Horizon Zero Dawn is one of the best and most underrated roleplaying games from the past generation. You play as Aloy, a fierce young woman who is on a mission to discover the truth of her past and of the world she lives in. Horizon Zero Dawn is set in a future world where machines have taken over.

Throughout your journey in the game, you’ll uncover an incredible and immersive story about how the world we know was destroyed. There are also several amazing side quests in the game, here are a few that can be easily missed and you should keep an eye out for.

15 Sun And Shadow

Sun and Shadow is a pretty intriguing quest with a rather sad ending. It’s triggered when Aloy talks to Lahavis in Brightmarket, only to find out that his daughter has disappeared.

It turns out that she had actually gone to a nearby island to search for her love, who had lit a signal fire but disappeared soon after. It turned out that this man was captured and tortured by Carja Hunters, and dies right after being saved by Aloy.

14 Hunter’s Blind

This side quest is obtained after finishing the quest Hunting for the Lodge. It leads Aloy to a village that is being hounded by Glinthawks and is seeking out any form of respite from the same.

Ultimately, the solution comes in the form of a Snapmaw’s Heart that you need for the villagers. Once this is done, the quest Deadliest Game will come up in its stead.

13 Weapons Of The Lodge

Speaking with the vendor in the Hunter’s Lodge unlocks this quest. It seems like a fairly simple task, with Aloy having to get five stars in all the Hunting Ground’s challenges.

Of course, this can lead to moments where players genuinely find themselves stuck between a rock and a hard place because of the difficult nature of these challenges. However, as long as you remain diligent and learn from your mistakes, this side quest will be over sooner rather than later.

12 A Moment’s Peace

This is a side quest that can’t even be obtained until you find out about Gaia. Players need to head to a certain settlement to even trigger this quest, which is why many people miss out on it.

This settlement is present in the snowy regions to the north. After talking to Tikuk in this region, you will get a fairly linear and easy set of objectives to complete before finishing this side quest.

11 Honor The Fallen

Meridian has a Red Temple where players can go to trigger this quest. There’s a sun-priest nearby named Namman who informs Aloy about the many lives that were lost in the Red Raids and how they need to be paid respect to.

It’s a pretty simple quest where players just need to deal with Glinthawks and Snapmaws. However, you can miss out on it if you don’t check out the surroundings of the Red Temple properly.

10 The Forgotten

This quest is offered pretty early in the game but it can be easy to miss due to the location of the quest giver. You’ll need to find Olara and she hangs out north of Mother’s Watch. But you’ll have to climb a large boulder to meet up with her.

If you’re not used to finding places to climb and the mechanics of the game yet, it’s very easy to miss this one. The actual quest is to help Olara figure out what happened to her brother.

9 Ancient Armory

If you want to complete the Ancient Armory side quest you’ll need to track down all the power cells hidden throughout the game. It’s a task that is much easier said than done and will likely keep you busy.

It’s not easy to find the power cells, especially if you decide to try and find them on your own without the assistance of any online guides. However, it’s also one of the side quests most worth doing since it eventually unlocks the Shield Weaver armor, which is the best in the game.

8 Insult To Injury

This is a quest that can be accessed by two different characters in the game. You’ll be able to partake in it after the events of The Proving. To help take care of the wounded, Aloy will be asked to retrieve Dreamwillow.

The quest can be received by speaking to either Enara in Mother’s Heart or Fia in Mother’s Rise. “Insult to Injury” is one of the weaker quests in the game but if you’re determined to get to 100 percent completion you’ll want to make sure you don’t skip it.

7 Acquired Taste

“Acquired Taste” is an easy side quest to miss because the location is off the beaten path. It will take a little extra exploration to find the quest giver, Brin. Brin is a former Banuk shaman who was dismissed due to his unique proclivity for drinking machine blood.

In the quest, you’ll be required to harvest machine blood from several different machine types and bring it to Brin. In return, he’ll share a vision of the future with you. He resides in a tiny shack in the Sundom. Make sure you explore every spot on your map.

6 Cause For Concern

If you plan on exploring everything available to you on your map, then you probably won’t miss “Cause for Concern.” However, if you skip the bandit camps and don’t ever meet Nil, then you won’t get to participate in a fun and interesting quest involving his character.

Nil is a fan favorite character thanks to his steadfast desire to take down all bandits. He even propositions Aloy romantically by the end of your journey together, although it’s in a very distinctive Nil fashion. The ending of the various missions concerning Nil gives you a choice and you won’t want to miss it.

5 Blood On Stone

Not only is this quest easy to miss but it is also one of the more challenging side quests in the game. If you’re not a fan of facing off against the powerful monstrosities that are Rockbreakers, you might be better off skipping out on this one altogether.

However, if you’re eager to complete the game in full then you’ll need to speak to a foreman at the Quarry while you’re in the Cut-Cliffs. He will ask you to investigate the strange deaths of five of his workers.

4 Heap Of Trouble

“Heap of Trouble” is easy to miss because it is another side quest where you’ll have to get to a somewhat tricky area to find the quest giver. In this case, you’ll be looking for Petra Forgewoman, the leader of Free Heap.

People love Petra for good reason, she’s funny and flirty and a popular character. Scale the tallest tower in Free Heap and you’ll meet Petra. There are two side quests associated with her. It’ll be your job to help her build Oseram Cannons out of machine parts.

3 Robbing The Rich

This is another quest that you will stumble upon by chance. While in Meridian, a nobleman will call out to Aloy. He knows about her Focus and asks her to help him solve a theft that occurred at his villa.

Again, this is one of the weaker side quests in the game but if you want to take part in it you’ll want to keep your eyes peeled while walking through the outer areas of Meridian. It shouldn’t be too difficult to find the quest giver, a Carja noble named Ravan, but it’s not hard to miss him either.

2 Sunstone Rock

“Sunstone Rock” is a really fun side quest where you get to round up some escaped prisoners. You might overlook it if you don’t spend time wandering around the smaller settlements in the game.

Sunstone Rock is a small area located in the Jewel that houses a prison of some of the deadliest fugitives in the game’s universe. You’ll need to speak with the warden, Janeva, who will inform Aloy that three of their captives have escaped. It will then be Aloy’s job to track each one down.

1 Sun’s Judgment

While you’re traveling through Brightmarket, you’ll encounter a booth owner who is dealing with a thief that keeps stealing their fruit and wares. It’s a very short and simple quest. Aloy will be asked to track down the thief.

Go to the storehouse and track the footprints which will lead you to a trail of fruit. Defeat the machines when you get to the destination and then find the thief once and for all.

NEXT: The Best Weapons In Horizon Zero Dawn