Horizon Zero Dawn: How to Unlock The Shield Weaver Armor

Whether playing Horizon Zero Dawn for the first time now on PC, or returning to 2017’s smash hit for the PlayStation 4, players will notice that beyond the beautiful post-apocalyptic landscapes, deep lore, and Disneyesque coming-of-age story, there is a lot going on here in terms of game mechanics. There are tons of different systems to keep track of, whether that is deciding how to upgrade one’s skill trees, what to keep in the weapon wheel, or how to take down any of the many robot dinosaurs Aloy will face in her adventures. On top of all that, players will also have to decide between which armor to get or use for any given situation.

Some are great for stealth; others, for defense against certain kinds of damage, whether that be elemental, melee, or ranged damage. While players might be tempted to dress Aloy in whatever they think looks cool, there is one armor that stands head and shoulders above the rest: that is the Shield Weaver armor. It also looks really cool! The Shield Weaver armor can’t be modified like other armors, but it gives Aloy a shield that essentially acts as an extra health bar—and it regenerates pretty quickly, too. It’s pretty much all you need to get through the game, however, it’s not so easy to come by. This guide will explain how to get the Shield Weaver Armor.

How to get the Shield Weaver Armor in Horizon Zero Dawn

The quest to unlock the Shield Weaver is a long one, and it doesn’t exactly spell out what players need to do to finish it. To start, players will have to travel to the Bunker seen on the map above. This will initiate the Ancient Armory quest, which requires Aloy to track down five missing Power Cells. Once the Power Cells are acquired, all she must do is place them in their proper spot in the bunker and then solve two simple puzzles. Here are the locations for the five power cells Aloy must find.

Horizon: Zero Dawn – Power Cell in the Ruins

The Ruins are one of the first locations Aloy will explore as a child. She will have to come back here as an adult so that she can destroy the stalagmites blocking her way to the Power Cell. Simply return to this area, explore until you find the bunker doors, and then find the stalagmites that are blocking Aloy’s way to the Power Cell. Give them a whack and pick up the Power Cell.

Horizon: Zero Dawn – Power Cell in All-Mother Mountain

Aloy will wake here directly after the Proving, but she can always come back to collect the Power Cell later. Simply find the locked bunker door and then use the small tunnel to the left of the door. Once behind the door, the player will find the Power Cell. Using Aloy’s Focus can help find the door and the Power Cell if they are having trouble.

Horizon: Zero Dawn – Power Cell in Grave Hoard

Aloy can only get access to this Power Cell after she begins the Grave Hoard quest. By following the quest’s path, she will naturally walk right by the Power Cell. Make sure not to miss it—it is directly after she completes the puzzle to get the bunker doors open.

Horizon: Zero Dawn – Power Cell at Maker’s End

This Power Cell can also only be found after Aloy completes the required Maker’s End quest. Once she has climbed the Faro Tower to the platform she needs to, look around for one last spire to climb. It’s a little hidden, but players should spot the yellow handholds and then can climb up to the tip-top of the tower and collect the Power Cell.

Horizon: Zero Dawn – Power Cell at GAIA Prime

This Power Cell can only be found after Aloy is near the end of The Mountain That Fell quest. After she finds what she came to GAIA Prime to find, she will exit the area via a zip line. After taking the zip line, do an about-face immediately. The player should see some handholds they can use to scale a few rocks until they reach a ledge with a purple-lit cavern. Inside the cave, they will find the Power Cell on the right-hand wall.

Once all five Power Cells are gathered, simply return to the bunker where the Ancient Armory quest began and replace all the Power Cells in their empty sockets. There are two puzzles the player will need to complete to open the doors. For the first puzzle, the solution is to turn each Power Cells so that their red side is facing the proper direction. From left to right, the order is as follows: top, right, bottom, left, top.

The solution for the second puzzle is as follows: right, left, top, right, left. That’s it! It’s quite late in the game by the time one can acquire the Shield Weaver armor, but it is by far the best outfit in the game for defense, and can carry the player through the excellent DLC or into NG+. Here’s to hoping we see this sweet armor set in the sequel!

Horizon Zero Dawn is available on PlayStation 4 and PC.

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