HZD: The Frozen Wilds – The Shaman’s Path Side Quest

The Shaman’s Path is a Side Quest in Horizon Zero Dawn: The Frozen Wilds DLC. This walkthrough shows how to complete the quest.

Recommended Level: 30
Location: Song’s Edge
Requirement: having finished Into the Frozen Wilds
Quest-Giver: automatically obtained
Reward: 10.000 XP, 6 Bluegleam, 1 Reward Box
Trophy: Took the Shaman’s Path

Objectives:

• Talk to Aratak (optional)
• Find Naltuk
• Talk to Naltuk
• Destroy or Override the Tower
• Kill the Machines
• Talk to Naltuk
• Find the Shaman’s Path
• Find the Ritualistic Marker
• Activate the Ritualistic Marker (optional)
• Follow the Shaman’s Path
• Go to the Shrine
• Kill the Frostclaw (optional)
• Destroy or Override the Tower (optional)
• Enter Ourea’s Retreat
• Explore Ourea’s Retreat
• Restore Power to the Door
• Find another Entrance to Ourea’s Retreat
• Enter Ourea’s Retreat
• Explore Ourea’s Retreat
• Activate the Source Node
• Restore Power to the System
• Talk to Ourea
• Take the Stormslinger

Just after having finished the previous quest, we will be directly thrown into this new task. The settlements Shaman Ourea is missing and we are supposed to find her. Before we leave the village, we get the optional objective to talk to the villages’ leader Aratak. He can shed some light on our many questions about this new environment, although he isn’t too welcoming to strangers like ourself.
Naltuk is an acquaintance to the Shaman and is the only one who can point us at her location. Naltuk can be found not too far from the settlement – he is watching a new kind of creature and will tell us a bit about it. These towers, as seen below, spread a form of corruption to the nearby machines.

Once we finished our conversation with the Shaman it’s our task to deal with this new kind of machine. Aloy can either destroy or override it. There will be a few machines roaming around which need to be killed, either before or after you override the tower. Naltuk will be impressed with our results and reveal that Ourea can be found at the end of the Shaman’s Path – which is the next location we are going to visit. Call your mount and ride towards the objective marker, as it is about 500 m away. The very last bit we have to climb, though. Soon we will arrive at the impressive mountain entrance covered in Bluegleam. This is where we have to find a Ritualistic Marking that will lead us towards Ourea.

Our marker will be just a few meters into the cave, it’s impossible to miss. It will point a light in the correct direction when activated. The second form of clue are windchimes hanging from the ceiling. Use your focus to locate them and navigate through the cave. There will be a few sharp turns and climbing passages to fool you around. Also, there will be a few stalker machines inside, but this is nothing we can’t handle. When you finish the cave, you will be awarded a fine view over the valley.

After the cave, turn left and follow along the way. There are some minor puzzles along the way, but they don’t require much action. After climbing down a ladder, one of the Pigment collectibles can be found. Shortly after passing the third water-activated bridge a small cutscene will play once Aloy attempts a big jump across a gap. After going up the path a bit more we will be confronted with another one of the Tower’s. Once we approach it, another new enemy – the Frostclaw – will join the scene. Dealing with both enemies is optional here, but there is no fun in skipping these, is there? The fight will be over in a second and will be followed by yet another climbing passage. We are getting close now.

Ourea’s hideout will be just passed the satellite dish shown above, inside a bunker of the old civilization. Follow along with the path and you will reach a door, which has no electric power. We have to restore the power – and the switch to do so will be in the adjacent room to the left side. Once the power is overridden and the short Watch-Dogs-like-current-flow-puzzle is solved we can go through the big door and climb up the wall behind it. Following the path will lead us outside again, with a view on a large platform.

Another short climbing passage later, we finally arrive at the door which leads us into Ourea’s Retreat. Once inside, we will finally meet Ourea after getting through a second door. She is very confused that a non-Shaman could make her way inside and Aloy offers to show her tools’ powers. Overriding the Source Node in the room will give us another short puzzle where we have to arrange the flow of data – this time around there is a second circle surrounding the inner circle, making this puzzle slightly longer than the one before. The data flow comes from the middle and has to be rerouted to the middle again. See the picture below for the solution – seen from the point you have entered (and missing the final step, because it won’t show your route after you have finished the puzzle).

Solving this puzzle enables us to talk to Ourea. She is astounded by our skills and offers to answer all our questions. At the end of this conversation, Ourea tells us what Aloy has to do to get the attention of the Banuk – which includes side activities like the Hunting Ground, the Bandit Camp and the Pigment-collectibles. Also, she wants us to take a weapon of hers – the Stormslinger. Taking this weapon will end the quest and net us the Took the Shaman’s Path-trophy. There also is a Banuk-figurine in this room – might as well take it, if you’re already in there.