Survey Drones are one of the many collectibles in Horizon Zero Dawn. They involve chasing down a drone that is flying through the sky on a predetermined path, before jumping onto it, pulling it down to the ground and then collecting its module. And, if you complete all of the Horizon Forbidden West Survey Drone locations, you will get a nice reward at the end!
When hunting these Survey Drones, you can use your focus to tag it and highlight its flight path, allowing you to keep track of it, or find the best point to jump to it from. They do come towards a piece of land or a cliff a few times on their flight path, allowing you to grab hold of it and collect its precious loot.
It isn’t a particularly tricky challenge, like the “chase” type of collectibles you have seen in other games, thankfully. Continue reading for an overview of the Horizon Forbidden West Survey Drone locations.
Horizon Forbidden West Survey Drone locations
There are 10 Horizon Forbidden West Survey Drones locations and they can be found in No Man’s Land, Plainsong, The Dry Yearn, The Greenswell, The Stillsands, Thornmash, The Graypeak, Stand of the Sentinels, The Sheerside Mountains, and Isle of Spires.
- Survey Drone: No Man’s Land
- Survey Drone: Plainsong
- Survey Drone: The Dry Yearn
- Survey Drone: The Greenswell
- Survey Drone: The Stillsands
- Survey Drone: Thornmash
- Survey Drone: The Graypeak
- Survey Drone: Stand of the Sentinels
- Survey Drone: The Sheerside Mountains
- Survey Drone: Isle Of Spires
SURVEY DRONE: No Man’s Land
The first Survey Drone can be found at the Thunderjaw Site in the drylands in the eastern section of the map. Climb to the top of the tallest mountain to jump to the survey drone from there.
SURVEY DRONE: Plainsong
The next Survey Drone can be found in Plainsong, in the north-east. You can jump to it from the ruins and rocks nearby.
SURVEY DRONE: The Dry Yearn
To the west of Plainsong, you can find this Horizon Forbidden West Survey Drone along the path leading to the central-northern part of the map. Here you will find a metal ramp on a hill where you can jump to it.
SURVEY DRONE: The Greenswell
Exactly north of the last drone, you can find another one, right on the border of the map. It is best to use a flying mount to get to this one, which is unlocked during the main story.
SURVEY DRONE: The Stillsands
This drone can be found flying at the top of the tower ruins in the Stillsands section of the map in the south. Climb up to reach the drone.
SURVEY DRONE: Thornmarsh
In the far west of the map, on the coastline, you can find this drone. Use a flying mount you get late in the game to fly to the broken tree. Jump off and use your Grappleshot to pull yourself to the tree. From here you can jump to and complete the sixth Horizon Forbidden West Survey Drone location.
SURVEY DRONE: The Graypeak
The next survey drone can be found at the Graypeak in the southern part of the snowy mountains in the west of the map. Climb up the hill just to the north and use your Shieldwing to glide to the drone or jump to it from the rock.
Survey Drone: Stand Of The Sentinels
This drone can be found just west of the last one, within the trees resting along the shoreline. Make your way up to the platforms in the trees by climbing up a fallen tree and then jump or use your Shieldwing to launch jump onto the drone and collect its module.
SURVEY DRONE: The Sheerside Mountains
The ninth drone can be found in the north of the snowy mountains in the west of the map. The drone will reach a low point in its path, which is your cue to use the wooden ramp and Shieldwing to jump to it.
SURVEY DRONE: Isle Of Spires
Finally, the last Horizon Forbidden West Survey Drone is on the island in the far west of the map. It can easily be jumped onto from the yellow pole at the top of the building on the island.
That covers all the Horizon Forbidden West Survey Drone locations. For more help completing activities, check out our guide on the Cauldron locations scattered around the game’s open world.