Like in the first game, Horizon Forbidden West‘s tallnecks are the Ubisoftian towers of the game’s open world. As Aloy, players can scale these gargantuan machines to reveal more of the map, which in turn reveals more settlements, side quests, and other activities. But unlike most of the game’s tallnecks, the Shining Wastes tallneck is especially tricky. To solve this one, you’ll need a particular late-game ability, and it’s one that could be considered a spoiler, so consider this your spoiler warning. Here’s how to complete the Shining Wastes tallneck in Horizon Forbidden West.
Shining Wastes tallneck
While all other tallnecks can be completed as soon as you find them when moving east to west in the sequel, the Shining Wastes tallneck demands you come back later after you first encounter it. That’s because you’ll need to first finish the mission called Wings of the Ten. During that unmissable story mission, Aloy acquires the ability to mount a sunwing, a particular machine that she can use to travel across the world by flying. From that point on, you’ll be able to signal for a sunwing whenever you’d like, so long as it’s the most recent mount you’ve tamed–and it’s still operational.
Once you start that mission, the Shining Wastes tallneck activity is built right into the core of the story, as Aloy will fly to it and repair it as part of the main quest. For diligent players, this moment will come about 18-20 hours into the story, though you could get there much later if you’ve been doing a lot of sightseeing in the story to that point.
Other tallnecks each provide their own unique puzzles too, like one that stomps around in the water, another that patrols in a dense forest, and another that you must actually temporarily bring down with firepower before rebooting it. Once you’ve solved all of the game’s tallnecks, you’ll have wiped most of the fog that sits over the map, making you more able to tackle all of the game’s missions, side activities, and more. For more on Guerrilla’s huge new game, don’t miss our Horizon Forbidden West tips for beginners.
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