How to complete Cauldron: Mu in Horizon Forbidden West

Screenshot by Gamepur

Cauldron: Mu is likely the first Cauldron you’ll stumble across in Horizon Forbidden West. It’s located in No Man’s Land, to the right of the main path through the region. Cauldrons are places that you can explore to acquire the ability to override new machines, but you’ll need to face challenging machines and puzzles to do so. This guide explains how to complete Cauldron: Mu so you can get the first one under your belt.

Descend and kill machines quietly

Screenshot by Gamepur

As you enter the Cauldron, you’ll need to ride a couple of wires down into its center. When you drop down, you’ll see a few machines patrolling the area. Take these out as stealthily as possible because they can make life incredibly difficult in the Cauldron’s tight spaces.

Override interfaces to create bridges

Screenshot by Gamepur

At times, you’ll come across platforms where your path forward seems to end. Look for red override points that you can interact with. By overriding these, you’ll create bridges of wires that open up a path forward. Keep an eye out for paths to either side, though, because these always contain loot that’s worth picking up.

Use the mechanical arms as bridges

Screenshot by Gamepur

As you move deeper into the Cauldron, you’ll come across huge mechanical arms building various parts for machines. You can jump onto the hands of these arms and even walk along some of them to open up a new path. You’ll need to do this a lot towards the end of the Cauldron, so keep an eye out for vent flaps that you can grab onto and climb up to progress.

Use acid to fight the Shell-Walker

Screenshot by Gamepur

A Shell-Walker guards the path close to the final room in the Cauldron. You can sneak past it using steam from the nearby vents, but it’s more rewarding to battle it and claim some loot from its container. Using acid will make light work of the machine. It’s also worth aiming for its hands and the coupling holding its container to get some bonus damage from tearing off parts.

Ride the hovering machines horizon forbidden west

Screenshot by Gamepur

There are two points in this Cauldron where you’ll need to climb up to a point and jump onto the hovering machines moving parts throughout the facility. Look for a path upward and follow it to reach them. Then, hold onto them until you get to the electrical barrier, at which point you should drop off to avoid getting hurt.

Kill the Widemaws

Screenshot by Gamepur

The final room in the Cauldron holds one Widemaw that you can see. Once you interact with the override point, it will drop down, and you’ll need to fight it. Shortly after you start to battle the Widemaw, a second one will join the fight. You need to defeat both machines to complete the Cauldron. These machines have a weak point at the back of their throat that you can hit when they perform their vacuum attack. You can also tear off the containers on their backs to deal damage.

When you’ve killed both Widemaws, interact with the final override point to unlock the ability to override Burrowers, Scroungers, Grazers, Scrappers, Fanghorns, and Widemaws. You’ll have the opportunity to override a Scrapper as soon as you leave the Cauldron.