The Final Quest in Horizon Forbidden West is Singularity at Level 35
The climactic final main story quest in Guerilla Games‘ Horizon Forbidden West is called Singularity and it unlocks at level 35. Read on for an in-depth guide on everything you need to know about wrapping up Aloy‘s journey.
As a passionate PS5 gamer and content creator, I‘ve played through Forbidden West completely and want to provide detailed insights into the end game.
What is Singularity?
Singularity serves as the epic concluding quest to Forbidden West‘s 30+ hour main story arc. After uncovering the Zenith‘s sinister plans to wipe out life on Earth, Aloy launches an attack on their base to shut their operations down for good.
This mission throws relentless waves of tough Zenith enemies and late game machines like Slaughterspines at you. The culminating final battle tests all your weapons, armor, skills and strategies developed so far against Regalla and the zenith Tilda Van Der Meer.
I found it slightly longer and more challenging than Horizon Zero Dawn‘s final mission. Excellent team work with characters like Erend and unexpected allies comes into play.
Overall, it took me around 45 minutes on normal difficulty to complete. But the story payoff and sense of accomplishment after beating the odds made it extremely rewarding.
Reaching the Level Cap
Before you can take on Singularity, Aloy needs to hit level 35. Here‘s an overview of how long it takes and what content gives the most XP:
| Playstyle | Typical Playtime to Level 35 |
|---|---|
| Main Story Focus | 30-35 hours |
| Completionist | 55-70 hours |
I found reaching level 35 organically took me 42 hours – basically the halfway point for a full completionist run.
These are some great side activities for XP and general enjoyment I‘d recommend along the main quests:
- Cauldrons – big mechanical dungeons, each takes 30-60 mins
- Hunting Grounds – challenging combat arenas, 15-20 mins each
- Salvage Contracts – mini world events to clear out bandit camps
- Melee Pits – hand to hand combat challenges
And here‘s a graph showing the progression of XP needed per level:
| Level | Total XP Needed |
|---|---|
| 30 | 164,000 |
| 33 | 232,000 |
| 34 | 246,000 |
| 35 | 260,000 |
As you can see, the last few levels require almost 100k XP gain. So retaining focus on a combo of main and side quests helps efficiently reach level 35 before the climax.
After Singularity – Post Game & New Game Plus
Finishing Singularity rolls the credits and technically "beats" Forbidden West. But there‘s still a massive amount of content left. My playthrough currently stands at 67 hours with the below outstanding:
- Side Quests: 5
- Errands: 15
- Rebel Camps: 2
- Cauldrons: 2
- Melee Pits: 1
- Salvage Contracts: 8
So I estimate I probably have a good 15 hours of other questing at least before 100% completing every activity, machine scan etc.
The game also lets you start New Game Plus immediately while retaining all progress. This mode bumps up the difficulty, providing a fresh challenge for veteran players on a second playthrough.
Given the breadth of combat options for Aloy‘s skill trees, I can see myself experimenting with new ability combinations in NG+. It‘s a nice incentive after the "real" ending to keep enjoying the finely crafted open world.
Final Verdict
While bittersweet to finish Aloy‘s emotionally resonant journey, I found Singularity a worthy climactic quest that tied up the major plot threads in a memorable finale.
The level 35 unlock feels appropriately placed to test the player‘s mastery till the very end. I‘m still awed by Guerrilla‘s craftsmanship to keep pushing the possibilities of the PS5 hardware and deliver an incredible sequel.
Even for gamers less completionist oriented like myself, Forbidden West offers a lengthy 40+ hour ride that respects your time. I wholeheartedly recommend veteran fans and new players alike to dive in and get delightfully lost unraveling its ancient mysteries.
