NG+ (Horizon Zero Dawn)

Article Notice: This article is incomplete, if you can, please do add to it.

Notice: This article is about the NG+ category within Horizon Zero Dawn, for the mode, see New Game+. For the Horizon Forbidden West category, see NG+ (Horizon Forbidden West)

General

NG+ is a main leaderboard category within Horizon Zero Dawn where one completes the game in the New Game+ mode. Using this, the player retains all skills, resources, weapons, outfits and other items. The only exception to this is items in the "special items" category. By playing in NG+, players skip the childhood section of the game. The following guide will be for both Story and Ultra Hard difficulty, and will also specify for differences between PS4, PC and PS5.

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Rules and Timing

General Rules

• Runs must be submitted with an accurate “Time With Loads” (RTA). This can not be calculated from a VOD as it's not accurate.
• Playing on Emulator is not allowed.
• Using the Pre-order or Special Edition Items is not allowed.
• Manipulating a save file or the game prior to the start of the run is not allowed.
• Loading a save file that was not created during the run is not allowed.

Video Rules

• Video proof is required for all submissions. The video needs to be hosted on a dedicated video/streaming website (Twitch, Youtube or similar), excluding short-form video hosting services (i.e. TikTok or similar).
• The video must show the entire run. If big parts of the run are missing or if the quality is too low the run will be rejected.
• Make sure the submitted video is cut to mainly show the run.
• Runs in the Top 3 will be removed from the leaderboards if the video is deleted or made unavailable by the runner.

PC Specific Rules

• PC runs must have an RTA timer (Real Time) displayed on screen if the the load remover is not used.
• Settings are only allowed to be changed from the in game settings menu. Any changes performed outside of the game are not allowed.
• Using mods of any kind is not allowed, even if they are just cosmetic.
• The use of any scripts is not allowed.

Time without Loads

• For guidelines on time without loads please refer to this link: https://www.speedrun.com/hzd/guide/6atmp
• If you don't know how to calculate your time without loads, then put the same time as your time with loads and a mod will calculate it for you.
• You can use the automatic load remover for timing your runs. It can be found under guides.
• We recommend using automatic load remover if you can. Since it will make it easier and faster to verify your run.

Timing Rules

• Time starts upon skipping the first cutscene.
• Time ends upon pressing triangle or its equivalent to purge HADES at the end of the "The Face of Extinction" main quest.

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NG+ File

For a guide on how to set up your save file, please refer to this article.

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Movement

As with most HZD categories, the two primary movement options are sprint rolling and mount riding. Rolling whilst sprinting is faster than regular sprinting by about 1 second per 100 feet. This movement will mainly be used at the start of the run, during smaller travels, and within areas that block access to the mount. Mount riding is used for the longer stretches of travel.

Because of rolling being a primary form of movement, it is essential that you do not have the long roll skill to make optimal rolling easier. If you do have the long roll skill, you can still use short rolls by tapping circle or its equivalent in a more precise rhythm.

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Dialogue

For the optimal dialogue selections in each mandatory conversation, please refer to this document.

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Abbreviations

A list of useful abbreviations that will be used throughout the guide:

• RFS - Restart from Save
• FT - Fast Travel
• UH - Ultra Hard difficulty
• HDD - Hard Drive Disc (If you play on a PS4 and haven't modified it with an SSD, this is what you are playing on)
• SSD - Solid State Drive (If you play on PC, PS5 or a modified PS4, then this is what you are playing on)

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Route and Splits

A full written guide for the run is below, for video guides, refer to this part of the article.

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Sawtooth

Skip the first cutscene to start your run. Begin rolling towards Rost and talk to him. Mash through the conversation and fast travel to the Northern Embrace Gate if playing on a PS4 with an HDD. If you play on any other hardware, fast travel to the Main Embrace Gate. For PS4 HDD, roll backwards towards Rost and spam through the conversation, then save at the campfire to progress the quest. For other hardware, restart from save as soon as possible once you load in at the Main Embrace Gate, then roll left to Rost. Mash through the conversation and save at the campfire

Skip the cutscene and roll left to the rocks. Keep rolling and drop down, in the process, hold the button you use to aim to charge up the stormslinger. Keep rolling toward the Sawtooth arena, then skip the cutscene. On story, you will need between 2 and 3 shots to kill the sawtooth typically. On UH, you will need around 10, be careful not to die from the damage inflicted by the stormslinger.

Loot the sawtooth and skip the cutscene. Mash through the Rost dialogue and FT to Mother's Heart. Split in the loading screen.

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Proving

Roll backwards over the bridges towards Rost and mash through his conversation, upon completion of the conversation, fast travel back to Mother's Heart. Skip the 2 cutscenes and roll to Teb. Mash through the conversation and roll toward the speech held by the Carja. Skip the cutscene and scan Olin. Mash through his and Erend's dialogue, then head to the side of the grand matriarch's house and jump over the river toward the blessing. Skip the cutscenes and jump over the river toward the lodgements for the proving runners.

Skip the 2 cutscenes and mash through Bast's dialogue. Roll backward to the bed and sleep, be careful not to speak to Vala.

Pause the proving cutscene immediately to pause the Loadless Time, then skip as soon as possible. Roll forward a few times and fire a blast bomb into the grazers, loot one and skip the cutscene. Roll forward again and repeat. After looting, RFS. Start rolling towards the trail. Optionally you can save 2 seconds by using the double Proving Fleur Skip. Skip the cutscene and take the zipline. Roll a few times and jump onto the middle of a tree sticking out of the side to clip through a death barrier. This is known as Tree Skip. Make your way to the save point and RFS, check the article or the video guides on how exactly to do this.

If you don't want to use tree skip, you can follow the intended trail.

Now, instead of taking the rappel point, turn left and sprint to drop down, don't jump. Jump up the metal devil arm and follow it, turn left when you can and jump across. Make your way up the mountain and trigger the proving fight cutscene. This is known as Proving Skip, check the article or video guides for how exactly to make your way up.

For the first phase of the fight, shoot the 4 Eclipse members. Once you've done this, drop two proximity bombs, one right before the centre of the ridge, one right above. Now skip the cutscene and shoot the remaining Eclipse members. Drop prox bombs at the spawn location of the Eclipse member with a Deathbringer gun. Shoot the remaining Eclipse members and loot the leader. Skip the cutscene, then pause the following cutscene as quickly as possible, and split.

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Corruptor

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Carja Border

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Meridian

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Excavation Site

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Ambush

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Maker's End

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Dig Site

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Camps

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Ring of Metal

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Grave-Hoard

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Eclipse Base

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Zero Dawn

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Siege

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Borderlands

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Gaia Prime

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Dervahl

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Helis

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Ridge Defence

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HADES

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Video Guides

In addition to the written guide, it can be very helpful to learn from video as well. Below are the current NG+ Story and NG+ UH world records, and a guide made by ImBeingIan. Note that the video guide from Ian may not be entirely up to date.

NG+ UH world record by everydayaussie:

NG+ UH world record by everydayaussie:

Ian's guide: