You’re low on fuel. The sun is dipping below the Cascades, turning the sky that bruised purple color that usually means "get indoors or get eaten." Suddenly, a clothesline wire catches you across the chest, yanking Deacon off the Drifter bike and onto the dirt. Before you can even check if your bike’s engine is smoking, three guys with ragged scarves and rusted pipes are screaming about "taking what’s ours." This is the reality of ambush camps Days Gone players know all too well. It’s brutal, it's annoying when you're just trying to get to a mission, and honestly, it’s the best way to turn the tide in a world that wants you dead.
Most people treat these camps like a chore. They see the red smoke or the icons on the map and think, "Ugh, another fifteen minutes of crouching in bushes." But if you’re playing on Survival II or just trying to actually see the map, skipping these camps is basically a death sentence. You need them. Your bike needs them. Without the maps hidden in those underground bunkers, you’re basically flying blind through a Freaker-infested wilderness.
The Brutal Efficiency of Clearing Ambush Camps
There are 14 of these camps scattered across the map, from the damp forests of Cascade to the volcanic dust of Highway 97. Each one is a little microcosm of the game’s combat loops. You’ve got your snipers perched in rickety towers, the guys patrolling with shotguns, and usually a few poor souls just trying to cook some questionable meat over a fire.
Clearing them isn't just about the XP. It’s about the "Map Reveal." When you find that yellow hatch—usually hidden behind a bush or under a pile of crates—and slide down into the bunker, you find a map. That map clears the "fog of war." It shows you exactly where every NERO Research Site, Infestation Nest, and Historical Marker is in that region. It’s like the game finally stops gatekeeping the good stuff.
Plus, there are the crafting recipes. You want the Attractor Bomb? You need to hit the camps. You want the Stamina Cocktail to outrun a Rager bear? Better start clearing bunkers. Honestly, the crafting recipes alone make the risk worth it. You’re not just killing Marauders; you’re stealing their technology to survive the Freaks.
Why You Should Stop Using Guns Immediately
I know, you spent all those credits at Tucker’s camp for a better rifle. Put it away. Ambush camps in Days Gone are designed to punish loud players. If you start popping off rounds without a suppressor, you’re just ringing a dinner bell. In the Belknap region especially, a gunfight will pull in a wandering swarm of Swarmers before you can even reload.
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Use the crossbow. Use your knife. Use the environment. I once saw someone lure a nearby Breaker into the Black Crater camp. They just threw a rock, lured the big guy to the front gate, and watched the Marauders panic. It was beautiful. That’s the real way to play. The game gives you these tools—residue bolts that make enemies turn on each other, smoke bombs to vanish into thin air—and most people just try to headshot their way through. That’s why they run out of ammo and get frustrated.
Every Camp Is a Different Kind of Headache
Take the Deerborn Ambush Camp. It’s tucked away in the Cascades, and it’s a vertical nightmare. You’ve got guys on different elevations, and if you’re not careful, a guy with a bow will pin you from a ridge you didn't even know existed. It’s one of the earlier ones, but it teaches you to look up.
Then you have the Spruce Lake camp in Crater Lake. That one is a genuine mess. Why? Because it’s right next to a NERO checkpoint and usually has a horde sleeping just around the corner. If you mess up your stealth here, you’re not just fighting ten Marauders. You’re fighting ten Marauders and fifty Freakers who just woke up grumpy.
Here is the general breakdown of what you're looking for across the regions:
- Cascade: 3 Camps (The easiest, relatively speaking).
- Belknap: 3 Camps (Watch out for the cliffs).
- Lost Lake: 2 Camps (Iron Butte is nearby, so things get spicy).
- Iron Butte: 2 Camps (Ripper territory—bring fire).
- Crater Lake: 2 Camps (Heavy armor enemies start appearing).
- Highway 97: 2 Camps (Maximum chaos).
The Bunker Loot Ritual
Every time you finish a camp, the ritual is the same. Find the bunker. Loot the supplies. Check the map. But don't sleep on the "Notes." These aren't just fluff. They give you the backstory of how these people survived (or didn't). It adds a layer of grime to the world. These aren't just generic "bad guys." They’re people who decided that the only way to live in the post-apocalypse was to murder anyone passing by on a motorcycle. It makes putting them down feel a bit more earned.
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Also, these bunkers become permanent fast-travel points. If you're playing on a difficulty that allows fast travel, these are your lifelines. They also have a bed and a gun locker. If you’re deep in the southern regions and running low on resources, finding a cleared bunker is like finding an oasis in the desert.
Survival Tips the Game Doesn't Explicitly Tell You
Let's talk about the "Tripwires" and "Bear Traps." Marauders love them. When you’re approaching an ambush camp, stop running. Walk. Crouch. Look at the ground. There is nothing more embarrassing than being mid-stealth, feeling like a total badass, and then hearing the CLACK of a bear trap on your leg. It alerts everyone. It drains your health. It’s just bad business.
Another thing? Use the bushes. The tall grass in Days Gone is basically an invisibility cloak. You can whistle (press down on the D-pad) to pull one guy over, shiv him, and hide the body without his buddy five feet away ever noticing. It’s a bit "video-gamey," sure, but in a world where a Screamer can ruin your entire afternoon, take every advantage you can get.
Real Talk: The Ripper Camps
The Rippers—the Rest in Peace cult—are a whole different beast. Their camps, like the Redwood Ambush Camp, are terrifying. These guys don't care if they die. They’ll run at you with explosives strapped to their chests. When you're dealing with Ripper camps, your tactics have to shift. Stealth is still great, but you need high-damage output for when things go sideways. Focus on their "heavy" units first. And for the love of everything, don't let them pin you in a corner. They use fire, and fire in this game is no joke.
Managing Your Resources After the Raid
Once the red icon turns grey, you’ve won. But don't just hop on your bike and leave. Scavenge everything. The Marauders usually have rags, kerosene, and scrap. Scrap is the most valuable currency in the game because it fixes your bike and your melee weapons.
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If you have the "Field Repairs" skill, you can use that scrap to keep your spiked bat or your machete in top shape. If you don't have that skill yet, get it. Seriously. It’s the single most important skill in the Melee tree.
What to Do Next
If you’ve just cleared your first few camps in the Cascades, your next move should be to track down the NERO Research Sites that just appeared on your map. Use the injectors to boost your Stamina first—Health is great, but being able to run away is better.
After that, check your "Storylines" menu. You’ll see the progress bar for "Ambush Camp Hunter." Every milestone in that storyline unlocks new crafting recipes. If you’re sitting at 50% completion, you’re missing out on some of the most powerful throwables in the game.
Go back to your bike. Check your fuel levels. Look at your map. See those new icons? Those are your next targets. Go clear the Infestation Nests that are blocking your fast travel routes. Now that you have the map data from the ambush camp, you know exactly where the nests are. No more guessing. No more driving around aimlessly while your fuel gauge hits "E."
Find the high ground. Mark your targets with the binoculars. Keep your suppressor on. The Cascades are waiting, and they don't get any friendlier the longer you wait. Get to it, Drifter.