Don't build up Forza Horizon 6 Legend Island too much; here's what actually happens when you get there

Forza Horizon 6 is finally here, and with it, we're now able to access Legend Island, the only part of the map that was locked in my earlier preview play. It's also locked at the start of the main game, only becoming accessible when you become a "Forza Horizon Legend."

Mild spoilers follow on the process to unlock Legend Island, so if you want to find out yourself, click away now.

With that out of the way, the first thing I'd say is don't build it up too much. While Forza Horizon 6 is absolutely sublime, I think I built up the final part a bit too much and ended up a little disappointed. Here's how you get to Legend Island and what you actually get when you arrive.

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What is Legend Island in Forza Horizon 6?

Legend Island is the only part of the Forza Horizon 6 Japan map that is locked behind progression. While activities across the rest of the map only appear when you reach a certain level in your progression, the actual map itself is completely open to explore.

Legend Island is blocked off until you become a Horizon Legend and earn your place there.

Once you do, your arrival to the island feels very similar to your initial arrival at the Horizon Festival at the start of the game. There's the only secondary Horizon Festival outpost on the whole map located here. You also unlock some new races and PR stunts.

The main unlocks are the biggest races, those you'll be familiar with if you've played previous games. The Goliath starts on Legends Island, while the class-specific big races all start elsewhere on the main map.

You also need Legend Island access in order to smash all the XP bonus boards, as some of those are located here as well.

But that's about all there is to it. It essentially opens the final set of content from the base game to play that is not subject to the seasonal Festival Playlist when that begins.

How to unlock Legend Island in Forza Horizon 6

Now that we know what it is, how do we get to Legend Island in Forza Horizon 6? Simply progress through the game!

Specifically, Legend Island is linked to the wristband progression, not the Explore Japan progression. Anything you do that has a yellow 'H' icon on it with a number contributes to progress through your wristbands.

Once you achieve the requirements to complete the gold wristband event, then complete said event, you earn "Horizon Legend" status.

I do have a few tips to speed up your Forza Horizon 6 progress a little, too.

• Smash XP bonus boards as you come across them. It's easy to leave them until later, but each board contributes a small piece of wristband progress, which helps speed things up in the earlier tiers.
• Don't sleep on activities like the Drag Meet and Time Attack circuits. Simply completing each of these activities in every class of car will give you several hundred points on your wristbands, and they don't take long to do.
• Likewise make sure you do as many PR stunts as you can when you come across them. Don't get fixated on getting three stars every time; you get wristband progress for one and two stars. If you don't have the right car to max it out yet, still do something, as it all helps your progress.
• If you're struggling to win races for the maximum rewards, turn down the difficulty. There's no shame in it if you just want to progress as fast as possible, and you're only racing against Drivatars anyway!

So, there we have it. Perhaps a little underwhelming given that it was locked off for so long, and even when it comes to the scenery — it's probably the least interesting part of the otherwise incredible map.

But that's how you get there and what to expect when you do. The real endgame is what comes next, be that the Festival Playlist activities or the Evolving World. But initially, Legend Island is where you go to unlock the last of the base game content.

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