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Days Gone

Ten Ways to Avoid Freaking Out in Days Gone

With Deacon rolling out in search of answers and adventure, we thought we'd throw together a quickfire guide to help you make the most out of your first hours in Days Gone.

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Days Gone, the latest PS4-exclusive to put players in the aftermath of a zombie apocalypse (ok, ok, they're called freakers here), is out now, and you can read our in-depth review right here if you want to know more. If you're sold on the idea of riding your bike through post-apocalyptic Oregon then we thought you might benefit a little from our experiences with the game. That being the case we've pulled together a quickfire guide to help you navigate your first steps in Days Gone, and make the most out of your time with Deacon.

Upgrade your bike - Your bike is like a second main character in Days Gone, and without it, you'll feel extremely vulnerable. You spend a huge amount of time rolling around post-apocalyptic Oregon on your two-wheeled friend, so make sure you take care of your ride. By cashing in the ears of the freakers you've killed you can upgrade your bike as much as you possibly can. A new tank will help you go further, and storage bags let you store more ammo, and so on and so forth. Of course, to reach the higher tiers in terms of the items you can buy you'll have to:

Earn favour - There are various camps dotted around the place where you can earn trust. You do this by completing jobs for the people who live there, as well as clearing infestations of freakers and marauder camps in the vicinity, both of which will improve your standing with those who dwell nearby. You can even send survivors back to earn bonus trust, which means new upgrades and items will be available as you progress.

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NERO - In Days Gone there's a government organisation known as NERO operating in the area, and they've left various checkpoints dotted about the place. If you break into them you will find some kind of injection that you can use to upgrade your stamina, health or focus, which in turn will help you stay alive just that little bit longer as you struggle through the end times.

Days Gone

Get tanked - Running out of fuel can be infuriating in Bend Studio's survival-adventure. Sure, you can upgrade your bike to make it go further, but the moment you run out of gas, it leaves an awful, sinking feeling deep in your gut. Make sure you top up your bike's fuel as often as you can. In fact, every time you come across a safe place to fuel up, do it. Walking your bike by foot is no fun at all - trust us.

Coast to coast - As you've already read, it's important to keep your tank topped up, but sometimes there are huge spaces between you and the next easily accessible tank or pump. When you're thrashing your bike up a hill there's no other option than to put the pedal to the metal, but when you've got the blessing of a downward slope, make sure to take your finger off the trigger. You can save some valuable petrol as you coast along and admire the stunning scenery.

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Gotta catch 'em all - Collect as many resources as you can, and make sure to unlock the gear that allows you to carry more equipment as soon as you can. You'll need to pick up supplies to craft new weapons and throwable items, and grab any scraps you find so, later on, you can fix your bike. A broken bike is about as infuriating as one without gas. This freaker-filled world is hard enough to navigate when you've got plentiful supplies and a tank full of gas, but it's nothing short of a nightmare when the ammo's running out and you're burning through the fuel.

Days Gone

Focus your aim - You can use Deacon's focus ability to slow down the action for a short amount of time, and this is a very handy little trick to deploy in the midst of battle. Sometimes in the heat of the moment, when everything is going to hell all around you, it pays to focus and take stock of the situation. Not only will you save some ammo by taking the time to place your shots, but you'll also do more damage per bullet fired.

Clear out your enemies - There are various locations around the map that you can clear. First, there are the nests of freakers, and the best way to deal with them is to lob in a Molotov and drive away. Clearing them will open up fast travel paths, so there's every reason to stop off on your journey and clear out the freaker infestations whenever you've got the time and the means to do so comfortably. Moreover, there are 'ambush camps' and clearing these will unlock new recipes.

Don't take on a horde too soon - There is nothing quite as intense as those moments when you first realise that there's a massive horde of freakers running at you. You need to plan for this eventuality wherever possible, and strategically placing bombs is a great way to help you take them down. Helpfully positioned red barrels should make clearing up the rest a little easier. That said, don't try to take on the big hordes too early as one wrong move can prove disastrous. Even later on when you've got a bit more experience under your belt, it can still be hard to get right.

Get the vision - There are a number of perks you can upgrade Deacon with, but none seemed as invaluable as the perk that allows you to see enemies using your special tracking vision. It makes life so much easier when taking down an enemy camp when you can see where your opponents are. Stay alert and spend as much time as you can scoping the place out before you make your move - thinking tactically might just be the difference between getting out alive and serving yourself up as dinner for a pack of ravenous freakers.

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