Even though Horizon Forbidden West is larger than Zero Dawn, the new entry still only sports six Tallnecks. This means that the ambulatory towers are harder to find and, more importantly, harder to scale. Here’s how to easily find every Tallneck in the game:
Tallneck 1: Cinnabar Sands
This Tallneck is easy to locate and is probably the first one most players will discover while playing Horizon Forbidden West. Look for a ruined satellite dish north of Stone’s Echo but southeast of Plainsong. The Tallneck should be nearby, circling the dish. In order to actually land on the Tallneck, you need to scale the dish (which requires moving it several times). Then leap off the dish and, if you timed it right, you can safely glide onto the robot with your Shieldwing Glider. Of course, things are rarely that easy. Every time Aloy sinks a ballista bolt into the Tallneck, a wave of enemies spawns in. Players can either duck and weave the rogue robots to quickly topple the Tallneck or take them out before focusing on the wandering tower. Either way, once all three missiles are buried in the Tallneck, it will crash down and Aloy can easily use it to scan the area.
Tallneck 3: The Stand of the Sentinels
The third Tallneck walks a wide path around the forest in the Stand of the Sentinels, which is west of Cliffwatch. Start climbing the abandoned treetop village there, and you should see the Tallneck eventually. In order to actually scale the robot, though, you need to make full use of your Pullcaster and Shieldwing Glider. The challenge isn’t so much finding a way up to the Tallneck’s head as it is doing so while dodging hostile enemies.
Tallneck 4: Landfall
South of Legacy’s Landfall and east of San Francisco, you should find the fourth Tallneck, but unlike other models, this one is dead in the water — literally. You need to dive underwater (the Diving Mask is required for this part), scan the stalled machine, and search for its missing batteries, which are protected by zealous Glinthawks. Deal with the enemies, search their nests, then return to the Tallneck with batteries in hand. While this should revitalize the robotic giraffe, it’s too fast to catch while swimming, so to scale it you need to head it off at the nearby ruins. Just wait on one of the roofs, leap onto the Tallneck’s back, and it’s ready to climb.
Tallneck 5: The Shining Wastes
The penultimate Tallneck is readily found near the center of the map, south of Scalding Spear. However, you can’t climb it until the story mission “The Wings of the Ten,” so even if you don’t find the Tallneck before then, it’s impossible to miss.