The Grave-Hoard Walkthrough

This guide will show you how to complete The Grave-Hoard, a main quest in Horizon Zero Dawn. Read on to learn the objectives, strategies, location, and rewards for The Grave-Hoard main quest.

The Grave-Hoard Quest Information

General Info

The Grave-Hoard Walkthrough

How to Complete

	Objectives
1	Go to the Grave-Hoard. The Grave-Hoard will be far to the north of the Embrace. If you have the Frozen Wilds DLC, it will be just below the entrance into the Cut.
2	Enter the Bunker. The way inside will be clear of rubble once this mission is active. Enter the garage-like area. Inside, a Corrupted Watcher and 2 Cultists will be patrolling. Kill them before proceeding.
3	Use the Pipe Zipline to Go Down. A makeshift pipe will be your zipline down to the lower levels of the bunker. Use it to go down two levels. Do note that at the first landing, the path will fork. Go through the right passage to get to the 2nd zipline.
4	Examine the Door. At the bottom of the zipline, you will encounter a bunker door leading further into the facility. Examine it with your Focus by hitting R3.
5	Restore Power to the Ancient Door. The bunker door is locked. Head past it into a room with a large pitfall. Use the ladder at the end of the ruined walkway to climb down. Facing the pit, go to the first set of locks to your right.
6	Solve the 1st Set of Holo Locks. The locks' solutions can be obtained by scanning the rectangular Code Nexus right next to the lock. To solve this first lock, match the red sections of the circles to follow the following pattern (starting from left to right): North, North, South, South.
7	Solve the 2nd Set of Holo Locks. The next set of locks will be across the pit from the first set. These ones require you to listen to the datapoint Code Nexus Reminder, found on the ground next to the Code Nexus. The technician will mention the following pattern (starting from left to right): North, East, West, South.
8	Solve the 3rd Set of Holo Locks. Finally, head back up the ladder and jump over to the catwalk on the same level as the locked door. The final solution is as follows (starting from left to right): North, South, West, East.
9	Open the Locked Door and Grab the Power Cell. With all 3 locks solved, the bunker door should now be free to open. Head back to it and pass through. Immediately, you will see the 4th Power Cell needed for Ancient Armory quest. Pick it up before progressing.
10	Kill Eclipse in the Armory. A scrapper, 2 Elites, and a bunch of Thugs and Dredgers will be patrolling the Armory. Kill them in order to progress.
11	Head to the Room above the Armory. Go to the furthest end of the Armory and jump on to the handholds along the wall. Scale and parkour your way to the room above the Armory.
12	Use the Console. Once inside this room witha circular desk, Sylens will ask Aloy to use the Console. Interact with it to see what exactly happened to the Earth.
13	Continue exploring the Grave-Hoard. Head down the long corridor. Remember to grab supplies from the boxes that line the hallway.
14	Kill the Deathbringer and the Eclipse troops. Head down to the Deathbringer's level and engage it in battle. Overheat it using Fire and aim for the exhaust parts to deal massive damage.
15	Search the War Room. Go to the War Room and use the console. Here Aloy will discover the beginnings of Project Zero Dawn.
16	Climb up the Escape Elevator. Climb up the Escape Elevator to exit the Grave-Hoard.
17	Talk to Sylens. Speak to Sylens and discuss what you just witnessed. If you have not completed the Revenge of the Nora quest, Sylens will tell you to go do that first while he plans your next move.

Tips and Strategies

Stealth Kill the Cultists before Rappelling Down

Maximize the high ground and element of surpise offered by the catwalk by killing a few cultists from a distance. While it won't let you stay undetected, this is a good way to thin out enemy numbers before you descend.

Once detected, immediately repel down as the Deathbringer will shoot rockets at you. The catwalk offers virtually no cover and is semi-destructable, so make sure to vacate immediately once the machine is alerted.

Use Cover and Kill the Remaining Cultists

The fight with the Deathbringer will happen inside a semi-circular room. Stay in the outer edges and use the different obstacles for cover. The Deathbringer will use ranged attacks that can chip away at your cover, so make sure to still keep moving during the fight.

Note: When playing on higher difficulties, make sure to deal with the human enemies first since they can flank you. On Normal difficulty and below, it is safe to simply ignore them and focus down the Deathbringer.

Overheat the Deathbringer

Just like with Corruptors, the Deathbringer is weak to Fire and can be overheated. Use a Sling or Hunter Bow with Fire Arrows to overheat the enemy Machine.

Once overheated (indicated by the thermometer symbol above it), the Deathbringer's exhaust parts and cooling rods will expose themselves. Shoot them to deal massive damage.

Complete the Revenge of the Nora Questline

The Main Quest of Horizon Zero Dawn will have branching narratives that deal with both the Nora and the Carja. At some point, players will be locked from the main events of the quest if they have not completed certain branching questlines.

If you find yourself stalled after the Grave-Hoard quest, you will need to complete both The War-Chief's Trail and the Revenge of the Nora quests if you have not done so already.

Horizon Zero Dawn Quests

List of Main Quest Guides

Main Quest Guides

Frozen Wild Main Quest Guides