Horizon Forbidden West Burning Shores Guide – How To Gain XP And Level Up Fast

A year after the release of Horizon Forbidden West, the Burning Shores DLC is out now and exclusive to the PS5. With the setting now shifting to Los Angeles City and Hollywood, the DLC boasts 5 new main quests, 3 side quests, and 18 Skills requiring 72 Skill Points to unlock. Attaining the Level 60 cap is going to take some work, so here’s how you can gain XP and level up quickly.

Accept any and every side quest

As in the base game, XP is earned by completing quests, both main and side, as well as for particular actions performed. Leveling up will grant additional HP and Skill Points. Every quest will inform you exactly how much XP you can earn from completion, from within the quest menu; also detailed are Skill Points to be gained and related bonuses.

While it is perfectly viable to stick to the main quests in order to finish the game, this will not be sufficient to unlock all Skills. Some side quests can and will grant you almost as much XP as main quests, in addition to 2-3 Skill Points.

The XP and Skill Point amounts are hard-coded however, and do not scale to your current level or even to the difficulty level. On the other hand, XP requirements do get higher and higher per level–so it is recommended that you do the side quests as and when they are unlocked, rather than skipping them in the singular pursuit of the main questline and then doubling back to complete them later.

Run errands, salvage, and Rebel Camps/Outposts

While rendering far less XP than side quests, these open world tasks are also much easier to accomplish and offer a quick XP boost, as well as 3 Skill Points per rebel camp rousting.

Complete Cauldrons and Relic Ruins activities

With the absence of Tallnecks in the Burning Shores DLC, Cauldrons and Relics are the two remaining viable sources for experience points. Their relative scarcity and locations being so dispersed, makes them a distant third option however.

Fighting Machines

Merely combatting machines, whether in the open world or through Arena and Hunting Ground challenges, will net you several thousand XP depending on the toughness of the machine taken on, with Dreadwings and Tiderippers being particularly valuable.

Enjoy your jaunt through the ruins of Hollywood!