Your first secure stop in Permafrost is Horizon, a compact heated camp in the mountains beyond the short cave leading out of your starting ravine. The journal marks it as a Safe Zone, established by Robyn Cane for people who survived a Moon Cult attack. The location banner may show “HORIZON – Feels like: -5°C”, even though the buildings are about 19 to 28°C inside. The palisade encloses the early essentials: a place to sleep and respawn, four recipe notes, a usable hearth, the General Trader, and Robyn, who gives out most of your early quests.
Quick answer: Horizon holds five buildings (bunkhouse, kitchen, trader’s shop, leader’s cabin, workshop) plus a fast travel post. Claim the sleeping bag, grab four recipe notes, cook at the hearth, then take quests from Robyn and the General Trader.
You cannot build in Horizon: the No Build Zone prevents placing foundations, walls, or chests within the palisade. Anyone marked “Inhabitant” gives only a brief greeting. Focus on Robyn and the General Trader, with visitors such as The Mule becoming relevant later. A yellow painted mark beside each building’s door identifies its purpose.
Every building in Horizon and what it holds
Five buildings sit inside the walls, each marked with a painted door symbol. Here is where each one sits and what you can pick up or do inside.
Bunkhouse (shelter symbol)
The first building inside the gate. Head upstairs to find a yellow sleeping bag you can claim; pressing E to claim it sets Horizon as your respawn point. Behind the stairs on the floor sits the Wall Torch recipe note, and there is Cloth on a bedside table.
Kitchen (cooking-pot symbol)
Use the stone hearth as a Campfire to cook raw Meat into Dishes, without having to start a fire yourself. The recipe note for Survivor’s Boots is on a wooden crate beside a yellow bucket. Inside the Quality Crate are arrows and a Refined Stone Shiv, valued at 20 and dealing 13 damage; by the front window, the Medical Supply Box holds Herbs and a Makeshift Heater. Look in the Clothes Bin for Cloth, on the side table for Cloth and a Moonshine, and on the red folding chair for the note that unlocks the cooking guide.
Trader’s shop (dollar sign)
The General Trader stands behind bars here. Choosing “Let’s trade.” opens the Bargain screen, and after you complete “New Connections” he gives the side quest “Tonight… We Hunt!”, which asks for a deer hide. In the alcove beside the door you will find the Survivor’s Hood recipe note on a green barrel, plus Cloth, Moonshine and a Toolbox with a few Bucks.
Leader’s cabin (up the slope)
Robyn runs Horizon from this log cabin with a fireplace. She hands out the main quests “Feel the Heat” (as a turn-in), “Horizon’s Kitchen” and “Dog Days”, along with side quests “New Connections”, “Separated” and “Return to Hunter’s Glade”. She also trades, and her menu includes “Please help me!” and “I have some questions.” options. The Survivor’s Trousers recipe note sits on the kitchen counter by the sink. A red “QUEST REWARD” box waits by the armchair, with the reward crate for “Return to Hunter’s Glade” arriving later, and a Suitcase on the porch bench holds Cloth.
Workshop (wrench symbol)
A Repair Bench here can be used without building your own, which saves you a trip home when gear wears down. A Suitcase inside holds Cloth and a Granola Bar.
Outside the buildings
In the open square, a wooden post with a sled serves as the fast travel point and displays “Fast Travel: Horizon – Press E Unlock”. The Barrel Braziers along the palisade walkway burn Wood, which you can add to keep them lit. Crates set against the walls may contain items like a Deer Pelt and Stone, while an axe lets you break wooden pallets down into Wood.
The four recipe notes in Horizon
Four recipe notes are scattered across Horizon, one per building except the workshop. Picking up each one unlocks its recipe permanently, shown by a “Recipe Unlocked” message on screen.
| Recipe note | Building | Where to look |
|---|---|---|
| Wall Torch | Bunkhouse | On the floor behind the stairs |
| Survivor’s Boots | Kitchen | On a crate near the yellow bucket |
| Survivor’s Hood | Trader’s shop | On a green barrel in the door alcove |
| Survivor’s Trousers | Leader’s cabin | On the kitchen counter by the sink |
Traders and services: who to talk to
The General Trader is Horizon’s merchant, standing behind bars in the shop. Open the Bargain screen to sell pelts, bones and spare gear and to buy supplies such as Moonshine and Surgical Spirit. His stock differs between visits. Currency across the game is Bucks.
Robyn also trades from her cabin on top of handing out quests. Resources sell for very little, so carry hides, spare tools and valuables back to sell rather than raw Wood or Meat. Turning in “Separated” pays +25 Bucks.
You encounter Skinwalker and The Mule later at Hunter’s Glade, after completing the “New Home” quest; neither is in Horizon. They aren’t available to help with any of these early settlement tasks.
You can use two early services instead of constructing your own versions. Take worn gear to the workshop’s Repair Bench to fix it, and unlock the square’s Fast Travel post to connect Horizon with your other discovered points. Combat and severe snowstorms prevent fast travel, so reach Horizon on foot before the weather changes if you need somewhere warm to wait out a storm.
First-visit order in Horizon
Work through the settlement in this order so you leave with a respawn point, every recipe note, cooked food and the quests that open the next area.
Getting in and out of Horizon
From your starting point, Horizon is reached through the cave marked by a yellow arrow sign and a torch, tied to the quest “Feel the Heat”. The main timber gate leads back out toward the Broken Snowmobile, Liam’s favorite spot and Bone Cave. Once you set up your first base in the Woods, the road bridge and a palisade gate bring you back into Horizon in a couple of minutes.
Horizon has no personal chest because it is a No Build Zone, so make chests at your own base to store items. At this point in the game, the settlement is not attacked, making it a dependable spot for trading, repairs, cooking, and shelter during storms. Permafrost remains in early access, and updates may alter item placements, costs, or quest steps.
