Horizon Forbidden West Guide | How To Farm Metal Shards Early

In Horizon Forbidden West, Metal Shards are the in-game currency required for purchasing items from merchants. This guide will explain how to accumulate a large amount of metal shards early in the game.

As you progress through the story, you’ll reach a location called Baron Light. This area isn’t far from the starting point of the game and serves as the primary connection between the first and second regions.

Once you arrive, you’ll find merchants, a campfire, and several side quests. Begin by taking on a side quest involving a prisoner, which, upon completion, unlocks another side quest titled "Shadow in the West."

This quest involves a lengthy journey, but you can speed it up by overriding a machine to use as a mount. Along the way, I suggest activating as many campfires as possible to enable more fast travel points. When you reach the main camp during this quest, clear out the machines and humans stationed there.

Afterward, a cutscene will play, followed by a ladder being lowered for you. Climb the ladder, navigate through the camp, and upon turning a corner, you’ll encounter an enemy. Defeating this enemy grants access to a chest containing a key item: The Whisper Bow.

The Whisper Bow is essential for this method. After finishing the quest, return to Baron Light, which will now allow you to trade with the merchant. To simplify the process, stash all your weapons except the Whisper Bow to avoid accidentally selling your gear.

Now, speak to the Weapon Merchant at Baron Light. There’s a glitch in the game (as of now) that lets you sell the Whisper Bow to the merchant for 250 metal shards and then buy it back—not through the "Buyback" option but directly from the "Buy" section—for just 49 shards. This will yield a profit of 101 metal shards per cycle. Now, repeat the following cycle: sell the bow, re-buy it, and sell it back. You should be able to do this about ten or so times per minute, making about 60,000 shards per hour this way.

While this can get a little tedious, this is a good way to stockpile shards in the early game. More efficient methods of farming unlock as you advance, but this is an ideal approach if you haven't advanced too far.

Also, check out our Horizon Forbidden West Review.