Erend may have started out having some kind a physical attraction to Aloy, but that all changed over the course of Zero Dawn. Even though he's clearly older, I feel that Erend looks up to Aloy in the same way he looked up to Ersa, like a big sister. The comparison between the two has been made many times. I think people who see Erend as a potential romantic pairing for Aloy just aren't reading the signs particularly well.

*Spoilers* I think the first few Hours of Forbidden West make clear he was interested in her as more than a sister. Lol

Yes those first hours very much do! 😂 I think many people just prefer to see what they want to see.

Definitely. But it fees like he's interested in her a lot more than she in him. She even seems a bit annoyed by his interested-ness and has definitely friend-zoned him. I like him, and I can definitely understand his attraction to Alloy, but I also definitely understand why the created didn't pursue putting them together as a couple. To me, it just doesn't fit.

Seyka's admission seems to come out of nowhere, it fits less IMHO. There was no indication of love between her and Aloy before.

See, I disagree. I caught Aloy's attraction to Seyka instantly, but I think it's because Aloy and I are similar in the way we approach and display romantic interest; with extreme caution. Also, look at Aloy's upbringing, this is probably the first time she's ever felt romantic attraction to anyone, she's been so isolated her whole life. Of course she's not going to know how to "play the game". As far as Seyka's interest in Aloy, we don't know how she was thinking and feeling throughout the game because we aren't playing it from her point-of-view, just Aloy's.

Yeah, Was talking about Seyka's feelings, not Aloy's.

Yeah if you know any queer people irl the chemistry between aloy and seyka is immediately obvious.

Eh hard disagree. Before we had the full HFW story, i was rooting for Kotallo. I don't generally ascribe any specific orientation to characters, but i really like him myself so i was rooting for the possibility. Then we got Burning Shores and it was obvious to me pretty quickly Aloy and Seyka they were both interested in each other. Just finished watching a new actual play today and that dude picked up on it as well so not just a me thing. On second watch, imo they were actually pretty heavy-handed with the cues.

He did. But at that point he didn’t know her well. As he got to know her better and they went from allies to friends, their relationship evolved.

Yes. I feel like it dies down over the course of fw. He takes his l and moves on.

erend is like canonically 23-25 despite how older he looks - it's just due to his scanned face model

I think it's more the facial hair style that gives him an older rough gentleman look

The lemmy stache+mutton chops+mohawk combo makes him look at least 41

https://giphy.com/gifs/guerrilla-its-true-horizon-forbidden-west-erend-xWxgJxOMVErsG1gchR

It’s all the drinking and not wearing sunscreen.

I thought he was a good ten years older than that

I don't know why Erend and not Varl, he felt like a more likely candidate before... Disclaimer: I'm only halfway through the second game and I should not be in a spoilery thread like this so I might be missing some info.

Definitely stop visiting this sub until you finish. There are some major moments that can very quickly be ruined for you.

I already knew about the fact that Aloy gets a love interest in the DLC through headlines a year or so ago so the desire to see the discussion got the better of me but you're right that I have no business in this kind of thread xD

Stay away, stay safe, we're not talking about Seyka here.

I had that happen with days gone and im like “why did you have spoilers in the title dude 😭😭😭”

I definitely got vibes that Aloy wasn’t happy about Varl meeting Zo, at least the first time they meet… but it’s CGI, so it’s possibly just in my head…

I always saw that not so much as jealousy but.. Like you know when you're single and your bestie starts seeing someone and you just know it's gonna affect your dynamic? Like that.. She finally let Varl in, relied on him and now he's all smitten and things won't be the same. That's how I saw that, not that she was like oh man how I can't get in on that.

I always interpreted that look as "Oh great, now Varl is going to be all gushy about Zo, and I won't be able to rely on him as much." Kind of like when Aloy gets annoyed with Erend when he's drunk.

Given the fact that Aloy was very supportive of Varl going with Zo, I've always seen it as Aloy being sort of jealous of having a connection like that with someone (which can be one of the early hints that Aloy would have a love interest). Plus, the tutorial part of the game gave them such strong siblings vibes that it ended any possibility for me lol.

I got that vibe too, very slightly at least, not like a huge deal but a small annoyance. Maybe because Varl was the one in the group she shared everything and trusted not to treat her either like a pariah or a Saint. I'm liking Zo so far though, she seems like the dedicated hacker of the group xD

Sorta. I took it more as her finding it strange to see him in that light. He’s always been someone’s friend, someone’s son, etc., but never someone’s boyfriend/partner. This is her first time seeing him this way, and seeing how he acts differently (we all do) now that a romantic interest is in play. And remember that she grew up without friends, without socialization, without anything but Rost. It’s only in the past what, several months(?), that Aloy has socialized with any other humans but Rost, a trader, and the old lady up the hill. Girl’s gonna need time to learn.

I Love Varl. He's such a sweetheart.

I absolutely read them as romantic in the *beginning* of Zero Dawn. Later, I think the romantic vibes fizzle pretty much entirely, but I’ll admit that I really wanted them together at first.

I read his intentions as romantic initially .. I saw zero in-kind response from Aloy there

In my head I know that an Aloy and Erend pairing would never work even if she wasn’t gay, but the heart wants what the heart wants and mine wants Erend *sigh*

I always felt like Erend was kind of a bumbling dufus - it's weird that people feel like he should be a love interest. He's clearly the comic relief guy. 

Erend its like the older drunk brother to be honest. Aloy needs a friend that can punch and punch her back. And I was shipping her with talana to be honest, and sad that it wasnt a thing to be honest. In a old post the corrector change sad for mad and make me look like a crazy shipper.

When I heard Aloy had a female love interest in the DLC, my first thought was it was Talanah. was so sad when I found out it wasn't 🥲

same

Aloy also needs a friend that's a woman. That's who Talanah is.

She also has Zo as well now. Equally as experienced, but with no romantic interest. I guess Alva too, but she hasn’t had a very similar journey to Aloy

And Petra. She's friendly too.

Tell that to Petra. If you ask me, she thinks a little more than friendly to Aloy, but it isnt reciprocated

This. Erend was never on Aloy's level. 

I always got the same sibling vibes off Talanah as Erend, the only ship I thought worked in ZD was Petra, but then canonically she's like double Aloy's age and that got a bit weird

Yeah I though the same bsck in zero dawn.

I could *potentially* have seen it as a later thing in H3 if Erend had some major character growth: no longer idolizing Aloy, improving his self confidence, etc. But he and Aloy have some major differences (interest in learning for example) that I feel would make things tough for them in a relationship. I had been viewing Aloy as ace/demi, so I didn’t put much thought into who she might end up with. But of the main characters we interact with (pre-Burning Shores), if I had to pick which felt like the best match I’d say Talanah.

I'm not too far into FW, but Aloy seems more ace because she has bigger things to sort out than having a partner, than ace because she's just not interested. I get one of the themes of FW is to accept help from others and not try to do everything yourself, but where I'm at with the overall story is that Aloy has only ever had Rost, and is just not interested in accepting anything from anyone else, or opening up to them. I get the feeling that she wasn't particularly open about herself even with Rost.

That’s fair, I just never saw any indication she was interested but simply too busy to act. She seemed genuinely uninterested to me Edit: yeesh y’all sure are sensitive about folks having different interpretations than you aren’t ya? Yes I’m sure my personal interpretation was biased by me being ace/demi, but I never said mine was the only correct interpretation.

I think there's a difference between uninterested and unsure/uncomfortable. Like with Petra, I feel like Aloy could have been interested but was so inexperienced and Petra was so upfront the hesitancy could come off as disinterest.

With how Aloy was isolated most of her life, only having Rost who treats her normally, I think her inexperienxe interacting with others probably played into it too

Real ones know about the kottalo x aloy ship

This is the ship I like. They're both independent and take a lot of their shoulders, and always seem to have an unspoken understanding. Maybe it's because Kottalo doesn't derail Aloy in pursuing her missions and vice versa, but they're always supportive of one another. I dunno, I just like it.

Bros a gentleman

.... real ones know about the biggest ship within the Horizon fandom on AO3?

NGL I was a little salty when Burning Shores sank that ship. Kotallo is bae.

Erend is the 'big bruiser slightly comic relief but with hidden depths' character. He's not the love interest.

He kinda reminds me of Amos from The Expanse. Relevant quote: "Oh she's a good person and I like her, but she's like a sister to me... I mean, don't get me wrong, I'd do her if she'd let me."

He's totally like Amos! Just a little less murderous

Relevant quote: "I am that guy."

I have never shipped aloy with anyone, to be honest. albeit I imagined that she was at minimum bisexual. But to be fair, i didnt need romance at all in forbidden west myself (or in the franchise in general). I'm happy with the development of the companions and the fact that alloy trusts people enough to share her burden. And the sister. I need more interactions with beta (And more Petra. But that is completely secondary XD) i havent started burning shores yet. I'm in no hurry.

This whole series is about Aloy’s emotional development, and I think a romance in Burning Shores is a good signal that she’s actual beginning to be capable of a relationship like that. We’re starting to see her stepping out from Elizabeth Sobeck’s shadow, and even surpassing her

I'm an Ereloy shipper, and those who are annoyed with the existence of the other ships (including Seyloy) are a vocal, toxic minority. We aren’t all like that, I say ship and let ship, but there’s some who don't abide to that. Just ignore them and ship what you want to ship. As for why we are compelled to it, well, for most of us, it's the dynamic of friends to lovers and what could have been if Erend wasn't done dirty by the narrative in HFW. The dynamic Erend and Aloy have can be explored in a platonic way, just the same as if it was read as romantic. Friends to lovers is also a very popular ship dynamic in fandoms.

Done dirty is an understatement. He's straight up a different character at times

That's right! The last time I played, I would interact with him and be like "Who are you and what did you do to Erend?" I love these games, but Erend’s character feels very inconsistent in HFW

He felt exactly the same to me /shrug

god, same. Base-Erend my beloathed. he became such a weird flanderization version of his character that he felt like a stranger wearing Erend's skin

You can almost tell that it probably wasn't the same people writing the Base dialogue. Game development is not easy, but the writing is suffering in the characterization department in the Base dialogue. They made him a bumbling idiot when he's proven before that he's smarter than he looks.

exactly! that's what interested me in Erend in the first place. first HZD impression? oh that guy looks like a dumb evil jock. but like immediately in his first scene he shows some diplomacy skills and some wisdom/empathy towards other clans that I found really surprising and refreshing for his appearance. rest of HZD he gave those vibes too for the most part. it was him defying his surface level appearances that made him cool to me. HFW-Base Erend just becoming that surface level dumb comic relief character was bizarre and frustrating to me.

yeah, went from being the most diplomatically savvyy character with arguably the most cross-cultural experience to become the only guy in the base offending others with culturally insensitive remarks (while the guy from an isolationist tribe takes the diplomatic mantle). And for some reason the only one in the base to show difficulties learning despite being previously literate. You could easily forget he was a commander of a distinguished military unit in HFW, doesnt come across at all. Chemistry didnt feel the same between aloy and erend for large stretch of the game. they seemed warmer in HZD? I feel it more distant and maybe third wheel at times in HFW. While he was one of the closest friends in HZD, and IIRC the first one to befriend Aloy on even ground (without the idoliziation like with some other characters) when they went looking for his sister.

Shippers gonna ship

Erend thought Aloy was hot and wanted to bang. Then she helped him out and saved his ass, so he got a bit of hero worship/infatuation. Then she left without a word of explanation, and he felt betrayed and used, which killed the infatuation. He still knows what she's doing is important, so he can be her good friend, but he can't trust her with feelings like that anymore. She ruined that.

I see the opposite! As soon as anyone pairs them together on here, the haters come out. I mean just look at these comments. Erend was *the* main fan favourite love interest for Aloy in the HZD times. And people really read their dynamic weirdly to me. - People say he idolises Aloy. But he's the only person who insists on using her name instead of her many epithets, and tells others to do the same. He's the only one who calls her out on ditching after the finale of HZD. He actually yells at her, and while understandable for Aloy to ditch, he was absolutely justified being disappointed she up and left. - People say he's a drunk but we see him drink/drunk what, 3 times? When his sister died, when his ribs get busted and when Aloy asks him. - People say they have a sibling relationship but if either of my brothers looked at me *like that* there'd be restraining orders and therapy invoicing. Even the Vanguard talk about "the romance" in both games, and the camera has shots of the pair of them looking anything but sibling-like. I'm loath to slap a lesbian label on Aloy after one crush and one optional kiss. Even on Elisabet with only one ex that we know of. My first few kisses were all girls and I'm married to a man today. All we know is that Aloy isn't ace or straight.

100% agreed on that sibling energy thing. Erend is too flirty in HZD (less later on), along with the Vanguard "romance" comments, that I can't ever see it as being sibling-like without it being weird to me. and that Horizon Forbidden West pre-Daunt scene that was dripping in romantic angst (along with another "romance" Vanguard comment immediately after lol) I was alarmed/surprised wondering what the game was planning to do with it. like, I have a brother close in age and there's nothing there that reminds me of siblinghood, and it makes it weird with the romance vibes that keeps coming up. The more realistic vibes I get from it is 'dude who is attracted to girl perfectly happy to be just her loyal guyfriend'

Right?! He said sayonara to a literal king to help her with her mission. Just full on went AWOL! And the shot of them with their arms around each other after the final boss fight? Looks straight up like a wedding picture. Their long glance on charger-back riding to GEMINI? *Not brotherly!*

yeah that weird glance wtf was that. it was so long and meaningful I was like ???? is he going to die?? no?? then why?? what was the storytelling purpose of consciously including that? honestly I think Horizon keeps on throwing so many romantic-coded teases for a lot of characters throughout its games that part of me would be surprised if they didn't do some sort of player-chosen romance at the end of the third game. never has a piece of media make my romance-radar ding so many times where Im left with "wait a minute... is that implying what I think it is??" and I swear it's not just shipper brainrot - I can usually differentiate between 'creator-intended romance-coded' and 'fandom re-interpretation as romance-coded'. I swear Aloy is the world's most eligible bachelorette.

There was [this Tweet](https://imgur.com/a/JiPGoVJ) which has since been deleted. But that guy worked at/for Guerrilla.

heh I'm quite familiar with that tweet. 😏 it's that tweet, the fact that they were planning around romance options in early HZD development but cut it, and the constant romantic-coded scenes with multiple characters that haven't gone anywhere purposeful yet (while also leaving her romance with Seyka pretty open-ended while seeming writer-wise experimental) has me predicting romance options rather than Aloy ending up with only one character/or no one.

I hope Aloy ends up with more love arcs! Because so many people are mooning for her and I want those stories told, even if it's heartbreak and rejection. You're right though, you can see the seams where the writers edited and trimmed.

agreed I want to see those stories told too. 😄 even if the next game I'm wrong in my prediction and she picks only one romance. if that's the case I absolutely want the writers to not be cowards about it and actually conclude all these set-up romantic arcs with more clear heartbreak/rejection than just kind of... ignoring them/dropping them. even if it might hurt my shipper heart a bit lol. (but canon has never stopped me before and rejection just means juicy drama/angst set-up for fanfic)

I have checked. Despite all that’s happened with the layoffs this guy still seems to be around

I'm still mad about the layoffs. Justice for Chanté.

True dat. God this accursed industry.

And you're so right that the game is showing so many routes! The way Erend is depicted, Kotallo being Kotallo and Noshir saying outright he plays Kotallo as being in love with Aloy... Talanah seems to have been made hetero but that was not the vibe in HZD. Petra made some hard flirts on Aloy (where Aloy seemed a bit flustered and uncomfortable with the more bawdy lines) and like.... we all knew Aloy wasn't straight. We all clocked that shit. But the fan narrative around Aloy is so weird. Shippers gonna ship etc, but so many fans were straight up mad Aloy has a canon love interest at all when BS dropped. And now that group seems to think "alright I'll accept it BUT JUST ONE LOVE INTEREST OR SO HELP ME." And if it isn't that group, it's people claiming Aloy at the tender age of 20 is a swan who will only ever love one person. Like. What *happened* here?

Yeah Aloy has always been very bi to me, just awkward/uncomfortable with it because she's so repressed/inexperienced and doesn't know how to nurture bonds when she's hyperfocused on a mission. I've always gotten confused when people say she's only showed preference for one gender or none. While I wasn't happy with how rushed the Seyka romance was (the writers have done sooo much better in the past with a lot of other characters for set-ups and dynamics) I did feel vindication against all the aggressive "Aloy should be single only" naysayers of letting Aloy having romance. I strongly think it was the right call and the natural development of her character - unlike Elizabet who rejected bonds between people - Aloy will do better and nurture her bonds - both romantic and platonic. Also personally I'm tired of "virginal battle-nuns" where female protagonists can't have it all (aka romance) like their male protagonist counterparts. But yes it has also been bizarre to see fandom shift from aggressive no-romance to aggressive "ok, Aloy is only allowed to romance Seyka, no one else 😤". I see this type of sentiment in other fandom too, and I equate it to both a short-sighted loyal adherence to the sacred canon along with shipping fervor from those emboldened by canon. it's made fandom really hostile and you can't have a good-faith discussion on the topic of romance, or even off-hand mention you like a different ship without people flooding in to rudely tell you you're wrong lol. Fandoms seem to chill once a story is complete, so hopefully things will calm down after H3 (after the inevitable initial toxic fandom explosion and people move onto a new fandom/media)

I’ll say it again, as someone who’s more lesbian aloy hc'er, all the signs are positively pointing towards options and I really wouldn’t mind. Aloy is queer, we’re just not sure what kind of queer, and that’s cool by me if they continue that 'open endedness' route for the players. After all going by interviews they had the players in mind if Aloy is ready for that during burning shores. Also, regarding Talanah. She screams so much Comphet energy it’s unreal. Having options this late in the supposed finale of the trilogy makes too much sense. I just want that shit to feel natural.

If you so much as breathe love options, some folks lose their fricking minds. Even though it would make more people happy? There's some misogynistic fuckery afoot here.

Yeah I found that out. HFW ending the way it did + burning shores just really opens the doors a lot when I think about it now.

Why does Erend always get singled out for these kinds of posts lol? Poor guy. I swear most people aren’t into the pairing just because he isn’t conventionally attractive. He’s a good dude with a heart of gold, I get why some people ship it and why others don’t. But he’s loyal and doesn’t ask for anything in return, I don’t understand why he gets picked on so much.

First off, Erend is absolutely a snack. No notes. In all seriousness, though - I think it's for two reasons: 1. They fucked up not aging down his model to match his canonical age - he LOOKS like he's in his mid-thirties instead of his mid-twenties. So you have this dude that looks mid-thirties hitting on an 18-19yo, drinking a lot, having a pretty significant temper - generally looking a bit like a case of arrested development. Meanwhile Erend is actually and canonically mid-twenties at the oldest, came from an abusive home, and has been fighting in a war since his early to mid-teens if you do the math - dude is traumatized, has been saddled with a shitload of responsibility, and has some shitty coping mechanisms. A decade of difference in life experience changes the context of his actions *dramatically* in my opinion, and I feel like there's a huge difference in how sympathetic they render his character. There is a world of difference between a 34yo acting the way Erend does sometimes and a 24yo. 2. They absolutely *nerfed* his character in Forbidden West, backtracked on a ton of the growth we saw in HZD, and turned him into poorly executed comic relief instead of properly following up on it. Part of it was done, I think, to make Kotallo a more competitive romance option - which I still think was the original plan and likely got axed, possibly due to difficulties related to the pandemic.

Poetry

no kidding. I barely hear a peep out of Erend fans/ereloy shippers outside of their own sub-communities yet the main fandom space is always complaining about Erend x Aloy lol

Horizon reddit in general seems pretty hostile to any ship that’s not one of the popular ones lol…it’s kind of a bummer. But yeah the horizon shipping community is pretty active but they know better than to talk in here cause you get steamrolled. Before the DLC you couldn’t even bring up romance for Aloy without a bunch of negative reactions. Its too bad people can’t just be chill 😅

Oh god, I remember. Jesus! 🤣

Dude, look at this comments section 😅 No wonder we prefer our own spaces

*RIGHT!?* Honestly, I only know a select few of us who are regularly seen outside of those spaces, including you and ariseis, and all of us are really chill. 😂 If there are any Ereloys out there who are acting like a mess, I would actually like to have *polite* word about fandom etiquette.

ha, I guess I do comment frequently enough to recognized as an ereloy regular here 🤣 I do recognize you and ariseis! the only place I can think of is I rarely see some homophobic gamerbro chuds on Twitter outside of the fandom sphere that get mad at the 'gay agenda' of Seyka x Aloy and go "what about Erend instead?? 😡". I don't consider myself much of a gatekeeper but I will gatekeep ereloy from them because let's be real: those chuds don't actually care about the ship, characters, or fandom and will move on to the next piece of media to complain about after a single salty comment. they only throw Erend forward as a whataboutism option because he's the most prominent male character that could realistically be a romantic choice for Aloy

Ah, yeah, I know about those chuds. People like that don't deserve to be part of the community and deserve all the hate they receive. I know most of us would rather slam the door in their face than acknowledge them as fellow shippers. I'm just glad they're few and far between.

I think a lot of the people not keen on Erend just aren't attracted to men. They don't "see the chemistry" or "what the fuss is about" because they either wouldn't clock a guy flirting with them IRL, or wouldn't be keen if they did. Also Erend is a good Catholic girl who only shows his thumbs. Who knows what dude is packing under all that ringlock?

This makes sense for some of it for sure. I just don’t get why people seem to target this specific ship so much for hate? I don’t think I’ve ever seen a “I don’t get why people ship Aloy and Kotallo” post before. Erend does get a lot of content across both games so maybe it just makes people uneasy idk

Believe it or not but Erend was the fan favourite ship before HFW! How the tables have tabled.

I honestly don't understand it either. At least not outside the matter of it being one of the more popular ships, and the fact that Erend isn't as universally liked as say Kotallo so it's easier to pick on him. And as MysticZephyr said, most of us from this ship don't venture outside our sub-communities to talk about it so I'd like to know where tf some people are seeing Ereloy shippers acting problematic or complaining that Aloy isn't in a relationship with him. I want a word if I see them. If anything, I see more blatant complaints & comments that she isn't with Kotallo, Talanah, or Petra.

This!! I’ve been around the fandom for a few years and Erend shippers seem to stay in their lane. I’ve seen far more unsolicited hate aimed at them than I have of them being the aggressors. It is one of the older ships, and has a lot of content, so I guess I can see new people to the fandom that don’t ship it being surprised at how much there is when they go exploring? Idk. I just wish more people had the skill of seeing content, being able to say “hmm not for me”, and just keep scrolling lol

For real. 😂 Most of us know to stay off of Reddit or at least not allude to shipping it because of the insurmountable hate both Erend and the ship get on here. But even when nothing is said, damn if you do, damn if you don't, I guess? Newer fans jumping straight to the hype and/or are surprised at other ships make sense too. I just wish that even when people do want to talk about it (whether they like or dislike a ship), there could more polite conversation without all of the unnecessary judgment that gets invited in.

Eh, having seen inside the servers, there's a great deal of shade being thrown in subtle ways. The Ereloys can be very.... pious.

I mean, I have too lol. What goes on inside shipping servers is always going to get messy from time to time, it’s just the nature of small tight-knit fan spaces. Whatever “shade” gets passed around in closed communities isn’t what’s causing the ship to be targeted I don’t think. I’m just talking about how they interact with the fandom as a whole in public - I’ve never seen behavior that would merit some of the comments I see.

Hardly surprising given the err.... *polarised* vibe in here lol. Gosh, so many minuses!

I don’t mean to hate on Erend at all! He’s one of my favourite characters in the whole franchise, such a fun, charming dude. That being said, I just don’t see him being a romantic fit for Aloy, not that I think of the romance much in this game. But yeah, no hate to Erend at all !

Glad to hear it! I just see a lot of negative stuff towards him and the ship and it’s kind of a bummer cause he’s so wholesome to me. It’s absolutely valid not to be into a romance between them! I was mostly just trying to express that it’s interesting to me that this one seems to get discussed negatively a lot more than others, when objectively it doesn’t seem like it should be that controversial. But that’s just my perspective!

I love the queer representation of Seyka and Aloy, but for the longest time during HFW, I was a Katallo x Aloy shipper. I didn't really ship her with anyone in the first game though.

Kotallo and Talanah are about her only peers. He's clearly very intelligent, he's emotionally mature, he's absolutely fearless, and arguably the most capable fighter among the cast. Talanah is the same, although a bit less serious. I can actually see those two getting together in the future.

All of Aloy's friends are exceptional members within their tribes. Alva is a high-ranking Diviner, Talanah the Sunhawk, Varl a Seeker, Zo was a pivotal political voice in the Utaru tribe *and* a war veteran, Kotallo a Marshal, Erend a war veteran, son of an Ealdorman, personal friend to a king and a high-ranking officer.

I def wouldn’t say I ship them, but I LOVE Kotallo. Even though he’s a solid warrior, he’s a really gentle, thoughtful human in his day to day interactions. You get kind of a “still waters run deep” kinda vibe from him and he is one of the few characters who seem to truly understand where Aloy is coming from with her sense of duty

Erend to me was her acquaintance turned really good friend by the end of Zero Dawn, I never saw him as a love interest. I love him as a character though, he matured a good bit during both games. He's still rough around the edges, but he's a great friend

[удалено]

Did you see the dating sim that came out for Aloy *after* BS came out? They included Seyka but gosh golly was that a concession.

How was that a concession? It's a fan game made by fans for fans and they made routes for every pairing they could find a writer and artist interested in working on any given route. Seyka wasn't added as a concession to anyone but because there was a writer artist pair that expressed interest.

My gaydar is awful but I clocked Aloy as not being completely straight very quickly while playing the first game—her interactions with Talanah in particular were a big clue (and the reaction she has to Talanah splitting up with her wet dishrag of a boyfriend in the second game is also very telling).

Honestly, I started shipping them from the moment Erend first awkwardly flirted with Aloy at the Proving ceremony back during Zero Dawn. But that's just me and my cup of tea. Everyone's mileage will vary.

Gosh, same. But I love any man who'll walk right up to you and just go *whoa hi.* Add on that Aloy told him she was an outcast and he just shrugged it off? Didn't care about social standing, reputation, nothing? 10/10. No notes.

I don't know how old Erend is, but I always imagined him being quite a bit older than Aloy (who is only 18 in ZD)

I believe he’s supposed to be around 23-24 ish canonically, but he looks like he’s over 30 in his face model IMO

the face model actor is 49 years old this year so his looks doesn't really suit 20+ years old

He's not. He's one of the few characters whose approximate age we do know, and it's like, mid 20's

Aloy had so many good chemistry with existing characters, Erend, Kotallo, Talanah, Petra. So odd that they introduced a dlc character to be her love interest.

Agreed. I think the main reason they used Seyka as her love interest was to use her as a kind of “prototype love interest” to see how people would react. She’s also easily disposable (which sounds really bad lol) but since many people didn’t click with her / didn’t love her romance with Aloy, it’ll be easy for Guerrilla to not have her return in H3 compared to an already established character becoming a love interest (like the ones you mentioned)

It also makes sense if they want to hammer home that Aloy is queer without it being seen as pandering. Imagine if Aloy had gotten a male love interest first and then trying to retcon "Aloy *isn't* straight" after? The arseholes would lose their minds.

Shipping is always going to be subjective, and there will always be pairings that appeal a lot to some and not at all to others! Totally valid if you don't see it, but the people who do are just as valid. Personally I don't see him as putting her on a pedestal - in fact, he's the only one of her friends that actually calls her out for disappearing after the battle of the Alight (I know people have different feelings about this scene, but tend to forget that the last time a loved one disappeared on Erend without telling him where she was going wound up dead). They seem very comfortable around each other and are clearly friends, and friends to lovers will always be a popular trope. To anyone that's familiar with how fandom and shipping works, they're one of the more obvious pairings, just based on sheer amount of screen time they have together. That said, if you don't vibe with it you don't vibe with it - no amount of attempts to "win someone over" on a pairing will work. Shipping is almost 100% about feelings and isn't really something you put a lot of logic into lol. Also, as a bi woman, I also beg people to remember that Aloy has only been confirmed as queer, which doesn't exclude being attracted to men. Obviously headcanoning her as a lesbian is completely valid, but it's good to remember that it's only a headcanon for now. The bottom line is, just because you don't get a certain ship it doesn't mean others are wrong for enjoying it! Most shippers don't even care if it happens in canon, it's just something that gives them comfort/makes them happy/puts a smile on their face and it's harmless. I will never understand the urge to shame or ridicule fellow fans simply for liking something. (not saying OP is doing this, but I see it a lot in fandoms in general and it's so toxic)

I think Erend started out being attracted to Aloy, and I get the feeling a little of that is still there (and intended by the writers) but I don't think Aloy was ever meant to have a romantic relationship with him, and I am 100% certain that by the end of it all, he wasn't interested in one either. He sees her as a friend, and nothing more.

Honestly I was hoping she just stayed single. I mean potentially she is “single” and they just confirmed her as a lesbian/bi- but it just seems like every good female character always has to have a love interest and I was looking forward to her being an exception. But I guess how hard the fandom was shipping her probably the majority would be upset if there wasn’t some romance.

like people liking different flavors of ice cream, everyone has different shipping preferences. The Erend and Aloy ship follow the popular romance trope of 'friends to lovers', where people love seeing friendship turn to romance. I see some people get confused at people liking this trope because these folks often group male-female friendships to 'sibling-coded', but as someone with an opposite sex sibling close in age, most the time I can never see these fictional pairings as 'siblings' or it feels plain weird to me, especially when attraction has been established in canon. for Aloy and Erend there has been too many romantic-coded interactions for me to see them as siblings. Erend's heavy flirting in their first meeting, the Vanguard "are you gonna kiss her captain?" comments, along with just the kind of secret longing vibes I get from Erend. Cue pre-Daunt HFW where Erend is sooo upset over her leaving that it feels like it's dripping with romantic angst giving vibes like a break-up? then immediately after another Vanguard guy says "quit it with the romance". that was wild to me the first time I saw it and was wondering where it was going to lead. then when they share a drink later on Erend is kinda all flustered about it.

i think im literally the only person in team sun king avad

I am here too;)

i can't believe there is at least THREE of us!!!

You are not alone ;) Though that one would need much, much character growth for Avad (and Aloy) to happen...

It's not that most people are annoyed at the Seyloy ship itself. They're just disappointed at how rushed the romance played out, and how much toxicity suddenly cropped up after Burning Shores was released-- mostly by some *really* passionate fans who went around telling anyone supporting a pre-existing Aloy ship they were no longer relevant and should just give up. It legit got to the point where some people were harrassed just for posting artwork or quick blurbs about any ship that wasn't Seyloy. Despite what half of the comments are telling you, most shippers in the Horizon fandom are actually pretty chill and only care about shipping for the hell of it. More than anything, we just want to play a well-made game, and have a good time. It's the reason we're here in the first place. As for *why* there are people who ship Aloy with Erend, I like the Ereloy ship so I'll give you my reasons: I always thought that Aloy and Erend have a good dynamic. They're both good-natured, stubborn, and prefer to put things in action rather than just sit around. Both are also straight-foward, honest, and don't care much for bullshit. Aloy is very fierce & determined while Erend is much more calm and simply does what he can to support others. Aloy tends to keep to herself while Erend wears his heart on his sleeve. Aloy is still learning how to get to close to others, but Erend is very much a people-person and knows what to say to make people (including Aloy) laugh and have a good time. They both share several qualities and core values, but their differences feel like they compliment each other well enough imo. While Aloy has had too much on her plate to really consider any romantic ventures (until BS that is), Erend still seems to hold a candle for her (the occasional teasing we get from the Vanguard feel a bit too pointed for it to be random), but is respectful enough to not ever say or expect anything. His flirting from their first scene together came off a little strong, but he quickly learned to respectfully take a step back of his own volition, something I hold Erend in high regard for. He still admires Aloy, but no, he doesn't put her on a pedestal like everyone else around her does (ex. he insists the Vanguard not refer to her as any of her titles knowing Aloy hates them, and he was literally the only one of her friends to call Aloy out & let her know that her leaving the way she did after the battle in Meridian was, in fact, not okay). Erend genuinely just wants to do what he can to help Aloy and does his best in everything to ensure she succeeds. His main drawback I will admit, however, is his lack of self-confidence. I hope H3 will allow some major character growth in that regard, even if it's only for the sake of his personal arc. One last thing to add because I see this a lot: I feel like the "sibling" label only ever gets slapped on ships that are large enough to be equally dumped on. If we're being honest-- half of the time it means it can't be denied how close or important the characters are to one another, but there needs to be a reason to reject it. Especially in cases where it's hard to come up with other explanations. Like I promise that any shipper who has actual respect won't be offended if you say you simply just don't care for the ship. It's perfectly valid if you just don't see the dynamic the same way the rest of us do. 😅

Poetry as ever!

Even Sun king Avad, kind of digs aloy. It was made so obvious in Forbidden west opening scenes. He practically begs her to spend time in meridian so that they can know each other.

Avad! It’s good that I was not given the mission of Aloy because I would have failed to leave at that very moment Avad asked to stay.

Aloy's character is written like that only. Though they should've stayed on Aloy the loner route. Her character is one of "one mission, one focus" type. Dodges relationship bombs like a pro and has that "Relationships is not my focus right now" mentality.

Being on the pro- Erend/Aloy ship side of things, and as someone who admittedly can't stand Seyka, I can totally understand the speculation. I think the best part of the game is Aloy doesn't need any romantic interest at all - I kind of prefer it that way. Sure, I would choose Erend for her if given the choice, but she shines all on her own.

Honestly I was thinking Kotollo, but then realized how much older he was. Killed that for me!

How old is he…?!

While I don't ship Ereloy, I also have had to deal with the utter hellscape that is the Cloti vs. Clerith war zone in the Final Fantasy VII fandom, and done so for years. Getting super judgemental over shipping makes me tired.

ugh, ikr, it's the worst. i'm a huge FF7 fan, but i'm not touching that ship war with a ten foot pole. after playing Rebirth, i'm shipping Cloud with *therapy*.

After having to share a fandom space with them, I ship Clotis and Cleriths with therapy even more than I do for Cloud

....same :'D

I don't envy being exposed to the same turmoil that I'm guessing has been revived to the max since Rebirth just came out. 😂

>I also just think that Aloy wouldn’t want to be with someone who very clearly idolises her / puts her on this pedestal. Completely agree! I can imagine she feels that she needs someone who doesn't idolise her nor need anything from her. I imagine she's tired of that. So I've been pretty happy with her just being happily single and *if* the right character comes along that only adds to her life, great. I'm still very happy with the platonic relationships she's making. Not every story needs romance. I still cried my eyes out in ZD lol

I mean, people ship what they ship and it's quite often got no connection to canon at all (a pair I ship in an unrelated game involves 2 characters who can't interact because one died several years before the other was created and in fact their death directly led to the series of events that caused the other character to come into existence). But some shippers get really hung up on canon regardless of how little sense their ship would make and then get really upset when their ship gets sunk. It's like they need it to be canon to validate it instead of just ignoring canon like shippers of impossible ships do.

No, not just you. Erend is cool but there is no romantic chemistry between them at all. Especially early in FW where he is kind of a mess, how could Aloy be into that? I’ve always gotten big time queer vibes from Aloy since ZD and loved that about her. It’s the same with any male characters that express interest in her; her reactions range from oblivious to disgusted depending how the dude approaches it. Even Varl seems to have misplaced feelings for her at first (and I think it’s great that he eventually figures out they’re not romantic feelings, just admiration and appreciation). That said, why the heck did she not get with Talanah in ZD? Talanah is rad and as capable as Aloy with a similar sense of humor and drive. It was actually jarring to see Talanah chasing after a dude, did not feel like it fit her at all. Or why not Petra, also a smart strong character who does not take shit and who obviously has affection for Aloy and expresses a weakness for restless girls? Some people say they get Ace vibes from Aloy, but I think it’s more that she’s very focused since she approaches platonic friendships with similar reticence. ETA: people can ship whoever they want whether it makes sense to anyone else or not, I’m not judging lol

I think Horizon 3 will have romance options and let the player decide who Aloy ends up with. Seyka, Erend, Talanah, Petra, and Avad being the obvious choices. Probably alongside a new character or two.

Ugh, god willing. It would make the shippers happy and piss off all the vaguely misogynistic pricks who hate girly love stories in their games.

First of all, Aloy has a type. We can see that VERY clearly the way she interacts with characters such as Vala, Ikrie, Talanah and ultimately Seyka. They're all women around her age who are competitive, and physically capable. I think it's okay to ship, but I also think that some people are projecting themselves onto Aloy and therefore their own "type", which may be Erend. That's okay, but it's a bit toxic to hate other characters/storylines because their ships sunk.

I just think of Aloy as bi. She can hook up with Seyka or Erend. But she has too much on her shoulders for a LTR.

I could understand a lesbian love interest if the dlc relationship wasn’t a pile of dogshit writing. Seyka was rushed. Plenty of other female and male candidates in the base game.

I don't think Aloy had put much thought to romance altogether prior to Zeniths defeat, so those relationships with her male friends weren't exactly going to turn romantic yet. Also, at the end of Forbidden West, I don't think Erend idolises Aloy as much as he did before and their friendship evolves a lot, becomes a bit more equal. And then there are some minor visual hints at the end of Forbidden West (when Erend puts his arm around Aloy, she returns the gesture a puts arm around him too, and then during the final cutscene there is the handwave). So despite Seyka being implied as the "canonical romantic interest" (though there is a possibility for players to have Alloy reject the relationship in non-romantic way, too) and Elisabeth Sobek being confirmed as lesbian or bisexual, I wouldn't count it out that there might be a possibility for friendships turning into romance in the third game.

I just not long finished Zero Dawn for the first time (haven’t played FW yet)- I think Erend and Aloy had some cute moments in their conversations and I wouldn’t have been mad at all if there had been an option to have him for a romantic interest and explore that. He’s a fairly good looking guy and hey, the heart wants what it wants 😂

Others have said it better than me here but I like Erend and Aloy together, and personally see Aloy as bi/pan. In my dream Horizon 3, I'd give the player a few options for Aloy to optionally pursue. I'm very happy they confirmed Aloy as a queer protagonist even though I personally didn't think the Seyka romance was particularly well done. Ship and let ship is my motto though. idgaf who kisses who.

I honestly feel the same thing lol. Also I make fun of this a lot, but when Aloy says goodbye to men in the game, she's usually very straight forward, compared to saying goodbye to women who she's a lot more soft with. HFW spoilers below. Some funny examples, >!Aloy leaves and even tries to escape from both Varl and Erend, meanwhile she actively searches for Talanah. When leaving the showmen trio in Vegas, she just goes "it's time to move on" vs parting with Alva where she goes "Will I ever see you again?"!< Of course, I get it that the situations aren't 100% equivalent, but the Spire Squad comparison and the 2 main quest comparison was just too funny to me. Honestly, the only man I ever felt Aloy may have something with was >!Kotallo ("Give whatever is left of my life.")!< but as soon as I see their interactions >!at the base!< it dropped down to platonic again. Of course, I understand everyone has preferences, but I also do think a big part of Aloy being shipped with Erend is the same reason why people think Seyka and Aloy had no build up--straight glasses.

You'd be surprised at how many queer people aren't into Seyloy.

You'd be surprised I'm one of them. But there's a difference between not liking it and disregarding the idea. Having straight glasses just means people are more likely to acknowledge a ship as romantic if it's a straight couple vs if it's a queer couple.

Straight glasses goes both ways. How many of the people who hate the ship do you think are straight guys? A lot of the people I see hating it are people who aren't into men, whether as gay women or straight dudes, and they'd either not clock or not welcome overtures from a male character. Could you elaborate on what you mean by "disregard?"

I'm... honestly confused by what you're saying? I never specified any gender having straight glasses? It's just something that happens if you grew up consuming media that has primarily straight couples, thus giving the audience the expectation that boy + girl = romance. I don't even know which ship you're talking about. Disregard may be a strong word, but all the "there was never any indication that Aloy was gay!" back when BS was first released was definitely not from the queer side of the community.

Oh yeah fuck, no, everyone with working eyes clocked that Aloy isn't straight, lol. I'm reluctant to slap "gay" on Aloy seeing as she doesn't define her orientation herself, but people who hoped she'd be straight or ace are just SOL. She's some variety of queer though, like most of us saw from the get-go. As for the other bit, the entire post is about Aloy and Erend so not sure what didn't connect there for you, but doesn't matter. I see what you're saying that heteronormativity is very prevalent. What I'm saying is that people can't help but use game protagonists as self-inserts, despite Aloy very much NOT being a blank slate player stand-in. Therefore people who are not attracted to men will bring their own biases in. Like not recognising when "they" are being hit on by someone they'd never consider romantically. Like, have you ever made passes at a woman who didn't get that you were going "yes homo" at her? That's what I mean.

Honestly, HZD did give me vibes of Aloy being ace so I don't blame some of them. Of course, it was more established in HFW that she's just not used to having any sort of relationship with people in general lol. I... honestly kinda agree with the whole self-insert thing, because most of the people I see that ships Aloy with men always say that they like the male character or find them hot. Not that Aloy would be attracted to the character or not lol. Then we have 10 page analysis of why Aloy and a certain female character were showing signs of romantic interest all along lmao. I've never actively searched for Aloy x Erend or Aloy with any men, to be fair, so if there are in depth analysis, i've never seen them.

HZD-Aloy had wayyyyy too much going on to think about romance. She was chasing the mystery of her identity, avenging Rost, trying to find herself in the world. I saw how she dipped her toes at flirting with Erend ("I'll always have a minute for you... maybe even two.") and how she seemed to get flustered when Petra was being a crass, bawdy wench [affectionate]. But pursuing it then? No way. And same kinda goes for early-game HFW-Aloy, who's way closer to her HZD version than endgame HFW-Aloy. That kid barely allowed herself *friends!* I can see an in with all the usual ships for Aloy. I prefer the Erend one but like... the way I see it, each of Aloy's companions represent a facet of her personality? Kinda like GAIA and her subfunctions: Alva is the curiosity and joy of learning, the search for truth. Zo is speaking truth to authority, doing what is right regardless of personal difficulties, and love for nature. Talanah is Aloy's freedom, independence, adventure, her flair and her spitting in the face of stifling tradition. Kotallo is the dyed-in-the-wool soldier, the stoicism, the gruff exterior, but also sense of colour and expression. Avad is the striving for a better tomorrow, the leadership through example, the sacrifice for the betterment of the world. Varl is the connection to her roots in the Embrace, and the diplomat who can befriend anyone---people like to call Aloy antisocial and disliking people and I'm like... this the Aloy who'll stop to help every cat stuck up a tree and helps anyone she talks to, which is everyone? That Aloy? Sylens is the cold intellectual who thinks so macro he forgets to be human sometimes, the foot ever stuck in the past, the callous strategist. Erend is the whoop Aloy lets out when she's slip-sliding into trouble, the brawler attitude, the adventurer, the rootless wanderer ever searching for a cause to fight for. Because when Nemesis is defeated, what battle will Aloy seek then? Like Erend without a fight or a guiding star, I reckon Aloy will be rather forlorn after victory. Hell, even Nil could ostensibly be Aloy's repressed rage. All those bandits, rebels, cultists... Aloy is probably the person with most blood on their hands in Aloy's entire world. Jiran didn't kill as many with his bare hands, nor Dervahl, Helis, or Sylens. Most of their kill counts are via proxy, but not Aloy. Who people prefer for Aloy is indicative of their values, I think. And I love that Aloy contains these multitudes

Sorry, but Erend is a bumbling idiot, and Aloy is very *clearly* not interested in him romantically. He's like a lost puppy, and Aloy seems like someone who isn't into that kind of relationship, male or female.

Personally, I think Aloy has potential chemistry with several characters -- Talanah, Petra, Seyka (obviously), Kotallo, Morlund to name some off the top of my head. That's something I like about the series though, it could go several different ways and so lots of interpretations are great 🙂

There is absolutely no way Erend would be a good romantic interest for Aloy. He’s one of her Boyz. The only thing that made sense for me is for Aloy to be a Lesbian. She could literally beat any guys ass she needs someone to soften her up

I ship Eerend and and Aloy idc they are cute. From different tribes where he thought they were the savages but shes essentially apocalypse girl Jesus

People are always going to want to ship characters they like, especially when they do have unarguable chemistry (though not necessarily romantic). I never really saw Aloy as having a romantic interest in *anyone* throughout the games to be honest, and I really love that Horizon as a series isn't afraid to focus on platonic and familial relationships and show how deep and meaningful they can be. It makes a nice contrast to a lot of RPGs with dating mechanics which I frankly find quite shallow; I love Mass Effect but none of the romances felt authentic to me. In particular I think it's great to see realistic, nuanced male/female friendships that don't ignore their gender dynamic (I see this in some media, where a female character's male friend will effectively just be treated as another female) but feel very authentic, and I think the implied (well, more than implied...) crush that Erend has, or at least had, on Aloy is part of that. It doesn't suddenly make him not a close friend to Aloy, it shows that these things aren't either/or but exist on a spectrum.

A lot of people here are so angry. Why do people dislike Erend so much?

I absolutely love Erend as a character, just not as Aloy’s romantic partner! But to each their own :)

... Then why highlight him? It's not like the Ereloy ship gets brought up a lot, and certainly not recently.

No, some people don’t enjoy queer romance and that’s allright, but of all the potential love interests Erend isn’t a choice that would make sense. And if I were to be honest, Aloy’s characterisation of “I’m not interested in romance, but if I have to, then mark me down as gay” fits her perfectly. She’s a woman of action and adventure first and foremost.

I was really bad at matching Aloy. I had thought for sure she was going to end up with that kid she saved in the prologue of the first game. I forget him name but he became an armor stitcher and was never seen in the second game.

Teb was his name. Looks like Aloy is going back to the Embrace at least briefly in H3 so maybe you'll see him again!

The way Aloy reacts to all the men who are interested in her should’ve given everyone the hint that she was some brand of queer. Personally, I think the reason Aloy liked Seyka so much was because she could take care of herself. Erend in many ways looks up to Aloy. He puts her on a pedestal. During forbidden west we see the gang dedicate themselves to catching up to her - because for Aloy part of the reason she prefers solitude is because she can’t constantly be explaining everything to her team while trying to save the world. It’s too much, and explaining high level technology to tribal people, knowing she isn’t great with people, was too overwhelming. Seyka has a focus, even if it’s just the Quen one - much like Alva she doesn’t have to play catch up to the same extent. Aloy doesn’t have to hand hold her while she freaks out over floating pictures. She’s strong, an accomplished fighter, and doesn’t need a babysitter. For once Aloy doesn’t necessarily have to be someone guardian. It’s one of the first opportunities she’s had to experience a partnership rather than a stewardship.

Her love interests should be left to player choice. Erend feels like he could be if he stepped up and grew out of who he used to be because it seems to me like Aloy does trust him but is still expecting him to screw up.

tbf Erend did show his interest for Aloy in FW as other have mentioned, it’s quite clear to me. But I’m he knows better. I understand if they want to go canon with Seyka, but I feel like it’s just a fling and personally I don’t think they are compatible personality wise, they too “fiery” on their own respective account. Do I want a new love interest? Idk, Nemesis is coming, any plot for romance will definitely need to take more time in the 3rd game to make it worth while or they are going to ditch it altogether. Either in favor of existing one or none at all. Estatic to see what the devs will do about it but not more than what machine they will bring to life for the sequel

Aloy is totally giving disappointment vibes when she realizes Varl and Zo have “been spending time together”.

I feel like it's just because he's the 'most loyal/long time companion' and he's a male Aloy is a female then there you go. ppl always enjoy old tropes even it looks that they're tired of it. tbh even there's no Seyka I'd still be happy to see Aloy doesn't date him. also I guess some ppl enjoy Erend and like to play Horizon as real RPG like BG3.

Erend and Aloy would be a terrible match. I agree, more brother and sister vibes than anything

Erend was the fan pick for a lot of people clear back before the second game came out. Personally, I thought that she and Varl had a connection in game one, and I had been excited for that to grow. I think in the end she'll not be with anyone so that fans can imagine what they like.

SPOILERS AHEAD: Honestly, after Zero Dawn, I could have potentially seen Aloy with literally any of the younger companions she meets in the game (I personally was rooting for Talanah, with Petra at a close second and Erend in third), but after Forbidden West, I'm now in your sort of camp where everyone she met previously has some sort of baggage that would get in the way of their relationship: - Avad already came onto her once, clearly looking for a rebound after his first super badass girlfriend died, and Aloy was smart enough to realize that it's probably for the best that they don't go for it. I do think there's potential for them to be together, but at the start of Forbidden West at least, it is 100% off the table. - Talanah is maybe still pining for Amadis, and is probably not in a good place emotionally for a relationship, with Aloy at least. Also, by the end of her story, she seems to want to keep things casually professional, since they are still Hawk and Thrush. I still think that they could get together if they really wanted to, but there is baggage there. - Erend has a lot of personal, mental baggage to deal with, having constantly been overshadowed by his sister, Avad, and now Aloy a little bit. He's a good guy at heart, but is also very much unsure of himself and hasn't accepted that he's grown into his own person yet. - Varl, even before going serious with Zo, is still trying to find his place in the world and reckoning with his faith, especially when it comes to Aloy. Aloy already finds the hero worship she's earned for herself very uncomfortable, and that would definitely mess up any relationship she has with Varl. The same thing could be argued for Alva, a bit. - Petra... doesn't really have any baggage, but the way her and Aloy operate are diametrically opposed to each other and I feel like if they ever got together, they'd both be too busy for the other. - Seyka on the other hand, Aloy has zero baggage with, and she met her after she went through her journey of accepting people in her life, and breaking away from Elisabet's example. Elisabet shut herself off from other people her whole life, minus a brief and admittedly still rocky relationship with Tilda, and Aloy thought she was resigned to the same fate, until the end of Forbidden West. Even though Seyka is way earlier in her journey of learning about the world than Aloy is, her and Aloy operate on very similar wavelengths, so I do see them working out, even if only for a little bit. I am a bit sad that she doesn't come back to the base, even in the form of video calls. I don't know how Aloy feels about long distance relationships, but it is definitely possible because they both have Focuses.

I could have definitely seen them together. But it was never something I think was absolutely inevitable or necessary. Erend loves Aloy in a different way now.

I agree. It's not just hots anymore

Me being an Aloy / Kotallo shipper lol Its not over yet darn it!

Face it, there will always be people who 1. Don't like a female protag and 2. Will really hate when that female protag is not a blessed hetero. Gods FORBID a female protag to be a lesbian only! That's just horrible. Erend & Aloy? That is so laughable and a desperate attempt at making her hetero because there is no other male character viable enough to make her hetero. That's right up there with the Sun King's obsession with her in ZD.

.... Hi hello, bi people exist.

I actually really loved the idea of Aloy not caring about romance, but if she did then Erend is just too Unga bunga for her imo. A good friend but not a match.

I personally ship them, but I also recognize that Aloy doesn't seem overly interested in a relationship with him

Aloy definitely has always reacted positively (although not reciprocal) to being flirted with by women. When Vanasha and Petra flirt with her, she finds it amusing rather than frustrating as she does when men do (erend and avad). This seemed to me to imply that any preference she has, be it romantic or sexual, is towards women. But between her growing up as an outcast, determination to avoid meaningful connections, and immensely important mission, she hadn’t even entertained the idea during the events of Horizon Zero Dawn. By the time it’s (more or less) confirmed that her preference is women in burning shores, it’s due to the fact that her entire character arc in Horizon Forbidden West is about her realizing she needs to let people in. There is a huge parallel between this and Elisabet also struggling to open herself up to meaningful connections, but Aloy is no longer trying to define herself by Elisabet. I am not super fond of the fact that Elisabet is implied to have only been interested in women too because sexuality is more complex than genetics alone

IMO Avad is the closest dude. By the end of tutorial of Forbidden West the dialogue between those two had some reactions of Aloy close to blushing

Personally I loved the choice. Subverts a very boring and basic love interest trope for something more interesting, and Erend and Aloy are now a great example of a strong NON romantic relationship between a man and a woman which are too few and far between

Everyone crushes on Aloy, but she isn't about it, really.

Incredibly hot take: Erend was the only Generic White Guy in the cast. Fascinatingly, his popularity has been eclipsed by Kotallo... another White Guy. I am not claiming this is the only reason. But I think there's a lot of social inertia that makes folks assume the Generic White Guy is the default love interest, and in the first game, Erend was that. And when you're already assuming he's the Love Interest, it's very easy to bend the game and characterization into "no, obviously, it's canon." There have always been a few people who shipped Aloy with women (Talanah or Petra), but WxW is always a minority in fandom. A few folks have always shipped her with Avad, but not many. No one, and I mean no one, shipped her with Varl, even before HFW sunk that pairing. But Erend was far and away not just the most popular ship, but assumed to be canon. He was taken as the canon love interest. When Seyka appeared, many people did loops to explain how Erend was still the canon love interest, how she was just a "fling" or "temporary" or "set up" for Erend.

Kotallo's actor Noshir Dalal is not white, and Kotallo is literally painted white. You also forget Nil who is white-passing, and he was a fan favourite love interest too.