Days Gone has 52 Nero Intel Locations. This guide shows where to find all of these Collectibles. The NERO Intel is found at NERO Checkpoints, NERO Research Sites, many are obtained automatically from the story, some are found in unmarked caves and the wilderness. A few are also left behind by Nero Soldiers at places where you see them during the story.
Most of these look like Recorders and play some audio when you pick them up. A few are just text notes. So be aware that they look slightly different. The text notes also don’t show a collectible icon when you get near them so they are easier to overlook.
The best approach is to finish the story first to get all the story-related ones and grab what you find along the way. Then finish the rest after the story in free-roam. If any of them are not at the marked spots you must advance the story further.
None of these collectibles are missable! After the story there’s free-roam and you can go back to all regions and finish up any side activities and collectibles you have left. It’s worth noting that there are two temporary points of no return. One at the end of 3rd region “Lost Lake” and one more at the end of 5th region “Crater Lake”. This will lock you out of some regions until the end of the story. After the story the whole map opens up again and you can continue collecting.
The order & numbering in this guide is the same as the in-game Collectible Menu! The items at Nero Checkpoints are found INSIDE the Nero Building that requires you to refuel the generator. The ones at Nero Research Sites are always found near to the white box that contains the Nero Injector (stat upgrade).
Nero Intel Locations
#1: Researcher Field Note – 2000
Automatic story collectible, cannot be missed.
#2: Researcher Field Note – 2064
Automatic story collectible, cannot be missed.
#3: Researcher Field Note – 2068
Automatic story collectible, cannot be missed. Unlocks during storyline “I Remember” – Mission “Moments of Lucidity”.
#4: Researcher Field Note – 2060
Automatic story collectible, cannot be missed.
#5: Flight Data Recording – 2044
Found at a Nero Research Site (Lost Lake Region).
#6: Field Recording – 2011
Found at a Nero Research Site (Highway 97 Region). This research site is inside a cave.
#7: Flight Data Recording – 1787
Found at a Nero Research Site (Crater Lake Region). It’s on an island and you must jump to it with the bike from a cliff, must use Nitro to gain enough speed.
#8: Flight Data Recording – 1377
Found at a Nero Research Site (Highway 97 Region). You must use your bike to jump over a cliff to an island and from the island to the Nero Research Site.
#9: Flight Data Recording – 2041
Found at a Nero Research Site (Belknap Region).
#10: Flight Data Recording – 2097
Found at southern Nero Research Site of Cascade Region (requires bike jump across cliff to reach a downed helicopter on a hill).
#11: Researcher Field Note – 2102
Automatic story collectible, cannot be missed. Unlocks during storyline “Surviving Isn’t Living” – Mission “You Twisted My Arm”.
#12: Nero Evacuation Notice
Found in the middle of a street, next to some parked cars and a red suitcase. It looks like a piece of paper, easy to overlook.
#13: Nero Site Order – TS-03-900SQM
Found at Nero Research Site (Iron Butte Region). You need a bike to jump there from a cliff, at Ambush Camp in south of Iron Butte. If you can’t fully access this region yet you need more story progress. Also, this Nero Intel looks like a text note, not a recorder (next to a hazmat suit corpse).
#14: Mobile Medical Site Order – TS-27-760GDQ
Found inside Rogue Tunnel Nero Checkpoint (Iron Butte Region). Unlike other Nero Intel this one looks like a text note!
#15: Mobile Medical Unit Recording – 0980
Found inside Marion Forks Tunnel Checkpoint (Belknap Region).
#16: Field Recording – 1260
Found inside Horse Lake Nero Checkpoint (Cascade Region).
#17: Mobile Medical Unit Recording – 1111
Found inside Old Pioneer Cemetery Nero Checkpoint (Cascade Region).
#18: Mobile Medical Unit Recording – 1231
Found inside Santiam Tunnel Nero Checkpoint (Lost Lake Region).
#19: Mobile Medical Unit Recording – 1301
Found at Old Sawmill Nero Checkpoint (Lost Lake Region).
#20: Mobile Medical Unit Recording – 0805
Found at Chemult Community College Nero Checkpoint (Highway 97 Region).
#21: Field Recording – 1577
Found at a Nero Research SIte (Belknap Region).
#22: Mobile Medical Unit Recording – 1788
Found inside Iron Butte Pass Nero Checkpoint (Belknap Region).
#23: Mobile Medical Unit Recording – 0817
Found in the north-west corner of Belknap Region, in an abandoned Nero Unit. This is NOT marked as a Nero Checkpoint on the map, but looks like one. In the Nero Building is this recorder.
#24: Researcher Field Note – 0988
Found inside a cave in Lost Lake Region (directly north of Iron Mike’s camp at northern end of this region). A Historical Maker collectible is also found at the cave entrance.
#25: Researcher Field Note – 0701
Found at a Nero Research Site (Cascade Region). Inside a Freaker Cave.
#26: Researcher Field Note – 1677
Found at a Nero Research Site (Cascade Region). Inside a Freaker Cave.
#27: Mobile Medical Unit Recording – 1682
Found inside Volcanic Legacy Scenic Byway Nero Checkpoint (Crater Lake Region).
#28: Black Box Recording – 1001
Found at Nero Research Site (Cascade Region).
#29: Mobile Medical Unit Recording – 0820
Found at Little Bear Lake Nero Checkpoint (Cascade Region). You go there automatically during an early story mission “Bugged the Hell Out”.
#30: Researcher Field Note – 2069
At a Nero Research Site (Crater Lake Region). You go there automatically during This Could Be It story mission.
#31: Researcher Field Note – 1735
Found by a cliff, on a green table.
#32: Researcher Field Note – 2073
Found inside a mine / cave. See the second map screenshot (zoomed in). The red line shows the entrance to the mine. You go there during the story and can return later.
#33: Researcher Field Note – 1960
Found at a Nero Research Site (Lost Lake Region).
#34: Researcher Field Note – 1463
Found at a Nero Research Site (Crater Lake Region).
#35: Researcher Field Note – 1833
Found at a Nero Research Site (Crater Lake Region).
#36: Researcher Field Note – 2072
Found at a Nero Research Site in Crater Lake Region. It’s at the end of a Mine (you go there automatically in story mission “Leave all that by the Door”).
#37: Researcher Field Note – 2043
Found by a yellow hazmat suit corpse, next to a truck by a cliff. You must climb over some parked cars to reach it.
#38: Mobile Medical Unit Recording – 1685
Found inside Pillette Bridge Nero Checkpoint (Highway 97 Region).
#39: Researcher Field Note – 2020
Found at Nero Research Site (Highway 97 Region).
#40: Researcher Field Note – 1005
Found at a Nero Research Site (Highway 97 Region).
#41: Researcher Field Note – 2006
Automatic story collectible, cannot be missed. Unlocks during storyline “I Remember” – Mission “Making Contact”.
#42: Researcher Field Note – 2071
Automatic story collectible, cannot be missed. Unlocks during storyline “I Remember” – Mission “I Need Your Help”.
#43: Researcher Field Note – 2104
Automatic story collectible, cannot be missed.
#44: Researcher Field Note – 2105
Automatic story collectible, cannot be missed.
#45: Researcher Field Note – 2106
Automatic story collectible, cannot be missed.
#46: Inspector Field Note – 1375
Found at a Nero Dig Site (Belknap Region). Inside a little shed that has a warning sign “Restricted Area, Quarantined Materials”.
#47: Inspector Field Note – 1376
Found outside of Horse Lake Nero Checkpoint (Cascade Region), on the front of a truck by a Nero Dig Site.
#48: Inspector Field Note – 1381
Found on a box at a Nero Dig Site in Cascade Region (thanks to RisinDragon for sending in this location).
#49: Inspector Field Note – 1674
Found at the end of train tracks in the very north of Cascade Region, out in the wilderness.
#50: Inspector Field Note – 1680
Found at a Nero Dig Site in the north of Crater Lake region (5th region). It’s sitting on an excavator.
#51: Mobile Medical Unit Recording – 1683
Found inside Spruce Lake Nero Checkpoint (Crater Lake Region).
#52: Researcher Field Note – 2055
Found in the north-east of Cascade Region in the wilderness on a box. It’s an area where you go during a Nero Story Mission (may need more story progress).
For all other Days Gone Collectible Types check out the full Days Gone Collectibles Guide.
thanks man. btw #9 is Flight Data Recording – 2041 not 2014
Indeed, that was a typo. Well spotted, thanks for letting me know. It’s corrected now.
Nice guide man! Anyway number 48 is near the northeast of the O’Leary Mountain Safehouse in Cascade, you’ll find it in a mass grave along the side of the road. The recorder is on top of a crate amidst the corpses.
48 is at cascade. Where you go with Rikki to fix the power the west of the dam you’ll find a big mass grave. Kinda grey on the map close to the railways.
It is on the top of the box what’s somewhere in the middle of the field.
Hope it’ll help and thanks for the list helped me out. 🙂
West of the biggest lake on the map @ Cascade.
I appreciate the information… the pictures helped me out a lot while explaining things to my dad.??
Really appreciated this guide, helped me find the Nero recordings I’d have had 0 chance at finding.
This guide has been very helpful. For Nero recorders, #32, a cave thing, doesn’t seem to exist. I’ve completed the story and am just cleaning up collectibles. I wonder if I somehow missed the mission during play, and the cave never spawned.
Go in the cave follow the tracks until they dead end turn left into the end of the cave. It’s sitting on top of the 50 gallon barrel, next to the deceased Nero body.