Horizon Zero Dawn was a breakout hit for PlayStation 4 when it was released earlier in 2017, and now the first —and possibly only — expansion, The Frozen Wilds, is available. Traveling up into the Banuk region of The Cut gives you new story to explore, machines to kill and loot, and of course, some awesome new weapons and outfits. You'll need more than just metal shard and machine components to pick these up though, and we've got the details on how to do it.
Quests are your friends
Once you've made it to the first settlement inside of Banuk lands, and gotten through the cinematic, you'll see a trader nearby. You can sell him any extra gear you have cluttering up your inventory, but it's what he's holding on to that ought to really get your fingers itching. There are several new outfits, as well as three new bows for you to add to your inventory.
Of course, there is a catch. Even if you roll up with all the shards and components in existence, you still won't have what you need to purchase this new equipment. That's because it requires a new resource: Bluegleam. Bluegleam grows on the bodies of the oldest machines, but the way that you'll acquire it in-game is by completing quests or finding natural reservoirs of the stuff.
Quests will offer Bluegeam as a reward, and depending on the quest you can snag between one and seven as a reward. Of course, each bow sold by the Banuk is fairly pricey in Bluegleam alone, starting at 12 and moving up from there. While you can get a decent start by completing quests as quickly as possible, there is also another way to find it.
Bluegleam deposits
There is a specialty trader up on the side of the mountain who will trade you maps of collectibles — including a Bluegleam deposit map — so long as you bring her what she needs. In the case of the map we're talking about, you'll need a goatskin, and a badger bone in order to make the trade. Thankfully both of these animals are pretty common this far up the mountain, so it shouldn't take long.
Once you've acquired the map, you'll be able to see the deposits where Bluegleam is hiding out in the wild. Much like collectibles from the main game, you'll get a general area on the map and then need to use your focus to identify it and harvest what you can. Since there is only a limited amount of Bluegleam to be acquired from quests, if you want every new piece of equipment you're gonna need to hunt down a significant amount of it.
A special quest for to modify your spear
While you can find new outfits and some sweet new bows from Traders, there is also a way to modify your spear. Yes, even if you're playing after beating the game. This quest, called A Secret Shared, will send you to the very top of the map to go hunting through an old drone hangar looking for a specific part. You need to find a rail that can be attached to your spear, allowing it to enjoy the glory of modifications.
It's a quest that will let you finally modify your spear, making it far more dangerous than it had been up until this point. You'll have to delve down and into the hangar to find a rail inside a drone, the point of this quest. Once you return to Song Edge and speak to Kamut, the character who sent you on this quest, you'll be able to modify your spear for the first time.
Is the new equipment worth the wait?
The Frozen Wilds are a savage place. With new machines more powerful than the corrupted ones you've seen down south, having the right weapons to get the job done are absolutely critical. While none of the new weapons are particularly easy to snag, they are well worth every piece of Bluegleam that you pay for them.
These weapons are built to take down the nasty new machines running amok, and even playing at level 47 they made a huge difference compared to the weapons that were already in our inventory. It's the outfits that become a bit more complicated. Depending on when you take on the Frozen Wilds, they may, or may not be worth the effort.
Namely, if you've already gotten Aloy the Shield Weaver armor found in a bunker in the main game, then you really don't need to worry about picking up any other outfits. Those other outfits are solid, they just don't hold a candle to the capabilities that Shield Weaver has. It is, after all, the ultimate armor, and requires some serious work on your end to unlock.
Are you playing?
Horizon Zero Dawn: The Frozen Wilds delivers an excellent expansion to an already spectacular game, and gives players plenty to do there. With new bows to shoot those machines from a distance, the ability to modify your spear for the first time, and some swanky new outfits to acquire, there is plenty of new equipment to feast your eyes on. So are you playing The Frozen Wilds? Let us know in the comments below!
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