Horizon Forbidden West: Burning Shores’ story explores the technologically-advanced Quen

Today developer Guerrilla Games posted a new PlayStation Blog post and video exploring Horizon Forbidden West’s upcoming expansion, Burning Shores. Little is known about the story players will go on in this DLC, but now it’s been confirmed that Aloy will be working closely with the tribe that was explored the least in the base game, the Quen.

Related: How to find Test Station Willow in Horizon Forbidden West

Horizon Forbidden West: Burning Shores takes Aloy to Los Angeles after some catastrophic tectonic activity has decimated the region. Today’s PlayStation Blog post confirms many assumptions from the DLC’s initial trailer. Aloy will meet up with a Quen camp in the area and help them push deeper in their search for knowledge.

Horizon Forbidden West: Burning Shores will dive deep into the Quen and their thirst for knowledge of the old world

When players return to the world of Horizon Forbidden West with Burning Shores, they’ll head to a ruined Los Angeles that’s become an archipelago of islands littered with shallow waters and lava. Despite the hostility of the environment, lead writer Annie Kitain explains in the post that the Quen has managed to establish a decent settlement. They fish, capture machines for parts, and even farm. This tribe uses Focus devices like Aloy, but they’re old and can’t access modern information. As a result, their knowledge of technology is limited by Aloy’s standards which can make them dangerous.

When Aloy meets the Quen, she’ll be hooking up with two new characters. The first is Admiral Gerrit, who is responsible for this settlement Aloy encounters, and for holding the Quen together during the current crisis. The second character is Seyka, a Quen warrior who Aloy will spend a lot of time with. This is different from anything in the Horizon series so far because it’s made to sound like Sekya will accompany Aloy even outside of missions, meaning she’ll be a companion you can take into battle or explore with anywhere in the region.

This group of Quen landed on the Burning Shores after losing several members of its fleet in a storm. They’ve been here for a long time, possibly even longer than the Quen in the Forbidden West were stuck at Landfall. While most of those Quen were able to return home in the base game, these Quen have pretty much made a home in the Burning Shores. The DLC will show players more of their culture and how they impact their surroundings. Unfortunately, today’s news doesn’t do anything to shed light on the overarching story of Burning Shores outside of the Quen being a major part of it. There’s still the question of the crisis in this region and why a Horus machine is active there.