How to Upgrade Your Bike ASAP In "Days Gone"

The key to survival in Days Gone is having a great bike.

Days Gone is the latest open-world survival entry to be unleashed into the gaming world and despite some initial lukewarm reviews, it's actually pretty entertaining.

What you're getting isn't a groundbreaking storyline or gameplay; it's just a few hours of stealthy fun, not to mention some sweaty palms thanks to the hordes of "Freakers" (AKA what Days Gone calls zombies) you face when clearing out their nests in abandoned truck stops.

After sinking a solid few hours into it since it's release last week, one thing became very clear to us very quickly: this is a story about one man, Deacon St. John ("Deek") and one motorbike.

Like the horses in Red Dead Redemption 2 and Assassin's Creed Odyssey, Deek's bike is essential. The opening mission shows just how much it means to him.

But, after the first 10 minutes of gameplay, your presumably amazing bike is scavenged for parts and you're left having to start all over again.

We really mean it: your starter bike is a flaming pile of steel junk. Gas runs out very quickly. Freakers and humans can hear you from kilometres away. Your tires slip and slide like traction hasn't been invented. Not to mention, it just looks like an assembled trash can.

During the first few missions, it's almost too scary to ride out into the wilderness knowing you'll need to plan some pitstops for fuel in some very infested areas. On top of that, murderous humans and wild flesh-eating animals abound.

However, once you start to level up the gear on your bike, everything starts to become a little bit easier and a little less frightening.

So, here's what we learned to help you on your way to stealth riding around those Freakers for kilometres on end...

First up, gain trust.

This one's the actual key to levelling up that bike ASAP. Each camp has a trust system, meaning you do them favours and they'll come to trust you, letting you buy and upgrade to better things. The game introduces you to Copeland's Camp pretty early on and Manny the mechanic is your new go-to guy.

In order for Manny to work his magic fingers on your bike, you'll need to complete certain missions (like bounties and clearing out nests) within Copeland's Camp's sphere of influence. Each of these missions will earn you some trust points and these contribute to your trust level.

Other camps you'll need to earn the trust of include Tucker's Camp and Iron Mike's Camp. However, these camps are less important as Tucker's doesn't offer bike upgrades and Iron Mike's comes much later in the game.

You'll need credits too.

With each Freaker you violently do away with, you earn a "Freaker ear". These ears can be traded in at friendly camps around the map for credits, which work as the game's currency. You can also hunt animals and collect plants and sell those too. Side note: Keep some of those plants for vital crafting necessities like Cedar Sapling for new arrows.

Again, each camp has its own credit system, so any credits you raise within Copeland's won't apply to Tucker's and so on. You can usually earn these credits alongside the trust missions but hunting and gathering will top you up even further.

What to upgrade first.

You've earned enough trust and credits to unlock a few new things at Manny's. So, what should you purchase with your limited amount?

Firstly, a better fuel tank. The bane of Days Gone is running out of fuel. Without it, you can't fast travel; you'll have to sneak through infested areas rather than riding through it and you'll need to either find fuel to replenish your bike or walk it to the nearest campsite. The pits.

Once you've got a fuel tank that lets you ride longer than 10 minutes at a time, invest in a quieter motor. This means you'll be able to drive up close to ambush camps and Freaker nests without alerting everyone within a kilometre-radius of your bike.

As for the rest, it's really more of playstyle choice. You can choose to upgrade your speed, your traction, your storage space and even the bike frame's strength as well as injecting some nitro for a Need For Speed addition.

They're equally as important but they might take you a little longer to save up for.

Good luck out there, fellow bikers. It's a horrifying new world.