The Hordes of Days Gone are easily the most dangerous obstacle in the game. While there are types of Freakers (the name for zombies in Days Gone) such as Screamers, Breakers, and Reachers that can really ruin St. John’s day, the Hordes are always going to be more dangerous. A Horde is packed to the brim with Freakers, and each one wants your blood.

Given that the Hordes are such a deadly obstacle, it’s only natural that Days Gone rewards the player handsomely for wiping out a Horde. That’s where the Horde Killer rewards come in. They are weapons and other kinds of items given to Deacon St. John when clears out a certain percentage of the Hordes, of which there are 40 total.

8 SMP9 – 10%

The SMP9 is the first Horde Killer upgrade Deacon St. John is going to acquire after wiping out 10% of the total Hordes. The SMP9 is a submachine gun that Deacon can use in his side-arm slot. It’s good for picking off Freakers here and there, but the rapid-fire makes ammunition a tenuous prospect.

That said, if Deac’s in a tight spot, and the SMP9 is the only automatic weapon he has on him, it’s not bad to pepper a few Freakers with damage while trying to create some distance. If Deacon gets a headshot while doing so then all the better.

7 Auto Shotgun – 25%

The Automatic Shotgun is the second Horde Killer unlock, and it’s arguably the best Horde Killer reward in the entire game. The Auto Shotgun is just a powerful rapid-fire option that can cut Freakers down in great numbers with great efficiency.

Getting the Auto Shotgun early game isn’t a bad idea, but it does require 25% of the Hordes to have been wiped out. For those who aren’t great at math, that is 10 of the total Hordes, and Deacon probably won’t get the best Horde-killing gear until a little way into the main plot.

6 SMP9 Mag Upgrade – 35%

The SMP9 Deacon gets as the first Horde Killer reward scores a magazine upgrade at the 35% marker. Deacon will definitely want this, as nothing is worse than having to reload when a Horde is bearing down on you.

This magazine upgrade takes the SMP9 from 30 rounds to 45 rounds before reloading. That may not seem like much, but every shot counts when dealing with Freakers.

5 IDF Pup – 50%

The IDF Pup, or Bullpup, is a powerful rifle that can be unlocked after wiping out half of the Hordes on the Days Gone map. It’s a particularly powerful rifle with a 45 round magazine.

The IDF Pup is an automatic weapon that can chop down Freakers at an impressive rate and with solid accuracy. It takes up Deacon’s primary weapon slot, but it’s a worthy choice. Though the Auto Shotgun may be one of the best guns in the game, the IDF Pup does give it a run for its money.

4 MG55 – 60%

The MG55 becomes available after wiping out 60% of the Hordes on the map, and it qualifies as a special weapon. This means it won’t take up Deacon’s primary weapon slot, which is very useful considering that having a powerful automatic weapon to deal with Hordes is ideal.

The MG55 starts out at 75 rounds in a magazine, which is a lot of Horde-killing material for Deacon St. John to try out.

3 IDF Pup Mag Upgrade – 75%

At three-quarters of the Hordes killed, Deacon St. John is gifted with the magazine upgrade for the IDF Pup. The IDF Pup is a powerful Freaker-killer from the get-go, but the magazine upgrade takes the IDF Pup from 45 rounds in a magazine to 65 rounds in a magazine.

Again, Deacon St. John never wants to suddenly run out of bullets while being swarmed by Freakers, so having a larger magazine is never going to be a bad idea while out in the wilds.

2 MG55 Mag Upgrade – 85%

The MG55 being a special automatic weapon with a 75 round magazine is impressive on its own, but Deacon St. John unlocks a powerful upgrade to the gun at 85% completion of the Horde Killer quest.

At that milestone, Deacon unlocks a magazine upgrade for the MG55 that increases its magazine capacity by 40 rounds. That means that the MG55 can carry 115 rounds in its magazine. That will be incredibly useful in taking out that last 15% of the Hordes on the Days Gone map.

1 St. John Horde Killer Custom Accent – 100%

The final Horde Killer reward isn’t a weapon or an upgrade for a weapon. Instead, it’s an aesthetic upgrade for St. John’s motorcycle. It’s called the St. John Horde Killer Custom Accent, and it’s only available after Deacon kills every Horde on the map.

As you can see, the Horde Killer Custom Accent is a darker gray-brown color with skulls adorning the sides, ensuring that Deacon and his motorcycle look aptly intimidating while roaming the Pacific Northwest and hunting down every Freaker in sight.

NEXT: Days Gone: 7 Major Differences Between PC And PlayStation Versions