You're low on scrap. Your bike is sputtering on fumes, and the sun is dipping below the Cascades, which in the world of Days Gone, is basically a death sentence. Then you see it—the thin trail of black smoke rising above the trees. Most players see that smoke and think "danger," but a seasoned drifter like Deacon St. John knows better. That smoke means an ambush camp. It means a bunker. It means a map that actually clears the fog off your UI so you aren't riding blind into a Horde.
Honestly, the Days Gone ambush camps are the unsung heroes of Bend Studio’s open-world design. While everyone obsesses over the massive Freaker Hordes—and yeah, they are terrifying—the human-on-human combat in these fortified outposts provides the most tactical satisfaction you can get in the game. It isn't just about clearing out a bunch of Rippers or Marauders; it's about the reward waiting underground.
The Real Reason You Need to Find Every Ambush Camp
Most people play open-world games and treat side objectives like chores. You know the vibe. Go here, kill ten guys, get a trophy. But in Days Gone, skipping an ambush camp is a legitimate tactical error.
Why? Because of the maps.
Every single one of the 14 ambush camps contains a hidden underground bunker. Inside that bunker is a map. Once Deacon interacts with it, several things happen at once. First, the "fog of war" on your world map vanishes for that region. Second, it reveals the exact locations of NERO Research Sites and Historical Markers. Most importantly, it unlocks crafting recipes. You want those Attractor Bombs? You want the Napalm Molotovs later in the game? You aren't getting them without raiding these camps.
The progression feels earned. You’re not just gaining XP; you’re gaining knowledge of the land. It changes the game from a survival horror experience where you’re constantly lost to a power fantasy where you own the terrain.
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Tactics That Actually Work (And Why Stealth is Overrated)
Look, we’ve all tried the "stealthy bush simulator" approach. You crouch in the tall grass, throw a rock, and wait for a Marauder to walk over so you can drive a boot knife into their neck. It works. It’s safe. But it's also slow as hell.
If you want to handle Days Gone ambush camps like a pro, you have to use the environment. My favorite move? Leading a group of nearby Freakers or a Rager bear right into the front gate.
If there’s a localized swarm nearby, you can literally toss an Attractor into the middle of the camp and watch the chaos unfold from a ridge with a sniper rifle. The AI in this game reacts brilliantly to three-way fights. The Marauders will stop shooting at you and start panicking as the Freakers tear through their barricades. You just sit back, wait for the dust to settle, and then pick off the survivors. It’s efficient. It’s brutal. It feels like something a real survivor would do.
A Breakdown of the Regions
You'll find these camps scattered across the six main regions of the map. In the early game (Cascades and Belknap), they're pretty straightforward. The Jefferson Rail Tunnel or the Belknap Caves camps are basically tutorials. They teach you how to spot traps—watch out for those tripwires and bear traps, seriously, they'll ruin your day.
But once you hit Iron Butte or the Crater Lake region, the difficulty spikes. The Rippers at the Black Crater camp aren't just guys with guns; they're zealots who will charge you with melee weapons while you're trying to reload. They use higher-tier armor. They have snipers with laser sights that can knock you off your bike from a hundred yards away.
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The Spruce Lake Ambush Camp Headache
Ask anyone who has platinumed the game about the Spruce Lake Ambush Camp in the Highway 97 region. It’s a nightmare. Not because the humans are particularly tough, but because it’s situated right next to a NERO Checkpoint and a frequent Horde migration path.
I’ve seen players get halfway through clearing the camp only for the Cinnabar Crater Horde to wander in because someone fired an unsuppressed shotgun. That’s the beauty of this game’s systemic design. You aren't just fighting an "encounter" in a vacuum; you’re fighting the world itself.
Finding the Bunkers: A Frustration-Free Guide
The most annoying part of clearing Days Gone ambush camps is often the final step: finding the hatch. You’ve killed everyone. The music has calmed down. Deacon says something like, "Need to find that bunker." And then you spend ten minutes wandering around in circles.
Here is the trick. Look for the structures that look out of place. Most hatches are hidden inside the main buildings or under a piece of corrugated metal. In the Bear Creek Hot Springs camp, it’s inside one of the main shacks. In the Wagon Road camp, it’s tucked away in a corner of the upper ridge.
Pro-tip: Use your Survival Vision. If you’ve leveled up your skills even a little bit, the hatch will glow yellow when you pulse your vision. Stop looking at the ground and start looking for the tell-tale rectangular shape of the entrance.
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The Gear You Actually Need
Don’t go into a late-game camp with the starting 9mm. It’s a waste of time. You want a suppressed sniper rifle—the MWS is fine early, but you want the Talon 7 or the BFG eventually.
- Suppressed Weapons: Essential if you don't want every Freaker within three miles joining the party.
- Smoke Bombs: Highly underrated. If a heavy gunner pins you down, a smoke bomb breaks their line of sight and lets you reposition.
- Residue Bolts: If you’re using the Crossbow, these are hilarious. Hit the strongest guy in the camp with one, and he’ll start doing your job for you, gunning down his own friends while you watch.
What Most People Get Wrong About Camp Rewards
There’s a misconception that you only do these for the map completion percentage. That’s wrong. The real reward is the reduction in "Ambush" events on the road.
Have you ever been riding your bike and suddenly a clothesline wire knocks you off, or a sniper shoots your engine out? Those are random encounters tied to the density of ambush camps in the area. By clearing Days Gone ambush camps, you are literally making the roads safer for yourself. You're reducing the spawn rate of those annoying roadside traps. It makes backtracking through the map significantly less stressful.
Actionable Steps for Your Next Playthrough
If you're jumping back into the Oregon wilderness, don't just wander aimlessly. Follow this tactical workflow to maximize your efficiency:
- Prioritize the Cascades Camps: Clear the Radio Tower and Jefferson Rail Tunnel camps immediately. They unlock the early crafting recipes that make the first ten hours of the game much more manageable.
- Invest in "Executioner" Skill: This allows you to stealth-kill heavy enemies. Without it, the armored guys in the later camps are massive bullet sponges.
- Check the Perimeter: Before entering any camp, circle the entire exterior. Bend Studio loves to put "back door" entrances or narrow gaps in the fences that let you bypass the main, heavily guarded front gate.
- Loot Everything Before Entering the Bunker: Once you go down into the bunker and grab the map, the "mission" technically ends. However, these camps are gold mines for kerosene, rags, and gunpowder. Don't leave those resources behind.
- Refuel at the Camp: Almost every ambush camp has a fuel can sitting near the entrance or by the generator. Always top off your bike before you head back out into the shit.
The ambush camps represent the struggle for the "Broken Road." They are tiny pockets of human civilization—even if it's the worst kind of civilization—that you have to dismantle to survive. They provide the context for Deacon’s journey from a drifter to a man who actually has a stake in the world. Next time you see that black smoke on the horizon, don't ride past it. Grip the handlebars, check your ammo, and go get that map.