There is plenty for gamers to do inHorizon Forbidden West, from completing quests to finding collectibles and even playing games of Machine Strike. Players can also complete salvage contracts, which have them going out and hunting the biggest and baddest machines for their components. Though the quests are fun, though do fall a little flat due to their lack of personality and meaningful rewards.

The next game could build onHorizon Forbidden West’s basis and feature salvage contracts that are even more engaging. There are a variety of ways for this to be done, including by featuring characters with more captivating backstories. The rewards for completing salvage contracts could also be made more meaningful, giving gamers greater reason to complete the contracts.

screenshot of aloy

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The Salvage Contracts of Horizon Forbidden West

InHorizon Forbidden West, Aloy takes to new lands where she encounters more tribes and even bigger dangers. Though the main quests are the most exciting, the game does a spectacular job of including high-quality side quests that have gamers exploring the map and unlocking new weapons and outfits.Horizon Forbidden West’s additional questscan be picked up from various NPCs found around the world, including from a few folks who offer salvage contracts.

When Aloy accepts salvage contracts, she is tasked with collecting various resources and materials. Most of them are gained frommachines found throughoutHorizon Forbidden West, which gives gamers a good excuse to tussle with the metal monsters. Thanks toHorizon Forbidden West’s gameplay, acquiring these resources isn’t as simple as merely taking down a machine, as this could result in the desired resources getting destroyed. Instead, players must knock components off machines, a task that requires accuracy and occasionally a bit of luck.

horizon forbidden west aloy on a mount with another character in the background

Keruf is the Oseram salvagerwho hosts an armor-making competition among his crew members. Aloy meets four of Keruf’s crews, and though she sometimes complains, she usually doesn’t mind helping them find rare resources. Although there is an interesting story attached to the salvage contracts, they do feel quite bland at times. The nextHorizongame shouldn’t scrap salvage contracts. Rather it should build on them, and give players more of a reason to want to complete the contracts.

How Salvage Contracts Can Be Improved in Horizon 3

One of the biggest challenges faced by salvage contracts is that they don’t offer particularly interesting rewards. After all her hard work, upon completing the contracts, Aloy receives theOseram Artificer Legendary outfit. Although it has good stats, it is far from the greatest piece of armor in the game, and gamers can find better outfits elsewhere for less work. This isn’t a deal-breaking issue, as the adventure to seek the resources is fun enough. Nevertheless, it would be nicer if salvage contracts offered up rewards of higher value. It would also be interesting if completing salvage contracts was a means by which Aloy unlocked new types of weapons. She could play a part in the creation of the weapons by collecting the items necessary. In addition to motivating players to complete salvage contracts, it would also make them far more memorable and pave the way for more tech for Aloy to play with.

Although Guerrilla Games has yet to announce a successor toHorizon Forbidden West, the game ended on a note that suggested that there was still a lot more story to be told. ThenextHorizongamewould prove itself to be an amazing threequel if it managed to improve on the salvage contracts, making them as engaging as the rest of the side quests. Until then, gamers can look forward toHorizon Call of the Mountain, which will see the franchise enter the world of VR.

Horizon Forbidden Westis available now on PS4 and PS5.

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