Not everything about the Freakers has been revealed yet, there is still a lot of research to do in order to gather more knowledge about the virus that consumes the world of Days Gone. The virus created a very unique threat that definitely makes this game stand out, hordes.
The fact that there is still so much to find out about this virus and that gives fans hope for a sequel or prequel to Days Gone.
What Exactly Is A Horde?
Well, hordes are comprised of Swarmers only. Swarmers are a type of Freaker, and they tend to be the ones you'll be dealing with the most often throughout your playthrough since they're the most commonly found. Hordes are made up of anywhere from 50 to 500 Swarmers.
Although they aren't that hard to deal with on a one-on-one basis, it can get complicated quickly if there are more than a couple of them. Since hordes are large groups of swarmers, it is important to plan carefully before attempting to track down the horde and go face-to-face with it.
Being stealthy is crucial when it comes to horde hunting. Hordes have a collective mentality, like a hive mind. This means that if one of the Freakers spots you, they will all start chasing you.
Thankfully, there are ways to track a horde and clues that hint towards their location so you won't stumble upon them and be devoured in a matter of seconds.
Once you've completed the main story, the Horde Killer storyline will highlight all horde locations for you. However, you will quickly notice that you can select a horde mission but if you get close to its location it will actually highlight a couple of areas with red circles. These spots indicate the places where the horde could be.
During The Day
Finding a horde in the middle of the day is much easier than at night. Since Freakers tend to hibernate while sunlight is out, they won't be wandering around.
Take a look at the red areas marked on your map and analyze their locations. To hibernate these large groups usually curl up together in dark places such as caves and abandoned buildings. Inspect the red areas and head towards the one that matches this description.
When you're approaching the area, walk very slow and don't forget to crouch. Move around in bushes if possible. It is important to be as stealthy as possible since alarming one of the Freakers will cause them to all come down on you.
Since they hibernate during the day, this is the best time to strike. They will be funneled inside a smaller area somewhere and it is best to throw in explosives as they're all close together. It will guarantee that you get as many of them down as possible before they run after you and leave their resting place.
At Night
If you're trying to find a swarmer horde at night it will be a bit harder since it is during nighttime that these hordes are active.
Since they rest during the day, it is at night that they come out to feed themselves and quench their thirst. Once the night comes, they leave their rest place, be it a cave or an abandoned structure. They will leave tracks on the ground indicating where they go next.
Follow the tracks. Generally, it will take you to either a water source such as a lake or pond where they drink from or a mass grave where they feed. They will stay there for a while before moving on to their next area. Again, you keep following their tracks to find them if they're not in the first gathering place.
Once they've completed all of this and the sun begins to rise, they will return to their resting place and hibernate once again until the following night.
What's The Best Option?
So, what is the best option when it comes to horde killing? Day or night? Well, there are different ways to approach each situation.
If you want to do it quickly, you might want to hunt hordes during the day since, although they will usually stick together while they're doing their nightly activities, they do move around a bit in their gathering areas. This makes it more difficult and more time-consuming to take a horde down at night. Their behavior during the day is much easier to manage since they hibernate and stay put.
However, if you want to take your time and opt for a less risky approach, you might want to attack at night. This way you can prepare. You can even enter the Freakers' hibernating area while they're out to set up properly for the attack. This allows you to set up remote bombs and proximity bombs around their resting area.
Deciding when to act will depend on how prepared you are, what you feel most confident doing, and the area where the horde is settled. And it depends on the horde as well since different hordes will walk towards different areas at night and rest in different places during the day, that fact alone might change the entirety of your plan.
Thankfully, Days Gone gives players a lot of variety in its gameplay and allows them to make their own choices when it comes to deciding the best approach to a tricky situation. If you've enjoyed your time with Days Gone, there are plenty of other post-apocalyptic open-world games for you to enjoy out there.