You’re riding through the Cascades, fuel tank’s bone dry, and a Screamer just alerted every Freak within a half-mile. It’s chaos. But then you see it—the white medical unit. Most players just sprint in, grab the NERO injector to boost their stamina, and bolt. Big mistake. Honestly, if you’re ignoring the Days Gone NERO intel scattered around those mobile research sites, you’re playing half a game.
It’s easy to miss. You’re worried about the power grid or finding a fuse. Yet, these tiny recorders and files are basically the only thing standing between "Deacon rides a bike" and a deep, terrifying lore that explains why the world actually ended. It isn't just flavor text. It's the skeleton of the story.
The NERO Intel Most Players Walk Right Past
There are 52 pieces of intel in total. That’s a lot of recording devices and yellow folders. Some are sitting on desks in plain sight inside NERO Checkpoints. Others? They’re tucked away in Research Sites that require a nitro-boosted jump over a ravine or a sketchy climb into a dark cave where a Horde might be sleeping.
The stuff you find at the checkpoints is usually administrative. It’s NERO—the National Emergency Response Organization—trying to play God while the world burns. You’ll hear scientists arguing about quarantine protocols that were never going to work. It’s bleak. But the Research Site intel is where things get weird. You find those in the "out of the way" spots, often next to a corpse in a hazmat suit. These tell the story of the field researchers who stayed out too long. They weren't just watching the Freakers; they were documenting the evolution.
Take the "Black Box" recordings. You find these at crashed NERO helicopters. They provide a frantic, audio-log style look at the final moments before a site was overrun. It’s high-stress storytelling. If you listen closely, you start to realize that NERO knew the virus was changing people way faster than they let on.
Why the Intel Changes Everything
You might think Days Gone is just about Deacon looking for Sarah. On the surface, sure. But the Days Gone NERO intel reframes the entire conflict.
Without the intel, the Freakers are just zombies. Generic. Boring. With the intel? You realize they’re an evolving biological phenomenon. One recording talks about "Stage 1" infections and how the subjects still show traces of human behavior. Another discusses the "Reachers" or the "Breakers" before you even fight them. It builds a sense of dread. You aren't just a biker; you're a witness to an extinction event.
The nuance is in the details. One specific piece of intel, "Inspector Field Note 1377," basically confirms that NERO knew the virus was airborne in certain conditions. That changes how you look at every NERO scientist you see in those stealth missions. They aren't just faceless bureaucrats in yellow suits. They're people terrified of their own discoveries.
Tracking Down the Hardest NERO Intel
You can't just stumble into all of these. Some require genuine effort.
- The Caves: Several pieces are located deep in Freaker Hibernation zones. If you go during the day, you’re dead. You have to wait until the Horde leaves at night to scavenge the intel. It’s a high-risk, low-reward feeling until you actually hear the audio.
- The Jumps: You’ll need at least the first or second Nitro upgrade for your bike to reach the islands or cliffside Research Sites. If you see a NERO beacon flashing in the distance across a gap, that’s your target.
- The Stealth Missions: During the main story, you’ll follow NERO researchers. You can’t kill them. You just listen. These conversations technically count toward your "intel" understanding of the world, even if they don't always leave a physical collectible.
The O’Brian Connection
O’Brian is your only link to the "civilized" world of NERO. The intel you collect fills in the gaps he won’t talk about. He’s cryptic. He’s twitchy. By the time you collect about half the Days Gone NERO intel, his behavior starts making a terrifying kind of sense.
There’s a specific recording—Intel #28, "Researcher Field Note 2006"—that mentions the "internalizing" of the virus. It hints that the NERO personnel who have been "safe" behind their suits and in their bunkers might not be as human as they look. This is the ultimate payoff for the lore-hunters. It turns a standard post-apocalyptic trope on its head.
It’s also worth noting that collecting this stuff isn't just for the "World End" trophy or 100% completion. It actually provides XP. In the early game, that XP is the difference between getting a better focus shot or dying to a Ragger bear.
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How to Effectively Clean Up the Map
Don't try to get them all at once. It’ll burn you out. The best way to handle the hunt is to integrate it into your bounty hunting. If you're heading to a region for a job, check your map for the NERO icons.
If a NERO Checkpoint icon is greyed out, you haven't cleared it. Go in, kill the speakers (seriously, don't forget the speakers or you'll have a Horde on your head), and grab the loot. The intel is almost always right next to the Injector case. It’s a two-for-one deal.
For the Research Sites, look for the white NERO beacons. They blink. At night, they’re easy to spot from a high ridge. If you see that flashing light in a place that looks impossible to reach, get your bike, find a flat stretch of land, and hit the gas.
Real-World Lore Consistency
The developers at Bend Studio were meticulous. They didn't just throw random sci-fi jargon into these files. They used actual epidemiological terms. They talk about "prions" and "pathogens" in a way that feels grounded in reality. It makes the horror of the Freakers feel possible. That's the hallmark of good writing—making the impossible feel like it’s just one bad lab accident away.
Actionable Steps for Completionists
If you want to wrap up your intel collection, start with the Belknap and Cascade regions. These are the "easiest" because the Hordes are smaller.
- Prioritize Checkpoints: These are fast travel points once cleared. It makes backtracking for missed intel much easier later in the game.
- Listen as You Ride: You don't have to stay standing in the mud to hear the audio logs. Pop the recorder, hop on your bike, and listen while you travel to your next objective. It keeps the pacing tight.
- Watch the Skies: Follow the NERO helicopters during scripted events. They often lead you toward areas thick with hidden lore.
- Upgrade Your Sensors: The "Ear to the Ground" survival skill helps, but honestly, just looking for the yellow icons on your mini-map once you’re inside a NERO zone is the most reliable method.
The NERO storyline is arguably the most interesting part of the Days Gone universe. It moves the game away from being a "biker simulator" and into the realm of hard sci-fi horror. If you've been skipping the recorders to get back to the shooting, stop. Take five minutes. Listen to the frantic breathing of a researcher realizing the world is over. It changes the way you look at every Freaker you headshot for the rest of the game.