Mother's Heart

Guide Aloy through Mother's Heart in Horizon Zero Dawn. Learn about the Proving, meet key characters like Teb and Erend, and prepare for the Blessing Ceremony.

Alright, so you're back in Mother's Embrace, and it's a good time to do some last-minute prep before heading into the main event. Make sure you've got plenty of Fire Arrows and Shock Wires – you'll definitely want to restock those. If there are any sidequests you've been putting off, now's your chance to knock 'em out.

When you're all set, head back north towards Mother's Heart. It's just northeast of that first Campfire you found outside Rost's place, and northwest of the first bridge you crossed. You'll find Rost waiting for you on the path to the city. He'll tell you to look for High Matriarch Teersa once you're inside. After a quick final chat, Rost's going to drop some heavy news on you before leaving you to it. Looks like your future's pretty much tied to the Nora tribe, so you'd better make a good impression at the Proving!

Head across the bridge to Mother's Heart. After a bit of a scene, you'll be allowed in. Teersa, who's been looking out for you, won't stick around long, but she'll give you a heads-up about some tribal politics and mention an 'old friend' of yours.

Old Friends

Mother's Heart is buzzing with people, way more than Aloy's ever seen. Besides the Supply Crates scattered around, the main thing to do is head east, uphill, and save at a Campfire. Right nearby, you'll find a Training Dummy X. Smash it up! Then, head northeast of the house to find another dummy, Training Dummy XI.

After you've taken care of those two, keep heading uphill, northeast then north from the Campfire. You'll hear a guy shouting for you – that's Teb. Turns out he's the one you rescued as a kid. He's got a good memory and, well, he's clearly got a soft spot for Aloy, even sewing her an outfit after all these years. It's a Nora Brave outfit, and while it doesn't have better stats than what you're wearing now, it does have a modification slot. Equip it, and Teb will fill you in on outfits and mention the Carja tribe's visit, which has the Nora all riled up. You can buy more outfits from him if you want, but it's not really necessary right now. He is offering a Free Sample Box though, so why not grab it?

Leave Teb and continue north, then northwest through a dining area. You'll pass a Nora Matriarch talking to some kids, cross a bridge, and hear another merchant calling out. That's Karst, giving you one last chance to shop. He doesn't have anything new, but he's got another Free Sample Box. Score that second freebie, then head west to find a crowd gathered outside the Matriarch's Lodge.

Explanations From Erend

Go up to the stage outside the lodge. You'll see the tension between the Carja and Nora tribes firsthand. An Oseram named Erend steps in to calm things down and drops a ton of backstory on you. While the priest is talking, another tribal catches Aloy's eye. Use your Focus to scan him. Talk to this interesting-looking guy, but you won't learn much before Erend interrupts. Exhaust Erend's dialogue options to get the lowdown on Olin (the guy with the faulty Focus), the Carja's history with the Nora, their old, brutal king, and the general weirdness of the machines. It's a lot to process, but Erend's info dump is pretty valuable.

The Blessing Ceremony

Once you're done with Erend, head downhill, southeast, cross a bridge, then southwest and cross another bridge to reach the Blessing Ceremony. Make your way to the stage where the High Matriarchs are standing. Teersa will prompt you to take your place. When you get the chance, you can choose to light your prayer lantern in honor of your mother, yourself, or Rost – the only person who's truly cared about you your whole life.

Choose who to honor, then chat with Teersa. She's as good at telling you nothing as Rost was, but you can learn a bit about the Proving and the Nora's matriarchal society. You can also talk to Irid, a nearby Carja priest, who'll explain a bit about their Sun-god. Finally, talk to Olin again. He's still being super evasive, doesn't really answer Aloy's questions, and leaves her disappointed.

A Bast From the Past

Ah well. Tomorrow's a big day, and there's no time to dwell on some shady outsider with a broken Focus.