Image: Bend Studio / PlayStationOfficial screenshot from Bend Studio / PlayStation.
Swarmer
Swarmers are infected adults and the Freaker you meet most often. One is easy to kill, but noise brings more running, and the Horde variety behaves differently enough to catch you out.
- Threat
- Medium
- Type
- Infected
Good to know
- A regular Swarmer takes about 10 Boot Knife stabs on Normal.
- Free-roaming Swarmers can be male or female. Horde Swarmers are always male.
- Regular Swarmers pause and stare for a moment before attacking. Horde Swarmers charge straight in.
- Horde Swarmers ignore thrown rocks and Bull Rush, but Attractors and Attractor Bombs still pull them.
- Horde Swarmers cannot grab you. They only swipe and pounce.
- Horde Swarmers are immune to the Residue Bolt.
- A Screamer's cry can summon Swarmers within seconds.
- Escape Artist lets you kill a regular Swarmer right after breaking its grab.
- Lost Lake's bounty collector pays 3 trust and 5 credits per Swarmer ear.
How it behaves
A regular Swarmer wanders until it notices you, stops to look, then attacks. It either swipes at you with its hands or opens its arms to grab you. Swarmers that belong to a Horde move and sound a little different. They skip the pause, never grab, and react to Attractors but not to rocks.
How to beat it
Against a single Swarmer, keep slashing with the Boot Knife until it drops. With Bull Rush, sprint into a small group to stun them, then stomp each one. Bull Rush does nothing to Horde Swarmers. Use guns, Molotovs, pipe bombs or frag grenades on them, and save the knife for the last one or two.
Easy to miss
With Rock On, a thrown rock stuns a Swarmer, which sets up an easy kill. A rock can also pull a regular one away from its friends for a stealth takedown. Stealth attacks on Horde Swarmers are less reliable. Sometimes one turns and pounces before your knife lands.
Related enemies
- Infected
Bleacher
Bleachers are pale, shirtless Swarmers with about 50% more health and a harder hit. They are a newer mutation you meet later, and the same tactics as Swarmers work if you bring a few extra rounds.
- Infected
Breaker
Breakers are hulking male Freakers that soak up huge damage and can knock you flat with one swing. Treat each one as a mini-boss: stay at range, lead with explosives and finish with headshots.
Image: Bend Studio / PlayStationInfectedFreakers
Freakers are people and animals turned feral by the Freaker Virus, and they are the main danger on every road in Days Gone. Each type needs a different answer, from a knife for a lone Swarmer to fire for a whole Horde.
Image: Bend Studio / PlayStationInfectedHordes
Hordes are packs of 25 to 500 Swarmers that move, feed and sleep as one, and they are the biggest fights in Days Gone. Each one needs scouting and a plan, but clearing them makes a region safer and pays out in weapons.