In my searched for finding mission start triggers, I have been viewing many gameplay video’s. And even though the content can be very entertaining to watch some statements of players did sometimes puzzle me. Here are some of these things said that made me wonder:
I watched a gameplay video of the DLC ‘Alpine Unrest’, where the host guy was telling his coop partner (who I gathered was fairly new to the game) that he had BEATEN the main game, and KILLED FNIX!
Later when they discovered Bergsfrugrottan West, they were surprised that there were caves (grottor) in the game.
When the host opened his map, it looked to me that he did not have all save houses on Östertörn unlocked. So I started to suspect that he did not explore all the great finds in the game, or even visited every visible map location.
They went on to do the DLC missions and side missions, and they did not seem interested in finding all mission items, before finishing the mission.
Seekers were floaty thingies, and Hunters big runners. Ticks were the little guys, and Tanks, (can you guess?), that's right, the big guys. Still, I enjoyed the vids, because they were having fun. It just made me wonder about, what some people mean with ‘beating the game’.
Anyway, I was hours further, and had not found video evidence for that sneaky ‘Newspaper pickup’ in the Björntunet Hotel lobby, I was looking for.
Well before we got Alpine Unrest, Behind the curtain was the final mission in my eyes, you planted the “emp” then you escape thanks to the last shred of Von Ulmer left in FNIX. Then you appear in the hut outside not remembering how you got there. Your character then wanders off for a while until alpine unrest. The whole game happens in a period of about 3 months and then the timeline stops after the mission Good Night, I would guess that our player would do side quests in this time until the next update when the timeline continues. There is no real end to the game as of yet just more the end of the beginning.
My puzzlement was that this guy said he had beaten the main game on Östertörn, when he just did the missions (and maybe some side-missions). To me that’s only one part. So we have a different interpretation of what beaten the main part of the game means.
I would say that in order to claim you have finished the game, you must have finished behind the curtain.
In order to complete the game, every mission, side mission including DLCs must also be completed.
To 100% the game, is more based on your own time served as some tracking has been lost due to updates / hot fixes so it may not even be possible to get a perfect game save.
Oh that’s standard mate, I feel clarity is needed.
Every Main & Every Side Mission completed
Every collectible in game, weapons, gnomes, love letters etc…
Every item of clothing in the game
Every weapon, and attachments from 1c upwards
All 3 bikes unlocked
Every safehouse unlocked
Every location unlocked
Full challenge tree unlocked
Every schematic ( including clothing )
I would be totally supporting if apparel that is gated (like pre-order) somehow after a while is available as challenge rewards. Since many people simply hear about a game long after a pre-order announcement is made. I only heard about this game a little over a year ago.
“Beating the game” is completely individual in an open-ended game like GZ.
I see lots of points listed here that contribute to the “beating the game” but one, crucial element is still missing: Reaper.
It’s hard to say that “i’ve beaten the game” when you haven’t spawned the Reaper and killed it at least once (or min 4 times, to get complete FOA set).
Another point could be: have 4 chars where all chars are max level.
To me, “beating the game” is when i’ve gotten so good at it, that it doesn’t give me the challenge/fear anymore, even when playing on the hardest difficulty.
Sure, i don’t have all that can be collected in the game, e.g i’m still missing:
6* sledgehammer
5* KVM 59, KVM 89
about 60% of apparel schems
6 consumable schems
some event apparel
some current apparel variants and their colors (e.g: FOA set, Experimental set, Police set)
And on top of that, i also have my individual collections still in progress, which are:
max region level and score in each region
8 rivals per region, where all rivals are only level 4 tanks
This is a good point. Tbh. I forgot all about the Reaper. Spawned him, beat him a few times then promptly forgot all about it him.
The Reaper is such a missed opportunity, once I completed the FOA set I never actively tried to spawn him again.
True, this is something I did. Then deleted a char and did it again. Although, it was more out of having something to do, rather than any attempt to be a “completionist”.
5* KVMs doesn’t drop from rivals. Only from apo tank. Same goes to 6* sledge as well, that drops only from Reaper. So, i don’t need to bother my rivals at all.
Ah, right. I forgot all about little old reaper. But the devs did good here by giving apparel rewards for beating him, so players would at least try to get those.
Yes, for some this could be part of beating the game. I forgot about those too.
I have only created a few characters, only to delete them immediately. From what I read in the forums, I have always thought that playing with other characters might mess up the stats of the first character. For the same reason I avoided any coop play.
I partly feel the same. As soon as I had the full set and sledge hammer, I only fought it a few times more, once just to check how shock ammo effected it. But I don’t feel like it is a missed opportunity, since I would not like to repeat anything in the game more than a couple of times. I would love to do the missions again sometime if I could keep my progress, but just once or twice. I need new things, new missions, new enemies, new areas, new secrets. No repeats.
Actually, i have 4 chars, all max level. Further reading: What is your skill build? - #9 by Aesyle
Though, i deleted my 1st char and started anew since she needs better skill picks.
As far as FOA apparel set goes, i’m only missing the helmet. Have the rest.
Btw, taking down a Reaper, on solo game, at Guerilla difficulty, is the hardest it can get. Especially when you battle in Himfjäll. (Since Himfjäll is one of the few regions where i can spawn it.)
That is all about RNG. Except consumable schems. Those are to do with base defence.
Though, i’m not the one who grinds and farms for things. I play the game usual way and if i get the required drop - great. If not - i’m not bummed out either.
Especially when you battle in Himfjäll. 
(Since Himfjäll is one of the few regions where i can spawn it.)