Dying Light 2: Stay Human has been coming for years now, and despite its rocky development, it remains one of the most anticipated games of 2022. Now that it has gone gold and with its launch date of February 4 fast approaching, let's round up everything we have on this epic zombie survivor game.
First off, here’s the Dying Light 2 trailer:
Essentially described as doing combat parkour in a zombie-infested post-apocalypse, this sequel to Dying Light had been announced in the 2018 E3 but had little news to share for a long time. The Covid outbreak further delayed production, moving the release date from 2020 to 2021, then finally to early 2022.
Dying Light introduced us to a zombie post-apocalypse where humanity must contend with the risen dead and the numerous factions fighting for supremacy. Dying Light 2 takes place 22 years after the first game, and the world remains both brutal and violent. At the center of this is the City, a place containing remnants of the old world’s buildings and built like a fortress from the Dark Ages.
To this City comes “wandering pilgrim” Aiden Caldwell, who has come seeking secrets about his past and a person he’s lost. On his journey, he meets several factions, including the Night Runners, who have a history of helping others.
"It's a setting that explains, presents a world where the civilisation has gone back to [the] dark ages. Right now, everything is brutal, primal and merciless.” - Tymon Smektala, Dying Light 2 Lead Designer
The City is an open world that players can explore and traverse using parkour skills. It’s been confirmed that this open world will be 400% larger than Dying Light's.
The world retains its day-night cycle from the previous game. While the ground is safe enough for people to wander around during the day, the undead take over at night, meaning the only safe areas to be in are the rooftops. Make one misstep and you may be chased by a Screamer, a zombie that can disorient you by screaming and can summon a horde of undead.
There are, however, reasons to go out at night. During the day, zombies infest the buildings, making them unsafe to enter. At night, however, they go out to hunt, allowing you an opportunity to enter and loot their now poorly guarded lairs.
You affect the world around you. Depending on your choices in the story, the environment and world may change as well. The consequences to most of your decisions are permanent; those choices that can be changed require work on your part to fix what you did wrong.
Skill trees are back in Dying Light 2 but have been simplified to only two trees: Combat and Parkour.
Players will gain experience points when doing certain in-game actions. Climbing, jumping, and vaulting will raise your parkour experience points, whereas doing combat combos raises your combat experience. Experiences points can then be used to unlock skills from the appropriate skills trees.
Here are some examples of skills:
Parkour
Combat
There will be 500 pieces of equipment in Dying Light 2, of which 140 will be weapons, giving players a lot of options for combat style. Also returning is the grappling hook, letting players reach higher places with ease or escape from a deadly situation.
Another critical piece of gear is the paraglider, which lets players traverse the City safely through the air. Of course, you should choose your landing zone carefully, especially when out at night.
Dying Light’s infected make a return in the sequel. Here’s a short list of confirmed enemies:
Virals. These creatures arise from victims who were bitten by the infected and could not fight off the virus. This forces their body to regress into a violent, animalistic state. They will chase prey and scratch, bite, and beat them to death. They are extremely averse to sunlight and will hide during the day.
Biters. After the viral stage, the infected loses its strength and speed and become Biters. Still averse to sunlight, they will hide during the daytime. While slower, they are still capable of delivering an infectious bite.
Volatile. The evolved form of the infected, the Volatile have tougher skin that’s resistant to damage. They are also extremely agile and strong, making them a serious threat in the wilds. Their weakness is an unprotected area in their ribcage.
Drowner. Little is known about these infected except they have been submerged in water for a lengthy period of time. They have spines like fish bones and presumably ambush you from beneath the surface.
Demolisher. An even bigger and more brutal form of the Volatile. They have an enlarged arm that can wield mauls to smash the unwary. While they are monstrously strong, they are slow and can be avoided by a canny player.
Degenerate. With bits and pieces of flesh falling off their bodies, these are the weakest form of the infected, having been exposed to sunlight for some time. They are not too dangerous but can still pose a threat if they outnumber you.
Revenant. An unusual Volatile that has tentacles growing out of it and emits a noxious gas cloud that can empower other infected. You will need to avoid them or take them down fast to keep from getting overwhelmed by other infected.
There’s more to fight than just zombies, however. Three factions vie for control of the City: Survivors, Peacekeepers, and Renegades.
Each one has their own motivations and strategy.
The Survivors. This faction wants to safe houses around the city and pride themselves in their adaptability.
The Peacekeepers. The warrior faction of the City, these are soldiers who impose their kind of law and order. They don’t hesitate to put down any who resist.
The Renegades. Ex-prisoners who serve a “ruthless colonel" seek to control the entirety of the City.
You can work with any of these factions, and your actions determine their attitude towards you.
Techland has announced that they will be providing five years of content for Dying Light 2, starting this summer when the first DLC will be launched. Further DLCs will include new weapons, stories, events, enemies, and more.
One final note: Hollywood star Rosario Dawson is in Dying Light 2. She plays Lawan, a character “fighting her own past.” It seems your choices will impact her future, such as what faction she will join.
Dying Light 2 will be a monster of a game and will need some hefty hardware to run on the best settings. That said, here’s what the PC minimum and best requirements look like.
Minimum (Ray Tracing off, 1080p 30fps)
Recommended (Ray Tracing off, 1080p 60fps)
Ray Tracing On Minimum (1080p 30fps)
Ray Tracing On Recommended (1080p 60fps)
Dying Light 2: Stay Human releases on February 4, 2022 for PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S. Get your Dying Light 2 code from our price comparator today.
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