Talk about key moments from my Days Gone Survival II No Upgrades journey.
Talk about key moments from my Days Gone Survival II No Upgrades journey.
I applied an early upgrade, including the silencers, but these were all preserved well after that point without further modifications. Initially, I cleared NERO checkpoints using Focus syringes instead of NERO Syringe perks, opting not to purchase the Focus skill since it was essential for their use. Looking back, I might have prioritized finishing the NERO checkpoint missions for the World's End storyline, which would have provided nearby ammo restocking points for some challenging Horde encounters. However, I still would have missed completing two of the World's End missions. This stems from the fact that there are 11 checkpoint missions in World's End, plus a mission at the game's start requiring sterile bandages for Boozer, with only 10 Focus syringes available.
This game also presents unpredictability regarding the completion percentage toward eliminating a specific Horde. For this reason, I focused on finishing the three hordes in the campaign and a few others, being mindful of capturing them efficiently. One major difficulty with killing hordes without upgrades was that Deacon couldn't reload while sprinting. Despite this, I managed a few challenges, though they often required time to earn rewards and could be easily bypassed with simple tactics.
This encounter with the Ripper faction leader demonstrates a quick victory strategy—performing five knife slashes per attack to drain his stamina and leave him vulnerable.
This marks the first instance where I considered upgrades might be unattainable, but I compensated by setting off remote bombs, pushing him into the railing, and firing a single shot to destroy his bike. Without upgrades, this approach proved ineffective.
This is the final boss battle against the Ripper faction leader. It illustrates a method to defeat him swiftly by ensuring five precise knife slashes per strike, exhausting his stamina and exposing him to further attacks.
This is the initial point in the campaign where I realized upgrades might be out of reach, so I relied on placing a few remote bombs, pushing him into the railing, and shooting once to blow his bike. Achieving this without upgrades would have been extremely challenging due to the time needed to earn rewards for each challenge and the game's fast-paced nature.
This is the first Horde I had to destroy in the campaign. I managed to stay stealthier than usual, but I often abandon it when nearby propane tanks become available, as luring many to distant areas without being seen is difficult. I used the bike to reach a position where I could move through buildings to slow the Horde, then zigzagged through the fenced area using explosive barrels.
The bike chase proved more demanding than previous missions because placing and timing remote bombs required precision. You frequently receive a Target Escaping warning at the start, but you can adjust your path to avoid it.
This was the second campaign Horde mission where I needed to gather fertilizer for the truck bomb. It progressed much faster than expected, thanks to using the bike after the initial attack to let the Horde cool down and refuel. I didn’t use all the available tanker trucks, which made this mission relatively straightforward compared to the others.
This is the third Horde mission required for the campaign, and at 500 Freaks, it was the most challenging. It moved quickly due to the use of many throwable weapons from a concealed location. However, I struggled as usual with eliminating as many Freaks as possible using the large propane tank—only about half a dozen were effective. A Reacher nearly caught and killed me around the 7:09 minute. This fight typically involves a Breaker, Screamer, or Reacher nearby at the start (especially in Survival II). When they arrive midway through dealing with the Horde while you’re being pursued, it becomes even more intense.
Good work. Thanks for the advice, I'll watch the videos after returning home. I also need to reinstall the game on my system and start playing from the beginning. By the way, 500 enemies is crazy! But I'm sure it's a horde mission. I think this one is in the Old Sawmill area of Lost lake region.
A count of 500 is typical when using even the lowest tier of the Massive Hordes mod, which is how I played Survival II previously. However, with upgraded versions, the hordes can surpass that number significantly. The mod’s approach to scaling hordes is that they appear in groups of about 250 at once. This method allows them to fit into many smaller horde resting areas.
Yes, the 500 horde mission stands out as the sole challenge in the campaign’s collection, which is massive at 500 Freaks. It takes place at The Old Sawmill. Nevertheless, after trying a standard Survival II upgrade run without enhancements, I realized the key factor isn’t just horde size. It’s more about the environment you battle in and whether the hordes reset to zero when you pause to reload ammo, grenades, or craft additional weapons.
None of the three hordes in the campaign reset to zero; they can be cleared in segments. I focused on other hordes mainly to accumulate enough trust points for all camps to reach level 3. The only exceptions were Copelands camp and Diamond Lake camp, where each Freak ear contributes three trust points—making the total clearable quite manageable.
If you include additional hordes as missions, they demand more attention and effort. Those that reset become extremely difficult to eliminate without upgrading your ammo saddlebag for the bike. This is especially true for most hordes that reset when you stop to restock, as they often lack nearby resources like tanker trucks or explosive barrels.