As a conclusion to their recent coverage of Horizon Zero Dawn, Game Informer Magazine spoke with developer Guerrilla Games on some of the activities players can engage in outside of the main quest. Here’s some of what the game has in store for protagonist Aloy when exploring the vast world.

Corruption Zones are dangerous areas in Horizon Zero Dawn. These are displayed on the map marked by a red circle surrounding the area. These zones come in levels. The higher the level, the more difficult corrupted enemies you will find in the area. These are where some of the biggest fights in the game await brave players.

Aloy can engage in Hunter Trials as a test of skill. The world has a hunter’s guild in the city of Meridian. To join, you have to prove your worth in front of their representatives near large machine words. If you perform well, you gain entry to the lodge and can begin taking on bigger challenges to rank up within the lodge. Furthermore, there are Hunter Challenges players can complete with specific weapons to earn medals, such as using a ropecaster to kill several machines within a time limit.

There are also special side quests that are special for every unique tribe in the world. Performing these quests will uncover more about the tribe and how they’ve adapted to the world. Some are more hunter, others more gatherer, showing the diversity of the cultures in this world. Through these quests Aloy can learn about the world around her as well as meet new characters.

Players will be able to engage in hunting and crafting freely. All through the world are scattered resources and animals that can be hunted. Hunting wildlife and machines and crafting new equipment is the key to the best gear in the game, and continuously harvesting resources will help replenish Aloy’s limited stores. Crafting can be done on the fly as long as Aloy has the proper materials.

Spontaneous quests will also be a feature in the game and will randomly pop up as Aloy is exploring the world. In their example an injured man called for help, which led to a quest for a spear, and an eventual spear upgrade reward. These kinds of emergent activities aim to make the world feel dynamic and moving, cutting out some of the repitition or boredom.

A game of this size and scope needs activities to keep players engaged and it looks like Guerrilla is paying attention to that. We’ll keep monitoring the game as it approaches its February 28th, 2017 release date on PS4. Thoughts on how the Action RPG is taking shape? Sound off in the comments.

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