Salmon skin is an important resource in Horizon Forbidden West that is used to upgrade Aloy’s carry capacity. Specifically, salmon skin is required to upgrade your light arrow quiver at workbenches. But where can you actually buy salmon skin in Forbidden West if you’re having trouble finding it in the wild?
In this guide. I’ll go over everything you need to know about getting your hands on salmon skin to upgrade your gear including
- What salmon skin is used for in Forbidden West
- Where to find salmon in the wild
- Vendors that sell salmon skin
- Farming salmon for easy salmon skin
- Tips for catching salmon
What is Salmon Skin Used For?
Before going over where to buy it, let’s quickly cover what salmon skin is actually used for in Horizon Forbidden West
As mentioned, salmon skin is primarily needed for upgrading your light arrow quiver at workbenches Specifically, you need 3 salmon skins to upgrade from the Light Quiver Level 2 to the Light Quiver Level 3. This increases the maximum number of light arrows you can carry
So if you’re looking to increase your maximum arrow capacity, you’ll need to get your hands on salmon skin. It’s also used in a few other recipes for resource satchels.
Where to Find Salmon in the Wild
The most direct way to get salmon skin is by hunting wild salmon. You can find salmon in lakes, rivers, and ponds, mostly in snowy mountain areas.
Some good places to look include:
- Along the rivers near the Bulwark
- In the lake east of The Embassy settlement
- Throughout Thornmarsh, especially near water
- Small rivers and streams in The Forbidden West
I recommend using your Focus to scan the water and highlight any nearby salmon. Then you can swim into the water and press Triangle to grab the salmon when close. Or shoot them with arrows from the shore.
Each salmon you catch has a chance to drop 0-1 salmon skin when looted. So you’ll likely need to catch a few to get the 3 needed for upgrades.
It may take 10-15 salmon catches to reliably get 3 skins. However, the cheapest way to get salmon skin in Forbidden West is to catch your own.
Vendors That Sell Salmon Skin
If hunting salmon isn’t your thing or you’re having poor luck, you can instead buy salmon skin from merchants. Here are the vendors that carry salmon skin for sale:
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***Rinth: **This shop is east of The Embassy and sells two salmon skins at a time. This is the earliest vendor where you can buy salmon skin.
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**Burgrend: **Found at The Bulwark, Burgrend sells salmon skin in batches of 3-5 skins. Great option once available.
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Herbalists: The herbalists at Scalding Spear, Forked Root, Fall’s Edge, and other settlements sell 1-2 salmon skin each.
I’d recommend checking the herbalists regularly as you travel between settlements to buy up any salmon skin in stock. Between all these merchants, you should be able to gather the 3+ skins needed. Expect to pay 50-100 shards per skin based on your bartering skills.
Farming Salmon for Easy Skins
Once you’ve unlocked the ability to override machines, you can use this to easily farm salmon for their skins and other loot.
The best technique is to override a Sunwing, fly it over rivers and lakes, and use it to spot salmon below. When you’ve marked all the salmon in an area, land and fast travel away to reset the spawns. Then return and repeat to quickly farm tons of salmon.
This is hands down the fastest way to get lots of salmon skin once you can override Sunwings. Just 15-20 minutes of farming can easily yield the 3+ skins you need. Be sure to use lots of Harvest Arrows while farming to get bonus loot from each kill.
Tips for Catching Your Own Salmon
If you want to hunt your own salmon, here are a few tips to have the most success:
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Use your Focus frequently to scan the water and highlight all salmon. This makes them much easier to spot.
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Swim into the water then press Triangle when close to a salmon to grab it. This is more reliable than shooting from shore.
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Shoot salmon with Tearblast Arrows to stun them and make them float to the surface. Then finish them off or grab them while stunned.
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Return to fishing spots after fast traveling away and resting to respawn more salmon.
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Equip the Forager skill to double the loot you get from gathering wildlife like salmon.
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Use Harvest Arrows for a chance at extra salmon skin from each kill.
Crafting[]
This resource is needed to craft the following items:
Where to Find Salmon – Horizon Forbidden West (Salmon Location)
FAQ
Where do you get salmon skin in Forbidden West?
Where to farm salmon horizon?
Where can I find salmon bones?
Where can I find salmon in Horizon forbidden west?
Horizon Forbidden West is full of crafting resources that are scattered around the map, and Salmon is just one of the many such resources that players will eventually need to find. Considering how many items are placed in the open world, it can be hard to tell where each is found.
Where can I find salmon skin & bones?
But if you want salmon skin and bones, you’ll need to find and catch salmon, and they’re not as common as you might hope. You won’t find them leaping upstream along every stretch of mountain river in the game, although the northern, mountainous regions of the map are the best place to start looking.
What if I can’t find an animal in Horizon forbidden west?
If you can’t find an animal’s remains, go into focus mode. All animal carcasses will be highlighted with a purple triangle, meaning you can find your fallen prey quickly. When you’re ready to embark on a hunt, here’s every animal in Horizon Forbidden West, its location and what resources you’ll gather upon defeating them.
What fish should I start hunting for in Horizon forbidden west?
Salmon will likely be the first fish that you need to start hunting for in Horizon: Forbidden West. They present a new type of challenge as it is not that easy to shoot fish that are deeper in the water.