The Burrower is a type of machine enemy in Horizon Forbidden West. Read on to learn more about how to beat them, their item drops, components, Cauldron Override, and map locations!

Burrower Basic Information

Burrower
Description	A common recon machine that emits a high-pitched sound to alert allies and stun enemies. It can tunnel underground and resurface in unexpected locations.
Cauldron Override	MU Overrides
Mountable?	No
Type	Recon
Class	Lightweight
Weak Against	Fire Damage
Strong Against	None

Variant Information

Variant	Weak Vs.	Strong Vs.
Canister Burrower	Shock Damage	Fire Damage
Tracker Burrower	Acid Damage	Shock Damage
Apex Burrower	None	Fire Damage
Apex Canister Burrower	None	Acid Damage Frost Damage Shock Damage Fire Damage Purgewater Damage Plasma Damage
Apex Tracker Burrower	None	Shock Damage Fire Damage

Burrower Components

Main Components

Component	Attributes
Body	None
Eye	Indestructible - Component cannot be destroyed. Weak Spot - Component is vulnerable to damage.
Soundshell	Detachable - Component can be detached with Tear damage. Attack Removal - Disables an attack if detached or destroyed. Destroyed when Killed - Component is destroyed if not detached. Key Upgrade Resource - Component is valuable for upgrading weapons or outfits.
Resource Container	Detachable - Component can be detached with Tear damage. Contains Valuable Resources - Tear off components to loot valuable resources. Destroyed when Killed - Component is destroyed if not detached.

Variant Components

Component	Attributes
Blaze Canister	Chain Reaction - Triggers an elemental explosion if shot with Fire Damage. Detachable - Component can be detached with Tear damage. Contains Valuable Resources - Tear off component to loot valuable resources Destroyed when Killed - Component is destroyed if not detached.
Purgewater Canister	Chain Reaction - Triggers an elemental explosion if shot with Purgewater Damage. Detachable - Component can be detached with Tear damage. Contains Valuable Resources - Tear off component to loot valuable resources Destroyed when Killed - Component is destroyed if not detached.
Glowblast Canister	Chain Reaction - Triggers an elemental explosion if shot with Purgewater Damage. Detachable - Component can be detached with Tear damage. Contains Valuable Resources - Tear off component to loot valuable resources Destroyed when Killed - Component is destroyed if not detached.
Sparker	Chain Reaction - Triggers an elemental explosion if shot with Shock Damage. Detachable - Component can be detached with Tear damage. Contains Valuable Resources - Tear off component to loot valuable resources Destroyed when Killed - Component is destroyed if not detached.
Acid Canister	Chain Reaction - Triggers an elemental explosion if shot with Acid Damage. Detachable - Component can be detached with Tear damage. Contains Valuable Resources - Tear off component to loot valuable resources Destroyed when Killed - Component is destroyed if not detached.
Chillwater Canister	Chain Reaction - Triggers an elemental explosion if shot with Frost Damage. Detachable - Component can be detached with Tear damage. Contains Valuable Resources - Tear off component to loot valuable resources Destroyed when Killed - Component is destroyed if not detached.
Tracking Sprayer	Detachable - Component can be detached with Tear Damage. Ability Removal -Disables an ability if detached or destroyed. Contains Valuable Resources - Tear off component to loot valuable resources. Destroyed When Killed - Component is destroyed if not detached.

Burrower Item Drops

Body Loot

Item Drop Chances
Metal Shards (100%)	Apex Burrower Heart (56% - Apex Variant Only)	Apex Canister Burrower Heart (56% - Apex Canister Variants Only)
Volatile Sludge (50% - Apex Variant Only)	Machine Muscle (31%)	Burrower Circulator (28-29%)
Burrower Primary Nerve (19%)	Small Machine Core (16-17%)	Braided Wire (11%)
Metal Bone (10%)	Sturdy Hardplate (6%)

Soundshell Loot

Item Drop Chances
Burrower Soundshell (100%)	Echo Shell (30-31%)

Resource Container Loot

Item Drop Chances
Braided Wire (67-68%)	Blastpaste (50-52%)	Sturdy Hardplate (33-34%)
Small Machine Core (15-16%)	Burrower Primary Nerve (15-16%)

Blaze Canister Loot - Fire Canister Burrower Exclusive

Item Drop Chances
Blaze (100%)

Purgewater Canister Loot - Purgewater Canister Burrower Exclusive

Item Drop Chances
Purgewater (100%)

Tracking Sprayer Loot - Tracker Burrower Exclusive

Item Drop Chances
Braided Wire (67%)	Sturdy Hardplate (34%)	Tracker Burrower Primary Nerve (11%)

Glowblast Canister Loot - Plasma Canister Burrower Exclusive

Item Drop Chances
Glowblast (100%)

Sparker Loot - Shock Canister Burrower Exclusive

Item Drop Chances
Sparker (100%)

Acid Canister Loot - Acid Canister Burrower Exclusive

Item Drop Chances
Metalbite (100%)

Chillwater Canister Loot - Frost Canister Burrower Exclusive

Item Drop Chances
Chillwater (100%)

How to Beat Burrower

Aim for the Eye

There are different variants of Burrowers, but all of them share the common weakspot: the Eye. We recommend using a Precision Arrow to shoot these from a distance and not alert the pack of your location.

Shoot the Elemental Canister

Each Burrower Variant will have a different canister on its back. Be sure to match the right elemental ammo type with the enemy variant you're facing to trigger a chain reaction.

Burrower Map Locations

Horizon Forbidden West Related Guides

List of All Enemy Machines

Machine Types

List of All Machines

List of Enemy Machines
Grazer	Burrower	Scrounger
Leaplasher	Scrapper	Spikesnout
Skydrifter	Plowhorn	Charger
Lancehorn	Longleg	Bristleback
Fanghorn	Redeye Watcher	Widemaw
Clawstrider	Corruptor	Bellowback
Glinthawk	Shell-walker	Stalker
Grimhorn	Ravager	Snapmaw
Sunwing	Clamberjaw	Rollerback
Rockbreaker	Behemoth	Dreadwing
Tideripper	Shellsnapper	Stormbird
Thunderjaw	Frostclaw	Scorcher
Slitherfang	Tremortusk	Fireclaw
Slaughterspine	Tallneck	Specter
Specter Prime