Guide: Days Gone - Tips and Tricks for Beginners

Days Gone features a harsh apocalyptic open world, and you’re going to need help if you hope to stay alive. In this guide, we’re going to share some tips and tricks which should prevent you from becoming Freaker food. Whether it’s managing your bike or scavenging the right resources, here’s everything beginners need to know to survive Oregon’s deadly sandbox.

Days Gone Survival Tips and Tricks

In this section, we're going to outline some general Days Gone survival tips and tricks. These hints will help you to maximise your resources, and keep you alive out in the field for longer.

Always Have Enough Resources

You should never embark on a mission in Days Gone without first ensuring you have the requisite resources. Make sure that your bike is fully repaired, and that you have plenty of fuel. Also ensure that you have enough ammunition in all your weapons, and a few med kits on your person. You can stock up on everything at camp, and if you have enough credits, it’s recommended you do so.

Remember to scavenge at all times as well. You can learn where to find scrap, ammo, fuel, and med kits in Days Gone through the link. The key to survival in the game is to always be well prepared. You can top up on items like ammunition as you use it, but if you go out into the field with only a couple of bullets to begin with, you’re quickly going to find yourself in trouble.

Use Your Equipment Wisely

While it can be tempting to go into all encounters guns blazing, consider alternative approaches. Stealth kills are hugely effective, so use the long grass to conceal yourself and crouch down to get close to your prey without alerting them. The best thing about stealth kills is that they’re deadly and don’t use up any ammunition or alert any other enemies.

Also remember to take advantage of melee weapons. A plank of wood isn’t all that powerful, but when paired with a box of nails, it can become pretty deadly. A later skill allows you to repair any melee weapons using scrap, meaning you can get more mileage out of that machete which is scoring you one hit kills. Try not to use your guns unless you absolutely have to.

Don't Be Afraid to Escape

There’s no shame in running away, especially when you’re up against a huge horde and you don’t have the requisite resources to conquer it. Always have an escape plan in mind, and use your bike to put distance between you and the approaching horde. If you feel that you’re not adequately equipped to survive a specific gauntlet, then trust your instincts. You can always come back later when you’re better prepared.

Pay Attention to Your DualShock 4's Rumble

Days Gone can be a touch obtuse when it comes to detective-style missions. Pushing the L3 button allows Deacon St. John to survey his surroundings, but in certain missions he’ll need to interact with a very specific object in order in order to further his progress. If you’re not sure what that object is, pan the camera around and wait for the DualShock 4 to vibrate. The pulsing with get stronger as you get closer to the desired object, thus giving you a helping hand in your hunt.

Days Gone Motorcycle Management Hints

In this section, we're going to look at ways you can make the most of your motorcycle when out and about in Days Gone.

Remember to Quicksave

Days Gone is quite generous with checkpoints, but one thing you should get into the habit of doing before leaving your bike behind is to quicksave. Simply stand next to the vehicle or park up while sitting on it, and hold the Triangle button. This will create a save state, meaning you won’t lose too much progress should you snuff it while away from your bike.

Roll Your Bike Down Hills

Revving your motorcycle in Days Gone consumes fuel, which is a valuable resource in the game. While it’s fairly easy to find gas canisters and petrol stations around Oregon, the worst situation you can find yourself in is lost out in the field without any fuel. As such, while you’re going to want to keep your bike topped up, you’re also going to want to conserve as much gas as possible.

One hint is to simply let your bike roll down hills. Obviously you’re going to have to accelerate up inclines, but if you find yourself on a decline, then take your finger off the throttle and just let the vehicle roll. This will not only save petrol, but you may be surprised as the speed you can build up – especially on large hills.

Always Upgrade Your Bike

As you progress through Days Gone, you’ll unlock encampments which include mechanics. These mechanics will offer to upgrade your bike for a fee. You will need to increase your trust with the camp in order to unlock some upgrades, so make sure you’re completing missions and side-quests, as well as selling bounties and meat.

If you have enough credits, always ensure you’re buying the best parts for your bike. Ultimately, you want to increase its top speed, durability, and efficiency. Buying exhausts can also help to reduce the amount of sound it makes, too, meaning that Freakers will be less drawn to your position. Every little helps, so spend whenever you have the funds to do so.

Days Gone Combat Guide

In this section, we're going to share some tips and tricks to help you to master the deadly combat mechanics in Days Gone.

Buy the Best Weapons

Much like the bike, as you build relationships with encampments you’ll begin to unlock a growing arsenal of weaponry. It’s up to you which style of play you prefer: shotguns can be deadly in close-quarters encounters, but sniper rifles are also very powerful at long distance. There are a mixture of automatic rifles and machine guns, each with different accuracy and damage statistics.

Find a play style that works for you: if you prefer stealth, then you may like to use a mixture of the crossbow and silenced pistols. If you’re more of an action hero, then the shotguns and machine guns obviously pack more of a punch. The main thing is that you’re always buying the best available weapons, as progression through the game will help you to upgrade from junk firearms to military grade ones.

Take Advantage of the Focus Ability

One of the first skills you should be looking to unlock in Days Gone is the focus ability, which allows you to push the R3 button when you’re aiming down the sights to temporarily slow down time. This is great when paired with a sniper rifle or crossbow, because it effectively allows you to hold your breath and get a perfect headshot.

But it can also be useful when you’re sprinting away from a small horde. Create some distance between Deacon and the undead using a combination of rolling (R1) and sprinting, then turn on your focus and crank out some quick headshots to thin the crowd. As you unlock more skills you can extend the length of the focus ability, giving you more time to pop off additional shots.

Create a Plan of Action

Before any combat gauntlet in Days Gone, you should be assessing the area and creating a plan of action. Use your binoculars to mark enemies and observe their patterns. What are you up against? Is this a camp of survivors, or an area with undead in it? If it’s a combination of both, then can you play the two enemy types off each other, thinning out the numbers of both and leaving you with less dirty work to do?

As mentioned earlier, you should always have an escape plan in mind and you should never be ashamed to run. Use a combination of traps, explosives, bombs, and environmental objects (like red barrels) to your advantage. And remember, stealth can be a great way to thin out numbers before you get detected, saving precious resources and giving you the upper-hand.