Nine Tips For Tackling Hordes In Days Gone

Hordes can be very tough nuts to crack in Days Gone. Some of these gatherings can have hundreds of Freakers, and thus, can prove a formidable force for new players. However, with a little understanding and the right gear, they can be toppled with relative ease. What follows are some tips to help newbies destroy hordes.

1. Don't Rush Into It

This is number one on the list for a very important reason: doing so will spell death for you. Learn the mechanics of the game a little, and gather a semi-decent early-game arsenal before attempting any horde.

Hordes are extra, and some understanding of the game is required to dispatch them.

2. Prepare Your Arsenal

This may seem self-explanatory, but it's easy to overlook. In the early game, it's plausible that you'll lack not only the appropriate firearms but also explosives. As you progress, you'll unlock the crafting recipes for all sorts of things, but in the beginning, you'll have to live with a handful of basic recipes and simple scavenging.

Before taking on any horde, max out at least your stocks of Molotov cocktails and pipebombs, either by crafting or by looting from camps and human enemies. These basic weapons will be more than enough for the game's weaker beginner hordes. No doubt, along the way, you’ll pick up some Attractors, too, which are great for luring hordes.

3. Plan Your Approach

I recommend attacking hordes during the day. It not only provides a means to see, but Freakers shall be hidden away and napping.

This, in turn, gives you sufficient time to take it slow and lay down traps (if you've been lucky enough to find some thus far). You can also establish an evacuation route, should your plans fall through and the horde overwhelm you.

When you're good and ready, let ‘em have it!

4. Don't Panic

Falling into a blind panic as a wave of screaming cannibals nips at your heels is to be expected, but try to fight off the urge. In a straight line, Deacon’s basic jog is slightly faster than the Freakers’ run, so conserve your stamina and only use it to give yourself distance when needed.

5. Get Those Nero Goodies

See a Nero checkpoint, unlock a Nero checkpoint. It's that simple.

Never pass by one because the health, stamina, and focus upgrades they provide are essential for surviving some of the beefier late-game hordes. Get the improvements now so that you don't have to come back for a tour later.

Focus, in particular, is perhaps the best of the three for hordes specifically.

6. Really Utilise Focus

Speaking of which… with a mag loaded, sprint ahead of the horde, turn, enter Focus, and dump. It's very effective.

Unfortunately, in these early stages, Focus isn't all too useful due to its low capacity, but get what use you can out of it because it's a helpful ability to have on hand nonetheless.

7. Know Where The Hordes Live

Once you complete the game, all remaining horde locations are placed on the world map. However, before then, you're just sort of left to stumble across them. As such, I recommend using this map on reddit if you want to go horde hunting before the end game (which I do recommend you do).

8. Aim For Specific Skills

Skills absolutely vital for any horde-killing champion include:

• Just Roll With It, which drastically reduces the stamina cost for rolling, and thus, helps stamina management.
• Focused Shot, which grants Deacon the ability to use Focus.
• Crowd Control, which reduces the cooldown of Focus, and thus, helps Focus management.
• On The Move, which allows Deacon to reload whilst sprinting.
• Quick Reload, which remains self-explanatory.
• Suppressing Fire, which increases the power of Focus against Freakers.
• Two Birds, One Bullet, which adds better bullet penetration, and so, makes bullets more efficient.
• Up The Ante, which increases ammunition capacity.

You'll see that most Skills here pertain to firearms. This is because that will be your primary method of horde felling; whilst other perks may provide some modicum of aid, if you're reduced to fighting a horde in melee, their effectiveness will diminish quickly.

9. Kill Four Hordes

This is a relatively simple accomplishment, even for new players, and the reward is well worth the minor challenge.

Why rush four hordes, though? Well, eliminating just four progresses the Horde Killer quest line enough to unlock the grade 4 Mil-Spec SMP9. This veritable beast of a sidearm is, frankly, broken, and it'll be your best friend for the remainder of your playthrough!

The first four hordes I recommend that you face are: Horse Lake, O’Leary Mountain, Little Bear Lake, and Death Train. Each only has a low Freaker count, can be found in the game's opening region, and are clustered close to one another. Death Train has the highest count, but its area is spacious and has plenty of explosives just lying around.

Conclusion

And there we have it, nine helpful tips for eager yet inexperienced Drifters; before you know it, you'll be a bona fide horde crusher! Just get those first four slain, and you'll have more than mastered the strategy — rinse and repeat.