The Face of Extinction Walkthrough

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

Previous Quest	Next Quest
The Looming Shadow	-

The Face of Extinction Quest Information

General Info

Quest Name	The Face of Extinction
Quest Giver	None. This quest triggers immediately after the main quest, The Looming Shadow.
Rewards	18000 XP +1 Skill Point
Recommended Level	36
Percent (%) Completion	- -
Description	Aloy and her allies must defeat HADES' assault on the Spire - or the world will die.

The Face of Extinction Walkthrough

How to Complete

Note: This is the final main quest of Horizon Zero Dawn. After the quest ends, Aloy will be taken back to the events of The Looming Shadow, allowing you to re-do the final mission, continue exploring, or start a New Game + save.

	Objectives
1	Talk to Avad. After the events of The Looming Shadow, Aloy will be woken up to witness HADES' attack. Speak to Avad and watch the arrival of the Eclipse army.
2	Kill Helis. Immediately, players will be pitted against Helis on the Balcony below. Kill his lackeys first. Then, start shooting the Blaze Barrels scattered around the area with Fire Arrows to deal good damage to Helis.
3	Go to the Ridge. After the cutscene, loot Helis' body before turning left. Pry open the door with your spear and take the zipline down to the ridge.
4	Defend the Ridge. Use the Oseram Cannons to defend the ridge. Destroy the Deathbringers and Corrupted Machines threatening to assault your position.
5	Follow the Trail of Destruction. The Ridge is lost and the lower levels of Meridian are burning. Follow HADES' trail of destruction all the way to the foot of the Spire. You will encounter 1 Longleg and 2 Scrappers on the way there.
6	Go to the Spire and stop HADES! Climb up to the Spire. Meet up with your allies and prepare for the final battle. There will be supply crates here for you to loot.
7	Kill the Deathbringer that's guarding HADES. A Deathbringer, as well as multiple waves of Corrupted Machines, will protect HADES as it uploads the activation codes. Defeat the Deathbringer to leave HADES vulnerable.
8	Destroy HADES with the Master Override. Use the Master Override attached to Sylens' Lance to deactivate HADES and stop the world from ending.

Tips and Strategies

Kill Helis' Men First

During this final showdown with Helis, a few Eclipse Soldiers (one of them a Heavy Trooper carrying a Deathbringer Gun) will be aiding the cultist leader.

Use the distraction provided by the Carja soldiers to quickly deal with the Eclipse troops. This allows you to keep your entire focus on Helis, later on.

Bait Helis' Melee then Shoot the Blaze Barrel

Helis will be slow-moving. Use this to your advantage by standing beside Blaze Barrels and baiting his melee attack. As soon as the animation starts, roll away. He will start a long recovery animation, allowing you to shoot the Blaze Barrel with a Fire Arrow.

Note: Try not to put a great distance between yourself and Helis during the fight. If you do, he pulls out a Sling and shoots a Fire Bomb at you. The Sling's fiery area-of-effect will linger, making the small arena even smaller.

Use the Small Arena to Kite Him

Plenty of pillars and obstacles litter the arena, providing cover from all of Helis' attacks. Use this to your advantage by staying mobile throughout the fight.

Note: Midway through the battle, a part of the balcony will collapse. In order to get from one end to the other quickly, use the zipline at the top of the stairs to evade Helis.

Target the Corrupted Machines Assaulting the Ridge

During the Ridge defense, make sure to take out the Corrupted Machines first before focusing your attention on the approaching Deathbringers.

While the Deathbringers do shoot heavy-hitting missiles, the Machines are the biggest threat since they can attack you directly.

Listen to Aloy's Warnings During the Ridge Defense

Throughout the Ridge defense Aloy will call out if a Deathbringer is about to shoot its missles. Listen to these warnings as they will help you dodge or reposition quickly, without taking damage.

The warnings are especially useful when playing the game on Ultra Hard difficulty, as a single hit from the missliles can prove fatal.

Heal Before Following the Trail of Destruction

After you lose the Ridge, Aloy will wake up and ask Teb what the situation is like. When the cutscene ends, you will be at 1/4th of your total health. Make sure to heal up using your health pouch or a Full Health Potion before proceeding.

Focus Fire on HADES' Deathbringer

During the final fight at the Spire, waves of Corrupted Machines will spawn in intervals based on the Deathbringer's HP. Depending on your difficulty level, it will be better to leave the machines to your allies while you continuously damage the Deathbringer.

Stick to Hardpoint Arrows and Fire Arrows

The best weapon for this fight is the Shadow Hunter Bow. Before batltle, fully equip it with damage and fire modifications. When the fight begins, use Hardpoint Arrows on weak spots, and Fire Arrows to overheat and reveal the machine's heatsinks.

Note: While the Banuk Striker Bow deals a lot more damage than the Shadow Hunter, the long draw time (even for fire arrow shots) makes it a bit impractical for this battle.

Control the Fight with a Ropecaster

If you find yourself getting mobbed by Corrupted Machines during the final fight (especially on Ultra Hard), immediately use a Shadow Ropecaster or Lodge Ropecaster to control the different enemy machines.

Tie them down to easily exploit their weak spots while also preventing them from lunging or charging you as you take cover from the Deathbringer's weapons.

Learn Triple Shot to Deal High Burst Damage

Triple Shot	Use R1 (on PS4) while aiming to notch up to 3 arrows at once on all bow weapons.

To maximize your damage output during the times where the Deathbringer's heatsinks are visible, unlock the Triple Shot ability.

This skill allows you to open up with thrice the amount of damage per heatsink cycle, making the fight easier and quicker.

Horizon Zero Dawn Quests

List of Main Quest Guides

Main Quest Guides

Main Quest Walkthroughs
A Gift From the Past	Lessons of the Wild
The Point of the Spear	Mother's Heart
The Proving	The Womb of the Mountain
A Seeker at the Gates	The City of the Sun
Maker's End	The Grave-Hoard
To Curse the Darkness	Deep Secrets of the Earth
The Terror of the Sun	The Heart of the Nora
The Mountain That Fell	The Looming Shadow
The Face of Extinction
Main Quests - Nora Tribe
The War-Chief's Trail	Revenge of the Nora
Main Quests - Oseram Tribe
The Field of the Fallen	Into the Borderlands
The Sun Shall Fall

Frozen Wild Main Quest Guides

Frozen Wild Main Quest Walkthroughs
Into the Frozen Wilds	The Shaman's Path
For the Werak	Firebreak
The Forge of Winter