Horizon Forbidden West Metal Flower Guide: How to Open Them

Horizon Forbidden West Aloy standing in front of a closed metal flower

Horizon Forbidden West Aloy standing in front of a closed metal flower

Aloy is back in Horizon Forbidden West, and she has to save the world yet again. There is a mysterious red blight that is infecting the land. It's destroying vegetation, killing wildlife, and is rapidly becoming a deadly threat to the Earth. Aloy must venture into the Forbidden West to find out what this mysterious infection is and how she can stop it before it engulfs the planet.

Not much is known about the Forbidden West apart from the tribes that call it home. This means that there is a whole new map for you to explore and items for you to find. As you venture through the various environments and dive into ruins, you're bound to come across something called a "Metal Flower". These items are beautiful, but they're a bit tricky to open.

In this guide, we're going to show you how to open Metal Flowers as you need to get a specific modification to do it.

Horizon Forbidden West Aloy at a Ruin Console
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How to Open Metal Flowers

To be able to open Metal Flowers (and to get to their locations), you'll need to get the Vine Cutter upgrade for Aloy's spear. Without this upgrade, you will not be able to open the flowers or access the areas that they are hidden in.

To get the upgrade, you need to follow the main story quests until you reach the "Seeds of the Past" quest. This is one of three quests that Aloy is given at one time and it has the highest level requirement of the three. However, once you complete the quest, you will be able to upgrade the spear with the Vine Cutter modification. To do this, head to any workbench at a settlement (or nearby if there is one) and use it to upgrade the spear. Once you have done this, head back to any Metal Flowers that you have found. You should be able to get to the area with ease and use the spear to open it.

Horizon Forbidden West has a vast open-world map for you to explore, and you need to explore it thoroughly to dig up everything it has on offer. However, travelling by foot may become tiresome after a while. That's why you need to check out our guide that shows you how to override machines. Once you override one, you can use some of them as mounts! Also, knowing your enemy is the first step to beating them, so check out our machines list to learn all about the ones you'll find in the Forbidden West.