Of all the threats that Deacon St. John will face inDays Gone, none is greater than theDays GoneHordes. While different varieties of mutatedzombies, or Freakers as they’re called in the game, pose a significant threat, theDays GoneHordes are an overwhelming swarm of normal Freakers in such great viciousness and number that they outweigh any singly Breaker or Reacher.
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TheDays GoneHordes really are the Freaker plague made physical. It’s a roaming, unsettling wave of death that can ambush Deacon when he least expects it. However, not every Horde is created equal, and circumstances such as location and composition can make one Horde far deadlier than the next.
Updated on July 18, 2025 by Josh Davison:The vast world ofDays Goneprovides a vast number of activities for the player to undertake as Deacon St. John. Of these activities, the most deadly and challenging are the Hordes. These mass armies of zombies (or “Freakers”) appear across the map and can ambush Deacon at unexpected locations. However, if you’re prepared, you’re able to look for these Hordes, avoid them when focusing on other objectives, and take on the Hordes when you’re ready. Even then, it’s still best to be prepared, and knowing the hardest Hordes is the best way to handle this particular threat.
15The Groose Gardens Horde Attacks From A Seemingly Random House
The Groose Gardens horde attacks Deacon St. John seemingly out of nowhere. It’s on Highway 97, which is the last area that the player encounters out of the game. This means that theDays GoneHorde that the player encounters here is one of the largest that you will encounter in the game.
Worse yet, the Groose Gardens Horde is in a seemingly unassuming house, and approaching it during the day means that Deacon will suddenly be attacked by a vastDays GoneHorde consisting of dozens of zombies. Prepare yourself before approaching thisDays GoneHorde.
14The Cascade Highway Horde Can Ambush Deac At Many Locations
The location of aDays GoneHorde can make it dangerous, so the fact that a Horde can appear in multiple locations is another element that can make even more it dangerous.
This makes the Cascade Highway Horde even more dangerous than others. During the day, this Horde moves between at least three locations. It can be found underneath the bridge, near the water, or moving towards the water. Encountering aDays Gone Hordewhen you’re not expecting it is always worse than hunting the Horde deliberately, so this Horde is more dangerous than others purely based on the fact that it can ambush Deacon in various high-traffic areas.
13The Belknap Crater Horde Can Attack While Deac Is At An Ambush Camp
The Belknap CraterDays GoneHorde is close to the Belknap Caves Ambush Camp, and that gives the Belknap Crater Horde and edge on the other Hordes for being more dangerous. Being attacked by living enemies with guns can make a Horde as dangerous as just about any other.
Worse yet, the Belknap Crater Horde is located in some pretty complicated terrain. Taking out seemingly endless hordes of Freakers in hilly and rocky areas can be pretty complicated. All of this is to say that fighting the Beklnap Crater Horde is a dangerous endeavor, so be careful when dealing with thisDays GoneHorde.
12The Bear Creek Hot Spring Horde Can ALSO Ambush Near A Camp
The Beark Creek Hot Spring Horde is located next to an Ambush Camp, as the title of this entry implies. Leading a Horde of dozens of Freakers to a camp of violent enemies can seem like a tempting prospect.
However, if you’re not prepared for either, you can easily be taken out by the combination of gunfire and the shredding of zombies. You have to be ready for both to survive the Bear Creek zone. This makes the Beark Creek Hot Spring Zone among the deadliestDays GoneHorde threats,
11The Sherman’s Camp Horde Is In A Town Near An Infestation Zone
An Infestation Zone is a more deadly accompaniment to aDays GoneHorde than even an Ambush Camp. The Freakers will work together. A Freaker group is just as likely to attack the population of an Ambush Camp as they are likely to attack Deacon St. John.
The fact that the Sherman’s Camp zone is a town of crowded building makes it worse. Deacon St. John is likely to be attacked bty Freakers in and around the buildings of this area. This makes Sherman’s Camp a thoroughly dangerous location, and this makes this particularDays GoneHorde among the most dangerous in the game.
10Little Bear Lake Horde Will Surprise The Player In A Small Cabin
Little Bear Lake has a small cabin on the shore that looks nice and ideal for scavenging supplies. Unfortunately, it’s packed to the brim withFreakers that will rush out at Deaconthe second he opens the door.
The surprise and immediacy of the Horde are what gives it the advantage here. On top of that, Deacon is only left with one route for retreat thanks to the proximity of the lake.Finding this Horde at night takes a lot of the edgeoff of this encounter, but doing it during the day still provides a unique and startling encounter for thrill-seekers.
9Shadow Lake Horde Will Pin Deacon Between Death And Water
The difficulty of the Shadow Lake Horde comes largely from geography. This Horde is located in Belknap and comes pouring out of a cave on the shore of Shadow Lake. They tend to circle around the lake at night before returning to their cave in the day.
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Once the Horde becomes aware of Deacon, there aren’t a lot of maneuvering options available to him. The shoreline is fairly narrow, and it’s easy to get caught between the Horde and the water. The upside of this is that that also means the Horde will be forced into clusters to be dispatched with explosives ora few sweeps from an LMG—provided Deacon gets the chance.
8Patjens Lakes Horde Lurkes Near The Hot Springs Camp
Hordes with close proximity to camp is a particularly tough challenge, as it increases the likelihood that Deacon will run into them when he isn’t ready for a fight. It may force him into an encounter he’s not yet equipped to deal with, and the Patjens Lake Horde is one such Horde.
It lies just across town from the Hot Springs camp run by Ada Tucker, which is one of the first camps Deacon travels to in the game. They hide out in a cave near this location during the day, which is the ideal time to clear it out.
7O’Leary Mountain Horde Stalks The Starting Area OfDays Gone
The O’Leary Mountain Horde delivers a similar kind of challenge as the Patjens Lake Horde. However, the O’Leary Mountain Horde can be found even sooner, as it lies at the foot of the mountain that Deacon and Boozer make their home base at the beginning of the game.
The location is a little awkward as well and is easy to stumble across by accident. Dealing with it also means Deacon will likely have to retreat into the forests around O’Leary Mountain, where other Freakers are almost certainly lurking.
6White King Mine And Grotto Caves Horde Are Two Hordes At Once
These two Hordes get to share a slot, as they are right next to each other and can be easily enraged at the same time if Deacon isn’t careful. One might chase Deacon into the other, and both can easily be found early in the game given their location in the Cascade Wilderness zone.
Both caves are also near roads, so just a little straying from a beaten path can result in one or two Hordes bearing down on Deacon.
