Lore of Horizon Forbidden West: The Utaru

Check out this in depth exploration of the lore, history and culture of the Utaru! The tribes Horizon Forbidden West are truly remarkable, so join us as we learn of those who call Plainsong home.
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[@RandomSideQuest]

Correction/ Clarification: There are 7 Land Gods, and 7 Festivals. The cycle repeats after Do, but is not doubled up.

[@aidenparker5955]

I can't believe Aloy is willing to tamper all this.

[@l.i.t.f.4353]

The music in this game is just gorgeous, that plainsong theme in the background is just perfect

[@DanFarrell98]

When you arrive at Plainsong while they're singing is just beautiful

[@shaynesaulnier]

The utaru are my favorite tribe! I just love the nature theme, the relaxing music, but mostly the clothes they have. They look so much more comfortable than any other armors. Great job on a well detailed story!

[@KiwiSpartan01]

Another Utaru enjoyer

[@jetstar157]

The Utaru are hands down my favorite tribe in Horizon. They unique and fascinating culture, their rich environments and settlements, they clothing and face paint, and their views on the circle of life mixed with music and nature was such a comforting and beautiful experience to witness. Plainsong is also my absolute favorite settlement because my god the scale and craftsmanship of it is utterly stunning. If I lived in the world of Horizon, I would definitely be an Utaru. I'm so glad there's a tribe like this in game. A tribe that values the beauty of the world and life and music, while not being total pushovers either. This was yet another wonderful video RSQ! Great job

[@kikijewell2967]

Yay! You're back to making these amazing videos! I hope you give time to each Tenakth tribe separately - so much good content! And...I'm eager to hear your theories on the next game! (My own...was that Sylens was the real threat all along...but we'll see what happens to the story with Lance Reddick gone now. 😭 I also think Travis Tate released VS into the FZ system... But I like to spin out on those theories!)

[@RandomSideQuest]

Glad you enjoyed it 😁

[@ChelseaH1]

I never thought of this until now, but the hidden military mountain complex here where I live in Colorado Springs, where the Nora came out of the mountain, is called NORAD in real life. Maybe that’s where they got the name. Nora, NORAD. Makes a lot of sense actually considering what NORAD is in real life too.

[@timgearing5121]

Another well crafted story. Thank you. The Utaru armour is my favourite, and I refuse to wear Carja outfits out of respect for the inhabitants of the West.

[@jeanetten.s.8557]

Not me wearing the Carja attire anytime I’m near Barren light, and the quest with Tallana

[@maxleroux]

There's an Utaru folk tale about a woman named Drey that can be overhead in Plainsong, similar to the Nora and Banuk creation myths from the first game. None of the walkthroughs I've watched so far have stuck around for the whole story and I'd like to learn more about this small piece of Utaru culture. It's little things like this that make this world feel truly alive.

[@tommartin2360]

Thank you for such a wonderful presentation of my favorite tribe! Awesome stuff!

[@maxgrieve]

Question: given we have seasonal markers here for the repair cycle of a few of the land-gods, does that put us in a position to estimate the time of year of the events of HFW? Obviously the repair cycle was disrupted by the Derangement, but am just wondering if it's implied anywhere that HEPHAESTUS called Fa into TAU roughly in line with the season when the Utaru expected it - if so, I guess that might give us a rough pointer?

[@piratetv1]

It's got to be autumn by the trees in chainscrape. I don't think the land gods got the derangement at least until the events of the early forbidden West story. Now i need to know what month it is.

[@NoxaClimaxX]

Somewhere in the autumn or winter, given the color of Chainscrape's trees and the weather in the Sky Clan's territory (there's no way it's snowy there year-round).

[@maxgrieve]

Autumn does seem a good shout - if So's festival was in the autumn, Fa being the land-god immediately preceding it might put the start of that particular issue around or just before then. Not sure if we can rely on the climate of the Sky Clan territory, given the year-round changes to the climate in the Cut, but yeah, the trees at Chainscrape are hard to deny. However the thing that has me confused is this: how does that fit into the "six months later" narrative after HZD (when we also know, for example, that Redmaw was taken down during the summer)? If it wasn't for the trees in Chainscrape, I'd have thought Aloy would probably be reaching the Daunt sometime in early spring.

[@NoxaClimaxX]

@@maxgrieve The simplest answer is that the events of HZD took place over a longer stretch of time than one might expect. My estimates would place almost a year between the Proving and the Battle of the Alight, based on the information provided by the lore.

[@maxgrieve]

​@@NoxaClimaxX Yeah, I'd figured that'd need factoring in - does feel like from the lore there's an indication of time passing. I'd gone for an approximation of hours for a completionist playthrough, multiplied by the ~43min day/night cycle, plus narrative jumps (e.g. Aloy unconscious inside All-Mother mountain after the Proving etc). So quite a mechanical approach. Even at the most generous though, I was topping out at about four months or so for HZD (even including Aloy's time in the Cut). Thus my theory was the Proving happens in early spring and the Battle of the Alight took place in late summer. So I dunno, maybe that was the wrong approach. But I'm not sure how otherwise Aloy can say she was an outcast for 18yrs by the Proving, then late in the game Sylens can describe GAIA's destruction as being 19yrs earlier (the start of Aloy's gestation, thus additional time pre-birth). I dunno - not sure whether there's enough time for it to be quite that long. This is probably top of my wishlist if Guerrilla's narrative team ever do an AMA!

[@Jayjay-qe6um]

"Green grows from the ashes of a forest blaze." -- Utaru proverb

[@TheMrCougarful]

The Utaru are a favorite. Everyone else is so "Olde skool" human. Territorial, murderous, life at the tip of a spear. Alloy is sort of okay, but let's face it, she's a wrecking ball however you play her.

[@I_Dont_Believe_In_Salad]

She's not a wreaking ball. She's just Sobeck

[@stitch1088]

I honestly think that she secretly enjoys hunting and killing but isnt willing to admit it. Thats why she despised Nil so much, cos he wasnt afraid to admit that he enjoyed the "thrill of the kill."

[@Pontif11]

The Utaru chorus is fairly "old school human". I don't see the Utaru being much different from us than the other tribes. Also, one of the reasons they are able to be peaceful is that they live inna resource rich and defensible area.

[@daanduijkers4845]

I was wondering when new lore videos on the tribes of the FORBIDDEN WEST would be released? Guess it makes sense to do them now with the BURNING SHORES about to come out, which is set to greatly expand on the Quen.

[@PoklaanNL]

1:26 never noticed this, but is it just me or does the structure kinda look like a dragon's head?

[@fricksauce]

Or a grass snake! Yes!

[@crazyman8472]

Hey, RSQ! Are you going to do a deep dive into the Quen? I think that would be a great video! 😎

[@RandomSideQuest]

Thats the plan, was waiting for the DLC before tackling that one.

[@crazyman8472]

@@RandomSideQuest Very good! 😁

[@kaminkatzewildcat6211]

I like the reference to the tunes and how to practise singing. Pretty neat to implement the latin do-re-mi-fa-so-la-ti and then do again :D as this is how you start warming up in a choir. Probably that's why they have chosen U-tA-rU as a name. As it contains many vocals, and these are the only letters you can sing. So, their lore turned out to be suuuuper well thought of.

[@pagina00]

I found Fane by a fire with the two seed pouches and he was burning them. Said Bree wanted them burned and the Chorus agreed....

[@RandomSideQuest]

Huh... That's really interesting, I don't know there were different options. Thanks for sharing 😁

[@pagina00]

@@RandomSideQuest this was in new game plus. I don’t know if that why the alternate version or if it’s based on how you reply to bree at the end of that quest. 🤷‍♀️

[@cater06]

It depends on what option you choose. The compassionate and analytical options show Fane tossing the pouches in the river. Only the ruthless option has him burning them

[@4zun14n]

And here I thought after playing this game five times that I'd seen all the alternative contextual dialogues there were... guess I'll have to play again.

[@Liam1991]

I really do like The Utaru. They seem more friendly and inclusive, compared to the other tribes.

[@emmanuelprudhomme9529]

Well, as long as you stay away from some Utaru like Kel.

[@lochness5524]

@@emmanuelprudhomme9529 or that xenophobic bigot from Stones Echo

[@ThePatientWolf]

Your B-roll game is 🔥 right now.

[@straberryshinigami15g97]

Love that utarus are vegan 🥑

[@o0TraceuR0o]

They are not, while they had their crops plagued they were hunting animals in the old growth, it's clearly stated when you're doing the side quest which has you tracking the apex clawstrider

[@4zun14n]

@@o0TraceuR0o Well they are vegans, but the NPC that gives you the errand says that out of necessity they have decided to resort to hunting animals, which they've never done before, and she also implies that there are some Utarus who will rather die to follow the natural cycle than eat meat.

[@o0TraceuR0o]

@@4zun14n so they ate meat right? I'm pretty sure that makes them not vegan, your comment should've been it's cool that the utaru WERE vegan.

[@straberryshinigami15g97]

A Lot of them are 🌱✨

[@straberryshinigami15g97]

A bunch of people. A bunch of utarus are vegan 🥑

[@patrickmorgan3840]

I believe the name utaru has to come from Utah

[@IceStormGale]

My favorite tribe, the beloved Utaru. I could stand in Plainsong for hours, enjoying the view and listening to their songs.Their love of nature, of nurturing themselves and the world around them, makes this tribe my favorite.

[@Miguel_Noether]

:'') After the plownhorn mission, I've never killed those machines again

[@Thijs.]

Really nice to know all about these inside knowledge of the machines

[@pepgamerrugamer3990]

Do we know who is to the east or south of the Nora?

[@NoxaClimaxX]

We’ve heard nothing to indicate there are tribes in those areas.

[@brynphillips9957]

I don't think it is ever mentioned so maybe no one or maybe the landscape is just very difficult to traverse. It is likely there were other incubation hubs in America I imagine but I would think they would likely be quite a distance away.

[@jaymckay93]

Still the best looking next gen game to date🙌

[@aigami7928]

I jus can't wait until the dlc come out

[@morgan0223]

great video. I adore how much love and heart went into the world building and lore of this universe.

[@EccentricGentelman]

Your videos are always a pleasure to watch.

[@12345.......]

Such a well written game

[@noeraldinkabam]

My last playthrough Fane burned Kel’s seed pouch. Her widower demanded it. I don’t remember if Aloy had different reactions in this side quest but Iknow I chose more aggressive this round. Maybe that’s why.

[@Stimros_halabad]

Good shit RSQ

[@DwAboutItManFr]

It would be cool if a bunker built by someone else other than horizon zero dawn from earlier emerged mid story somewhere.

[@Ambushbug]

Another well-made video we thank you from ban ur my fellow banuk

[@weewee3486]

Great work as always!!

[@drewrichmond2964]

Hey random side quest will you make a video on the tenakth and quen

[@cliffordthompson8248]

Nice video every time I watch one of these lore videos I get the urge to play the game.

[@KiwiSpartan01]

I wasn't a big fan of Fane, but he grew on me

[@njavedhamilton6215]

Can we expect More videos every Sunday

[@RandomSideQuest]

Unfortunately my microphone broke on me this week (thankfully after I recorded this voice over) so I don't expect I'll be about to this next weekend but working to get everything back in working order asap 👍

[@alyseleem2692]

I wish I could ride a Plowhorn.😢

[@addisonwelsh]

I couldn’t get through to you in the last comment. Hopefully, this message reaches you.

[@alyseleem2692]

@@addisonwelsh Found it.

[@addisonwelsh]

@@alyseleem2692 Good. No idea what was going on. No matter what I tried I couldn’t contact you.

[@alyseleem2692]

@@addisonwelsh How odd 🤔. Let's hope it doesn't happen again.

[@addisonwelsh]

@@alyseleem2692 Here's hoping. Do you want me to continue my previous story, or move on to something else?

[@therocketman4494]

I really like their lore but I do think that making Jerry their leader was a mistake. It makes it very hard to take them seriously.

[@maxleroux]

I think the main reason that Rea looks different from all the Utaru in Forbidden West is because the developers of the first game just wanted to give the world of Horizon more diversity and didn't have much pe-planed lore for her tribe at the time. The same logic can be applied to Ullia, the only Tenakth character from Zero Dawn. The reason I'm saying all this is because I've noticed that a lot of people online tend to treat these intellectual properties like they're actually "real" to the point it can get a little creepy. It's called retconning, people. Deal with it. 😏

[@NoxaClimaxX]

With Ullia, they actually did a good job of acknowledging her design by having some Lowlanders with similar designs (why they’d be so far east is another story).

[@youngmasterzhi]

For a bunch of leaf grazers, they know how to dish out justice

[@valwill5247]

the culture of the Utaru and their seeds i thought was such a beautiful sentiment.

[@maggieballew8629]

Yay! Missed these!

[@KiwiSpartan01]

I never got the musical notes connection with the land gods

[@randydiebolt846]

I knew it hippies playing frisbee in the background

[@jennieesaltzgiver2925]

There may be a chance that all the gods are fix now

[@blindy4527]

Commenting for the algorithm!

[@sunofsotep8265]

I cannot wait for this on PC!!!

[@ianmenard3153]

Are there two Plowhorns named "Do?"

[@RandomSideQuest]

This is what happens when you stare at a script too long 😅 good eye, pinned a correction in the comments 👍

[@ianmenard3153]

@@RandomSideQuest I'm pretty sure Zo mentions eight festivals, so it might have been a mistake of the lore itself

[@Shrimphat]

جدع

[@jdogx211]

One thing to worry about: what if we find a new Cradle Facility in LA or something, ir we get new info on the Tennak and the Utaru? Then this video gonna need to be scrapped and redone. Just my opinion, but with the DLC •so close, I'd have waited till we got ALL the info from there.

[@NoxaClimaxX]

I believe Guerrilla stated that both the Utaru and Tenakth are descendants of Cradle-9 in a lore exploration video.

[@NoxaClimaxX]

“Ka-lie”, not “Kay-lee”

[@plainsongsutaru9865]

He can pronounce it in whatever way he wants to.

[@danieladamczyk4024]

You late.

[@crippletime]

Algorithm comment

[@o0TraceuR0o]

Im a huge fan of everything in this verse although the utaru didn't really click with me tbh

[@kronosleblu888]

Loved that for once we got a tribe that isn't into conflict or fighting. Their focus on farming was awesome as were their choice in village design and homes. That being said, after all the hype and scare tactics of the forbidden West, the Utaru just didn't fit. If the forbidden west was supposed to be ruthless and dangerous, the Utaru had no business being there. (A game design/writing flaw I Assume) Awesome video as always.

[@brynphillips9957]

I never saw them as out of place. It is worth remembering that much of the fear associated with the Forbidden West, and the main reason it got its name, was due to the Tenakth. The lands aren't really any more dangerous than anywhere else apart from the Tenakth. If you go by the way they are talked about in the first game by people, they are basically demons in human flesh, resorting to canabalism and slaughter. The Tenakth were and are very territorial. Ally got that dagger which gave her permission to travel through those lands Do remember they are very willing to kill any they see as trespassers. However they aren't nearly as monsterous as portrayed and they have a long relationship with the Utaru. The Utaru had nothing to fear.

[@NinoBaggins]

I think you’re right; but it does make sense that the humans that came across singing plowhorns tending to the earth would end up like the Utaru did, tradition and lifestyle wise. I loved the hippie vegan commune they have, was a great contrast to the rest of the forbidden west

[@Miguel_Noether]

That's the whole point to contrast the difference between the carja's silly stories about the west, even the tenanakth, we're just made up. People always find it's way where ever they ended up living.

[@stitch1088]

I explored every single dialogue option that was available, and from what I have discovered, I have to disagree with u. The existence of the Tenakth alone warranted the fear for the Forbidden West. As cool and patriotic as Kotallo or Hekarro were, we also learned that the Tenakth's ruthless reputation was no joke - in a side quest, we learned that the punishment for being disabled was trial by combat against machines. In another case, we also learned that any Tenakth deemed mentally unwell would be sentenced to death too. The Utaru also stated that the Tenakth initially wanted to get rid of them, until a treaty was established and as long as the Utaru supplied them with sustenance, the Tenakth would let them live. Not to mention that the Tenakth consisted of three different clans, while the Utaru only had one. I think it makes sense that two juxtaposing tribes could exist in the same region, though the more ruthless one naturally dominated over the other, hence the overall reputation of the region. We see cases like this happen irl too.