Gauntlet Runs are a type of Side Quest where Aloy races on a mount against other riders in a combat-heavy battle for first prize in Horizon Forbidden West (HFW). Learn all the rewards for completing Gauntlet Runs, the location of each Gauntlet Run, and how to win Gauntlet Runs including the difficult final race in the Stillsands.

Gauntlet Run Rewards

Carja's Bane Legendary Warrior Bow

Completing all four Gauntlet Runs is the only way to unlock the Carja's Bane Legendary Warrior Bow.

Unlimited XP Farming

Each time you complete a Gauntlet Run, you receive an XP reward, even if you have already completed that Gauntlet Run. This allows you to farm XP indefinitely.

Since the final Gauntlet Run in The Stillsands only takes approximately 3 minutes to start up and complete, and yields 6,071 XP each time, we estimate that a player could farm 121,140 XP in an hour if they are able to win every time and complete the race 20 times within that period.

How to Level Up Fast: XP Farming Guide

One Bronze Trophy

	Won 2 Gauntlet Runs
	Won first place in two different Gauntlet Runs.

The trophy Won 2 Gauntlet Runs is earned upon completing two of the four Gauntlet Runs. There is no trophy for completing all four of them.

Trophy List and How to Unlock

All Gauntlet Run Locations

There are a total of four Gauntlet Runs. After you complete each of them, the characters involved will give you the location of the next one, so the only one which may be difficult to find is the first one.

You must complete the Gauntlet Runs in the specified order, and even if you go to the location of one that you haven't unlocked yet, you won't be able to compete.

Dry Yearn

Area Map	Zoomed Map

You may find this Quest while advancing through the desert, but if you attempt to Activate it later, the game won't point you in exact location and you'll have to go without a clear objective. Go to the one shown on the Map above and the next step will appear as normal.

Cliffs of the Cry

Area Map	Zoomed Map

Bonewhite Tear

Area Map	Zoomed Map

The Stillsands

Area Map	Zoomed Map

How to Win the Stillsands Gauntlet Run

The Stillsands Gauntlet Run is by far the hardest of the four – the first three are essentially the tutorial for this race. You'll need to use everything you've learned so far to get first place.

Video Guide

Grab the Blaze Boost at the Start

On the far right of the course near the start, there's a single Blaze Boost which can help you get a head start. It's not life or death, and sometimes another racer will grab it, but pick it up if you have the chance.

How to Win Gauntlet Run Races

Press Square to Block Arrows

Taking damage from enemy arrows may not seem to be a big deal, as you can simply press R2 to recover, but the reality is that it cuts your acceleration and makes it hard for you to reach a high speed in the long term.

When you see a flashing exclamation point appear from a racer behind you, press the Square button to duck down and block any damage from the attack. This may seem to slow you down, but blocking an arrow in this way will maintain your speed and is generally always a good choice. Don't sleep on the Square button.

Start Pressing X Before the Start

Unlike other racing games like Mario Kart, you won't be punished for pressing the accelerate button before the race begins. You'll need to tap the X button a few times to get your speed up, so go ahead and start pressing before the start of the race.

Don't Give Up Until the Very End

The Gauntlet Runs are always extremely close, with racers neck-and-neck from start to finish. Sometimes, you'll get slowed down or run into something which puts you to a stop; even if it looks like you're in dead last, recovery is actually not so difficult. You might even by coming up near the end in last place, then grab a couple opportune Blaze Boosts and rush to first. Whatever happens, just make sure you make it count right before the finish line.

Changing the Difficulty Setting Will Not Work

Although it might be tempting to lower the Difficulty if the Stillsands race is giving you a hard time, we've tested this and unfortunately it has no effect. There were no observable differences in the race between the Story and Very Hard Difficulty, so you'll just have to buckle down and dig in your spurs for this one.

Horizon Forbidden West Related Guides

List of All Quests

List of All Quest Types