There are six Cauldrons to complete in Horizon Forbidden West, including the Cauldron IOTA. Clearing the Cauldron IOTA will unlock various machine overrides as well as give players access to the Tallneck in Salt Bite. The Cauldron IOTA Tallneck is the only one hidden from the map, but completing the Cauldron will lead directly to overriding the machine and clearing the clouded region. There are a few challenges in the Cauldron IOTA that need to be completed in order to clear it.
Cauldrons are like dungeons in Horizon Forbidden West, and each one has machine overrides to unlock by completing them. Having the ability to override machines in Horizon Forbidden West allows Aloy to force machines to fight with her, and it also unlocks mounts. The Clawstrider mount is unlocked by completing the Cauldron IOTA. Along with the Clawstrider override, there are nine other machine overrides to unlock. However, five of the overrides will be corrupted, so Aloy will need to finish creating them at The Base.
The Cauldron IOTA is located north of Scalding Spear and northwest of The Base, but the main entrance is inaccessible. Northwest of the main entrance, there’s a ravine that Aloy can jump down into. There are a few Tracker Burrowers to defeat before getting inside of the Cauldron IOTA, but players should be able to defeat them easily. Tracker Burrowers will alert all nearby enemies to Aloy’s presence and will move and strike quickly, so players should sneak up on them when possible and be ready to move when engaging multiple Horizon Forbidden West machines in battle. After the Tracker Burrowers are defeated, players can head inside the Cauldron IOTA.
Finding Cauldron IOTA’s Core In Horizon Forbidden West
Inside the Cauldron IOTA, there’s a Scrounger near the entrance. Aloy can defeat the machine, then follow the path forward until reaching a door that can be overridden. Through the door, players will encounter a couple of Leaplashers to defeat, then they can continue by using the nearby grapple point. After reaching the top, players will see a Clawstrider patrolling the area. There are some hiding spots nearby that can be used to sneak up on the Clawstrider in Horizon Forbidden West for a stealth takedown instead of facing it head on.
After defeating the Clawstrider, players can look for a Network Uplink to override on the far end of the large room. Performing the override will allow Aloy to climb up the vents and jump to the ledge across from the top vent piece. To get to the other side of the large area, the moving smelting machines will need to be used. Players can head down the path to get to the first machine, then shimmy around to the other side and jump across to the next one when they line up. There are three machines to get across, then players can jump to the ledge from the far end of the third one. There will be another door to override that leads to an open area with a Horizon Forbidden West Spikesnout and two Apex Burrowers roaming around. If players are careful, they can sneak up on the machines for stealth takedowns. Otherwise, players can defeat these machines in a traditional battle before heading deeper into the Cauldron IOTA.
After defeating the Apex Burrowers and the Spikesnout, Aloy can climb the nearby vents. They only stay open for a small window of time, so players will need to quickly climb up and jump to the ledge before they close. At the other end of the platform, there’s another door that can be overridden. This door leads to a large, open room with a suspended Tallneck at the center of it. There’s also a Network Uplink to override near the center of the room, but interacting with it will unleash Cauldron IOTA’s boss, a Rollerback.
Defeating Cauldron IOTA’s Rollerback In Horizon Forbidden West
Rollerbacks are formidable machines in Horizon Forbidden West that are weak against acid damage and strong against frost and shock damage. The heavy armor plating on a Rollerback can also be retrieved by the machine if it’s ripped off. The Rollerback in the Cauldron IOTA is level 22 and it has some powerful attacks to watch out for. There’s a rolling attack that leaves a trail of fire, a tail slam, a rolling attack that throws rocks, and a spitting attack. Dodging and moving constantly will help Aloy avoid these attacks, and having a weapon that deals acid damage will make defeating the Rollerback go quicker. Once the Rollerback is defeated, the Cauldron Core will be exposed, and Aloy can interact with it to unlock machine overrides. With the Horizon Forbidden West boss defeated, Aloy will just need to find a way out to complete the Cauldron IOTA.
Exiting Cauldron IOTA In Horizon Forbidden West
With the core overridden, Aloy can jump down and descend through the gap in between the core’s platform and the floor. There’s a door to override at the other end of the room beneath the core. Players can then jump across the beams and head down the path until they reach a more open room with an Apex Burrower and a Network Uplink to override. After defeating the machine and overriding the Network Uplink, Aloy can climb up the vents, then glide backward using the Shieldwing in Horizon Forbidden West to reach the ledge on the other side. There are a few moving machines to jump across in the next room. Once at the other end, there will be a grapple point to use that leads to the ground below where an Apex Scrounger and two Apex Burrowers are waiting.
After defeating the machines, players can use the other grapple point in the room to reach a new platform. Aloy will need to hold onto one of the flying machines circling the Tallneck’s head, then drop down onto the mechanical arm attached to it. The Tallneck’s head can be reached by climbing up the mechanical arm, then the debris that’s holding the arm in place will need to be cleared. As soon as the mechanical arm is detached, the head will start to move through the Cauldron IOTA. Aloy can follow the head through the Horizon Forbidden West Cauldron while defeating a few machines along the way and overriding a door to reach the last room.
In the final room of the Cauldron IOTA in Horizon Forbidden West, Aloy will need to use the zipline to reach a ledge near the mechanical arm holding the Tallneck. After reaching the arm, Aloy can climb up to the top of the Tallneck by going up its back. Once at the top, the Tallneck can be overridden allowing both Aloy and the machine to exit the Cauldron IOTA. Overriding the Tallneck inside the Cauldron IOTA will count as part of the map progression in Horizon Forbidden West.
Cauldron IOTA Overrides & Rewards In Horizon Forbidden West
The Cauldron IOTA has a recommended level of 22 in Horizon Forbidden West, so it’s not one that should be tackled at the start of the game. However, as soon as players are able, they should complete the Cauldron IOTA to obtain some worthwhile rewards. Along with Cauldron CHI, IOTA has the largest number of machine overrides to unlock at a total of 10. This also includes a Horizon Forbidden West mount, the Clawstrider. Aside from machine overrides, players will also receive 10,000 XP and three skill points. Since overriding the Tallneck is part of escaping the Cauldron IOTA, players will also clear a portion of their map for completing it. The Cauldron IOTA is one of six Cauldrons in Horizon Forbidden West that needs to be completed in order to obtain every machine override.
Cauldron IOTA Overrides
- Leaplasher – Full
- Glinthark – Full
- Lancehorn – Full
- Longleg – Full
- Clawstrider (Mount) – Full
- Skydrifter – Corrupted
- Bellowback – Corrupted
- Ravager – Corrupted
- Snapmaw – Corrupted
- Rollerback – Corrupted
Horizon Forbidden West is available for PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5.
