As an obsessive gamer with 100% completion across the Dead Rising, Dying Light, and State of Decay franchises, I know more than my fair share about decimating zombie hordes. However, NONE of those titles prepared me for the terror, thrill and endless rewards reaped from locating Days Gone‘s hidden secret tunnel containing the mother of all Freaker hordes.
In this comprehensive expert guide for fellow post-apocalyptic survival enthusiasts, I‘ll not only walk you through unlocking this lucrative XP and credit goldmine – I‘ll also unpack NEED-TO-KNOW details about Days Gone freaker lore, behavior patterns and advanced combat tactics allowing repeat access for INFINITE farming!
Freaker Origins & Biology
To appreciate the monumental scope of the secret horde size and unlock tricks for regeneration rounds, let‘s first analyze these mutated "zombies" more closely…
The global pandemic originating Freakers represents extreme bio-engineering by sinister government scientists. Conspiracy theories suggest an immunization experiment gone wrong, an engineered bioweapon, or even twisted CRSPR gene editing. Regardless of intents, once the man-made virus escaped quarantine, society collapsed in just TWO YEARS as mortality approached 90% globally.
Freaker ‘‘zombies‘‘ differ radically from pop culture archetypes, representing more an evolution of diseased, frenzied humans. They retain speed, coordination, pack predation techniques and residual problem-solving intellect making Freakers exponentially more dangerous than shambling corpse cliches.
Freaker Adaptations & Abilities
- Foaming rabbid rage causing hyper-aggressive attacks
- Enhanced senses – smell especially – for tracking prey
- Echolocation click communication to mass coordinate horde swarms
- Hollowing out cysts in flesh used to echo-map environments
- Spiked fungal plates protruding from injuries as natural armor
- Bioluminescent pustules to see in dark tunnels
- Increased speed, agility, strength, damage resistance
Freakers may seem mindless beasts driven only by infectious rage transmitted bite-to-bite. However their behavioral patterns indicate residual intelligence regarding self-preservation instincts, environmental puzzle-solving and even ambush tactics against threats.
This balance of animistic aggression with higher reasoning – even if subconscious – makes Freakers the perfect blend of challenge, realism and horror!
Horde Sizes, Stats & Difficulty Scaling
Hordes represent the ultimate end-game content and tests of skill for seasoned Daze Gone survivors who have honed abilities, upgraded all weapons/bike, and stockpiled resources. Let‘s break down key statistics:
| Horde Size | Freakers(#) | Speed | Damage | Health | Difficulty |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tiny | 50 | Normal | Normal | Normal | Easy |
| Small | 100 | Fast | High | High | Medium |
| Medium | 150 | Very Fast | Severe | Severe | Hard |
| Large | 250+ | Ultra Fast | Massive | Massive | Extreme |
By this scale, the secret tunnel horde with ~250 freakers qualifies as LARGE size with all scaled up stats making this boss-level challenge living up to extreme difficulty rating!
Now that we understand the apocalyptic origins behind freakers and behaviour/stat profiles that explain GAMEPLAY threats posed, let‘s get to unmasking the LOCATION and tactics for unlocking infinite loot runs against this mother of all hordes!
Locating The Barricaded Tunnel‘s Hidden Horde
Navigating miles of hazardous backcountry roads on the drifter‘s standard issue motorcycle is second nature after hundreds of hours surveying Days Gone‘s gorgeously-rendered sprawling Pacific Northwest wilderness. Signage and landmarks stand out automatically for survivors attuned to every inch.
So when an unlabeled tunnel along Route 97 near Chemult Community College appears barricaded by junked vehicles, suspicion triggers immediately. Upon inspection, the bulwarkblocking passage proves IMPOSSIBLY dense to penetrate on bike or by climbing over. Yet Freaker snarls echoing from within confirm occupants…
This plot reeks of hidden content bait, likely harboring prizes worthy of such impenetrable defenses!
Clearing The Barricade
Combing nearby wrecks turns up an old pickup truck. A tap of Triangle starts the reverse lights – a telltale developer sign it holds the key for tunnel access!
Hop aboard, fire the ignition and ease onto the gas. The truck lurches backwards, towing other vehicles with it and scraping an opening just wide enough to squeeze a bike through!
Engaging The Horde
Passing the threshold, darkness engulfs entirely before conjuring over a HUNDRED glowing eyes. Exit survival vision and the tunnel vomits out a tsunami of freakers 300+ strong!
Such overpowering numbers in tight space with no escape demands strategic initiative. Eliminate outliers first to reduce swarm size. Funnel freaks into explosive environmental traps using attractors. Conserve ammo by meleeing only when desperate.
Once revealing the Alpha Freaker commanding the horde, direct ALL firepower to drop her fast before becoming overwhelmed!
Aftermath & Rewards
Vanquishing this staggering freaker volume leaves HEAPS of severed ears flooding the tunnel – worth THOUSANDS in camp credits! Plus the XP earned likely pushes your overall level into the 50s!
Yet the REAL prize is discovering this swarm respawns endlessly when leaving/returning anytime after. That means unlimited farming potential for maxing out encampment trusts, skills, weapons and bike upgrades in record time!
Now let‘s dig into advanced combat tactics and exploit tricks that transforms this from challenging resource grind into easy mode jackpot!
Advanced Horde Tactics & Upgrade Analysis
Simply locating and initially surviving this staggering tunnel horde marks an achievement for even seasoned veterans. However master freaker exterminators leverage strategies to manipulate horde behavior, environment and skill upgrades for maximum clearing efficiency.
Herding Freaker Movement
Though exhibiting pack intelligence, freakers react predictably like real animals to stimuli like light, sound, smell. This allows steering horde movement using Attractors, explosives and advance knowledge of environment.
The tunnel layout has natural bottlenecks perfect for grouping tight swarms right into environmental and proximity bomb traps. Sections also create shadow where I can recover stamina while the horde pauses at light sources.
Doorways too narrow for flanking forces clumping for uncontrolled chain reactions when exploding one member. Hallway debris/obstacles also channels freakers predictably when herding them ahead of melee attacks before they spread wide.
Optimizing Skill & Gear Investments
Evolving past spray & pray tactics requires analysis on skill tree upgrades granting the most tactical advantages against swarming freaker offense/defense.
Focused shot efficiency multiplies ammunition supplies by ensuring high accuracy one-shot kills. This prevents wasting bullets while dodging chaotic melee exchanges. Endurance and health bumps also prove mandatory to outlast freaker stamina.
Converting the drifter bike for damage/speed serves escaping tunnels when exhausted. Equipping the best automatic rifle, MG55 in my case, maintains sufficient suppression fire.
Proximity and remote detonation explosives weapons both shine using attractors to bait freakers. I suggest mixing both for versatility/utility.
Finally upgrading Deacon‘s boot knife and spiked bat with damage mods helps conserve firearms when ammunition inevitably dries up!
Cashing In: Camp Credits & Infinite Farming
As discussed earlier, successfully clearing this staggering 250+ horde leaves literal PILES of dismembered freaker trophies flooding the tunnel. Absconding with a inventory stuffed with severed ears, turning them in at camps unlocks:
- Thousands in credits redeemable for weapons/bike upgrades and crafting materials
- Max Trust for unique weapons and perks from all friendly encampments.
- Fast Travel by gifting additional ears to scaffold crews.
Yet the most lucrative aspect is how this horde ENDLESSLY respawns each visit after leaving the region. This permanent farming spot means:
- Unlimited access to resources normally finite
- Accelerated credit generation compared to traditional missions
- Quick power-leveling by repeating the same bountiful XP payout
- Flexibility to experiment with loadouts/strategies risk-free
Essentially after revealing this horde early, the entire Days Gone landscape opens without fear or frustration at difficulty jumps for those riding fully boosted bikes and wielding the best arsenals credits can buy!
The only cost is with limitless money and god-like power, you may burn through all meaningful content quicker. So consider balancing farming runs with enjoying the excellently nuanced characters and stories populating various survivor camps.
After all, building connections out in the Freaker wilds remains integral to Deacon‘s post-pandemic redemption journey.
Parting Words From Your Horde-Hunting Guide
And with that, you should now have ALL the intelligence required to consistently clear this secret horde tunnel until swimming in more bounty and loot than imaginable! When you‘ve bought out all merchants and fully upgraded everything worth customizing, then we can start discussing tracking down the ultra rare "Biggest Horde Ever" spotted roaming remote oil fields…
But that my friends is a tale for another time and tutorial! I hope this guide serves you well unlocking the exponential XP and credit farming potential of Days Gone‘s most rewarding end-game activity – horde extermination.
Stay safe on the broken roads, drive fast amongst the ruins, and give em‘ hell exterminating those freaks!