Horizon Forbidden West: How to Clear Red Crystals

Horizon Forbidden West has many obstacles that players will encounter, but red Firegleam crystals are some of the earliest annoyances that show up during the main story of the game. They don’t appear in main quests until later in the game, but if you’re exploring the Forbidden West and focusing on side content like Relic Ruins and other optional activities, you’ll run into them sooner or later. When you come across them Aloy will mention that she doesn’t have the equipment necessary to take care of them yet, so how do you get rid of red Firegleam crystals in Horizon Forbidden West.

How to Destroy Red Crystals in Horizon Forbidden West

In order to destroy the red crystals in Horizon Forbidden West, you need special equipment that is unlocked later in the game. The necessary tool is called the Igniter, and it is unlocked automatically as a part of the main story quest called Death’s Door. This is the fifth overall mission in Horizon Forbidden West, so you will get access to the Igniter very early in the game.

Once you have the Igniter in your possession, you can destroy red Firegleam crystals by approaching them and holding the R2 button. Aloy will then use the Igniter attached to her spear to blow them up, granting you passage into new areas. Firegleam shows up much more frequently after completing the Death’s Door quest, so get used to using your spear to ignite it.

Thankfully, there are very few instances where Firegleam shows up before the Death’s Door quest. There are still a few notable exceptions though, such as the Relic Ruins in No Man’s Land. If you come across red Firegleam crystals during a side quest or optional activity, simply return later after acquiring the Igniter. Again, it is unlocked during the fifth main story quest, so you won’t have to progress too far in the game to obtain it.

Horizon Forbidden West is available now on PS4 and PS5.