Shadow from the Past

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

This article contains heavy spoilers. Read ahead with caution.

"Please, no one will listen, but... the Eclipse! They're here, in the Daunt!"

―Conover

Shadow from the Past is a side quest in Horizon Forbidden West.

Synopsis[]

At Barren Light, a prisoner named Conover begs for Aloy's ear. Upon examining, Aloy learns that Conover, a Carja guard, was imprisoned for murdering a fellow soldier, Laruvik. Conover insists that Laruvik was working with the Eclipse, and he only killed him in self-defense when he was caught overhearing a conversation with a fellow cultist. However, as pointed out by the guard Ybril, investigations have found no evidence linking Laruvik to the Eclipse. While not entirely convinced, Aloy agrees to check the site where the incident took place.

Arriving at the site, she discovers a track leading away from Barren Light. This track goes through a clearing full of Burrowers and a destroyed one with bloodstains by it. Eventually, she finds a lookout point facing Barren Light and evidence of someone dressing their wounds before moving on. Continuing on, the tracks lead into a cave and the ruins of Straggler's Shade.

In the ruin, Aloy discovers and overhears the Eclipse discussing plans to attack the fort to break into the Forbidden West. After dispatching them, she finds the corpse of the cultist who had been in contact with Laruvik. After scanning his Focus, she finds a message from Vezreh along with coordinates leading to their base of operations.

Taking Rayad's mask, Aloy returns to Barren Light and shows the evidence to Ybril, proving Conover's innocence.

Objectives[]

Go to the Clearing
Examine the Blood
Investigate the Clearing
Search for Tracks
Follow the Tracks
Search for Tracks
Follow the Trail of Blood
Examine the Lookout
Search for Tracks
Follow the Tracks
Enter the Cave
Investigate the Cave
Kill the Eclipse
Examine Rayad's Corpse
Return to Conover

Walkthrough[]

Trivia[]

While Shadow in the West is automatically started upon the conclusion of this quest, it is not required to start it. If the former event is completed first, Conover will no longer be found in prison, implying he was executed.
In earlier versions of the game, Rayad's body used a bandit model from Zero Dawn. This was later changed to use an Eclipse one.

Horizon Forbidden West Quests
Main Quest	Reach For The Stars - The Point of the Lance - To The Brink - The Embassy - Death's Door - The Dying Lands - The Eye of the Earth - The Broken Sky - The Kulrut - Cradle of Echoes - The Sea of Sands - Seeds of the Past - Faro's Tomb - Gemini - All That Remains - The Wings of the Ten - Singularity
Side Quests	A Soldier's March - A Tribe Apart - Blood for Blood - Boom or Bust - Breaking Even - Deep Trouble - Drowned Hopes - Forbidden Legacy - In The Fog - Lofty Ambitions - Need to Know - Shadow from the Past - Shadow in the West - Signal Spike - The Blood Choke - The Bristlebacks - The Burning Blooms - The Deluge - The Gate of the Vanquished - The Promontory - The Roots That Bind - The Second Verse - The Twilight Path - The Valley of the Fallen - The Way Home - The Wound in the Sand - Thirst for the Hunt - What Was Lost
Errands	A Bigger Boom - A Dash of Courage - A Hunt To Remember - Broken Locks - Burden Of Command - Call And Response - First To Fly - In Bloom - Learning Machine Strike - Nights of Lights - Shining Example - Signals of the Sun - Sons of Prometheus Data - Supply Drop - The Enduring - The Music in Metal - The Oldgrowth - The Souvenir - The Taste of Victory - Tides of Justice
Horizon Forbidden West: Burning Shores Quests
Main Quest	To the Burning Shores - Heaven and Earth - The Stars in Their Eyes - For His Amusement - His Final Act - Epilogue
Side Quests	A Friend in the Dark - In His Wake - The Splinter Within
Errands	The Delvers' Trove

↑ If completed after Shadow in the West

[1] If completed after Shadow in the West

[1]