After Horizon Forbidden West, One Big Character’s Legacy is in Question

Many characters from Horizon’s ancient past have influenced and shaped events 1,000 years later in Aloy’s adventures. Anita Sandoval developed the Caldera of Yellowstone Analytic Nexus artificial intelligence, also known as CYAN, to monitor and stabilize the Yellowstone volcano from erupting as seen in The Frozen Wilds. Doctor Elisabet Sobeck created the world-saving Project Zero Dawn, the powerful artificial intelligence GAIA, and is the genetic originator of Aloy. That said, there’s one ancient human whose legacy and influence in future Horizon games is left in doubt after events seen in Horizon Forbidden West: the self-aggrandizing Ted Faro.

Horizon’s Ted Faro Explained

Ted Faro’s influence and legacy can be seen throughout the post-apocalyptic landscapes of Horizon Zero Dawn, Horizon Forbidden West, and Horizon Call of the Mountain. In fact, the world of Horizon would have never been made if not for the machinations of Ted Faro. Born in the early 21st century, Faro was a brilliant businessman with an eye towards technological innovation, particularly in the field of robotics. At only 20 years old, Faro dropped out of college to found Faro Automated Solutions (FAS), which would go on to develop technologies that would both destroy and save the world. While FAS initially began to produce simple robots, it would gain world-renowned recognition and acclaim when Faro hired a young Elisabet Sobeck in 2040.

By the mid-21st century, Earth was rapidly deteriorating due to swift climate degradation caused by human activity. With the financial support of FAS, Chief Scientist Sobeck would develop numerous green robot systems that helped clean up environments and detoxify the atmosphere and oceans. Despite Sobeck’s work in saving the planet, most of her accolades were dedicated to Faro, as her work was made under FAS, and Faro was commonly recognized as the savior of humanity for a while.

Faro quickly decided to deviate FAS’s development towards war machines instead of environmental robot systems. This resulted both in Sobeck quitting FAS and the development of the Chariot line of war machines that eventually went rogue and destroyed the planet.

The Fate of Ted Faro

The rogue Chariot robots known as the Swarm and Faro Plague were determined by Sobeck to wipe out all life on Earth within 15 months. To save life for future generations, Sobeck developed Project Zero Dawn with funding from FAS. However, after Sobeck sacrificed her life to save Zero Dawn, Faro remotely killed all remaining members of the Project and destroyed records of human history from APOLLO to both destroy knowledge of his role in Earth’s destruction and protect emerging humans from the dangers of human history.

As one of the last remaining original humans, Faro sought immortality within his San Francisco-based Thebes bunker. This backfired as Faro’s experiments eventually mutated him into a millennia-old grotesque monster.

Ted Faro’s Faro Automated Solutions was also responsible for the development of the multipurpose augmented reality device known as the Focus.

Ted Faro’s Role in Future Horizon Games

In Horizon Forbidden West, Aloy aided the Quen in gaining access to the Thebes bunker to acquire Faro’s Omega Clearance and data that may help heal the Quen’s homeland from environmental catastrophe. What they found there was the still-alive monstrous form of Faro deep within the bunker’s generator room. Disgusted by the malformed incarnation of their idol, the CEO ordered Faro to be burned to death. Forbidden West seemingly bookended Faro’s story by delving into his fate following the destruction of APOLLO as originally depicted in Zero Dawn and depicting his definitive death, but Faro and his legacy may still have pivotal roles in Horizon 3.

At the end of Forbidden West’s Burning Shores DLC, Sylens informed Aloy about potential 21st-century weapons that could aid in defeating the incoming Nemesis threat. Given that Faro deviated FAS toward creating technology for the military, some of these weapons could have been developed or at least funded by Faro.

The FAS founder may also play a factor relating to the Quen as they viewed Faro as the greatest Ancestor. Some of the Quen’s noblemen and high-ranking officials may be hostile towards Aloy after hearing of her role in the death of Faro, making Faro a sort of martyr. While Faro may be dead, his influence in the world of Horizon may continue on for years to come.