Cauldron

"The lesson will be taught in due time, Aloy. Until then, we wait."

This article contains heavy spoilers. Read ahead with caution.

"There's a reason the Matriarchs forbid those places - and not just because they're dangerous. We weren't meant to see what's inside."

―Dral

A Cauldron is an underground facility where machines are built. By overriding these, Aloy unlocks the ability to control new machines. In Horizon Zero Dawn there are four major Cauldron activities, plus a fifth in Horizon Zero Dawn: The Frozen Wilds. There are six cauldrons in Horizon Forbidden West.

Background[]

Project Zero Dawn envisioned a series of underground facilities to rebuild a lifeless Earth. These facilities would be controlled by GAIA while the subfunction HEPHAESTUS would oversee construction of Cauldrons, where specialized machines would be designed and constructed for use in terraforming.

The inhabitants of the New World are aware of the cauldrons, and some have deduced that they are where machines are built. A few have attempted to venture inside and discover its mysteries, although only one has been confirmed to be successful.

Design[]

The entrances to Cauldrons mostly feature a triangular structure, sometimes guarded by a very bright energy barrier. The interior consists of dimly-lit hallways made up of thick cable-like material, and very large chambers with several elevated, dark-colored platforms, connected by a series of bridges that can only be crossed by overriding a nearby port, or in Cauldron RHO's case, a giant wheel mechanism. The interior is also littered with black and white pyramid-shaped supply crates and medicinal fungi. Entrances between different chambers also feature a triangular structure. Countless drones and magnetic rails carry resources between different parts of the Cauldron. Paths between different chambers sometimes open into natural caverns.

At the very back of each Cauldron is a core situated lower than the ground level. This room features several control towers and triangular doors, likely opening into machine-manufacturing areas. The core itself is pillar-like and retracts into a hole in the ground, guarded by a dome-shaped energy barrier, itself surrounded by two crane-like structures that protrude from the ceiling. Cauldrons also feature recycling rooms with giant melting pots, where machine parts are melted down to be reused. One particular Cauldron, RHO, features a Blaze processing chamber with a giant mechanical 'heart' that pumps Blaze through 'veins' to locations unknown.

Cauldrons[]

Horizon Zero Dawn[]

There are five Cauldrons visited in Horizon Zero Dawn. A sixth, Cauldron PSI, is known to exist, although its location remains unknown.

Cauldron SIGMA : Basic puzzles and Fire Bellowback boss fight
Cauldron RHO: Moderate puzzles and Snapmaw boss fight
Cauldron XI: Eclipse camp and Stalker boss fight
Cauldron ZETA: No puzzles and Thunderjaw boss fight
Cauldron EPSILON: Moderate puzzles and Fireclaw boss fight. Accessed during the quest The Forge of Winter.

Horizon Forbidden West[]

Horizon Forbidden West has introduced seven Cauldrons, although one is designated as a repair facility.

Repair-Bay TAU: Moderate puzzles and Grimhorn boss fight. Accessed during the quest The Dying Lands.
Cauldron GEMINI: Beginner puzzles and Slaughterspine boss fight. Accessed during the quest Gemini.
Cauldron MU: Beginner puzzles and Widemaw boss fight
Cauldron IOTA: Moderate puzzles and Rollerback boss fight
Cauldron KAPPA: Water puzzles and Apex Tideripper boss fight
Cauldron CHI: Moderate puzzles and Slitherfang boss fight
Cauldron THETA: Moderate puzzles and Apex Bilegut boss fight

Other media[]

An unknown Cauldron is seen in the third issue of the Horizon Zero Dawn comic series. Although its interior is unseen, it is evidently capable of producing black-armored Clawstriders.

Trivia[]

The Cauldrons were designed to be unnatural and alien in appearance.^{[citation needed]}
All machine Cauldrons are named after Greek letters:
- σ - Sigma
- ρ - Rho
- ξ - Xi
- ζ - Zeta
- ε - Epsilon
- ψ - Psi
- ι - Iota
- κ - Kappa
- μ - Mu
- τ - Tau
- χ - Chi
- θ - Theta
- The only exception is Cauldron GEMINI, which is named after the zodiac sign Gemini (♊︎) due to having dual cores.