Horizon Forbidden West Gemini Walkthrough

Gemini is the 14th Main Story Quest in Horizon Forbidden West (HZFW). This walkthrough will guide you through all objectives of the Gemini main mission.

Starting Location: The Dig Site
Quest Giver: automatically triggered upon completing Faro’s Tomb
Quest Level: Level 30
Requirement: having completed Faro’s Tomb
Reward: +15000 XP, +2 Skill Points
Mission Info: With Omega Clearance secured, GAIA should be able to subdue and capture HEPHAESTUS at Cauldron GEMINI. Aloy must prepare for the mission.

Objectives:

• Return to the Base
• Talk to GAIA
• Talk to Varl
• Talk to GAIA
• Protect Beta
• Return to Beta and Varl
• Pursue HEPHAESTUS Into the Cauldron
• Force HEPHAESTUS Back to the Core – Follow the Conveyors
• Force HEPHAESTUS Back to the Core – Explore the Two Cauldron Chambers
• Force HEPHAESTUS Back to the Core – Explore the Two Cauldron Chambers – Override the Network Uplink
• Force HEPHAESTUS Back to the Core – Explore the Two Cauldron Chambers – Kill the Machines
• Force HEPHAESTUS Back to the Core – Explore the Two Cauldron Chambers – Override the Network Uplink
• Force HEPHAESTUS Back to the Core – Go to the Second Cauldron Chamber
• Force HEPHAESTUS Back to the Core – Override the Network Uplink
• Force HEPHAESTUS Back to the Core – Kill the Machines
• Force HEPHAESTUS Back to the Core – Override the Network Uplink
• Return to the Assembly Chamber
• Kill the Slaughterspine
• Override the Network Uplink
• Return to Beta and Varl

Starting Location: The Dig Site

Return to the Base

Let’s head back to the Base to rendezvous with the others and GAIA.

Talk to GAIA

GAIA informs us that HEPHAESTUS has proliferated and has become stronger, taking longer and making it harder to subdue for GAIA. Maybe there’s a way to reduce the time though.

Talk to Varl

Exit GAIA’s room and talk to Varl who tells you that Beta is in bad shape. Let’s head downstairs and investigate.

Beta needs to convinced to join the cause, there’s no other way. When talking to Beta, choose any conversation option that best suits your personality.

Eventually, Aloy shows Beta a hologram of her adoptive father, Rost, which is enough to convince Beta to join our efforts to save the world.

Talk to GAIA

Now go back to GAIA to tell her you and Beta have found common ground and are ready for the mission.

Protect Beta

When everything seemed to go smoothly, troubles arrive. A new slew of machines attacks us and we need to protect Beta while killing the machine at the same time. One of the machines is a Behemoth, weak to Fire and Acid Damage, with lots of detachable, explosive and chain reaction components.

The other machine is a Ravager, weak to Acid, with a useful detachable cannon on its back and we could use against the Behemoth itself. So, ideally, focus on the Ravager first.

Return to Beta and Varl

Once the machines are done for, return to Beta and Varl. Meanwhile, HEPHAESTUS has escaped through the system. Time to go after it.

Pursue HEPHAESTUS Into the Cauldron

Now we need to venture deeper into the cauldron to look for HEPAHESTUS. Proceed to the waypoint to continue forward.

In the new room, glide to the next platform. Now enter the giant room with the protective shield.

Force HEPHAESTUS Back to the Core – Follow the Conveyors

Drop or glide down into the room and follow the direction of the conveyors above.

Force HEPHAESTUS Back to the Core – Explore the Two Cauldron Chambers

Shortly after you’ll get to a fork. We’ll head left first. Use the pillars in the room to climb onto the left higher ground (the way you came in from as a reference point).

From here, use your Pullcaster on the blue energy cell to reveal a climb point and then from the upper platform jump onto a conveyor when it’s safe to jump to it. You can jump and glide off of the conveyor when the new objective appears.

Force HEPHAESTUS Back to the Core – Explore the Two Cauldron Chambers – Override the Network Uplink

The conveyor will have transported you into a room full of machines. Get rid of those first to then safely override the network uplink. In here we have Apex Leaplashers and Longlegs, which at this point shouldn’t be too difficult to handle. As always, study the machines first to reveal their weak points and elemental flaws and to add them to the database.

When the area is safe, approach the node to try and override it.

Force HEPHAESTUS Back to the Core – Explore the Two Cauldron Chambers – Kill the Machines

New machines, including a Grimhorn, will storm in. You know the drill.

Force HEPHAESTUS Back to the Core – Explore the Two Cauldron Chambers – Override the Network Uplink

Now try overriding the node again and this time things will go seamless.

Force HEPHAESTUS Back to the Core – Go to the Second Cauldron Chamber

HEPHAESTUS has fled this chamber and has gone to a second, nearby one. Exit through the giant door the machines came through and use the pillars to make it to the opposite end as the entire floor has been electrified by HEPHAESTUS. Follow the directions in the screenshots below for reference.

Then, using the grapple points and the Shieldwing, repeatedly launch yourself mid-air to reach a rail you can use to grind down below.

Force HEPHAESTUS Back to the Core – Override the Network Uplink

As in the other chamber, remove any machines first and then, when it’s safe, override the node. One of the machines here is a Spikesnout, a new machine type. Scan it to identify its weaknesses which are Fire and Purgewater. This machine in particular has lots of detachable and explosive components, so study it up to determine what to aim for.

When the area is clear, approach the node to try and override, but as before new machines will ambush you. Eliminate them.

Force HEPHAESTUS Back to the Core – Kill the Machines

Kill the machines ambushing you. One of them is a Fire Bellowback, a variant of the Bellowback. Scan and study it up to add it the database and discover its weak points and weaknesses (Frost). Most of its components are explosives, so don’t shy away from shooting arrows at them.

Force HEPHAESTUS Back to the Core – Override the Network Uplink

Now the node can be safely overridden.

Return to the Assembly Chamber

Time to return to the assembly chamber as we have forced HEPHAESTUS back to the core. Remember to use climb points and pillars and occasionally activate your Shieldwing to avoid the electricity on the ground and when you get to the assembly chamber, be ready to face a slew of machines.

Kill the Slaughterspine

On your way back to the assembly chamber, you’ll be ambushed by a giant, new machine: the Slaughterspine. As with any new machine, scan it to study its weaknesses and weak points. In particular, this machine is weak to Frost and Purgewater only and most of its detachable components sit on its ridge and tail, so prioritize those once you’ve weakened it with the right elements. Suggested strategy: place Purgewater Trap on the ground and freeze it up to aim at its plasma cores to defeat it without suffering too much damage.

Override the Network Uplink

Now approach the node to override it.

Return to Beta and Varl

HEPHAESTUS has finally been contained and is back to the main core. Simply return to Beta and Varl now. Some unexpected surprises will await you.

This finishes the Gemini Main Quest in Horizon 2: Forbidden West.

For all other Side Quests and Main Quests, check out the complete Horizon Forbidden West Walkthrough.