Days Gone Remastered, launching April 25th, 2025, on PlayStation 5 and PC (with the Dead Roads DLC), offers a definitive experience unlike any other. This isn't just a graphical upgrade; it's a complete overhaul, adding new modes, features, and a wealth of unpublished content that will thrill both returning players and newcomers alike. This enhanced version fully leverages the power of the PS5 and PS5 Pro consoles, delivering breathtaking visuals and a significantly enhanced gameplay experience. This article delves deep into one of the most substantial additions: Horde Assault mode.
Horde Assault: Survival Redefined
Horde Assault is an arcade-style survival mode designed to test your skills to the absolute limit. Forget the narrative; this is pure, unadulterated survival against overwhelming odds. The presentation trailer (link to hypothetical trailer would go here) perfectly encapsulates the brutal, visceral nature of this challenging new mode.
Prepare for a relentless onslaught. You'll face not only massive hordes of Freakers, but also tougher, more challenging enemy types like the formidable Giants, shadowy figures that stalk you from the darkness, and even aggressive, hydrophobic bears! The environment itself is a constant threat, dynamically shifting and increasing the difficulty over time. The core concept is beautifully simple yet brutally effective: you cannot escape this world. This isn't about stealth or strategic maneuvering; it's about pure, unrelenting survival. This mode truly showcases the open-world environment of Days Gone in a completely new and exhilarating way.
Starting the Assault: A David vs. Goliath Scenario
Your journey into Horde Assault begins in the Cascades region, armed with nothing more than a secondary weapon. Your first task is to survive the initial wave of Freakers long enough to secure your trusty Drifter motorcycle, a crucial asset for navigating the expansive battlefield.
The map is littered with loot crates containing powerful weapons and essential resources. With over 20 weapons available, including an all-new flamethrower not found in the main story mode, scavenging these crates is paramount to survival. The contents of these crates are randomized with each new playthrough, ensuring that every run presents a unique challenge and necessitates adapting your strategy.
Resources, Upgrades, and Secondary Objectives
Survival isn't just about firepower; resource management is crucial. As you fight for survival, you'll need to strategically gather resources and complete secondary objectives to earn extra XP. These minor objectives provide invaluable boosts, crucial for survival when you're facing hordes of hundreds of Freakers. Running low on ammo with 800 Freakers hot on your heels? That's a scenario you'll want to avoid.
The Ultimate Challenge: The Final Horde
If you can endure the relentless onslaught for a grueling 30 minutes on any given map, you'll unlock the ultimate test: The Final Horde. This is no mere encounter; it's a desperate battle against an immense, unstoppable tide of Freakers, determined to overwhelm and destroy you. We won't spoil the details; the experience is best left to be discovered firsthand.
Leveling Up and Rewards: Unlocking New Content
Successfully surviving the assaults and completing objectives earns you experience points, allowing you to level up and unlock a plethora of rewards. These rewards include:
- New Playable Characters: Six additional characters, previously unplayable, become available as you progress, including fan favorites like O'Brian, Lisa, and Skizzo.
- Unique Injectors: Injectors, familiar to Days Gone players, return with a significant upgrade. These modifiers dramatically impact gameplay, adding a layer of strategic depth. You'll encounter 24 unique injectors—12 positive and 12 negative. Positive injectors provide score bonuses but increase the difficulty; negative injectors apply penalties but offer survival advantages. We'll highlight a few intriguing injectors below.
- Example Positive Injector: Enhanced Agility: Significantly increases movement speed, but reduces weapon accuracy.
- Example Negative Injector: Weakened Senses: Reduces your Freaker detection radius, but increases the damage you take.
- Topps: Cosmetic patches for Deacon’s vest. These are purely aesthetic but add a satisfying level of customization. Once unlocked, these patches carry over to the main story mode, allowing for persistent personalization.
- Bonus Rewards: Additional rewards await those who achieve high scores across all four regions. One particularly anticipated reward relates to Deacon's bike (a highly requested item among the fanbase).
The Progression System: 35 Levels of Survival
Horde Assault's progression system is built around 35 levels, each offering unique rewards. The further you progress, the more challenging the hordes become, demanding constant adaptation and strategic improvement.
Accessibility and Replayability
While Horde Assault is considered end-game content, it's accessible from the start of Days Gone Remastered. New players might find it beneficial to familiarize themselves with the game's mechanics and combat through the main story first, but seasoned players are free to dive straight into the fray. This mode adds approximately 10 hours of additional gameplay to an already expansive title.
Availability and Pre-Order Information
Horde Assault will be available on April 25th, 2025, on PlayStation 5 with Days Gone Remastered, and on PC with the Dead Roads DLC.
Days Gone Remastered is available for pre-order now on the PlayStation Store. Players who already own Days Gone on PlayStation 4 can upgrade to the Remastered version for a discounted price (€10*; price may vary depending on region). Important Upgrade Notes:
- Physical PS4 owners must insert the disc to download the PS5 version.
- PS5 Digital Edition owners (without a disc drive) cannot get the discounted upgrade.
- PS4 games redeemed via PlayStation Plus are not eligible for the upgrade.
Add Days Gone's Dead Roads DLC to your Steam and Epic Games Store wishlists!
Conclusion: A New Chapter in the Days Gone Saga
Days Gone Remastered, with its inclusion of Horde Assault, offers a truly definitive experience. This challenging, rewarding, and endlessly replayable mode pushes the boundaries of survival gameplay. The sheer volume of new content and features promises countless hours of thrilling gameplay, reinforcing Days Gone's position as a must-have title for action-adventure fans. Get ready to face the hordes; they await.