In a time where many games will automatically save players' progress, titles likeHorizon Zero Dawnthat require players to manually save their progress can cause some issues for those not used to it. While not as punishing as a Soulsborne title, it can still be frustrating to make a significant amount of progress inHorizon Zero Dawnjust to have it be lost at the hands of an untimely death.
As such, knowing how and where to save said progress is critical to making any real headway and ultimately completing games of this scope. Fortunately,Horizon Zero Dawnand its DLCare rather generous with available save points and as a result, it falls to the player to stay on top of managing their progress.
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How to Save Progress
Saving the game is done via campfires littered throughoutthe world ofHorizon Zero Dawn. Campfires are indicated on the map by two crossed sticks with a flame atop them. White markers are campsites that haven’t been discovered yet and green markers are campsites that have been discovered and added to the list of accessible sites. Once near a campsite, players will have the option to perform a quick save or a manual save. Those more paranoid of their progress actually being recorded will likely opt for the tried and true quick save followed by a manual save method.
In addition to allowing players to save their game,campfires inHorizon Zero Dawnalso serve as a fast travel point. Being near a campfire will allow Aloy to travel to any previously unlocked campfire on the map. Merchants will also appear near campfires in the wild or in cities and have a variety of wares available for purchase. Medicinal plants and herbs also have a tendency to spawn in abundance near campfires in the wilderness. Adding to those healing benefits, if players save their game at a campfire and load the save, Aloy will be at full health. Despite the many perks of campfires, they aren’t universally safe. Dangerous machines can and will spawn near campfires and may even wander near them.
Horizon Zero Dawnisn’t a sprintso much as it is a marathon, no matter if the player is focused on the story missions only or is intent on clearing all available content. Clearing the main story alone will take about 20 hours whereas clearing all of the optional content and DLC takes roughly 60-70 hours. Either way, knowing how and where to save is critical for massive games such as this.
Horizon Zero Dawnis available now for PC, PS4, and PS5.
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