Main Story Dependence

[clumsy_catbird]

What I'd like to know is how dependant completing the main story is on completing side quests.
Can we complete the main story by levelling up on it's own?
or
Do we need to complete many side quests to level up enough to complete the main story?

Thanks in advance

[Eye of Newt]

One achievement you can get does depend on a few side quests being completed. For the most part though you can just blow through the main quests without touching any side quests, though missing the Lodge storyline will bypass a really interesting character Aloy gets to know.

(as for the main thing this extends to the Frozen Wilds. You can do the "main" FW storyline without having to do e.g. Deep Din or suchlike.)

[Bird_Dog]

You don't NEED to do side quests.
And while some sidequests may feel like busywork (the hunting grounds doo feel like a tacked-on challenge mode and can be a bit tedious), skipping most of them does mean ignoring a lot of content. Some of it quite good an fun.
Plus you will fache the end game with more skills and better gear, making the boss fight a lot less annoying.

[countgrey]

You can skip all of the side quests and still beat the game, but there are a few things to keep in mind:

1) Towards the end of the main quest line, a bunch of allies you've previously helped will show up to help you fight some enemies. Many of these allies are from side quests, so if you don't do the side quests then they won't show up to help you fight, which makes that main quest harder for you.

2) On higher difficulties gear costs more, the enemies are smarter/more aggressive and do more damage, and your weapons do less damage. As such, the XP and Skill Points you get from side quests is a huge boost to your survivability and your combat capabilities.

3) The best gear in the game require are not given to you as part of a main quest. Instead, you have to deliberately go to the DLC area (the Banuk territory) and collect materials to exchange for the top tier gear. Many side quests in the DLC area also reward you with more of the materials you need to get the top tier weapons and armor. The Hunter's Lodge trials side quests also rewards you with a really good weapon as well, so they're worth doing. Plus, the Hunter's Lodge trials also teach you how to use various strategies and weapons more effectively, so they're worth doing.

4) Finally, you miss out on a lot of content that fleshes out the world. Lots of lore, locations, and NPCs that help make the game great are part of side quests. Skipping those is of course up to you, but you would be having a subpar game experience if you did so.

[clumsy_catbird]

Thanks Eye of Newt, Bird_Dog and countgrey, you've each been a lot of help here.

This sounds exactly what I'm looking for in an RPG atm. I like to push ahead a little on the main story to learn then start all over - I'm in no rush. On each play through expand out on side quests to pick out the things I think I'll need

[Eye of Newt]

Originally posted by clumsy_catbird:

Thanks Eye of Newt, Bird_Dog and countgrey, you've each been a lot of help here.

This sounds exactly what I'm looking for in an RPG atm. I like to push ahead a little on the main story to learn then start all over - I'm in no rush. On each play through expand out on side quests to pick out the things I think I'll need

You'll be in for a treat when you go back and do the side quests. The extra worldbuilding really adds depth to the "universe" of Horizon Zero Dawn in a way the main missions won't really be able to give because they're designed to pull you along the storyline, especially once you hit Maker's End and it shifts into high gear.