Section 1: Game Basics (2)

Learn about the Days Gone storyline, Deacon St. John, and essential weapons like the Spiked Baseball Bat and Superior Metal Axe.

Walkthrough:

In Days Gone, you can carry a knife, a melee weapon, and have three weapon slots: one for a Sidearm, one for a Primary Weapon, and one for a Special Weapon. These slots do not change during the campaign, but you can swap out any purchased or awarded weapon at any camp or Gun Locker in a NERO (Non-Emergency Response Organization) Checkpoint or Ambush Camp. You begin the game with a 9MM handgun and will receive a crossbow very early on. You can also pick up and equip weapons dropped by enemies. Weapons can be purchased with credits at Hot Springs Camp and later at the camps at the Lost Lake and Wizard Island.

Some weapons are awarded for completing missions. For example, Boozer's Shotgun is unlocked after completing the main mission, I Could Use a Hand during gameplay at Lost Lake Camp. The Rock Chuck assault rifle is awarded for completion of the Marauder Camp Hunter storyline. Other weapons and items like remote bombs, pipe bombs, attractors, and their crafting recipes can be earned through gameplay.

Explosives such as grenades, pipe bombs, and Molotovs play a significant role. Molotovs can be crafted very early in the game, pipe bombs much later, while grenades can be purchased when your Trust Level (a measure of standing with a particular camp) allows. These items can also occasionally be found in the environment. Molotovs are necessary for burning out Infestations (areas of concentrated infected activity) and are important in the campaign.

Upgrading your arsenal is essential for survival. While weapons like the MG 55 heavy machine gun and the Talon 7 sniper rifle are powerful, they are not recommended for normal progression. The MG 55 heavy machine gun requires killing half of the hordes, and the Talon 7 requires a Trust Level of 3 at Lost Lake Camp, which is difficult to achieve before moving to the next region; a better sniper rifle, the .50 BFG, becomes available during normal campaign progression. Shotguns are not recommended as alternatives to larger magazine assault rifles and sub-machine guns that offer good range and can be suppressed.

Melee Weapons: You always have a boot knife, which is deadly for takedowns but weak for direct combat outside of stealth. It is unbreakable. Regular melee weapons have both a Damage and Durability meter and will drop from your inventory when depleted. These weapons are found in the environment and range from planks to baseball bats, fire axes, and machetes. Some melee weapons can be crafted from environmental items after earning a Crafting Recipe. The Spiked Bat can be crafted after earning its recipe from the early-game main mission, No Starving Patriots. It has good damage and is more durable than most found melee weapons. Completing 29% of the Ambush Camp Hunter storyline awards the Baseball Bat Axe Recipe. This weapon requires the bat, scrap, and a saw blade, delivering high damage and durability, making it a viable melee option for the remainder of the campaign until you find a Superior Metal Axe in the Crater Lake region.

The Tier 1 skill, Field Repairs in the Melee Tree, enables you to repair any melee weapon. Hard-Hitter in the same tree greatly enhances melee weapon damage. Home Run requires significant investment in the Melee Tree but significantly increases melee damage. Melee weapons play a large role, so keep yours in good repair or exchange it before you are left with only the knife.

Recommended Melee Weapons:

• Spiked Baseball Bat-obtain the Craft Recipe after completion of No Starving Patriots in S 2.
• Baseball Bat Axe-be awarded the Craft Recipe after completing 29% of the Ambush Camp Hunter storyline.
• Superior Metal Axe-the game's best melee weapon, found after entering the Crater Lake region. With the Home Run skill, this weapon can down a Reacher or a Breaker with only 5 strokes and normal enemies with one.

Suppressors: Suppressors in Days Gone are makeshift, constructed from oil filters, and deteriorate over time. A sidearm suppressor degrades 4% with each shot. They can be affixed to most weapons and attached/removed as needed. Approach enemies with stealth, using a suppressed weapon until discovered, then remove it.