Considering the storyline of Horizon Forbidden West, it’s easy to speculate that one character might finally experience a redemption arc in the next installment rather than being cast, yet again, as a secondary antagonist. Back in Horizon Zero Dawn, the plot revolves mainly around HADES, the first of many rogue AIs we encounter in the series. Meanwhile, in the background, HEPHAESTUS has always been creating chaos by producing dangerous machines. Even after Aloy’s initial confrontation with HEPHAESTUS in the Frozen Wilds DLC for Zero Dawn, this rogue AI persists in its antagonistic role throughout Forbidden West.
Although capturing HEPHAESTUS serves as a major objective early in Forbidden West, the narrative eventually shifts, spotlighting Far Zenith as the lead villain. This development allows HEPHAESTUS to potentially make another troublesome appearance in a third installment. However, it’s likely Guerrilla Games will want to avoid recycling the same storyline with HEPHAESTUS for a third time. Particularly since Forbidden West makes it clear why capturing this AI remains a tall order. Moreover, since Forbidden West hints at Nemesis being the main villain in the next chapter, changing the dynamic with HEPHAESTUS could add fresh intrigue to Horizon 3.
In the intricate world of Horizon, HEPHAESTUS is one formidable AI unit, similar to HADES, due to its function of crafting Earth’s terraforming machines for GAIA. While it consistently emerges as a threat throughout the series owing to its relentless creation of perilous machines, its role is equally significant, as demonstrated by both Aloy and Far Zenith recognizing its potential in Forbidden West. However, there’s an undeniable risk that Horizon 3 might fall into the trap of making HEPHAESTUS the perpetual background villain once more.
Despite HEPHAESTUS being captured in Forbidden West, the conclusion reveals Aloy had to release it from Far Zenith’s grasp to defeat them in the end. Conversations between Aloy and Sylens suggest HEPHAESTUS will not only resurface in Horizon 3 but come back stronger, possibly enhanced by data from APOLLO. This setup means HEPHAESTUS will need to be subdued yet again, fitting a narrative rationale to introduce fresh machine designs in Horizon 3. However, this continued subplot poses lingering questions.
The most pressing question is how Horizon 3 will handle the constraints Forbidden West put in place regarding capturing HEPHAESTUS. During “GEMINI,” a main quest in Forbidden West, it’s revealed that HEPHAESTUS has no desire to reconnect with GAIA unless linked through Cauldrons with dual compatible cores to arrest its network escape. Though these stipulations were likely designed to underline the stakes involved in capturing it, they inadvertently place significant constraints on Horizon 3’s storyline concerning HEPHAESTUS.
Instead of treading the familiar path of capturing HEPHAESTUS once again, Horizon 3 could pave a different narrative avenue, especially if Nemesis takes center stage as the main antagonist. A fresh twist might involve Aloy seeking to redeem HEPHAESTUS. Perhaps through negotiation or reconciliation, akin to her approach with GAIA’s other subordinate functions. Whether by uniting in opposition to a mutual enemy, or by alleviating the AI of its hostility, HEPHAESTUS’ redemption could also parallelably hint at a similar resolution involving Nemesis, healing from the torment of Far Zenith.
