It’s difficult to believe that Horizon Forbidden West was released earlier this year. The vast open-world sequel, which will surely compete for Game of the Year, came out in early 2022 – just ahead of some other big releases. In addition to continuing the fascinating plot, Forbidden West introduced a massive world with plenty of underwater environments to explore. Check out our guide below to help you obtain the necessary equipment for diving and exploring the new underwater zones.
How to Breathe Underwater in Horizon Forbidden West
Aloy can dive from the start of the game, but she can only stay underwater while holding her breath, which complicates things, especially in hidden underwater caves that you will discover early on and most likely drown in.
The solution is a special item called the Diving Mask which is unlocked during the search for the POSEIDON subordinate function in the ruins of old Las Vegas. It’s The Sea of Sands main quest, which opens at the end of The Eye of the Earth questline. It is a level 22 quest that is a part of the main story and cannot be missed, but as you have a lot of freedom in Forbidden West to finish things in the order you want, it is recommended that as soon as you had a conversation with GAIA and unlocked your base, searching for the Diving Mask should be the next priority right away.
During The Sea of Sands questline, Aloy will meet a group of people trying to salvage valuables out of the submerged depths beneath what was once Las Vegas. Their attempts to create diving equipment did not go great and that is where you step in. See the list below for the items you need to collect in order to craft the Diving Mask:
- Compressed Air Capsule – You have to grab this item from the flooded elevator shaft while holding your breath at the beginning of the quest. It can be a bit tricky but after a couple of attempts and getting acquainted with the diving controls, you’ll be able to get it.
- Machine Knee Cap – To get it, find Leaplashers on the map and kill them until they drop it.
- Synthetic Membrane – For this item, you need to hunt and kill some Bellowbacks. You can find them near the desert ruins area.
Once you have all of the items, return to the NPCs that gave you the quest, speak to Morlund, and craft the Diving Mask at the nearby workshop. After that, you will have this item equipped permanently, allowing you to dive into any body of water for an unlimited amount of time.
The quest and scenes that follow the story immediately after unlocking the mask will give you a tutorial for using it, after which you will become an experienced diver ready to explore all the other underwater secrets in the beautiful but deadly world of the Forbidden West.
