SPOILERS AHEAD
for anyone that doesn't want to know, bail now. I ain't hiding the post. Game has been out for way too long for that.
Hordes are easy to cheese. On most, I can start hitting them with the tommy gun with upgraded mag from a distance where not all of them detect me. (The special forces model is more accurate, but holds less ammo. Being able to spray and pray is essential if things go south.) The ones that attack I mow down. Rinse and repeat until there is a manageable number left. Then I throw a distraction bomb/Dbombs or 3, swap and hit them with the Squad auto weapon/SAW with upgrade mag. Sometimes they all charge, so I sprint to the bike, go about 200 meters or so; depends. They will give up and turn around. Then jump on and chase the rest on the bike and hit them from the rear. Always save when you bug out the 200 meters in case anything goes awry. Don't want to lose all the kills you racked up already.
Sometimes I have to lead with the Dbombs. Also, the mines, remotes, and prox bombs are all fun if you are near the o2 tanks, tanker semis, that sort of thing. Sometimes they all swarm, that is where all those upgrades from the psuedo FEMA checkpoints pay off. Maxed focus, health, and stamina will get you out of some serial business.
Other ways to cheese include:
choke points. Any time I can funnel them they are going to have a bad time. 85 rounds in the Chicago typewriter, 105 in the SAW, 50 in the compact SMG, all swappable in slow mo.
slot in the cave/side enter animation. If you go through it, you are safe on the other side. Leave to attract more and smoke them in groups instead of the whole nest going HAM.
For the house next to the horde where the game forces you to do the field testing of the napalm: Lay some remote bombs around the house, they will incircle it. I hit them with pipe bombs and hand grenades to thin some out and bring them to me. Sprint and crawl into the house. The chairs and stuff collapse blocking you in. Kill a bunch gathered on the other side. Next, go upstairs, climb out the window, stand on the roof, and start doing work. It helps to have already grinded enough that you have all the cool perks. The batman infrared vision thing lets you see the freakers through the walls. Trigger your remotes to take a bunch out. Use Dbombs and distractors to give you groups you can napalm, molotov, whatev. There is an ammo box, so use up all you have before reloading. Once I get the numbers down enough, I jump down and lead them to the gas station where all those oxygen bottles and petrol tankers make for an exciting time. Or you can stay on the roof and finish most off until you can just drop down and SAW the rest.
For the part where the game forces you to kill a horde to get the truck bomb stuff: This is one where you can use the Tommy gun plus SAW method. Park by the ledge overlooking the mud pit they are in, and do work. They don't all attack at once if you are doing it right, so have fun with the groups that do. Back up across the road to ensure more don't join in too soon. Rinse and repeat. ALWAYS have your bike ready and pointed for a quick sprint if things get dicey. Quick save, go back, rinse and repeat.
Grindfest is what open world games like this are about. If you don't like grinding for advantage, then it's not your bag, that's all. I grind it out and get every perk I can get. Makes gameplay fun, instead of a slog. Some enjoy that, I don't. I learned early on fighting IRL, train hard and the fight will be the easiest part.
The story is generic, but no more so than RDR or GTA games. It is a love story though, which requires you to be something of a romantic to appreciate perhaps? I dunno.
Anyways, the game checks most of my favorite boxes for the genre. It looks great, plays the way all games should play performance wise, and has some satisfying combat.
I rated it a must buy for $14. Mad Max was another one that I feel didn't get enough love. This game has that feel for me. An addictive gameplay style once you master the mechanics and have enough skills. Dystopian atmosphere. Humanity on the brink. You are the badass nomad/drifter with a excellent moral compass. Love these games.