All Horizon Forbidden West Cauldrons: Locations, Levels, Overrides and Rewards

Updated October 3, 2026. There are seven Cauldrons in Horizon Forbidden West if you count the Burning Shores expansion: Repair Bay TAU, MU, IOTA, GEMINI, CHI, KAPPA and THETA. Two of them (TAU and GEMINI) are part of the main story, four (MU, IOTA, CHI, KAPPA) are optional open-world dungeons, and THETA sits in the Burning Shores DLC. Below are every Cauldron location, recommended level, core boss, the machine overrides each one unlocks and the rewards, all in one table.

All Cauldrons in Horizon Forbidden West at a glance

Recommended levels, bosses and rewards below are the figures listed by the major guides for the current version of the game, including the PS5 and PC Complete Edition. "Partial" means the Cauldron unlocks part of that machine's override; you need another Cauldron to complete it.

What Cauldrons are and why they matter

Cauldrons are the underground machine factories of the Horizon world. In Forbidden West each one is a self-contained dungeon: you climb and solve traversal puzzles on the way down, fight the machine guarding the core, then override the Cauldron core. Overriding it adds new machines to Aloy's override list, so after that you can turn those machines into allies (or mounts, where the machine is rideable) with a Focus override.

Two practical warnings from the walkthroughs. First, once you drop into the core area you cannot leave until you finish the Cauldron or reload, so stock up on medicine and ammo before going in. Second, you need the Pullcaster for almost every Cauldron, and later ones also use tools such as the Igniter for Firegleam. Yellow paint and lights mark climbable surfaces, and energy shields usually drop when you override a nearby Network Uplink.

Repair Bay: TAU and GEMINI (story Cauldrons)

Repair Bay: TAU

You enter TAU with Zo during the main quest The Dying Lands, early in the game. It works as a Cauldron tutorial and ends with a Grimhorn fight. It unlocks the Bristleback override and partial overrides for Plowhorn and Grimhorn.

Cauldron: GEMINI

GEMINI is part of the main quest The Wings of the Ten, west of the Shining Wastes Tallneck. The boss is a Slaughterspine, so arrive at level 30 or higher with your best elemental gear. The reward is the one everyone wants: the Sunwing override, which gives Aloy a flying mount.

Neither TAU nor GEMINI counts towards the First Core Overridden and All Cores Overridden trophies. Only the proper optional Cauldrons do.

Cauldron MU (level 18)

Location: No Man's Land, south of Plainsong and west/southwest of Stone's Echo, at the foot of the snowy hills. It is the first optional Cauldron most players reach.

Core fight: after overriding the Network Uplink in the core chamber, two Widemaws drop in. Guides recommend keeping one Widemaw between you and the other so their ranged attacks hit each other, shooting the Purgewater sacs on their bellies, and hitting their open mouths for extra damage.

Overrides: Burrower, Scrounger, Grazer, plus partial Scrapper, Fanghorn and Widemaw. Rewards: 8,000 XP and 3 skill points.

Cauldron IOTA (level 22)

Location: Tenakth lands in the far north of the central map, north of Scalding Spear. Part of the structure was exposed by an earthquake, and the entrance cannot be hacked open the usual way.

What makes it special: IOTA contains the unfinished Salt Bite Tallneck. Repairing it is the main objective, and finishing the Cauldron counts as overriding that Tallneck (see our Horizon Forbidden West Tallneck guide). The boss is a Rollerback.

Overrides: Leaplasher, Glinthawk, Lancehorn, Longleg, Clawstrider, plus partial Skydrifter, Bellowback, Ravager, Snapmaw and Rollerback. Rewards: 10,000 XP and 3 skill points.

Cauldron CHI (level 30)

Location: the Lowlands, southeast of Thornmarsh, by the open water in the southern part of the western map. The entrance is encased in Firegleam, and Clamberjaws are stripping the derelict facility for parts.

Walkthrough highlights: break a glass window to bypass the broken door, use the Pullcaster to pull canisters for climbing, disconnect a Shell-Walker cargo clamp to move a container, and recover the missing regulator from a scrap pile after beating a Fire Clamberjaw. Placing the regulator in the core triggers the Slitherfang fight. Afterwards, ignite the Firegleam at the entrance to get back out.

Overrides: Frostclaw, Redeye Watcher, Shell-Walker, Clamberjaw, Behemoth, plus partial Stalker, Shellsnapper, Spikesnout, Scorcher and Fireclaw. Rewards: 12,500 XP and 3 skill points.

Cauldron KAPPA (level 40)

Location: the northwest corner of the map. Go to Tide's Reach and follow the coastline north; it sits northwest of the Stand of the Sentinels Tallneck.

KAPPA was built for the terraforming system's aquatic machines, and it is the hardest optional Cauldron. The core boss is a Tideripper, so bring frost or shock damage and plenty of potions.

Overrides: Rockbreaker, Tideripper, Tremortusk, Stormbird, plus partial Thunderjaw, Slitherfang, Dreadwing and Slaughterspine. Rewards: 12,500 XP and 3 skill points. This is the Cauldron that completes the overrides for the biggest machines in the game.

Cauldron THETA (Burning Shores DLC)

If you own Burning Shores (included in the Complete Edition), there is one more Cauldron. THETA is in the east of the Burning Shores map, east of Fleet's End and north of Pangea Park, with a recommended level of 38. The boss is an Apex Bilegut, and the reward is the Bilegut override plus 12,500 XP and 3 skill points.

Best order and preparation tips

1. MU first once you reach the open world. It is close to the starting regions and the Widemaw fight is manageable around level 18.
2. IOTA next: it also ticks off the Salt Bite Tallneck.
3. CHI around level 30, ideally before or after GEMINI.
4. KAPPA last at level 40 or higher. You can enter earlier, but the Tideripper hits hard.
5. THETA once you are in Burning Shores; the expansion itself expects a late-game Aloy.

Upgrade your outfit and bring weapons that cover several elements before any Cauldron, since you are locked in once you reach the core. A Focus scan of each boss shows its weaknesses and the parts worth shooting off.

Frequently Asked Questions

Planning a PC playthrough of the Complete Edition at high settings? Our best graphics cards for 4K gaming guide covers the hardware side, and if you want another big open world after Aloy, see our games like Elden Ring list.

Sources checked on October 3, 2026 against the Horizon wiki, Push Square, Inverse, Gamer Guides and The Loadout Cauldron guides, and the Steam and PlayStation pages for Horizon Forbidden West Complete Edition.