All 6 Horizon Forbidden West Tallnecks: Locations and How to Climb Each One

Updated October 3, 2026. There are six Tallnecks in Horizon Forbidden West: Cinnabar Sands, The Stillsands, The Stand of the Sentinels, Landfall, Salt Bite and The Shining Wastes. Unlike in Zero Dawn, almost every Forbidden West Tallneck is a small puzzle: you power a satellite dish, fire ballistas, dive for missing parts or fly in on a Sunwing. Here is where each Tallneck is, how to climb and override it, and what you get.

All Tallneck locations at a glance

Overriding a Tallneck reveals the surrounding part of the map, including settlements, campfires and machine sites, and releases a one-time electrical pulse that damages or stuns nearby enemies. There is no Tallneck in the Burning Shores expansion; that region is the exception.

Tallneck: Cinnabar Sands

Cinnabar Sands is usually the first Tallneck you find, in the southeast near Plainsong. It walks past a broken satellite dish, and the dish is your way up. Clear out the nearby Skydrifter and Scrappers first so they do not interrupt the puzzle.

1. Shoot the red lock holding the ladder so you can climb the dish structure.
2. Find the power cell and slot it into the generator, then use the console.
3. Shoot the clamps holding the dish so it rotates into position.
4. Climb to the top of the dish and glide onto the Tallneck's head when it passes, then override it.

Tallneck: The Stillsands

This damaged Tallneck is in the far south, south of Camp Nowhere. It is too tall to reach from any nearby structure, so you have to bring it down to you.

Around it are three ballistas. Use each one to fire at the Tallneck and attach a weight to it; machines will join in while you do this, so keep moving between stations. Once all three are attached, the Tallneck is pulled low enough to climb. Run up to its head and override it.

Tallneck: The Stand of the Sentinels

This one walks among giant trees in the north, east of Tide's Reach and near Cliffwatch. Expect Stalkers and Fire Clamberjaws around the platforms.

The climb is pure traversal: work your way up the wooden platforms and ropes built into the trees, use the Shieldwing to glide across the gaps, and wait at the right platform for the Tallneck to walk past. Drop onto its back, then climb up to the head and override it.

Tallneck: Landfall

Landfall is on the far western coast, south of Legacy's Landfall. This Tallneck has stopped moving because it is missing parts, so it is a diving puzzle.

1. Dive into the flooded ruins around it to find the two missing power converters (you need the Diving Mask from the main story).
2. Bring them back to repair the Tallneck so it starts walking again.
3. Follow its route to the sunken ruins, cross the rooftops, and jump onto its back as it passes.
4. Climb to the head and override it. Watch for flying machines while you are exposed on the roofs.

Tallneck: Salt Bite (Cauldron IOTA)

Salt Bite is not out in the open at first: it is an unfinished Tallneck being built inside Cauldron IOTA, north of Scalding Spear. Repairing it is the main objective of that Cauldron, so finishing IOTA takes care of the override for you.

IOTA is recommended at level 22, ends with a Rollerback fight and also unlocks a batch of machine overrides. Our Horizon Forbidden West Cauldrons guide covers the full route, boss and rewards.

Tallneck: The Shining Wastes

The Shining Wastes Tallneck is in the center of the map, south of Scalding Spear, and you cannot reach its head on foot. You get access through the main quest The Wings of the Ten, which unlocks the Sunwing override in Cauldron GEMINI. With a Sunwing, simply fly over and land on the Tallneck's head. It is the quickest Tallneck in the game, but it is also the last one most players can complete.

Rewards and the Tallneck trophy

Each Tallneck's main reward is the map reveal for its region, which makes the surrounding collectibles and activities much easier to find. Walkthroughs list 7,500 XP and 2 skill points per Tallneck, though Salt Bite's rewards come bundled with Cauldron IOTA.

Override all six to earn the silver trophy All Tallnecks Overridden, which counts towards the Platinum. Since the Shining Wastes Tallneck needs the Sunwing, the practical order is: Cinnabar Sands, then The Stillsands, Stand of the Sentinels and Landfall as you explore, Salt Bite with Cauldron IOTA, and The Shining Wastes after The Wings of the Ten.

Frequently Asked Questions

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Sources checked on October 3, 2026 against the Horizon wiki and the PowerPyx, SegmentNext, Sirus Gaming and VULKK Tallneck guides, plus the Steam page for Horizon Forbidden West Complete Edition.