Should you head west or go back east after meeting GAIA in Horizon Forbidden West?

After making your way through the first two major regions in Horizon Forbidden West, you’ll come to a point when Aloy meets the new version of GAIA she’s building. This is when you’ll establish a base of operations from which to head out and gather the subordinate AIs. However, after meeting GAIA, there’s a choice that feels important: should you head west or go back east? This guide explains what each option means.

Choose one and return to the other later

Ultimately this choice doesn’t have a huge consequence either way. The only impact it has is on your time in the game immediately after leaving the facility. If you choose to head west, you’ll advance the story and enter a new region of the Forbidden West. Aloy will earn some experience and unlock three new main quests for each of the subordinate AIs. From there, you can pick which quest to follow or explore the west at your leisure.

If you choose to go back east, you’ll be able to complete all the side quests, contracts, and activities you’ve left behind in the previous region. However, if you want to clear out everything in the area before advancing, you should go back east before venturing further west and advancing the story.