Following in the footsteps of Horizon Zero Dawn and Death Stranding, Bend Studio's excellent survival horror title Days Gone is the latest in a growing number of former PlayStation exclusives to have made their way over to the PC. The game was also recently given away for free to all PS Plus subscribers, meaning that there are currently a lot of people who are gearing up to experience it for the very first time.
While there's undoubtedly plenty of excitement in store for these new players, there are also a number of potential pitfalls that could seriously hinder their progress. Most will likely learn all about these mistakes pretty soon after they start playing, although those who'd rather just avoid making them in the first place would perhaps do well to do a little background reading before getting stuck in.
Updated May 14, 2022, by Tom Bowen: With developer Bend Studio rumored to be working on either a new Ghost Rider game or a spiritual successor to Syphon Filter, it's looking increasingly unlikely that a sequel to Days Gone will ever see the light of day. Though certainly disappointing, this needn't stop new players from checking out this fantastic open-world survival horror game, nor those who've already played it from returning for a second bite of the apple. For those who are new to the game or find themselves a little rusty on their return, these are some of the biggest mistakes that people make in Days Gone and should be avoided at all cost.
12 Running Out Of Gas
Anybody who has ever had to push Deacon's bike up a hill while periodically fending off Freakers will already know that running out of gas in Days Gone is not a good idea. Even running low can be problematic, as it can prevent players from being able to use the game's fast travel feature. Thankfully though, with enough planning, this can all be avoided fairly easily.
Players should be sure to top up their tank each time an opportunity to do so presents itself, while also preserving gas whenever possible. Having Deacon ease off on the throttle whenever he's traveling downhill is a great place to start, but there's also nothing wrong with driving a little slower than top speed whenever the situation allows.
11 Not Upgrading Deacon's Bike
Another way to minimize the risk of running out of gas is to increase the size of the bike's gas tank, although this is just one of several upgrades that players should be looking to make to the bike as early as possible. The game features numerous performance upgrades for the Drifter Bike, but a few of them are definitely a lot more useful than others.
Purchasing the Saddlebags upgrade allows players to store extra ammo on the bike and can make inventory management a lot easier. Replacing the frame is also highly recommended, as doing so will increase the bike's durability meaning that players will have to stop to repair it far less frequently. Only after these things have been added or upgraded should players start to think about other modifications.
10 Wasting Ammo
Like many other survival horror games, ammo can be incredibly hard to come by in Days Gone, so it's important for players to use what little ammo they do have sparingly. With this in mind, there will be times when it's best to sneak past an enemy rather than take them out. In instances where combat is unavoidable, players should look to utilize stealth and melee weapons as much as possible, particularly if they're only up against one or two enemies.
It's worth noting that it is possible to buy ammo from camps, though having to stop mid-flow to do so can be a big waste of time and gasoline. When players do kill an enemy or stumble across a corpse, they should be sure to loot it in the hopes of finding extra ammo. Likewise, cop cars are also a great source of ammo and so should be explored whenever possible.
9 Taking On A Horde Unprepared
There are plenty of games in which players are able to mow down wave after wave of zombies, but Days Gone isn't really one of them. At least not when players are first starting out their playthrough, anyway. An encounter with a large horde of Freakers can quickly turn sour and lead to the player being sent back to the last checkpoint. For as deadly as they can be though, the hordes can also be quite useful.
Should players happen to encounter one while on route to an enemy camp, it's possible to guide the horde over towards the enemies and have the Freakers do all of the hard work. This strategy can present certain risks if players let their guard down or run into an unexpected encounter, but it's arguably worth it due to how satisfying it can be to watch two enemy forces completely destroy each other.
8 Panicking During QTE sequences
The initial idea behind quick time events was to make cinematic cut-scenes more interactive, but the mechanic has since evolved into an entirely different beast. Many games now use QTEs a little like jump scares; placing players into a situation where panicking can often lead to a swift and gruesome death. Sadly, that's largely how they're used throughout Days Gone.
The good news is that the time given to players to respond to the button prompts on screen is fairly lenient when compared to other games and so players should use this to their advantage. When a prompt appears on the screen, rather than scrambling to hit the right button, players should take a moment to compose themselves to ensure that they don't make a mistake.
7 Not Utilizing The Quick Save Function
Although the game's autosave function does a fairly good job of backing up progress, death can come surprisingly swiftly even for the most prepared of players. As such, it's a good idea to make the most of the game's easy-to-use quicksave function as often as possible, particularly if it feels like a dangerous encounter might be looming on the horizon.
While near a bed or the Drifter Bike, PC players can press and hold R on their keyboard to instantly save the game. Quicksave won't work when players are riding the bike or are actively engaged in combat, but using it straight after dismounting is always a good idea. If using a controller rather than a keyboard, players will need to use the triangle or Y button instead of the R key.
6 Ignoring NERO Checkpoints
The prospect of having to restore a generator and disable a speaker system while fighting off angry Freakers can be a little intimidating, but the rewards are definitely worth the risk. Each NERO checkpoint is hiding a special case containing a NERO injector gun and these can be used to increase Deacon's maximum health, stamina and focus.
It is possible to complete the game without these upgrades, but doing so can make things a lot harder than they need to be. The benefits of having more health and stamina should be obvious enough already, while increased focus can make taking on hordes or clearing out enemy camps considerably easier. It can also save on item consumption too, which can in turn allow players to spend their resources elsewhere.
5 Skipping Over Collectibles
Another reason to check out the game's 12 NERO checkpoints is to further flesh out the game's lore. To better accomplish this, however, players should seek out some of the game's many collectibles. Things like Tourism Collectibles and Historical Markers can probably be skipped, but many of the others are somewhat essential for fleshing out the post-apocalyptic world in which Deacon and the player now find themselves fighting to survive.
In particular, players should keep an eye out for NERO Intel and RIP Sermons; the latter of which give some extra insight into the Rippers Faction. Other collectibles, like Sarah's Lab Notes and Colonel Garret's Speeches, are tied to main story progression and so players needn't worry about manually seeking them out. All the same, it's worth taking a closer look at them in the menu after obtaining them all just to get a better understanding of the game's lore.
4 Not Using Survival Vision
Survival Vision is one of the most useful skills at Deacon and the player's disposal, allowing them to see items and objects that can be interacted with that the naked eye might otherwise miss. There's no limit on how often players can use the ability either and so there's no reason not to use it frequently unless players are intentionally trying to make things harder for themselves.
As well as being able to find loot and hidden items, players can also use Survival Vision to pinpoint enemy locations. Before they can do so though, they'll first need to unlock the Ear to the Ground skill. Unlocking the Eagle-Eyed skill will also increase the range of Survival Vision, while the Eye for Detail skill will extend the amount of time that items remain highlighted.
3 Failing to Use the Binoculars
For as fun as it can be to run into an encounter with guns blazing, Days Gone is a game that rewards players who take their time. Using the binoculars to scout an enemy camp before attempting to infiltrate it may seem like a chore, but it can make life a lot easier for players, particularly when combined with Survival Vision and the associated skills.
It's even possible to tag enemies while playing the game on either the easy or normal difficulty settings, which will in turn allow players to sneak up behind them and perform stealth kills. Some may feel as though this level of assistance can make things a little too easy at times, but for those only looking for a moderate challenge, the binoculars are a vital tool.
2 Skipping The Stealth Upgrades
Making too much noise in Days Gone can attract all sorts of unwanted attention. Whether this comes from Marauders and Rippers or a horde of passing Freakers though, the end result is usually the same: players are going to have a bad time. Thankfully, the game provides all of the tools needed to minimize the risk of alerting enemies to Deacon's presence, although players will need to unlock them first.
The Thief in the Night skill drastically decreases the noise made by Deacon's movement, which will allow players to sneak past Freakers unheard. It's also possible to upgrade the Drifter Bike's exhaust to make it a lot quieter, although this is perhaps more of a time-saving measure than anything else as players will be able to drive a lot closer to enemy camps before needing to dismount and continue their approach on foot.
1 Underutilizing Encampments
Marauder and Ripper camps aren't the only settlements that players will stumble across while exploring the massive open world of Day's Gone. There are also five large encampments, at which players are able to undertake missions, restore their health, repair and refuel Deacon's bike, and stock up on ammo and medkits. This alone makes them incredibly useful, but there are plenty of other reasons to pay them a visit.
A lot of the game's best weapons, weapon modifications, and bike upgrades can be found there, although players will first need to earn the camp's trust to gain access to them. It's even possible to get Copeland's Camp and Tucker's Camp to join forces with Deacon in the final mission by raising their trust level to three before initiating it; providing yet another reason to engage with the game's encampments.
Days Gone is available on PlayStation 4 and PC.
