You’re flying across the No Man’s Land, feeling pretty good about your loadout, when the sky suddenly turns a nasty shade of blue-white. Then comes the screech. If you’ve played enough Horizon Forbidden West, you know that sound. It’s the Stormbird. These giant, electrified monstrosities are easily some of the most frustrating—yet rewarding—fights in the game. But honestly? Finding them is sometimes harder than actually killing them.
Because the map is massive, and Guerilla Games didn't exactly put a giant neon sign over every nest, you're going to spend a lot of time wandering if you don't know exactly where to look. Most players just need that one Stormbird Cannon to upgrade their legendary gear, but they end up fast-traveling in circles. Let’s fix that.
The Most Reliable Stormbird Locations in Forbidden West
If you want a guaranteed scrap, you have to head West. Way West.
The most iconic and reliable spot is sitting right on the coast, north of Landfall. If you’ve reached the Isle of Spires, you basically can't miss it. There is a specific beach area where a Stormbird likes to circle a cluster of ruined skyscrapers. It’s a cinematic fight, sure, but it’s also a tactical nightmare because of the lack of cover. You’re basically out in the open, dodging lightning strikes while trying to line up a tear precision arrow on its chest.
Why do people come here? Easy. It’s right next to a campfire. You can farm this thing, save, restart, and do it all over again until you have enough Stormbird Storm Cannons to satisfy every upgrade requirement at the Base.
But maybe you aren't that far in the story yet.
There is another one. It’s tucked away in the mountains, specifically the Stillsands region, but a bit further north into the snowy peaks. You’ll find a Stormbird site high up on a mountain cliff near a Slaughterspine site. This is a "dual-threat" zone. It's dangerous. If you pull both, you're basically dead unless you’re playing on Story difficulty. But if you’re careful, you can pick off the bird solo.
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The Hidden High-Altitude Sites
There are a few "unmarked" or quest-specific spots that catch people off guard. One of the most famous—or infamous—is the one guarding the Tideripper near the bridge in the south. You might not see a Stormbird icon there on the map initially, but trust me, it’s watching.
Then there’s the one near the Bulwark. Actually, it’s more accurately described as being "on the way" to the clouds. There’s a high mountain peak where a Stormbird perches, and unless you have the Sunwing mount already, getting to it is a genuine mountaineering expedition. Honestly, don't even bother trying to climb up there for a fight until you can fly. It’s a waste of health potions.
Why Finding Them is Only Half the Battle
You found the bird. Great. Now you have to actually loot the thing.
The biggest mistake I see? People just spamming explosive spikes. Stop doing that. If you destroy the Stormbird Cannon—that glowing component on its chest—you get nothing. Zero. The part is destroyed upon death if it isn't detached first. You need that component for almost every high-level hunter bow upgrade in the game.
To get it, you need high Tear damage. Use a Sharpshot bow with Precision Tear arrows. Aim for the chest. Once that component pops off and hits the dirt, then you can go ham with the frost bombs and boltblasters.
- Pro Tip: Use the environment. In the Isle of Spires location, there are rusted beams you can hide under. The Stormbird’s diving attack is blocked by solid geometry, but its shock waves can still clip you if you’re too close to the edges.
- The Element Swap: Stormbirds are naturally resistant to Shock (obviously) but they absolutely hate Acid and Plasma. If you can proc the Drenched state first, you can even bypass some of their elemental defenses, though Frost remains the king for physical damage multipliers.
The "Secret" Mountain Top Stormbird
Okay, let's talk about the one everyone misses.
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Northwest of The Memorial Grove, way up in the mountains, there’s a snowy plateau. It doesn't always show up as an active site until you’re practically on top of it. This is arguably the toughest fight because the terrain is uneven. Aloy spends half the time stumbling over rocks while the bird is rainin' down lightning from a clear sky.
If you're hunting for the "Apex" variant, this is a prime spot. Apex Stormbirds usually start spawning more frequently at night once you’ve killed a few regular ones. Their armor is darker, their health pool is disgusting, and their lightning attacks do roughly double the chip damage. If you’re at this location at midnight, bring some Cleansing Potions. You're gonna get shocked. It's inevitable.
Dealing With the "No-Spawn" Glitch
Sometimes you go to a Stormbird location in Forbidden West and... nothing. The sky is empty. The music is peaceful. It's annoying.
This usually happens because of the game's encounter timer or a literal bug in the world state. Don't just stand there waiting. Fast travel to a shelter that is at least two "regions" away. Sit by the fire. Advance the time from Day to Night (or vice versa). This usually forces the game to reload the machine spawns for that cell. If that fails, restart your console. It sounds like "tech support 101" advice, but Forbidden West has a memory leak issue that can occasionally stop heavy machines from spawning if the session has been running for six hours straight.
The Loot: What You're Actually After
Let’s be real. You aren't hunting these things for fun. You’re hunting them because you want the Pristine Weapon Core or the Stormbird Primary Nerve.
The Stormbird is the only source for the Storm Cannon, which is a required ingredient for the Death-Seeker’s Shadow (one of the best bows in the game) and the Sky-Killer spike thrower. If you’re trying to max out your legendary gear before hitting the final mission or diving into the Burning Shores DLC, you’re going to need at least five or six of these cannons.
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Final Strategic Prep
Don't go in hot-headed.
- Check your outfit. If you're wearing armor with -10 Shock resistance, you’re going to get one-shot by the diving thunder-slam.
- Equip the Oseram Artificer or the Nora Thunder Warrior.
- Slot in some Shock Defense weaves.
The fight is a rhythm. The bird circles, it dives, it fires three orbs of electricity, and then it perches. The perch is your window. If you can hit it with a Ropecaster while it’s on the ground, you can tie it down and strip every single wing-plate and the cannon before it even gets back into the air.
Honestly, the Ropecaster is the "cheat code" for Stormbirds. A lot of players stopped using them because they got nerfed from the first game, but the Elite Ropecaster is still a beast. Use it. Save yourself the headache.
Next Steps for the Hunt:
Check your map for the Isle of Spires and look for the skyscraper ruins on the far west coast. If you haven't unlocked the Sunwing mount yet, prioritize the "The Wings of the Ten" main quest first; it makes reaching the high-altitude mountain sites ten times faster. Once you're there, focus exclusively on the chest component with Tear-heavy arrows to ensure you don't waste the kill. If the Apex version isn't showing up, toggle the time to night at a nearby shelter and clear out any smaller machines in the immediate area to reset the spawn table.