on April 19. Be sure to follow the team at Guerrilla on Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok to learn more about the next chapter in our journey. Hello!
