Horizon Zero Dawn introduced a novel way to reveal the map by populating the game world with giant, giraffe-like robots called Tallnecks. These peaceful machines with radar dishes for heads return in Horizon Forbidden West, and climbing them is necessary if players want to fully explore the ruined land of San Francisco and its surrounding wilds.
Even though Horizon Forbidden West is larger than Zero Dawn, the new entry still only sports six Tallnecks. This means that the ambulatory towers are harder to find and, more importantly, harder to scale.
Here’s how to easily find every Tallneck in the game:
Tallneck 1: Cinnabar Sands
This Tallneck is easy to locate and is probably the first one most players will discover while playing Horizon Forbidden West. Look for a ruined satellite dish north of Stone’s Echo but southeast of Plainsong. The Tallneck should be nearby, circling the dish. In order to actually land on the Tallneck, you need to scale the dish (which requires moving it several times). Then leap off the dish and, if you timed it right, you can safely glide onto the robot with your Shieldwing Glider.
Tallneck 2: The Stillsands
The Stillsands Tallneck strolls in an area south of Camp Nowhere, which is south of Arrowhand. You will know you are headed in the right direction when you receive a signal from the robot. Once you have found the Tallneck, you might notice that the area is devoid of any climbing locations. That’s because you have to bring the Tallneck down with nearby ballistae, three to be precise.
Of course, things are rarely that easy. Every time Aloy sinks a ballista bolt into the Tallneck, a wave of enemies spawns in. Players can either duck and weave the rogue robots to quickly topple the Tallneck or take them out before focusing on the wandering tower. Either way, once all three missiles are buried in the Tallneck, it will crash down and Aloy can easily use it to scan the area.
Tallneck 3: The Stand of the Sentinels
The third Tallneck walks a wide path around the forest in the Stand of the Sentinels, which is west of Cliffwatch. Start climbing the abandoned treetop village there, and you should see the Tallneck eventually. In order to actually scale the robot, though, you need to make full use of your Pullcaster and Shieldwing Glider. The challenge isn’t so much finding a way up to the Tallneck’s head as it is doing so while dodging hostile enemies.
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Tallneck 4: Landfall
South of Legacy’s Landfall and east of San Francisco, you should find the fourth Tallneck, but unlike other models, this one is dead in the water — literally. You need to dive underwater (the Diving Mask is required for this part), scan the stalled machine, and search for its missing batteries, which are protected by zealous Glinthawks. Deal with the enemies, search their nests, then return to the Tallneck with batteries in hand.
While this should revitalize the robotic giraffe, it’s too fast to catch while swimming, so to scale it you need to head it off at the nearby ruins. Just wait on one of the roofs, leap onto the Tallneck’s back, and it’s ready to climb.
Tallneck 5: The Shining Wastes
The penultimate Tallneck is readily found near the center of the map, south of Scalding Spear. However, you can’t climb it until the story mission “The Wings of the Ten,” so even if you don’t find the Tallneck before then, it’s impossible to miss.
Tallneck 6: Salt Bite
While there are six Tallnecks in Horizon Forbidden West, the map only shows five. That’s because the final one is holed up in Cauldron: IOTA, which is in the northern fringes of the map, specifically north of Scalding Spear. Much like the Shining Wastes Tallneck, this one is impossible to miss since you can’t complete the Cauldron without overriding the Tallneck.