James O'Brian
James O'Brian is the NERO volunteer who loaded Sarah onto an evacuation helicopter when the outbreak began. Deacon finds him again two years later as a NERO lieutenant in the Finding NERO storyline. He becomes Deacon's only inside source on NERO and on what happened to Sarah.
- Role
- Supporting
- Affiliation
- National Emergency Response Organization
Good to know
- He was a graduate student before volunteering with NERO.
- He now holds the rank of lieutenant and leads a NERO recon team.
- He made sure Sarah got expert surgery, even against his orders.
- He has Deacon spy on other NERO research teams, which are kept in the dark about each other.
- He gives the jobs in the Finding NERO storyline.
- Deacon only learns about him again by sneaking into a NERO landing zone.
Who he is
On the evacuation rooftop, O'Brian was overwhelmed and only took Sarah after Deacon pulled a gun. Two years on, he studies Freakers in the field for NERO. He trades what he can learn about Sarah for Deacon's help.
Role in the storySpoilerShow
O'Brian hands Deacon Sarah's medical file, which says her camp was overrun. Later he finds her ID card and confirms the Militia took her in. He also warns that the Freakers are evolving fast.
Wizard IslandSpoilerShow
He sends Deacon after a missing team, and Deacon kills the Reacher that wiped them out. O'Brian agrees to airlift Deacon and Sarah off Wizard Island, but gunfire drives his helicopter away.
FateSpoilerShow
In the secret ending, O'Brian takes off his helmet and shows he is an intelligent Freaker. He warns Deacon that something worse is coming for the survivors.
Things to know
Finding NERO is a run of stealth jobs. You chase NERO helicopters, plant GPS trackers and listen in on researchers at landing zones, so park away and go in on foot. They're Not Sleeping rewards the Residue Bolt recipe, and What It Takes To Survive rewards the Poison Bolt. Those help with Variety is the Spice of Life, which needs a kill with every bolt type. The storyline introduces new Freakers: Bleachers in I Need Your Help and the Reacher in What It Takes To Survive. Its last mission continues after the main story ends and rewards the ICPA Stun Gun recipe.
It's On A MissionO'Brian sends you after another NERO field research team near Lost Lake. You ride out and listen in while a researcher studies the Freakers.- Making ContactYou have spotted a NERO landing zone and want answers. You sneak in, follow the agent O'Brian away from his team and confront him about the night Sarah left on his helicopter.
You Twisted My ArmO'Brian has one last spying job for you in Lost Lake. You take Boozer along, park outside a NERO landing zone and sneak in to watch one of their researchers at work.
I Need Your HelpO'Brian calls you out for a meeting near Lost Lake. He wants you to spy on his own people, so you follow a NERO helicopter to its landing zone and watch what the researchers are doing.
On Herod's BirthdayO'Brian wants more NERO data, so Deacon tracks a NERO field research team in the Lost Lake region. You tag their helicopter with a GPS tracker and watch the researcher at work.- There's Nothing You Can DoThe secret ending. After the credits, O'Brian gets in touch and asks to meet you in person at a NERO landing zone by the Pioneer Cemetery. You ride out to hear what he has to say.
- Moments of LucidityO'Brian has another job for you near Lost Lake. You find a NERO field team, put a GPS tracker on their helicopter and spy on the researcher.
- What It Takes To SurviveYou need O'Brian's help to get Sarah off Wizard Island by air, so you ride out to meet him. He sends you into the Ice Wind Lava Cave to find Cooper, and the job gets much bigger from there.
- You Could Have Done MoreO'Brian wants another meeting, so you ride out in Lost Lake to hear what he has found out about Sarah. Boozer comes along and waits at the bike while you talk.
It's Been Crazy HereAnother trip to Sarah's memorial stone at the overrun NERO refugee camp. Deacon has news to share about O'Brian, Boozer and life at Lost Lake.- Why Am I Here?O'Brian wants another meeting, and you ride out in the Lost Lake region to find him. This time he has news about what happened to Sarah after that night in Farewell.
- Finding NEROFinding NERO is the storyline about the National Emergency Response Organization and what its researchers are still doing in Oregon. Deacon keeps running into NERO scientists, led by James O'Brian, and wants to know why they are out there.
Horde AssaultHorde Assault is a survival arcade mode added in Days Gone Remastered. You drop into an open region with a sidearm and try to last as long as you can against hordes of up to 800 Freakers.- I RememberI Remember is Deacon's personal storyline about his past and his wife Sarah. It runs through the whole game, mixing present-day missions with flashbacks to how Deacon and Sarah met and the night of the outbreak.
Related characters
- Image: Bend Studio / PlayStationProtagonist
Deacon St. John
Deacon St. John is the player character: a former soldier and Mongrels MC enforcer who now works as a drifter and bounty hunter in post-outbreak Oregon. You play as him from the opening hunt for Leon. He still grieves his wife Sarah, whom he believes died early in the outbreak.
- Image: Bend Studio / PlayStationSupporting
Sarah Whitaker
Sarah Whitaker is Deacon's wife, a botanist with two PhDs who studied rare plants at Cloverdale's Iron Butte lab. You get to know her through flashback missions in the I Remember storyline. Deacon believes she was lost in the first days of the outbreak.
- Image: Bend Studio / PlayStationCompanion
Boozer
Boozer is Deacon's best friend and riding partner, and a former Sergeant-at-Arms of the Mongrels MC. He rides with you from the first mission as the two hunt bounties in the Cascades. What happens to him in the opening hours drives much of the first half of the story.
- Image: Bend Studio / PlayStationSupporting
Addison Walker
Addison Walker, called Addy, is the doctor at Iron Mike's Lost Lake camp, though she trained as a livestock vet. You meet her when Deacon brings in a badly sick Boozer. She is Rikki Patil's partner and gives jobs in the It's All We've Got storyline.