How the Tribes in Horizon 3 Might Evolve from Zero Dawn and Forbidden West

With the completion of Horizon Zero Dawn: Remastered and LEGO Horizon Adventures, Guerrilla Games might now be able to concentrate fully on the development of an unnamed Horizon multiplayer game and the much-anticipated Horizon 3. Since the release of Horizon Forbidden West in 2022 and the Burning Shores expansion in 2023, fans have been buzzing with theories about how the Horizon trilogy could wrap up. There’s speculation that Aloy might head across the Pacific Ocean to seek assistance from the advanced Quen Empire, or perhaps Sylens might dabble with ancient 21st-century technology to take down Nemesis. However, one intriguing angle Guerrilla could explore in Horizon 3 is revisiting how established tribes are dealing with humanity’s past, rather than introducing new tribes.

Ever since Ted Faro wiped out the intellectual APOLLO subroutine from Project: Zero Dawn eons ago, humanity has largely reverted to a more primitive state. The post-apocalyptic world is peppered with ruins of 21st-century remains and huge robotic creatures. Lacking access to old-world knowledge, early humans tried to make sense of their environment in much the same way ancient civilizations did before modern history. This absence of historical context caused some tribes, like the isolationist Nora, to interpret automated security messages as the deity All-Mother, while the Carja attributed divine qualities to the sun. Many of these tribes mistakenly saw robots and AI as malevolent beings that chastised their forebears due to this lack of understanding.

But not all civilizations remained completely oblivious. The ancient Quen managed to unearth early Focus devices, affording them snippets of old-world knowledge and enabling them to construct a more technologically advanced empire. The Tenakth learned from relics of military history stored in museums. Meanwhile, the Oseram repaired some surviving old-world tech, including the dazzling holographic displays in Las Vegas, and drew inspiration from them for their own innovations. Tribespeople continue to stumble upon Focus devices scattered across landscapes, which allow access to a few operational old-world facilities. Sylens, in Horizon Zero Dawn, is a prime example of someone leveraging such technology.

Throughout both Zero Dawn and Forbidden West, Aloy deepens her understanding of factual old-world insight thanks to her Focus, guidance from Sylens, and her unique genetic makeup as a clone of Dr. Elisabet Sobeck, who spearheaded Project: Zero Dawn. By the conclusion of Forbidden West, Aloy and her companions successfully retrieve a copy of APOLLO from the futuristic Far Zenith colony and merge its contents with Project: Zero Dawn’s AI, GAIA. This advancement allows Aloy’s allies to delve deeper into human history, mining it for methods to thwart the impending Nemesis threat. The Burning Shores expansion sees Erend preparing to return to the Oseram armed with Focus devices to rally them for the oncoming battle.

While Erend’s intentions, alongside those of Aloy’s friends, are noble in their quest to educate their tribes with ancient wisdom, this endeavor may spark conflict with the more traditional tribes. Post-apocalyptic societies hold steadfast to centuries-old customs, and not all will warmly embrace the revelation that their cultures were based on misconceptions. Especially resistant could be religious figures, like the Sun Priests in the Utaru and Carja tribes, who may view ancient knowledge as a direct threat to their authority and the supposed holiness of their deities.

In Horizon 3, reactions among the tribes to this newfound ancient knowledge could vary dramatically. The authoritarian Quen, who tightly control access to old-world information among government officials and nobility, might most aggressively oppose Aloy’s educational efforts, fearing a disruption of the existing societal order. Conversely, the Oseram and Tenakth might be more receptive, seeing the potential to enhance their technology, armaments, and warfare techniques. Even though Aloy has continually proven herself to the tribes across the Horizon saga, she might still face some resistance grounded in societal prejudices when attempting to secure their support to defeat Nemesis.

Throughout the Horizon series, fans have gotten to know seven distinct tribes: the Nora, Carja, Oseram, Banuk, Utaru, Tenakth, and Quen. As Horizon evolves, players grow more entwined in the narrative web woven by these diverse cultures and their struggles.