Try our affiliated browser extension - redirect to BreezeWiki automatically!

The Legacy

"The Legacy. The truth. It is in the darkness and the lost places, among the ancient ashes and the bones of the before, that it lies waiting."
―Alva

The Legacy is the term used by the Quen tribe for any and all knowledge and data recovered from the Old Ones.

Overview

The Legacy refers to any information or data from the Old Ones, all that is not "Lost" or "Forbidden". This knowledge and the search for it is a cornerstone of Quen society, driving their rapid technological advancement and comparatively robust knowledge of the ancient world, and to defend it from the ignorant and envious. The Legacy is accessed via Focuses,[1] and as such consists mainly of recovered data viewable only through such devices.

The critical flaw in the Quen's pursuit of data from the Old Ones is, rather ironically, the tools that allow them to access it. Most observed Focuses within the Quen's possession are early models which are mostly only capable of reading files created before the late 2040s[2]/mid-2050s due to a format change,[3] with very little data after this point being accessible.[note 1][4] Data that is unreadable or corrupted is dubbed by the Quen as "Lost". From this incomplete knowledge, the Quen have developed a skewed understanding of the past. The only known Quen with more updated Focuses are Alva (who was given one by Aloy's friends), Bohai (who was given one by Alva[5]), and Seyka (who had her Focus updated by Aloy[6]).

Beyond this limitation, the authoritarian Quen society strictly control the dissemination of information from the Legacy,[1] at least ostensibly to prevent knowledge from falling into enemy hands and being used against the Empire. The Legacy is only permitted to be viewed in its totality by Overseers, with Diviners being allowed access to segments of the Legacy for research and study in order to seek out the truth in the Legacy, with sharing data requiring permission from the Overseers. Information perceived by the Board of Overseers as detrimental to the Empire's stability (such as that Ted Faro caused the end of the world) is known as "Forbidden" and is kept out of reach to all but the Overseers.[2]

Even before meeting Aloy, Alva admits that the Quen have been known to misinterpret the Legacy.[1]

Data in the Legacy

Ancestors and Assistants

The "Ancestors" are those whom the Quen consider to be the greatest of the Old Ones, primarily for their contributions in certain fields that have helped their tribe advance.[2] Ancestors are immortalized as paragons of virtue.[7] An "Assistant" is effectively a lesser Ancestor, having either made minor contributions or worked extensively under an Ancestor.[2]

Known Ancestors

  • The Healer, Song Jiao
    • Jiao is revered as one who defied illness and death,[8] having found new ways to extend the Ancestors' lifespans.[9] Data from her was used to help the Quen push past their physical restraints and live in vigor.[8]
  • The Patron, Peter Tshivhumbe
    • Tshivhumbe, known for his advocation for transcendence in humanity, is seen as a patron of unity.[8]
  • The Protector, Erik Visser
    • Visser is seen as a patron of strength in uncertain times. Data pertaining to him allowed for breakthroughs in Quen weaponry and military tactics,[2] allowing the tribe to dominate their enemies,[8] conquer, expand and become the Empire they are today. For these reasons, Erik Visser is one of the most revered Ancestors. However, Alva notes that Erik in the present day is even more ruthless than the Quen ever imagined him to be.[2]
  • The Renewer, Ted Faro
    • Faro is considered by many to be the greatest of the Ancestors. This stems from Faro Automated Solutions' role in the Clawback decade of the 2040s, being dubbed as the man who saved the world.[10]
    • The honorific title of Ceo is given to those who wield the Legacy for the good of the Empire, a living embodiment of Ted Faro.[2]
  • The Spark, Nikhita Arand
    • Credited as the Ancestor that gave rise to the Quen Empire, the Legacy claims that she brought unlimited energy to the Old Ones,[9] with this data being used to allow the Quen to overcome stagnation and to live in abundance.[8]
  • Eileen Sasaki
    • Sasaki is revered by the Quen for her work on Leviathan, a flood control system constructed in the Great Delta.[7] A lot of data about Sasaki was recovered while Diviners spent years trying to figure out how to restore Leviathan.[7]
  • Walter Londra[11]

Known Assistants

  • Elisabet Sobeck
    • Sobeck is considered an “Assistant” that helped the Ancestors cast aside all obstacles,[12] working closely with Ted Faro as his harbinger and that they had a trusting relationship,[10] as most records of her pertain to her time at Faro Automated Solutions. They believe that with Sobeck, there is always a way.[12]

Other Data

Other data within the Legacy recovered by the Quen reveals to them:

  • how to cross the ocean.[1]
  • how to hold flood waters back.[1]
  • information about agriculture,[1] science and arts.[2]
  • the existence of Atbay Global Infrastructure, including its month and year of being founded, the H2Flow, the Dragonfly-6, and about a piece of art commissioned in honor of the company's 25th anniversary.[7]
  • the existence of avocados, and that they were coveted by the Ancestors, many foregoing a roof over their heads to eat them.[13]
  • the existence of chocolate, including how to make it.[13]
  • the existence of dinosaurs.[14]
  • the existence of foot baths, although they haven't been able to be replicated by the Quen.[12]
  • the existence of Omuramba, including that it was a predecessor of Leviathan designed to manipulate floods to bring life to a barren desert.[7]
  • the existence of prosthetic limbs, although they haven't been able to be replicated by the Quen.[15]
  • the existence of San Francisco, including that it was a place of great importance to the Ancestors,[1] with many of the most important Ancestors, including Ted Faro, spending a lot of time there,[2] as well as it being the location of Atbay Headquarters, although not its exact location.[7]
  • the existence of Sirius.[9]
  • the existence of the Larsen-McCorry Award, and that Eileen Sasaki won it at age 40 for her work on Leviathan.[7]
  • the existence of the Old World having many languages besides English.[16]
  • the existence of the Time of Ashes, including that it was when the Ancestors were wiped out, but most of the data about it is Lost or Forbidden,[1] with Admiral Gerrit comparing a Horus awakening to the Time of Ashes coming again,[17] although Alva mentions that she doesn't know how it occured.[1]
  • the existence of volcanoes.[14]
  • the Old World Gregorian calendar.[7]
  • that artificial beings served the Ancestors.[2]
  • that other tribes only mean them harm, and that the same will be true across the Great Ocean.[1]
  • that the Old Ones had achieved space travel[18] and had made it to the moon, with the Quen theorizing that some had settled on it.[9]

Data Not in the Legacy

Due to corruption, unreadability or simply not having been recovered by the Quen, much data isn't within the Legacy, including but not limited to:

Despite being listed here, data about the above topics may be within the Legacy but unknown to those who have indicated that it isn't, or have been added to the Legacy during the events of Horizon Forbidden West.

References

  1. ↑ 1.00 1.01 1.02 1.03 1.04 1.05 1.06 1.07 1.08 1.09 1.10 1.11 As mentioned by Alva during Seeds of the Past.
  2. ↑ 2.00 2.01 2.02 2.03 2.04 2.05 2.06 2.07 2.08 2.09 2.10 As mentioned by Alva after completing Faro's Tomb.
  3. ↑ As mentioned by Aloy during Seeds of the Past.
  4. ↑ As revealed by the Quen's vague understanding of the Time of Ashes.
  5. ↑ As mentioned by Alva after completing Singularity.
  6. ↑ Heaven and Earth
  7. ↑ 7.00 7.01 7.02 7.03 7.04 7.05 7.06 7.07 7.08 7.09 7.10 As mentioned by Alva during Forbidden Legacy.
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 8.3 8.4 Ancestor Primer
  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 9.3 As mentioned by Alva during/after completing GEMINI.
  10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 As mentioned by the Ceo during Faro's Tomb.
  11. ↑ As mentioned by Otosu during The Stars in Their Eyes.
  12. ↑ 12.0 12.1 12.2 12.3 As mentioned by Bohai during Faro's Tomb.
  13. ↑ 13.0 13.1 Page 171 of The Official Horizon Cookbook: Tastes of the Seven Tribes.
  14. ↑ 14.0 14.1 14.2 14.3 14.4 14.5 As mentioned by Seyka during For His Amusement.
  15. ↑ As mentioned by Alva after completing What Was Lost.
  16. ↑ Common Language?
  17. ↑ As mentioned by Admiral Gerrit during His Final Act.
  18. ↑ As mentioned by Seyka during Heaven and Earth.
  19. ↑ As mentioned by Nirik during Forbidden Legacy.
  20. ↑ As mentioned by Alva after completing All That Remains.
  21. ↑ Forbidden Legacy
  22. ↑ Faro's Tomb
  23. ↑ As mentioned by Seyka during The Stars in Their Eyes.

Notes

  1. ↑ During Faro's Tomb, Bohai notes that Alva (before receiving a new Focus) was able to recover data about Thebes, which began construction during 2064.