Where To Find All Ancient Vessels in Horizon: Zero Dawn

The story of Aloy in Horizon: Zero Dawn is detailed and intricate, but there’s even more to discover in the game’s rich lore via the many collectibles throughout the map. One such collection is Ancient Vessels, which are a series of chipped and broken mugs that players can find, each with their own distinct pattern on them.

There are a total of 12 Ancient Vessels to find, which, once completed, will earn Aloy a number of rewards. To earn these bonuses, players will need to gain knowledge of how to find all the Ancient Vessels in Horizon: Zero Dawn so they can enjoy the spoils of their efforts.

How To Find Ancient Vessels in Horizon: Zero Dawn

Finding the Ancient Vessels in Horizon: Zero Dawn can be quite tricky on their own, given the map is so large and the objects you need to find are so small. Thankfully, there is an easy way for players to narrow down where they need to look in order to find these twelve items. To make tracking much simpler, players can purchase an Ancient Vessel map, which will pinpoint the approximate locations of the vessels. These can be bought from specialized vendors, particularly Hunting Goods merchants. One can be found in Mother’s Cradle, and another in Meridian, so you’ll be able to acquire one relatively early in the game.

Once players have their hands on the map, Ancient Vessel locations will be shown as broken mug icons inside of white circles. The circles indicate the general area that Aloy will need to go to find it. Once you reach one of these spots, simply use her Focus to identify the location of each item. You will be looking for a purple glitch over Ancient Debris, which is where you will find the Vessel.

All Ancient Vessel Set One Locations

There are a total of four Ancient Vessels to find in the first set. One of these is located in the far west, whereas the other three are within the vicinity of the Devil’s Thirst Camp in the far east.

Set One, Vessel One – Faro

The Faro Ancient Vessel can be found in the far west of the game’s map, to the north-east of the small Evening Sign settlement, or just south-west of Brightmarket, in a Sawtooth site. You’ll need to overcome two Sawtooths and two Bellowbacks to clear the area, then you can find the vessel by the ruins attached to the yellow zipline.

Set One, Vessel Two – Arches

The Arches vessel can be found on the opposite side of the map, so if you’re grabbing them in order, you may want to use Horizon: Zero Dawn‘s fast-travel mechanic. The collectible is located south-west of the Devil’s Thirst camp, or directly west of where the game’s first Tallneck is discovered. Go in a south-west direction as per your compass from the Tallneck’s location and cross the river. You’ll find the vessel on a ledge by the river, under a ruined archway.

Set One, Vessel Three – Dronehop

The third Ancient Vessel is only a few dozen meters from the Devil’s Thirst camp, directly to the north-west. If you’ve collected the Vantage Point in this area, it’s just south of that. Cross the bridge to the north of the camp and head a little west from the bridge to find the Ancient Debris pile and the vessel nestled within it.

Set One, Vessel Four – Wayfarers

Another vessel in proximity to the Devil’s Thirst camp is the Wayfarers cup. To get it, simply follow the path that leads south from the camp, which is aligned a little to the east of the camp itself. Just as you put the camp in your rear-view mirror and cross a bridge away from it, the Ancient Debris pile will be on the left side in the grass.

All Ancient Vessel Set Two Locations

The second set of Ancient Vessels also contains four items, most of which can be found to the east. There is one, however, that is in the opposite direction, and may require that Aloy levels up a few times before she can tackle the challenge.

Set Two, Vessel One – Miriam

The Miriam vessel is located just before the furthermost eastern point of the map, between two Vantage Datapoint locations and almost in the middle of the patch of green on the map to the east. There aren’t many settlements nearby – the closest is likely the Devil’s Thirst Camp, and even then the vessel is quite a distance to the north-east from there. There are a number of Campfires nearby, but the closest notable locations are the Watcher site slightly to the north-west, and the Broadhead site slightly to the south-west.

The Ancient Vessel is relatively easy to find, as it is contained within the lone ruins you find in the area. Simply venture along the path between two ruins and use your Focus to identify and loot the Ancient Debris spot.

Set Two, Vessel Two – USRC

The USRC collectible is a short distance from the Miriam one, in a south-eastern direction. Follow the path from where Miriam is found to the east, then turn right and head south. The collectible is on the western side of the road, nestled in a pile of debris next to a large ruined building.

Set Two, Vessel Three – KZ

To get the KZ vessel, you’ll need to go further south again from where the USRC one is found, and enter the forest where more ruins are found. Before the taller ruins, you’ll find a cluster of smaller ones (if you’re coming from the north), along with a small hill in between them. The pile of Ancient Debris is under a vacant archway, where you’ll find the vessel.

Set Two, Vessel Four – Sterling-Malkeet

In contrast to the other three vessels in the set, the Sterling-Malkeet Ancient Vessel is all the way in the north-western side of the map. In order to find this, players will need to clear out the Shattered Kiln camp, which has a recommended player level of 20. Once you have cleared the camp, use your Focus from the Campfire in the settlement until you come across the purple glitch of the Ancient Debris pile.

All Ancient Vessel All Set Three Locations

All four of the Ancient Vessels in the final set are on the west side of the map, so players will need to at least complete the A Seeker at the Gates mission and venture outside of Nora territory.

Set Three, Vessel One – Odyssey

The Odyssey vessel can easily be found as players progress through the main story missions of Horizon: Zero Dawn. During the mission titled The City of the Sun, you’ll need to infiltrate an excavation site to rescue the Olin and kill a number of enemies. Approach the site from the western side, as it’s the only way inside the circle of rock formations, and use your Focus once the area is clear to find the Ancient Vessel.

Set Three, Vessel Two – Metallurgic

The Metallurgic vessel will take players back to the furthermost north-western part of the map, in the ancient ruins called Maker’s End. These will be a part of a major main story mission, so it’ll be easier to encounter this collectible than some of the others in the game. Simply head a little to the east of the ruins to the Corrupted Zone and clear it out. Alternatively, since the item is on the outskirts, you may be able to avoid the Corrupted, if you’re fast enough.

Set Three, Vessel Three – Jomei

Sticking to the west side of the map, the Jomei collectible is more towards the center of Horizon: Zero Dawn‘s massive open world. If you have discovered most of the map, then you’ll be looking for the ancient ruins called Dimmed Bones, as the item is a very short distance to the west of this, but it is just as easy to go from the Campfire to the west as well. From the Campfire, simply follow the path up the side of the rock wall and use your Focus at the top. The Ancient Debris will be just to the right as you come up the hill.

Set Three, Vessel Four – Thunderheads

The final Ancient Vessel is inside the Makers End ruins in the north-west, and is probably the most unmissable of all the collectibles of this nature. In the Makers End mission, after clearing the initial area of enemies, you’ll need to climb to a platform and follow a narrower path, which leads you to the next major part of the story and the introduction of an enormous new machine. Before dropping down, use your Focus along the path to find the pile of Ancient Debris on the right side.

All Ancient Vessel Rewards in Horizon: Zero Dawn

While the Ancient Vessels may be of little use to Aloy, there is one particular merchant that greatly values the items – particularly when the whole set is completed. As you complete each set, or once you’ve got them all, speak with Studious Palas in Meridian, who will show up on your map as the Vessel Merchant once you’ve met him. With each set completed, the merchant will award you a Palas Rewards Box.

Each of the Palas Rewards boxes contains 500 Metal Shards and five Modification boxes. With this in mind, finding and trading all 12 Ancient Vessels will earn Aloy 1,500 Metal Shards and 15 Modification Boxes, which will contain coils for weapons and outfits that can significantly improve Aloy’s loadout.