Last Edited: April 27, 2019 at 12:30 AM
The perilous world of Days Gone is home to rival gangs, a bloodthirsty cult, and of course…Freakers. And while the moment to moment gameplay may seem straight forward, there are quite a few hidden systems that the game doesn’t quite spell out. Here are essential tips Days Gone doesn’t tell you.
Watch the video above for 13 Things Days Gone Doesn’t Tell You
See also: Best Skills to Get First
Spoiler Warning: Very light gameplay spoilers ahead. We’re vague enough to not give away anything about the story, but you’ll know a little of what to expect as far as available upgrade, weapons, etc. after reading this.
1. What to Upgrade First?[edit]
First things first, you’re going to spend a lot of time on the open road,, so aim to upgrade your bike’s speed at Copeland’s Camp as soon as you can. It’s not a huge increase, but it’s sure to save on travel over time.
2. And then Upgrade the Gas Tank[edit]
Running around looking for fuel is probably the least fun task in Days Gone. Counter this by upgrading your bike’s gas tank as soon as possible so you can travel farther distances without needing to refuel.
3. Top Off the Tank[edit]
Speaking of being out of gas, if you’re running on empty, you can look through a town or Nero site for a gas can to fill up. But also make sure to keep an eye on your mini-map. If you spot the gas station icon, you can pull right up to the pump and refill without ever having to get off your bike.
4. Remember to Walk Your Bike[edit]
When your bike is idling, you can walk it forward or backwards with the left stick. Use this to pull up to towns more silently, or use it to walk it to a nearby town if it’s in need of repairs or out of gas.
5. Who to Give Leon’s Drug Stash To[edit]
The first thing you’ll do in Days Gone is take down Leon, and very soon after, you’ll acquire his drug stash. Choose to return it to Copeland’s camp over Tucker’s. Copeland has many bike upgrades you’ll want early on. While Tucker’s camp has better guns, the drug stash won’t earn you enough trust or credit to purchase anything worthwhile anyway.
6. How to Tell if a Car Has Loot[edit]
Stopping to see if a car has loot in the trunk or under the hood can become tedious. An obvious sign that there is no loot waiting for you is by spotting whether a trunk or hood is already ajar – only cars you can loot will have their trunks and hoods fully closed.
7. How to Store Guns[edit]
Buying guns from a vendor adds them to your gun locker permanently. Finding weapons in the wild, unfortunately, does not. So don’t be afraid to drop a purchased gun in favor of something with more ammo, since you can always get it back at a safe house. Just remember that the opposite is true as well – if you steal a weapon you really like off an enemy but haven’t purchased it yet if you leave it behind it’s gone for good. See How to Buy and Store Guns for more detailed information.
8. Disconnect NERO Site Speakers[edit]
When scavenging a Nero site, disconnect every speaker before activating the MMU power generator to avoid them going off and alerting nearby freakers. Don’t forget: they aren’t just on top of booths and trailers – there can be speakers on the floodlights, too. Follow the wires from the generator to make sure you get them all. You can disconnect them by shooting them, or by approaching them and pressing Square to quietly cut the wires.
Aiming at Freakers with your flashlight on at night will cause them to shield their eyes, making them more hesitant to charge you. This isn’t a reliable defensive strategy though, as they’ll eventually still charge.
10. What Question Marks on the Map Means[edit]
Stopping to help people fighting Freakers, or trapped in cars by them, will earn you camp trust and money. You can send them to the camp of your choice, of which the rewards will vary. To easily spot these random events, look out for the question mark that pops up on your minimap – but be warned: these dynamic events can sometimes be a trap.
11. Watch For Alarms[edit]
When scrapping a car’s engine, check to see if it has a blinking red light. If it does, an alarm will sound when you open the hood, alerting Freakers, but will go quiet once you remove the scrap. You can also throw rocks at these vehicles to use the alarm to lure freakers in that direction.
12. Use Molotov Cocktails[edit]
Don’t be afraid to use the Molotov cocktails or pipe bombs. Loot is plentiful, and you should always have plenty of stock to craft more.
When approaching Infestation Nests, try to have at least two Molotov cocktails on hand. One to ignite the nest, and another to take out a big chunk of the group of Freaker that emerge from it.
You can also ignite the nest by placing a gas can next to it a shooting it, saving your Molotov cocktails for killing the Freakers instead.
13. Hold on to a Few Scraps[edit]
Fix your melee weapons if you need to, but hold on to at least some scraps. You’ll never know when you’ll accidentally wreck your bike, and without, getting around in Days Gone is downright painful. Keep some Scraps on hand at all time so you can fix your bike if needed.
14. How to Fast Mount the Motorcycle[edit]
Sprinting at your bike will allow you to mount and take off faster than if you just casually walk up to it.
15. Avoid Freakers While Riding[edit]
Try to avoid driving slowly near freakers if you don’t intend to fight them. They can melee you and do damage at best, or at worst, they can dive and knock you off of your bike.
16. How to Find NERO Injectors Elsewhere[edit]
NERO Injectors, the item that increases Deacon’s Stamina, Health, or Focus, can be found places that aren’t specifically labeled as NERO Sites. Check inside caves for a glowing beacon, or even more out of way places.
Keep an eye out for ramps leading “nowhere”. There are additional Nero Injectors to be found at crashed helicopter sites, along with audio recorders. The crash sites are only accessible by jumping your bike off a nearby ramp or ledge, so upgrade at least one nitrous item before hunting for them.
17. Hold Out For Better Guns[edit]
Being as vague as possible, there is a mini-machine gun at Tucker’s camp that will be very tempting. However, by the time you’ve grinded out enough credits and trust in order to buy it, you could have made enough progress in the story to gain access to a great gun for significantly less.
18. Specifically, Don’t Buy This Gun[edit]
In Tucker’s camp, you’ll eventually have access to a light machine gun, which looks great. But, by the time you’ve grinded out enough trust and credits at Tucker’s Camp, you could have just progressed in the story to a newer camp with easier access to a better gun.
19. Which Stat to Increase[edit]
When you reach your first NERO Site, you’ll be able to choose between increasing Deacon’s Life, Stamina, or Focus. Get a few ticks in Focus, but Stamina is the most important. This resource is used to run and roll away, which could mean life or death if you find yourself in a tough spot.
To fast travel, you not only need to clear NERO Checkpoints and Ambush Camps, but you need to clear Infestations in between. Check How to Fast Travel for more details.
21. How to Add Markers to Your Map[edit]
If you clear an Ambush Camp, not only will you unlock a fast travel point and gun locker, but you’ll also find a map in that camp’s bunker that will reveal markers on your map for collectibles, NERO Research Sites and more.
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