---
title: "Days Gone: Complete Guide"
game: "Days Gone"
game_url: "https://qna.gg/games/days-gone"
author: "Qloud"
author_url: "https://qna.gg/players/Qloud"
topics: ["Weapons", "Crafting"]
summary: "A survival handbook for Deacon St. John's ride across the Broken Road: the bike, camps and trust, Freakers and hordes, NERO injectors, skills, weapons, the PC 2025 update and the Broken Road DLC modes. Researched…"
url: "https://qna.gg/g/days-gone-complete-guide-3910c851"
published: "2026-09-27T17:09:56.484Z"
updated: "2026-09-27T17:09:56.484Z"
source: "QnA.GG"
---

# Days Gone: Complete Guide

A survival handbook for Deacon St. John's ride across the Broken Road: the bike, camps and trust, Freakers and hordes, NERO injectors, skills, weapons, the PC 2025 update and the Broken Road DLC modes.

*Researched September 2026 — current as of PC patch 1.13 (July 2025), with the classic 2021 build (patch 1.07) still selectable via Steam's Beta branch. Check the linked sources if something differs.*

## Quick Start

1. **The Drifter bike is your lifeline and your save point.** Keep it fuelled and repaired. Always park it facing your escape route, near where you are fighting.
2. **Scrap repairs everything.** Loot scrap from cars and crates constantly — it fixes the bike and your melee weapons.
3. **Hordes are late-game content.** Early on, leave them alone. Once you have better guns, more ammo capacity and explosives, they become the best XP in the game.
4. **Night is more dangerous.** Freakers are more active and numerous after dark. Travel, scavenge and do stealth jobs in daylight when you are starting out.
5. **Hunt NERO checkpoints.** Each gives an injector that permanently boosts health, stamina or focus. Health first is the usual pick.
6. **Clear ambush camps and infestations.** Clearing ambush camps opens fast-travel routes; burning nests removes Freaker spawns and clears the fast-travel route.
7. **Trust and credits are per camp.** Sell meat, bounties and plants to the camp you want to level. Higher trust unlocks weapons and bike parts there.
8. **Use Survival Vision** to find tracks, loot and clues; many missions depend on it.

## Core Systems

### Health, stamina and focus

| Stat | Use | Boosted by |
|---|---|---|
| Health | Survive hits | NERO injectors, skills |
| Stamina | Sprinting, dodging, melee | NERO injectors, skills |
| Focus | Slow-motion aiming | NERO injectors, skills |

Focus is the key to hordes and big fights — slow time and pick off heads, Screamers or explosive barrels.

### The Drifter bike

- **Fuel**: gas stations, jerry cans in the world, camp mechanics.
- **Repair**: scrap anywhere, or pay at camp mechanics.
- **Upgrades**: bought at camp mechanics with credits and trust. Fuel tank and engine are the first priorities; later, nitrous and handling upgrades.
- **Saddlebags** store ammo — you can refill at the bike, which is huge during horde fights.
- **Fast travel** costs fuel and requires cleared routes (no infestations or ambushes on the way).

### Camps and trust

| Camp | Leader | Known for |
|---|---|---|
| Copeland's Camp | Copeland | Early weapons and bike parts; anti-government politics |
| Hot Springs | Tucker | Work camp; early trust grind through bounties and meat |
| Lost Lake | Iron Mike | The best camp mid-to-late game; strong weapon and bike unlocks |
| Wizard Island | Colonel Garret (Militia) | Late-game camp in the south |

Trust rises by completing jobs for a camp and selling to it. Credits earned at one camp only spend there, so pick the camp with the gear you want and focus on it.

### Skills

Levelling from missions and kills gives skill points in three trees:

- **Melee** — stronger swings, stamina efficiency, grapple and finishers.
- **Ranged** — focus upgrades, better aim and recoil control.
- **Survival** — stealth, crafting, looting, survival-vision and carrying upgrades.

Early priorities that help everyone: anything that raises ammo capacity, extended focus, and melee durability. Read each tree's descriptions in-game before spending — skill names and exact tiers are easy to misremember, but the descriptions tell you exactly what each point does. After that, specialise toward how you actually play.

### Crafting

Recipes unlock through the story, levelling and exploration. Key items:

| Item | Use |
|---|---|
| Molotov / Napalm Molotov | Crowd control and nest burning |
| Pipe bomb | Big burst damage; great for hordes |
| Proximity mine | Sets up kill zones on horde paths |
| Attractor | Lures Freakers to a spot; pair with explosives |
| Bandages and health mixes | Healing |
| Crafted melee weapons | Upgrading junk melee into durable weapons |

Carry kerosene, rags, bottles and empty canisters — they make most throwables.

### Weapons and loadout

Deacon carries a primary, a secondary (sidearm), a special weapon (the crossbow family) and melee. Weapons are unlocked at camps with trust and credits, and some are found on enemies.

| Slot | Early game | Later |
|---|---|---|
| Primary | Whatever rifle or shotgun you loot; buy a reliable rifle from your main camp | High-capacity automatics and LMGs for hordes; accurate rifles for Rippers and Marauders |
| Sidearm | Found pistols | Automatic sidearms and SMGs for close panic moments |
| Special | Crossbow — silent, recoverable bolts | Upgraded crossbow with crafted special bolts |
| Melee | Crafted bats and axes | Durable crafted weapons; keep one spare |

Loot guns from Marauders and ambush camps: dropped weapons go into your loadout temporarily and are a free upgrade before you have camp trust. Buy ammo capacity through skills as soon as you can — it matters more than the gun itself early on.

### Exploration checklist per area

- **NERO checkpoints** — injectors.
- **Ambush camps** — clear them to open fast-travel routes.
- **Infestation zones** — burn nests to clear routes.
- **Horde locations** — mark them and return later.
- **Gas stations and safe houses** — note them for fuel and saves.

## Enemies

| Enemy | Threat | Tip |
|---|---|---|
| Swarmers | Standard Freakers, dangerous in numbers | Stealth kills, headshots |
| Newts | Child Freakers; attack when you are hurt or on their turf | Avoid, or deal with quickly at range |
| Screamers | Call nearby Freakers and stun you | Kill first, from range |
| Breakers | Huge, very tough | Explosives, fire and sustained fire; keep moving |
| Runners and Ragers | Infected wolves and animals | Shoot while riding away; do not stop in the open |
| Marauders and Rippers | Human enemies | Stealth, suppressors, headshots; Rippers are the main hostile cult |

## Hordes

Hordes range from dozens to hundreds of Freakers. The biggest (the famous Sawmill horde) are endgame boss fights.

### How to fight a horde

1. **Scout it in daylight.** Hordes sleep in caves and buildings during the day and roam at night.
2. **Plan a route.** Chokepoints, ladders, fences and narrow paths let you funnel them.
3. **Pre-place traps.** Proximity mines and explosive barrels along the route.
4. **Wake them with an explosive.** Start with a pipe bomb or napalm into the densest part.
5. **Retreat along your route.** Shoot the front, drop Molotovs behind you, keep moving.
6. **Refill from your bike's saddlebags.** Park it on the route.
7. **Use focus** when they bunch up.

Best horde tools: high-capacity automatic weapons (the Chicago Chopper and M60 from late-camp unlocks are favourites), pipe bombs, napalm and mines. Fire is effective against crowds.

## Main Story Outline (spoiler-light)

- The story follows Deacon and Boozer through the Belknap region, then south as the story expands.
- Storylines run in parallel — Sarah, Boozer, the Rippers, NERO, and each camp. You will pick them up as you progress.
- Late in the game you move south, and hordes become a centrepiece.
- After the credits you can continue in the open world to finish side content and hordes.
- A secret ending exists; its unlock conditions are not obvious, so look them up before wrapping up if you want to see it.

## Game Modes

| Mode | What it adds |
|---|---|
| Story | Main campaign with selectable difficulty |
| New Game Plus | Restart with gear and progress; harder difficulties available |
| Survival Mode | No fast travel, reduced HUD, harder enemies |
| Challenge Mode | Score-based challenges with rewards |
| Broken Road DLC (paid, PC 2025) | Horde Assault (survive escalating Freaker waves), Permadeath and Speedrun modes |

### PC update and Classic branch

The April 2025 PC update (patch 1.08) added DualSense haptics (wired), accessibility features, a new sky/atmosphere simulation, darker nights, improved lighting and higher-resolution shadows, and compatibility with the Broken Road DLC. Patches 1.09-1.13 fixed crashes, audio and Horde Assault issues. If you prefer the original 2021 look, Steam Properties, Betas, Classic reverts to patch 1.07 (you lose the newer features and DLC compatibility).

## Common Mistakes to Avoid

- **Fighting hordes early.** Without ammo capacity, focus and explosives, you will die.
- **Running out of fuel far from a gas station.** Top up every time you pass one.
- **Leaving the bike behind.** Freakers will catch you on foot.
- **Spreading credits across all camps.** Focus one or two at a time.
- **Ignoring NERO checkpoints.** Those injectors are your biggest power upgrades.
- **Forgetting to repair melee weapons.** They break mid-fight.
- **Driving at night early.** Runners and ambushes are much more dangerous in the dark.

## Advanced Tips

- **Headshots with suppressed weapons** keep camps and Freakers from being alerted.
- **Kite hordes in circles** around big buildings when you are short on explosives.
- **Crafting while running** lets you keep up the pressure during horde fights.
- **Bounties and meat** are the fastest way to build trust at a new camp.
- **Nitrous and engine upgrades** make escapes and fast travel far safer.
- **Take jobs at night only when you want more Freakers** — e.g., to farm XP.
- **Horde Assault** is the best place to practise horde control without risking a story save.

## FAQ

**Is Days Gone on PC updated with the Remastered features?**
Yes. The April 2025 PC update (patch 1.08) brought the graphical improvements and accessibility features, and the Broken Road DLC adds Horde Assault, Permadeath and Speedrun.

**Can I go back to the original PC version?**
Yes. Use Steam's Beta branch and pick Classic to revert to patch 1.07.

**When should I fight hordes?**
After the story introduces them and you have better weapons, more ammo capacity, and explosives. Many players clear most hordes after moving south.

**How do I fix crashes on boot?**
Bend Studio's advice: delete the files in DaysGone/BendGame/Content/sfpaks and verify files in Steam; DSR is not supported and can cause black-screen loading.

**Does DualSense haptic feedback work on PC?**
Yes, with a wired connection and Steam Input disabled.

**How do I fast travel?**
Clear ambush camps and infestations on the route, and make sure the bike has enough fuel.

## Sources

- [Days Gone on Steam](https://store.steampowered.com/app/1259420/)
- [Days Gone Steam news (patches 1.08-1.13, Beta branch post, Known Issues)](https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/1259420)
- [Days Gone — Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Days_Gone)