How a Subtle Clue in Horizon Forbidden West Set Up Its Most…

Summary

Horizon Forbidden West builds on heartbreak from Horizon Zero Dawn, with Rost's appearance foreshadowing a tragic sacrifice by Varl.
Varl becomes Aloy's close friend, mirroring Rost's fatherly guidance, but both tragically sacrifice themselves to save her life.
Rost's past as a Death Seeker adds depth to his character, highlighting how his appearance in times of danger could signal more losses in Aloy's future.

The Horizon franchise has a beautiful and well-crafted story with many heartbreaking moments, and the latest entry in the franchise, Horizon Forbidden West, was no exception. Horizon Forbidden West continues the brilliant story of Horizon Zero Dawn and sees Aloy rushing to save the world once again while learning to embrace the help of others.

Horizon Forbidden West’s narrative builds and improves upon the foundation that Horizon Zero Dawn left. However, with every great story, there are heartbreaking moments, and with Horizon Forbidden West, its most devastating moment may have been foreshadowed by the appearance of Rost, who sacrificed himself to save Aloy in Horizon Zero Dawn.

How Rost Foreshadows a Heartbreaking Moment in Horizon Forbidden West

Aloys Hallucination of Rost

In the first few missions of Horizon Forbidden West, Aloy comes across a backup for Gaia, and although she succeeds in acquiring the backup, things take a momentary disastrous turn as Aloy gets injured. During her moments of drifting in and out of consciousness, she sees Rost, her adopted father who died at the beginning of Horizon Zero Dawn, coming to her rescue. It is then revealed that it is Horizon Forbidden West's Varl who came to her rescue, thus setting a subtle yet devastating and bittersweet undertone to Varl’s story.

Varl and Rost are Both Important Figures in Aloy's Life

Growing up, Aloy didn’t have anyone in her life apart from Rost, who took her on as his adopted daughter and taught her all the skills she knows. Rost was Aloys’s father figure, but once he died, she was left alone. That is until she met Varl. The two of them slowly became friends, and once Aloy had earned his respect, he chose to help fight alongside her at the battle for Meridian and later joined her team to save the world.

In Horizon Forbidden West, Varl essentially plays a similar role to Rost, in which he helps guide Aloy. Not in the sense of teaching her new skills and abilities, but in the sense that he guides and teaches her that it is alright to ask for help, and that she doesn’t need to save the world on her own. While Rost played the role of Aloy’s father figure, Varl played the role of one of Aloy’s closest friends and confidants. Both were close to Aloy, and both tragically died for her.

Why Rost’s Appearance Hints at a Forthcoming Sacrifice

Varl and Rost Both Sacrifice Themselves to Save Aloy

There are two tragic and pivotal moments in Aloy’s life. First when Rost dies to save her life at the Proving early in Horizon Zero Dawn, and when Varl does the same and sacrifices himself to save Aloy from the Far Zenith member, Erik Visser. Both moments parallel each other in heartbreaking ways, especially since Rost and Varl both die to protect her from antagonists who want her dead. With Rost being the first to sacrifice himself and his presence in Horizon Forbidden West indirectly leading to Varl’s sacrifice, he could easily become a bad omen in future Horizon games.

Rost Was a Death Seeker

Before the events of Horizon Zero Dawn, Rost's wife and daughter were killed by raiders. This tragic moment in his life caused him to ask the Matriarchs of the Nora Tribe to allow him to become a Death Seeker, which would allow him to venture outside the Nora Lands and seek revenge on those who killed his family. Rost, being a Death Seeker in life, could give him the equivalent of the Grim Reaper in death, and thus be used as a plot device to foreshadow the death of important characters.

Rost Appearing While Aloy is in Danger Could be a Bad Omen in Horizon 3

Although Rost appeared in Horizon Forbidden West a few times, he appeared as a hologram when Aloy was reminiscing about him, so the fact that his only non-hologram appearance was in fact Varl could spell out a bad omen if it happened again. If Rost appears in Horizon 3, his very presence could easily spell out more loss in Aloys' life, especially if he appears in a scene with a pivotal character such as Horizon Forbidden West's Erend or Alva, or even in place of another character just like in Horizon Forbidden West, then it is very likely that more of Aloy’s friends could die.

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