Horizon Zero Dawn: The Frozen Wilds is an expansion for the critically acclaimed action RPG Horizon Zero Dawn. This downloadable content takes players to an unexplored region known as The Cut, set on the lands of the Banuk tribe. Here, the protagonist Aloy faces new challenges, including infested, hostile machines and a mysterious threat of a malicious AI. Here we’re taking a closer look at what the game is about and how you can access cheats, exploits, and more.
Horizon Zero Dawn: The Frozen Wilds Premise
The Frozen Wilds DLC introduces players to The Cut, a cold and harsh location at the border of Banuk territory, inspired by the frozen tundras of North America. Here, Aloy investigates the emergence of new types of deadly machines. Players face a combination of spiritual and technological threats as they confront the Daemon disrupting the region.
The narrative of The Frozen Wilds is an expansion of Aloy’s story, where she takes on new quests in the lands of the Banuk tribe. The plot thickens with Aloy’s interaction with new characters and the dangers of evil spirits wrapped in robotic armor. Players control Aloy, a skilled hunter who possesses a deadly bow and powerful combat skills. The ancestral land of the Banuks is under assault, and they require Aloy’s help to vanquish the Daemon and save their tribe.
Horizon Zero Dawn: The Frozen Wilds Characters
In Horizon Zero Dawn: The Frozen Wilds, players control the protagonist from the base game, Aloy. This amazon-like huntress explores a new location in the north. In her adventures in the territory of the Banuk tribe, she encounters a diverse cast of characters. These include village elders, regular tribesmen, and shamans looking for spiritual meaning in machines. The player character can interact with the NPCs to engage in various quests to explore the wilderness and its mysteries further.
- Aloy: Aloy is the main protagonist of Horizon Zero Dawn and Horizon Forbidden West. She’s a masterful machine hunter who excels with both a bow and in close combat. Aloy is the genetic clone of a 21st-century roboticist, Dr. Elisabet Sobeck.
- Aratak: Aratak is one of the key characters in The Frozen Wilds. He is the chieftain of the Banuk tribe, specifically in the region known as The Cut. He and his sister Ourea help Aloyn in her quest to defeat what the tribe calls the Daemon.
- Ourea: She is the sister of one of the chieftains of the Banuk Tribe, Aratak. She was the shaman of the werak that controls the settlement of Song’s Edge. Ourea and the AI known as CYAN built a friendship, which is why she does everything to defend CYAN against the hostile AI, HEPHAESTUS.
- CYAN: An AI entity revered by the Banuk, and specifically the shaman Ourea, as a spirit. It is an acronym for Caldera of Yellowstone Analytic Nexus and an AI that was built to govern the environmental project known as Project Firebreak. In the game, CYAN is an important figure in the struggle against the Daemon.
- HEPHAESTUS: The adversarial AI known as the Daemon by the Banuk tribe. This rogue artificial intelligence is the main antagonist in Horizon Zero Dawn: The Frozen Wilds. It was originally a part of the artificial intelligence GAIA and was released accidentally by Nemesis. It gained control of the machines after the destruction of GAIA.
Games in the Series
The Horizon series is known for its post-apocalyptic setting, where the landscape is a blend of natural beauty, technological relics, mechanical beasts replacing animals, and structures of the old world. The game’s main protagonist and the player character is Aloy, who is a skilled hunter of machines. This action-adventure series combines puzzles, intense combat, boss fights, and role-playing elements into epic journeys.
- Horizon Zero Dawn (2017)
- Horizon Zero Dawn: The Frozen Wilds (2017)
- Horizon Forbidden West (2022)
- Call of the Mountain (2023)
- Horizon Forbidden West: Burning Shores (2023)
Horizon Zero Dawn: The Frozen Wilds Cheats
Horizon Zero Dawn, or The Frozen Wilds expansion for that matter, does not have a traditional cheat code system. Even though the game doesn’t implement a cheat code system, you can still get ahead by using existing exploits and glitches. There are also some tips and tricks that might help you on the frozen lands. Let’s take a look at how you can advance your quest more efficiently.
Health and Heavy Ammo Exploit
Reloading from a saved game state will replenish your health and any heavy weapon ammunition. This is particularly useful when you’re equipped with heavy weapons like the Stormslinger, the Forgefire, or the Icerail. To take advantage of this exploit, save your game at a campfire with heavy weapon ammo still remaining, then reload the save, and the ammo should be restored to full capacity.
Spear Modifications
In The Frozen Wilds, players can upgrade their spears. Those of us that love their spears more than their bows are in for a treat. There’s a quest by the dyeing pool close to the Song’s Edge settlement that awards players with the ability to modify their spears. These can make your spear much more efficient in combat, improving the handling, increasing damage, and even unlocking elemental effects. Look for triangular mods on your adventures in the frozen lands to upgrade the spear.
Purple Tentacles
Take note of the robots that are corrupted by the invading artificial intelligence the tribe calls the Daemon. You can spot these machines from the purple tentacles spawning out of them. This also means they are not reprogrammable, like the corrupted machines in the base game. However, complete the main quest line, and you’ll see some of these robots infested by HEPHAESTUS turning into regular machines.
PlayStation Trophies
| Trophy | Description | Type |
| Took the Shaman’s Path | Survived the Shaman’s Path and found Ourea’s retreat. | Bronze |
| Won the Werak Challenge | Defeat Aratak in the battle to become Chieftain. | Bronze |
| Completed the Second Expedition | Successfully assaulted Thunder’s Drum. | Bronze |
| Drained the Flood | Drain the floodwater from inside the Greycatch. | Bronze |
| Won Ikrie’s Challenge | Take first place in Ikrie’s Challenge. | Bronze |
| All Frozen Wilds Skills | Learn all of the new skills in the DLC. | Bronze |
| All Pigments found | Find all the Pigments in the Cut. | Bronze |
| All Control Towers disabled | Disabled all the Control Towers in the Cut. | Bronze |
| All Animal Figurines found | Find all of the Animal Figurines in the Cut. | Bronze |
| First Spear Modification | Applied a mod to your spear. | Bronze |
| First Bluegleam Trade | Traded Bluegleam for a weapon or outfit. | Bronze |
| 5 Dismount Strikes | Kill 3 enemies using the Dismount Strike skill. | Bronze |
| 5 Machine Types Repaired | Use Machine or Mount Repair on 5 different types of machines. | Bronze |
| Killed 15 Scorchers | Kill 15 Scorcher machines. | Bronze |
| Killed 10 Frostclaws | Kill 10 Frostclaw machines. | Bronze |
| Killed 6 Fireclaws | Kill 6 Fireclaw machines. | Bronze |
| Conquered the Mountain | Drive out the Daemon from Firebreak. | Silver |
| Fully Improved Weapons | Obtain three improved versions of weapons from Varga. | Silver |
| All Quests Completed | Completed all side quests and errands. | Silver |
| All Activities completed | Complete the Tallneck, Bandit Camp and Hunting Ground. | Silver |
| Reached Level 60 | Reached player level 60 in the game. | Silver |
The Frozen Wilds Cheats FAQ
What is the ideal level to start The Frozen Wilds?
For an optimal experience, players should probably start The Frozen Wilds after reaching level 30. However, players can engage with this additional content when they please.
Can the main game be accessed after entering The Frozen Wilds?
Yes, players can transition between The Cut and the main game area as they please, allowing for exploration and quest completion in both areas.
Are there other expansions for Horizon Zero Dawn?
No, The Frozen Wilds is the only DLC for Horizon Zero Dawn. However, for those who want more Horizon gameplay, there’s a newer title, Horizon Forbidden West with its own DLCs.