In Horizon Forbidden West, Eloy will face new challenges, so she goes to the Forbidden West to investigate a strange red disease that threatens to destroy nature and lead to starvation. Throughout her journey, she makes many new friends, including Zo, the gravedigger Utara, Kotallo, a former Celestial Tenact, and Beta, a quiet girl from the far corners of space. At first glance, Eloy and Beta should get along well with each other, because they have similar backgrounds, and they even had comparable life experiences. However, as players learn, meetings between Ela and Beta often lead to misunderstandings and quarrels, and sometimes it seems that Ela is a little insensitive to Beta.
Beta and Eloy’s relationship is interesting because women represent two sides of the great scientist Dr. Elizabeth Sobek. In addition, they show that sometimes, although people may have similar goals, their different temperaments can cause friction. Fortunately, no matter how controversial the relationship between Ela and Beta is in Horizon Forbidden West, the two can put their differences aside when it matters most.
Eloy and Beta are two sides of the same coin
Eloy is no ordinary warrior. She is a clone of Elizabeth, and she was brought to life by GAIA, an artificial intelligence program that Elizabeth creates to save life on Earth from a terrible catastrophe caused by the Faro plague. GAIA expects Eloy to be raised by the Nora tribe when they discover her, but instead, out of fear, they avoid Eloy, leaving her to be raised by an outcast named Rost. Although Rost is a loving father to Eloy, she still has to deal with the pain of being an outcast and being mistreated by Nora. Despite a difficult childhood, Eloy unshakably believes in himself and never hesitates to do the right thing.
In Horizon Zero Dawn, Eloy learns the truth about her origins, and although she initially has conflicting feelings about it, she eventually realizes that being a clone of Elizabeth involves many responsibilities, and that, in a very big sense, the fate of life on Earth may depend on her. Fortunately, she finds friends who help her along the way, including Erenda, a drunkard but with a heart of gold, and Talana, who defies the norms and becomes the first woman to enter the House of Hunters of Karh. In Horizon Forbidden West, Eloy continues his journey, but meets a curious character named Beta.
Like Eloy, Beta is a clone of Elizabeth, although she was created by Distant Zenith, not GAIA. The Distant Zeniths are a group of people who left Earth during the disaster caused by the Faro plague, and they formed a colony on Sirius. However, after their colony collapses, they return to Earth, trying to get GAIA back and use her to populate their colony. To gain access to the Zero Dawn GAIA terraforming system, they need Elizabeth’s genetic code, so a Beta was created. The Distant Zeniths neglect Beta, considering her nothing more than a tool, although Tilda van der Meer sometimes talks to her.
Eloy and Beta are similar in many ways, and the most obvious of them is their identical genetics. They also both suffer from unpleasant early life experiences and lack a sense of belonging. However, their reaction to adversity is completely different. Eloy perceives difficulties as a challenge, and this encourages her to make efforts, while Beta is overwhelmed by difficulties, developing extreme anxiety and a defeatist attitude.
Small differences have a big effect
The paths of Eloy and Beta intersect when the Distant Zeniths land on Earth. After seeing the cruel treatment of Distant Zeniths with people, she is looking for a way to escape, and Eloy offers it to her. The two agree to help each other stop the Distant Zeniths, and Beta shares everything he knows with Ela. Since they are both Elizabeth clones, they should be a dream team, but they are not. Often Eloy and Beta do not see eye to eye, and Eloy is constantly annoyed by Beta’s pessimism. On the contrary, Beta is seized with anxiety and panics when she realizes that Eloy and her friends have not made as much progress as she would like.
The central point of their conflict lies in their reaction to adversity, and because of this they deviate in different directions regardless of whether they share a common goal. Eloy is always optimistic, and the difficulties she faces give her the opportunity to move on. It shouldn’t be unexpected, because Elizabeth was the same. However, Beta feels overwhelmed by problems, and fear cripples her, leading to panic and pessimism. In many ways, she captures Elizabeth’s more emotional side and the part of her that knew that GAIA had to be self-aware if she wanted to be effective.
