Days Gone Summary
Bend Studio’s Days Gone is a post-apocalyptic open-world adventure game where much of the action takes place from the seat of a motorcycle. Set in Oregon following a mysterious outbreak that turns the infected into mindless zombie-like creatures (dubbed “Freakers” by the locals), the game features actor Sam Witwer in the role of main character Deacon St. John. Deacon and his best friend Boozer are two survivors making ends meet by acting as soldiers of fortune. After a chance encounter reveals that Deacon’s wife Sarah is still alive, he sets off on a quest to find her while also contending with threats both human and not-human.
Days Gone Endings
Early on in the critical path of the game, Deacon will make contact with a NERO researcher named O’Brien. NERO (the National Emergency Response Organization, an analog for FEMA) is actively working on a cure for the infection that has ravaged the US and destroyed its population. O’Brien reveals to Deacon that Sarah has been alive since the onset of the outbreak, secretly assisting NERO with its experiments to cure the outbreak. From here on, the rest of Days Gone’s story focuses on Deacon’s journey to find Sarah.
In the third major act of the game, Deacon arrives at the Crater Lake compound occupied by the Deschutes County Militia. It is here that Deacon and Sarah finally reconnect, and eventually they escape the Militia and its deranged leader Colonel Garrett. The standard ending sees Sarah and Deacon ride off together on his motorcycle, but this is actually not the only ending scene players can unlock. The game’s standard conclusion gives way to players being able to continue their save file after the credits roll. In the post-game is where the secret ending unlocks, which leaves players with a massive cliffhanger.
Standard Ending – Deacon and Sarah Ride Into the Sunset
All players need to do to unlock the standard ending is simply play through all of the main story missions. After Deacon and his allies storm the Crater Lake compound and stop Colonel Garrett, some scenes play out showing how all the characters fare. After these scenes, Deacon and Sarah are finally safe and out of harm’s way. She climbs on the back of his motorcycle and the two are finally free to live their lives as they see fit. Still, this ending is somewhat bittersweet, as Sarah reveals in one of her missions that her research is partially responsible for the outbreak. She still wishes to find a cure, and players are left with the sense of there being loose ends…
Days Gone Secret Ending – O’Brien’s Revelation
After the credits roll following the standard ending, players return to the Lost Lake camp. From here, it’s possible to continue playing and exploring Days Gone‘s massive open world. Any content that remains incomplete can betaken care of, and you can even seek out hordes of Freakers to take down if you want. Continuing to play and complete missions after the standard ending will eventually lead to O’Brien contacting Deacon. O’Brien’s call triggers the secret mission “There’s Nothing You Can Do”, with a marker on the map indicating where players can meet up with him. Head to the Old Pioneer Cemetary and prepare for a massive shock.
Secret Ending – O’Brien is Infected!
O’Brien’s motivation behind contacting Deacon is to warn him. He cautions that the virus is mutating, even beginning to impact the health of people who aren’t fully infected. Essentially, O’Brien is letting Deacon know that the virus is getting stronger and shows no signs of slowing down. He then removes his helmet to reveal that he’s been infected this whole time. This causes some obvious ramifications for the future of Days Gone‘s world, as all other infected act as mindless rabid animals.
The existence of intelligent infected implies that there may be others that players haven’t met yet. O’Brien’s final warning to Deacon before leaving is that NERO has known all along about the virus’ potential to mutate and that they’re “coming for everyone”. Completing this secret ending then unlocks a secret weapon built using the IPCA tech Deacon collects throughout the game.
This secret ending is also somewhat bittersweet, albeit for different reasons. With no hope for a Days Gone sequel, players only have this shocking cliffhanger to contend with. Still, after meeting with O’Brien it’s possible to continue playing the game and getting as much time in the post-apocalyptic Pacific Northwest as the heart desires.
Tips and Tricks for Completing Days Gone
Unlocking both the regular and secret endings of Days Gone simply requires playing the game. That said, there may be some tips players can use to help get them past some of the game’s more difficult early hours. After all, can’t see the endings if one troublesome mission is giving you grief. Here are some helpful tips to see you through to Days Gone‘s conclusion.
Unlock Field Repair, Butcher, and Green Thumb Skills ASAP
Days Gone features some light RPG-style progression and skill trees. While many of the skills are self-explanatory, some might have a utility that isn’t explained quite as clearly as it should be. Great examples of these are the Field Repair, Butcher, and Green Thumb skills. Throughout the game, players acquire melee weapons. However, like some other open-world games, these melee weapons degrade over time and break. Instead of relying on Deacon’s relatively weak boot knife, having the Field Repair skill allows you to repair broken melee weapons on the fly.
Similarly, the Butcher and Green Thumb skills make your time playing Days Gone much easier. One of the fastest ways to level up in Days Gone is to complete favors for other survivors in one of the game’s many settlements. These favors often involve harvesting resources, which means hunting down the necessary flora or fauna. The Butcher and Green Thumb skills double the amount of animal and plant resources you collect, respectively, making the process of leveling up much more efficient.
Never Let the Bike Run Out of Fuel
Deacon’s motorcycle isn’t just a cool-looking mode of transportation and a plot device, its function is inextricably tied to the gameplay. Early on, you may notice the bike is running out of fuel, leaving you to walk it through a dangerous post-apocalyptic landscape. Thankfully, Days Gone gives you some options to refuel your ride, though these may not be clear for some players.
First, the red fuel cans that players come across will infinitely respawn. That’s right – if you find a red fuel can in an area, fast traveling back to it will see it respawn. Players can use this to their advantage to remember spots with handy fuel cans.
Additionally, players can plan routes through post-apocalyptic Oregon that will take them by gas stations. Pulling up to a pump at one of these stations will allow Deacon to fill up his tank without getting off the bike. That said, make sure you’re not actively in danger before rolling up to top off.
Disable All Speakers Before Powering On NERO Checkpoints
The NERO checkpoints are some of the most important locations in Days Gone. Not only can you fast-travel between them to collect infinitely respawning resources, but they also hold the all-important NERO injectors. When players come upon these locations, they may notice loudspeakers are all around the site. If you don’t shoot them down before powering on the generator, the speakers will draw a horde of Freakers. Before powering on the local generator, make sure to shoot them all down. To make this process easier, find some higher ground and use it as a vantage point to spot all the loudspeakers.
Burn Freaker Nests to Enable New Fast Travel Options
Once fast travel becomes the best and most convenient way to get around the map, players will need to contend with the Infected Zones. These are spaces on the map where there are usually multiple Freaker nests. With the right equipment (e.g. Molotovs), players can eliminate all the Freakers in an area and then burn the nests. With the nests gone, new fast travel routes open up that were previously off-limits due to needing to travel through these dangerous zones.