Horizon Forbidden West: Burning Shores DLC – How to start “To The Burning Shores” Main Quest

The Burning Shores DLC is a massive expansion to Horizon Forbidden West. It takes Aloy far from the base game’s setting and to a post-post-apocalyptic Los Angeles, where she searches for a weapon that could be used against the incoming threat to Earth. This guide explains how to start the Burning Shores DLC and “To The Burning Shores” main quest because it’s not as simple as you might expect.

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How to start the Burning Shores DLC in Horizon Forbidden West

To start the Burning Shores DLC and the “To The Burning Shores” main quest, you need to have completed the story in Horizon Forbidden West. To do this, you need to progress the main quests to bring all of Gaia’s subroutines back online and complete the final mission, Singularity. You can use our guide if you still need to complete Singularity because you find it too challenging.

After completing the Singularity mission or having already completed it, you’ll get a message from Sylens the next time you launch Horizon Forbidden West. He informs Aloy that he’s at Tilda’s mansion and has something he’d like to discuss with her. This triggers the start of “To The Burning Shores” main quest and will see you on your way to the new region. Be sure to use our Horizon Forbidden West: Burning Shores hub guide so you know what quests to do first, where to find the best gear, and how to complete the most complicated missions.

How to get to the Burning Shores

After you’ve started the “To The Burning Shores” quest, visit Sylens at Tilda’s mansion. Once there, He and Aloy will discuss the main plot of the Burning Shores DLC. One of the Far Zenith people escaped and fled to what used to be Los Angeles. Aloy needs to go and capture them because they may be able to help the Earth’s people fight against Nemesis. When you get to the point in the conversation with Sylens where you have the option to go ‘To The Burning Shores,’ select it, and you’ll start the DLC. If you want to stick around in the Forbidden West for a while longer to upgrade some gear and boost Aloy’s levels so you can acquire some new skills, you can do that before heading out. This DLC is incredibly challenging, so we recommend being around level 40 before tackling it.

How to get the best gears and weapons before starting Burning Shores DLC

Outside of completing the main game, there are a few things we’d recommend doing before you take on Burning Shores DLC. The machines are high-level and will kill you quickly if you’re unprepared. You should try to complete a few rounds in the Arena so you can pick up some of the best gear in the game, ready to take on the new machines in the DLC. You may also want to complete every Cauldron so you can control as many machines as possible. Finally, look around for the best weapons and pick up a few of them where possible. These weapons will be a great help early on in the DLC.