Horizon Zero Dawn Corrupted Zones - How to kill Corrupted Machines

Corrupted zones are special challenge areas in Horizon Zero Dawn. They’re inhabited solely by corrupted machines – stronger, more resilient versions of regular robots. Clearing them requires you to kill all the machines that have gone haywire. Once you do, you’ll get rewarded with a fair chunk of experience. However, these robots aren’t at all easy to deal with. In this guide, we’re going to show you the locations of all corrupted zones in Horizon Zero Dawn and how to clear them.

Corrupted zone locations

When you discover a corrupted area, it will be marked on the map with a large red circle. If you hover your pointer over it, it will display the level of the challenge. Keep in mind they’re filled with particularly nasty enemies, so don’t go if they’re a much higher level than you. You can discover their locations by talking to different tribe members, travelling merchants and townspeople.

You can also use the Tallnecks to scan a certain area and hope they reveal the corruption. The game will point you towards a couple of zones during a main story quest called A Seeker At The Gates.

How to kill corrupted machines

One thing the corrupted robots have in common is their weakness to fire. No matter the tactic, you should always use fire weapons and ammo against them. Other than that, they basically have the same weak points as their non-fouled counterparts. For example, the grazers have canisters on their backs. All you have to do kill a corrupted grazer is shoot a fire arrow into its canister. Similarly, killing a corrupted watcher is quickly done by sticking a fire arrow into its eye.

In many cases, a stealthy approach makes completing these challenges much easier. You sneak up to the monsters, shoot an arrow or two into their weak spot, and that’s that. Your scanner will reveal the weak points of every enemy you encounter, so you should scan each group before jumping in.