Horizon Zero Dawn: The Frozen Wilds is Guerrilla’s expansion for Horizon Zero Dawn, published through Sony Interactive Entertainment / PlayStation. This guide covers the DLC systems in The Cut: access, readiness, Bluegleam, Banuk gear, spear modification, Traveler skills, Control Towers, and Daemonic machines.
Content warning: ESRB rates Horizon Zero Dawn Remastered T for Teen with Blood, Drug Reference, Language, Mild Sexual Themes, and Violence. This guide stays non-graphic and focuses on gameplay.
This is not a base-game beginner guide. The Frozen Wilds is balanced around level 30 or higher, and you should already understand Horizon’s core combat, crafting, scanning, elemental status, weak points, traps, mounts, and weapon categories before treating The Cut as your next route.
Essential Tips
1. Confirm Which Version You Own
The original add-on and modern bundles are not the same storefront state.
On PS4, The Frozen Wilds was sold as additional content that requires Horizon Zero Dawn. On PC Complete Edition and Horizon Zero Dawn Remastered, The Frozen Wilds is included. If the route to The Cut is not appearing, check the installed edition, DLC entitlement, platform, and region before assuming you missed a quest step.
2. Enter The Cut Like Midgame Content
The DLC can open before you are truly ready.
Level 30 or higher is the practical readiness point. If Aloy is underleveled, poorly modded, or missing a reliable set of elemental options, The Cut’s first Daemonic fights can feel much harsher than nearby base-game encounters.
3. Start After A Seeker at the Gates
That is the access gate, not a promise that the DLC is easy.
The route can begin after base-game progression opens the wider map, with quest-givers pointing Aloy toward the north. For cleaner story context, treat The Frozen Wilds as something to start after you have made meaningful main-story progress rather than as your first post-Embrace detour.
4. Buy the Bluegleam Map Early
Bluegleam is limited and tied to the best Cut gear.
Bluegleam pays for unique Banuk weapons, outfits, and boxes in The Cut. A merchant map shows approximate natural Bluegleam locations, so buy it before wandering past formations or spending blindly.
5. Spend Bluegleam on Gear, Not Curiosity
There is enough Bluegleam for everything, but only if you actually collect it.
Prioritize gear that immediately improves your route: a bow you will use, an outfit that solves a real threat, or a clear combat upgrade. Treasure boxes and completion purchases can wait until you know how much Bluegleam your route has already secured.
6. Learn Banuk Bow Overdraw
Banuk bows reward patience, not spam.
The Banuk Champion, Powershot, and Striker bows use Overdraw. Wait for the full-draw cue and reticle change before releasing; holding longer does not add more power. If you keep releasing early, the expensive bow is not doing the job you bought it for.
7. Do A Secret Shared Early
The spear finally gets mod support through this DLC errand.
Kamut’s errand unlocks spear modifications for Aloy’s spear and Sylens’s Lance. It is one of the cleanest early upgrades in The Cut because it turns melee from a fixed fallback into another mod-supported tool.
8. Treat Control Towers as Priority Targets
A tower can undo your damage and shut down familiar crutches.
Control Towers repair nearby machines, disable overridden machines, and disrupt the Shield-Weaver outfit. Neutralize the tower before committing to long machine fights. Override it when you want the final stun pulse; destroy it when the explosion is the better immediate answer.
9. Stop Using Corruption Plans on Daemonic Machines
The purple glow changes the rules.
Daemonic machines cannot be overridden, are immune to Corruption arrows, and heavily resist Shock. Scan them, attack components, use the right elemental matchups, and expect higher aggression rather than trying to recycle every corrupted-zone habit.
10. Respect the New Machine Pace
Scorchers, Frostclaws, and Fireclaws are built to pressure sloppy positioning.
Scorchers are fast and dangerous at range and close up. Frostclaws punish toe-to-toe fighting and are weak to fire. Fireclaws reverse the element problem and are especially dangerous if you fight them like ordinary bears. Keep space, break parts, and use elements with a plan.
11. Unlock The Cut Before Grinding It
The Tallneck, campfires, and side activities make the region safer to route.
Frostfigures Tallneck clears map uncertainty. Stone Yield Bandit Camp, Snowchants Hunting Grounds, side quests, errands, and Bluegleam pickups all build progress toward a stronger Aloy before harder main-quest steps.
12. Upgrade Special Weapons Deliberately
Forgefire, Icerail, and Stormslinger are not just random loot.
The special weapons have improved versions tied to errands and machine parts. Test the base versions, decide which one fits your combat style, then chase the improved version instead of treating every new weapon as an automatic main slot.
Combat Priorities
| Situation | Best Habit | Why It Helps |
|---|---|---|
| Entering a new Cut area | Scan before fighting | Daemonic status and tower coverage change normal assumptions |
| Control Tower nearby | Override or destroy it first | Healing pulses can erase progress during machine fights |
| Banuk bow equipped | Wait for Overdraw | Early releases waste the bow’s main advantage |
| Daemonic machine fight | Use components and elements | Corruption, Shock reliance, and overrides are poor plans |
| Frostclaw encounter | Use fire and avoid toe-to-toe trades | Its weakness and size both reward space |
| Fireclaw encounter | Bring frost pressure | It reverses the Frostclaw elemental problem |
| Long route through The Cut | Clear map and side activity anchors | Tallneck, campfires, quests, and merchants reduce blind wandering |
Resource Management
- Bluegleam: Treat it like a route currency. Buy the map, choose useful gear first, and save completion purchases for cleanup.
- Metal Shards and parts: Keep enough for ammo, weapon upgrades, and improved special-weapon requirements before shopping for every outfit.
- Mods and coils: Banuk bows reward full draw, so handling and damage/status support matter more than buying the bow and ignoring its setup.
- Skill points: Traveler skills improve mounts and resources, but do not assume the DLC’s new level-cap points alone buy the whole tree.
- Spear mods: Once
A Secret Sharedis done, keep spear modifications instead of selling every unfamiliar triangle-marked mod. - Healing and resist tools: The Cut hits harder than normal midgame routes, so restock before Control Tower pockets and new-machine sites.
Hidden Mechanics
| Mechanic | What It Does | How to Use |
|---|---|---|
| The Cut access | Opens the DLC region after main-story progress | Confirm edition/DLC ownership, then follow the northbound quest lead |
| Level 30 balance | Signals intended DLC readiness | Scout earlier only if your gear and combat execution are strong |
| Bluegleam map | Marks approximate natural Bluegleam locations | Buy it before a full sweep |
| Bluegleam cap | The Cut has a finite Bluegleam economy | Prioritize weapons/outfits before boxes if you are not collecting all of it |
| Banuk Overdraw | Gives Banuk bows their peak shot power | Release at the cue; do not tap-fire them like standard bows |
| Spear modification | Unlocks through A Secret Shared | Do the errand early and start evaluating spear mods |
| Control Tower override | Shuts the tower down with a final stun pulse | Use it when nearby machines need interruption |
| Control Tower destruction | Blows the tower through its cooling element | Use it when the explosion can help clear the pocket |
| Daemonic status | Blocks override/corruption plans and increases pressure | Switch to components, traps, and element-specific tactics |
Common Mistakes to Avoid
- Do not enter The Cut underprepared - Level 30 is the recommended readiness target, and the opening fights can punish weak gear.
- Do not spend Bluegleam before buying the map - You need location help before deciding how freely you can shop.
- Do not tap-fire Banuk bows - Overdraw is the point of the weapon.
- Do not ignore
A Secret Shared- Spear modification is one of the expansion’s most useful early system unlocks. - Do not fight under a Control Tower pulse - The tower can heal machines and disable Shield-Weaver protection.
- Do not use Corruption arrows on Daemonic machines - They are immune to that tactic.
- Do not rely on overrides in Daemonic pockets - Daemonic machines cannot be overridden, and towers can disable friendly overridden machines nearby.
- Do not treat Frostclaws and Fireclaws as ordinary large machines - Their elements, aggression, and durability need a specific plan.
- Do not turn this into a base-game cleanup route - Stay focused on The Cut’s gear, Bluegleam, towers, and Banuk activities.
Summary
| Category | Top Tip |
|---|---|
| Access | Confirm your edition or DLC entitlement before troubleshooting the route |
| Readiness | Treat level 30 and strong elemental gear as the practical starting point |
| Bluegleam | Buy the map and spend first on gear that improves your route |
| Weapons | Use Banuk bow Overdraw and improve special weapons deliberately |
| Spear | Complete A Secret Shared early for spear modifications |
| Combat | Neutralize Control Towers and stop using corruption/override plans on Daemonic machines |
| Route | Clear the Tallneck and side activity anchors before forcing hard main-quest fights |
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8 checked for this guideEvery factual claim in this guide was checked against at least two independent sources before publication. These are the references used for Horizon Zero Dawn: The Frozen Wilds.
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