Investigating the Ambush Site¶

While the incentive pulling Aloy to Maker’s end is strong, there’s plenty of reasons to delay and instead help Erend, first… not the least of which is simple geography, as Erend waits for you near Red Ridge Pass, which is on the way to Maker’s End… along the same path you took during the quest “Robbing the Rich”, actually. Travel to the Campfire south of Rockwreath (unmarked), which is near the river north of Cut-Cliffs.

From the Campfire cross the river to the north and follow the road north, past Rockwreath, and beyond that ignore a fork to the east. Eventually you’ll reach a fork, near which you’ll find a Campfire. Take the road to the north, northwest and at another fork (with another Campfire!) head down the road to the northwest to find Erend, who is being pestered by some Lancehorns and their chaperone Watcher. Destroy the machines, then talk to Erend to learn the gruesome - and somewhat curious - details about what happened to his sister.

Exhaust Erend’s dialogue options, then follow him down the trail to the west/southwest until you reach the ambush site. At Erend’s prompting, activate your Focus and examine a bloodstained thicket to find the unmistakable signs of funny business. After some more chatter, scan and highlight some tracks, then follow the painfully obvious wagon tracks to some ruins. How Erend’s men missed this is a wonder in its own right.

When you reach the ruins, Erend will point out the obvious, and you’ll have to fend off some Oseram mercenaries. Kill the half-dozen or so Oseram, including several archers on high ground, after which some Ravagers wills show up. You know the drill - dislodge their Ravager Cannons and use them against the machine, or use Fire Arrows to inflict damage-over-time.

When the Oseram and the machines are dead, pop up your Focus and scan and examine a pile of weapons, some shattered rocks and some leather straps, then continue northeast into a building and examine an odd tripod. Once done, tell Erend your discoveries, after which Aloy will weave an elaborate conspiracy. Still, it’s better than nothing, and it gives Erend some hope.

This ends the quest “The Field of the Fallen” and begins “Into the Borderlands”, a quest that will take you far north of Meridian, into Oseram territory. That naturally provides a fine excuse to explore everything along the way, but before that, you’ll need to return to Meridian… and before that, there are some collectibles nearby.

Ancient Vessel - Jomei¶

Before you head back to Meridian with Erend, exit the ruins and search just west of them, near the road, to find a pile of Ancient Debris with that signature purple loot icon. You probably saw this debris on your way in, and sure enough, searching it will leave you in possession of the Ancient Vessel - Jomei . One less collectible to worry about.

Metal Flower - Mark II (I)¶

There’s one more collectible to nab before you return to Meridian, and it’s not too much trouble. From the Ancient Debris pile simply head south to the thoroughly rusted remains of an ancient satellite dish, then turn southwest and continue along the top of the mesa you’re on to find the flower triangle with the Metal Flower - Mark II (I) in the middle.

Into the Borderlands - Meeting the Sun-King¶

Return to Meridian and make your way to the northern edge of town, where the royal palace is located - from the entry gate the bridge leads to, turn west through an arch, then turn north through another gate and cross a bridge to reach the palace. Talk to a man named Blameless Marad, who will escort you to an “important consultation” - a meeting with the Sun King, himself. Follow him and chat with Erend and Sun King Avad, the former of which will confirm Aloy’s suspicions at the end of the last quest. All this chatter ultimately serves to introduce a new antagonist - an Oseram leader named Dervahl, who may have been behind Ersa’s “murder”. It also provides an excuse for why Aloy will have to do most of the work investigating this Dervahl character.

Exhaust Avad’s dialogue to learn about the Carja Sundom’s past and present, then when you’re done talking scan a nearby glyph to log the Scanned Glyph “Founding of Meridian” . Head north to find an open-air leisure area and scan another glyph to log the Scanned Glyph “The Sun-Kings” . With those two datapoints added to your “Notebook”, it’s time to leave Meridian behind once again