Horizon Forbidden West delivers one of PlayStation’s most rewarding trophy lists, with 51 trophies that span everything from story completion to brutal permadeath runs. Whether you’re a completionist chasing platinum or just looking to grab a few meaningful achievements, understanding the structure of Horizon Forbidden West trophies is the first step. The game dropped in February 2022 on PS5 and PS4, and has only gotten deeper with the Burning Shores expansion (April 2023) and the new Lego Adventure (December 2024), but the core trophy set remains consistent. This guide breaks down exactly what you need to do to unlock every trophy, from the story milestones you can’t miss to the grinding achievements that separate the dedicated from the casual. We’ll cover strategy, loadouts, and the pitfalls that catch most players.
Key Takeaways
- Horizon Forbidden West trophies span 51 achievements across story, combat, and exploration, with the platinum requiring all 50 regular trophies and taking 80–120 hours for experienced players.
- A two-pass playthrough strategy (Hard difficulty first, then NG+ or grind sessions) unlocks 60–70% of trophies naturally while making the remaining 30–40% more manageable and efficient.
- Machine-related trophy grinding is optimized by using farming hotspots like Barren Light and Tall Neck, exploiting the override system to control machines, and targeting high-level enemies like Tremortusks for rare Legendary parts.
- The permadeath Iron Will trophy is entirely optional and demands 15 flawless in-game days on Normal difficulty, but mastering it requires understanding machine behaviors and avoiding unnecessary combat.
- Ultra Hard difficulty doubles playtime but isn’t required for platinum—most completionists choose NG+ instead, which allows you to replay the story with upgraded gear and cosmetics for a more rewarding experience.
- Using location guides for Metal Flowers and following systematic region-by-region exploration prevents 10+ hours of blind hunting and cuts collectible gathering time to just 2–3 hours per region.
Understanding the Trophy System in Horizon Forbidden West
Trophy Rarity and Categories
Horizon Forbidden West’s trophy list has a mix of story-driven, combat-focused, and exploration-based achievements. The rarity distribution shows that roughly 30-40% of players earn the platinum, which is solid for an open-world game. Most story trophies unlock naturally, but the optional and challenge trophies demand specific effort.
The game uses a balanced trophy structure: bronze trophies (easiest, story-related), silver trophies (mid-tier, requiring some grinding or skill), and gold trophies (the hardest single challenges). The platinum itself doesn’t require one specific feat but rather a combination of story, exploration, and combat mastery.
Platinum Trophy Requirements
To earn the platinum, you’ll need to unlock all 50 regular trophies. The platinum trophy itself pops automatically once that’s done. The good news: you don’t need to play on Ultra Hard, complete permadeath mode, or hit some insane challenge requirement to get it. The bad news: you do need to be thorough.
Core requirements include:
- Completing all main quests (story trophies)
- Unlocking specific combat techniques and machine takedowns
- Finding all major collectibles and map locations
- Upgrading gear and skills to certain thresholds
- Tackling some optional challenges
Most experienced Horizon players can platinum in 80-120 hours, depending on how efficiently you tackle collectibles and optional content. The Burning Shores expansion doesn’t add trophies to the main list, so you can ignore it for platinum purposes, though it does offer solid gear for other challenge runs.
Story-Related Trophies
Progression Milestones and Missable Trophies
Story trophies in Horizon Forbidden West are largely non-missable, which is a relief. The game tracks major plot points automatically, and you’ll earn trophies for reaching key regions, meeting critical characters, and advancing the main narrative.
Key story trophies include:
- Homecoming: Complete the first tutorial area and reach Meridian
- Old Friends: Reunite with key allies in the main quest line
- Paradise Lost: Reach the final act of the story
- Champion: Complete all main quests and finish the game
The only real pitfall here is the side quests. Some optional quests don’t block trophy progress, but they do affect story outcomes. You don’t need to complete every side quest to unlock story trophies, focus on the main path if you’re rushing the platinum.
Boss Battle Trophies
Boss fights in Horizon Forbidden West don’t each get their own trophy, but certain encounter sequences trigger story trophies. The major boss battles occur against unique machines and characters at story beats, and these are mandatory, you can’t skip them.
Notable battles include:
- GAIA’s Wrath: Confronting the final antagonist machine
- Regalla’s Challenge: The climactic duel with Regalla (player choice matters here, see the Horizon Forbidden West Regalla choice guide for context on how this impacts your story)
These fights scale based on difficulty. On Normal or Hard, they’re manageable: on Very Hard and Ultra Hard, they demand proper weapon selection and energy management. Stun weapons, tear effects, and DoT ammo become critical here. If you’re struggling, farm Blaze, Shock, and Frost ammo beforehand, they’re the MVPs for most boss encounters.
Combat and Machine-Related Trophies
Machine Slayer Achievements
Machine-related trophies form a huge chunk of Horizon Forbidden West’s trophy list. These require you to defeat machines in specific ways, grind machine encounters, and master different tactics.
Notable machine trophies:
- Machine Massacres: Defeat 50 machines total (easy, happens naturally)
- Apex Predator: Defeat 50 machines using Valor Surges (your special ability meter)
- Deathbringer: Use Purgeblast or machine gun attacks to finish 50 machines
- Precision Strikes: Land critical hits on 100 machine weak points
- Elemental Annihilator: Use elemental effects (fire, shock, frost) to eliminate 50 machines
The grind here is real, but it’s not tedious if you understand farming spots. The Rebel Camp near Barren Light consistently spawns tough machines, making it ideal for multi-trophy grinding in one session.
For trophy efficiency, use the overrides system. Once you hack a machine, you can control it temporarily, some trophies count machine kills even when the machine is fighting on your side. This cuts grinding time significantly.
Combat Technique and Skill Trophies
These trophies reward specific playstyle choices and skill investment. They tie directly into Aloy’s skill tree and progression system.
Key combat trophies:
- Warrior: Unlock 15 combat skills in the skill tree
- Infiltrator: Unlock 15 stealth skills
- Machine Tender: Unlock 15 machine-related skills (overrides, hacking, etc.)
- Unbeatable: Achieve a 20+ hit combo without taking damage
- Focus Breaker: Stun 50 machines using Focus attacks (L1 + R1)
The “Unbeatable” trophy is notoriously finicky. You need to land 20 consecutive hits without getting hit yourself. Use heavy melee combos, avoid taking damage, and practice on weaker machines first. The Bristleback south of Plainsong is a good training dummy.
For the skill-based trophies, you’ll naturally unlock most skills during a full playthrough. Prioritize unlocking tiers to trigger trophy pop instead of worrying about the optimal meta build.
Weapon and Ammo-Based Trophies
Ammo and weapon trophies require you to craft and use different ammunition types extensively.
Major weapon trophies:
- Arsenal Master: Craft 50 ammo types (you’ll hit this organically during gameplay)
- Damage Dealer: Inflict 500 damage with a single hit using weapon mods and ammo
- Boom Boom: Detonate 100 explosive traps or ammo packs
One key tip: certain weapons synergize better with specific ammo types. The Sharpshot Bow with Armor-Piercing Ammo deals massive single-hit damage, making the “Damage Dealer” trophy easier. Craft heavy ammo and focus on weak points.
The grinding here is minimal if you’re actively playing, you’re likely to unlock these just by experimenting with different weapon loadouts and ammo combos throughout a normal playthrough. Reference All Machines in Horizon Forbidden West to understand machine weak points and tailor your ammo accordingly.
Exploration and Discovery Trophies
Map Completion and Landmark Trophies
Exploration trophies in Horizon Forbidden West reward thorough map clearing and landmark discovery. These are tied to specific region completion percentages and landmark locations.
Exploration trophies include:
- Pathfinder: Discover 10 landmark locations
- Scout: Discover 25 landmarks
- Trailblazer: Discover 50 landmarks
- Horizon Cartographer: Discover all landmarks in a single region
- Mapmaker: Uncover the entire map (all regions)
Landmarks are on your map as icons, towers, ancient ruins, scenic overlooks, and story-relevant locations. Use Aloy’s focus to ping them and create custom markers. The full map spread across multiple regions means systematic exploration is necessary.
Regions in Horizon Forbidden West include the Daunt, Cherwest Mountains, Chainscrape Area, Sundom, and The Cut. Each region has roughly 40-60 landmarks. Methodically clearing one region at a time prevents backtracking and makes the grind less painful.
Collectible-Based Achievements
Horizon Forbidden West has multiple collectible types, each with its own trophy.
Collectible trophies:
- Rebel Archivist: Scan 50 machine lenses, artwork, or relics using Focus
- Historian: Read all datapoint entries from documents and recordings
- Collector: Find 50 of any single collectible type (metal flowers, echo shells, etc.)
- Gatherer: Find all Metal Flowers in the game (around 20 per region)
Metal Flowers are the most grind-heavy collectible. They’re spread across the world and don’t appear on your map until you unlock specific perks. The Metal Flowers in Horizon Forbidden West guide breaks down exact locations, making this trophy much less painful.
Datapoints and scanning are passive, you’ll unlock the Historian and Rebel Archivist trophies naturally during exploration if you use Focus regularly and read what you find. The real time-sink is hunting Metal Flowers without a guide: with one, it’s 2-3 hours per region.
Crafting, Skills, and Progression Trophies
Crafting and Upgrade Achievements
Crafting trophies reward upgrading gear, weapons, and consumables. These are progression-gated, meaning you’ll unlock them naturally if you’re regularly upgrading.
Crafting-related trophies:
- Craftsperson: Craft 50 items (ammo, potions, traps)
- Upgrader: Upgrade a weapon to its maximum level (requires rare machine parts and resources)
- Inventory Master: Carry 3 weapons of Legendary rarity simultaneously
- Abundant Resources: Gather 500 total crafting resources
Resource gathering is tied to machine hunting and exploration. Machines drop Machine Parts (essential for weapon upgrades), and the world contains Metal Shards and Cogs for trading. Farm resource-heavy machines repeatedly if you need to stock up.
Best farming locations:
- Tall Neck near The Cut: Consistent machine spawns
- Plainsong area: Multiple tough machine types cluster nearby
- Barren Light: Rebel camp with constant machine encounters
The Upgrader trophy is where most players get stuck. Legendary weapons need rare parts like Apex Machine Hearts and Cragclaws, these only drop from high-level machines on Hard difficulty or higher. Grind Tremortusks and Dreadwings in the late game: they’re tough but drop the rarest loot.
Skill Tree and Ability Trophies
Skill trophies reward investing skill points across Aloy’s three main skill trees: Warrior, Infiltrator, and Machine Tender.
Skill trophies:
- Warrior: Max out 15 Warrior skills
- Infiltrator: Max out 15 Stealth skills
- Machine Tender: Max out 15 Machine skills
- Apex Predator: Unlock all Valor Surge abilities (these are special power moves)
You earn Skill Points from leveling up and completing certain quests. By endgame on a thorough playthrough, you’ll have 40+ skill points to spend. Focus on investing all three trees evenly to hit the specific skill count thresholds.
Valor Surges (special moves you build up via combat) have different trophies tied to using them repeatedly. These unlock as you level and experiment with different builds. The Apex Predator trophy requires unlocking every single Valor Surge, roughly 8-10 different abilities total. This happens naturally if you’re playing through the full game, but if you’re rushing, prioritize Valor Surge unlocks in your skill allocation.
Difficulty and Permadeath Mode Trophies
Ultra Hard and New Game Plus Challenges
Horizon Forbidden West offers multiple difficulty tiers and challenge modes that unlock hard trophies.
Difficulty-based trophies:
- Dauntless: Complete the story on Ultra Hard difficulty
- Survivor: Complete New Game Plus (NG+) mode
- Iron Will: Survive 15 days in Permadeath mode (explained below)
Ultra Hard is legitimately brutal. Machines deal massive damage, Aloy has reduced health, and resource scarcity forces careful planning. Most players recommend completing the story once on Hard or Very Hard to gather gear, then starting an Ultra Hard playthrough with carryover equipment.
Ultra Hard survival tips:
- Start with endgame weapons and ammo from your first playthrough
- Prioritize Shield Weave armor mods (reduce incoming damage)
- Use heavy elemental ammo (Shock, Freeze) to control fights
- Abuse machine hacking, let machines do the work for you
- Craft constantly: you’ll burn through resources
- Meditate between fights: the game allows it
Ultra Hard roughly doubles the playtime of a normal run (expect 60-80 additional hours). It’s not required for platinum, the platinum only demands one story completion, but the trophy is there if you want bragging rights.
New Game Plus lets you replay the story with all your upgraded gear and skills from the first playthrough. You unlock new cosmetics and can tackle NG+ on any difficulty. The Survivor trophy just requires beating NG+ once: any difficulty works.
Permadeath Mode Achievement
Permadeath is Horizon Forbidden West’s most brutal challenge mode. Once Aloy dies, your entire save is deleted. There’s no going back.
The Iron Will trophy requires surviving 15 in-game days in Permadeath mode. A day cycles roughly every 15-30 minutes of gameplay, so you’re looking at 3-8 hours of flawless play. One mistake, one careless encounter, and you start over from day one.
Permadeath strategy:
- Use the easiest difficulty setting (Normal)
- Avoid unnecessary combat: run past weak enemies
- Save your campfire restores for critical moments
- Use ranged weapons exclusively: melee is too risky
- Keep healing items stocked at all times
- Stay mobile: never get cornered
- Practice on regular playthroughs first, understand machine behaviors
- Farm easy resources before attempting: you need supplies to last 15 days
Permadeath is polarizing. Some players love the tension: most find it exhausting. The trophy is entirely optional and won’t affect your platinum (it’s technically part of the main list, but many completionists skip it). That said, mastering Permadeath proves genuine mechanical skill, it’s the closest Horizon gets to a souls-like challenge.
Tips for Efficient Trophy Completion
Optimal Playthrough Strategy
The smartest approach to Horizon Forbidden West trophies is a two-pass playthrough: one on Hard to gather resources and trophies, then either a NG+ run or a focused grind session for remaining trophies.
First playthrough strategy:
- Play through the main story on Hard difficulty
- Focus on story trophies and natural progression trophies
- Explore systematically: unlock all landmarks and major collectibles
- Farm resources and upgrade weapons as you go
- Unlock skills across all three trees
- Complete optional quests if they interest you (not required for platinum)
This approach gets you 60-70% of trophies naturally. The remaining 30-40% are grind-heavy or require specific challenge runs.
Second phase priorities:
- Machine trophies: Revisit farming spots and grind specific machine types
- Collectible trophies: Finish Metal Flowers and any remaining pickups
- Craft trophies: Knock out remaining ammo and upgrade thresholds
- Combat skill trophies: Practice “Unbeatable” combo and Valor Surge usage
Once you’ve maxed regular progression, decide whether to tackle Ultra Hard or Permadeath. Ultra Hard should take 60-80 hours if you’re efficient: Permadeath is faster (3-8 hours) but riskier.
Common Trophy Pitfalls and Solutions
Problem: The “Unbeatable” Combo Trophy
This one catches everyone. Landing 20 hits without taking damage sounds simple but is punishing in practice. Machines block, attack, and interrupt constantly.
Solution: Practice on weak machines like Brushwood or Watchers. Use heavy melee combos (hold square repeatedly). Learn attack patterns and roll between combos to reset hit counter. It takes practice, but it’s not mechanically impossible, patience is key.
Problem: Metal Flower Hunting
MetalFlowers are hidden and don’t show on your map until late-game perks unlock. Hunting blind wastes hours.
Solution: Use a guide. The Metal Flowers in Horizon Forbidden West page has exact locations. Spending 2-3 hours with a guide beats 10+ hours of aimless searching.
Problem: Legendary Weapon Farming
Upgrading weapons to Legendary requires rare machine parts that drop inconsistently. RNG is brutal.
Solution: Farm apex-tier machines repeatedly. Tremortusks, Dreadwings, and Scorchers drop Legendary parts most reliably. Focus on two or three target machines and loop the same encounter until you get the parts. It’s grind-y but predictable. Alternatively, check Horizon Forbidden West Machine List to understand which machines drop which parts, then hunt accordingly.
Problem: Valor Surge Unlocks
Valor Surges are tied to skill progression, and some don’t unlock until high levels. Waiting for them to appear naturally is slow.
Solution: Spend skill points deliberately in Valor Surge unlock paths. Prioritize the skill tree branches that grant new surges, and you’ll unlock all of them faster. By level 50+, you’ll have every surge available.
Problem: Ultra Hard Gear Requirements
Starting Ultra Hard with weak gear is punishing. You’ll get destroyed.
Solution: Complete your first playthrough fully, upgrade weapons and armor to Rare or Legendary, and carry those into Ultra Hard. The carryover gear makes a massive difference. You’re not handicapping yourself on easier difficulties by gearing up, you’re preparing for the real challenge.
A quick reference from IGN and GamesRadar+ shows that most trophy hunters recommend the Hard→NG+ path over Ultra Hard for platinum pursuit. Ultra Hard is for dedicated completionists with hundreds of hours to spare. NG+ lets you experience the story again with better gear, which is more satisfying for most players.
Conclusion
Horizon Forbidden West’s trophy list is ambitious but achievable. The platinum doesn’t require you to be a hardcore optimizer, it rewards thorough players who explore, experiment with combat, and invest time in the world. Most trophies unlock naturally during a complete Hard playthrough: the remaining 30-40% are grindable without excessive pain if you’re strategic.
Start with story and exploration, tackle machine farming in concentrated sessions, and decide whether Ultra Hard or Permadeath fits your skill level and time commitment. You don’t need both, the platinum only requires one story completion on any difficulty.
The key to efficient completion is understanding what trophies require and planning your playthrough accordingly. A blind run wastes time on inefficient farming and collectible hunts. A guided approach, using location maps, farming guides, and this breakdown, cuts your total time in half.
Whether you’re chasing platinum or just grabbing a few achievements, Horizon Forbidden West rewards engagement. The trophy list is fair, the mechanics are solid, and the world is worth exploring thoroughly. If you’re ready to tackle it, start on Hard, explore methodically, and enjoy the journey, the trophies will follow.