Horizon Zero Dawn Has 23 Main Story Missions and No Traditional "Levels"

As an ardent Horizon Zero Dawn gamer since its launch in 2017, I‘m often asked – just how many levels are there in Horizon Zero Dawn?

The answer isn‘t as clear cut as a traditional multiplayer title. Horizon uses a more flexible progression system centered around XP, skills, weapons, and outfits instead of defined "levels".

But to address the heart of the question – there are 23 substantial main story missions interwoven with plentiful side content to take Aloy from tribal outcast to savior of humanity.

23 Multi-Layered Main Missions Drive Horizon‘s Narrative

While Horizon doesn‘t have set "levels", its 23 core main quests form the spine of the epic 30+ hour experience. These missions guide Aloy in unraveling the secrets of the old ones, toppling the Eclipse cult, and defeating the rogue AI HADES.

Here is the full list of all 23 main missions:

As shown above, main missions provide significant XP payouts, while also contributing 1% each towards overall game completion (the final mission accounts for multiple %).

These meaty, multi-layered quests take Aloy across the richly imagined vistas of a far-future Earth filled with towering mechanical beasts and struggling human tribes.

Key main missions include:

• The Proving: Survive this Nora right-of-passage with high honors to anger a mysterious cult.
• Deep Secrets of the Earth: Infiltrate the fearsome Cauldrons to unlock overrides for iconic machines like the Thunderjaw.
• The Field of the Fallen: Investigate the buried secrets of the old ones in this eerie metal tomb.

Completing each mainline mission rewards plenty of XP while advancing Aloy towards unlocking the mysteries behind the destroyed Apollo archive and her connection to the long gone Elisabet Sobeck.

Side Activities Offer Additional Player Progression

In addition to the 23 core main quests, Horizon Zero Dawn is packed with optional side content adding dozens more hours:

• Cauldrons – Raid these sprawling ancient factories to gain access to overrides for larger machines.
• Hunting Grounds – Take on unique weapon-based trials focused on skill and efficiency.
• Bandit Camps – Infiltrate and eliminate dangerous bands of criminals.
• Relic Ruins – Scour metal wreckage to uncover records from the Old Ones.

Based on my Completionist playthrough, this side content can provide an additional 15-20 hours easily while offering substantial XP/loot rewards to further upgrade Aloy‘s skills and gear.

So while Horizon avoids a traditional leveling system, dedicated players can still pour 40+ hours into the base game pursuing all activities without even touching the excellent Frozen Wilds expansion.

Level Cap Progresses from 60 to 80 in Complete Edition

Upon release in 2017, Horizon Zero Dawn had a level cap of 50 which was raised to 60 with early patches. The Frozen Wilds expansion in late 2017 then boosted the level ceiling to 80.

So in the modern Complete Edition, players can take Aloy all the way to Level 80 while exploring the entire game world.

Each level gained boosts maximum health and provides a valuable skill point to unlock new abilities and attacks. So it‘s worthwhile moving beyond the 23 core missions to push towards the current peak.

Compared to PlayStation peers like God of War (2018) and Ghost of Tsushima (2020) which cap at Level 9 and 60 respectively, Horizon provides more incremental upgrades for those that wish to fully master Aloy and the machines.

Progression v.s. Other Open World Games

While many open world games are moving away from overt leveling systems, Horizon Zero Dawn manages to strike an effective balance. Side activities translate into continual progression without rigid level gates dictating which zones or enemies you can engage with too early.

In contrast, a title like Assassin‘s Creed Valhalla features 50 core levels complete with elaborate XP boosters and microtransactions to increase engagement. But this level obsession risks overshadowing the strong core narrative.

Horizon focuses instead on aligning progression around mastery over a compelling sci-fi landscape rather than an abstract level number. Exploring hidden Cauldrons or completing Hunting Ground trials culminates in tangible rewards like access to new Machines or enhanced legendary weapons.

So in summary – Horizon Zero Dawn has no definitive levels, instead providing over 60+ hours of flexible progression systems woven around 23 core main story missions and rich side content. This creative structure has set the stage for the epic sequel Horizon Forbidden West due in 2023 on PlayStation 5.