Dying Light 2 Stay Human: What you need to know before you play

Dying Low-cal 2 Stay Human: What you lot need to know before you play

(Prototype credit: Techland)

Originally scheduled to launch in 2022, Dying Calorie-free two Stay Human underwent multiple delays, ultimately – and arguably – making information technology 2022's first major game release. With the open up-world, zombie-slaying sequel beating heavy hitters such equally Horizon Forbidden West and Elden Ring to the dial, y'all might consider taking await at Techland'south accept on surviving the undead apocalypse.

If you lot skipped 2022'due south Dying Light, you may be wondering what you should know about the original game before braving its monster-infested follow-upwards. In terms of story, you're in luck. The sequel, while not an entirely standalone feel, represents a mostly fresh offset for the series' narrative. Stay Human introduces a brand-new timeline, setting and protagonist. While the two games accept identify within a shared universe, Dying Light two also serves every bit a great starting bespeak.

DL2's gameplay, on the other mitt, relies heavily on what came before, including a strong focus on melee gainsay and first-person parkour. While the sequel retains many of the mechanics and systems that defined Dying Low-cal, however, it has likewise significantly refined and evolved them.

Whether you're a newcomer wondering what to expect or a lapsed fan looking for a refresher, we've got you covered with a primer that should fully prepare you for Dying Calorie-free 2.

Dying Light: Gameplay nuts

When Dying Light launched seven years agone, it was far from the only game that permit players slaughter zombies and survive the postal service-apocalypse. Just while its brain-craving antagonists and dilapidated settings were familiar, Dying Light's clever gameplay more often than not immune information technology to stand apart from the shuffling pack.

Foregoing the usual arsenal of firearms and explosives in favor of an inventive array of melee weapons, Dying Light focused on visceral, up-close combat. This resulted in the sort of gory, in-your-face encounters that shooting foes from distant just tin can't match.

Techland complemented the ability to brutally separate zombies, from encephalon-stem to bellybutton, with a crafting system that encouraged creativity. By gathering resources and collecting blueprints, players could fashion upgrades that leveraged fire, electricity, poison and other life-siphoning furnishings to deliver maximum damage.

Across the focus on melee gainsay, Dying Calorie-free stood out for its novel take on navigation. The game'southward open globe was substantially a playground, built around a fluid commencement-person parkour system. You could walk the metropolis's streets, but it was far more fun — and safe — to stick to college footing, traversing rooftops, balconies and anything else out of harm'southward way, using an arsenal of acrobatic skills.

The parkour abilities, along with your combat and survival skills, were also continually evolving via skill copse. The RPG progression arrangement, broken into Power, Agility and Survivor categories, allowed you to invest feel points into your preferred upgrades and unlocks. These included a number of passive perks and buffs, as well as some more significant options, such as a grappling claw, or a death-dealing combat movement.

Across Dying Light's nearly defining elements – many of which Techland had previously toyed with in 2022's Dead Island – it too featured some other notable mechanics. The game utilized a day/night cycle, which saw its ugly enemies become stronger and more aggressive subsequently dark. There was also a deep system for crafting deadly traps. Players could likewise utilize UV light to stun powerful foes, such as the night-stalking Volatiles.

Dying Low-cal: The story so far

Dying Low-cal put players in the boots of protagonist Kyle Crane. At the beginning of the game, Crane is an underground operative for the Global Relief Effort (GRE), a seemingly humanitarian co-operative of the government's Ministry building of Defense. The GRE drops Crane into the fictional Middle Eastern-inspired urban center of Harran, which contains two sprawling areas: the Slums and Quondam Town. Of course, both are under attack by a virus that'southward turned most of its citizens into flesh-eating monsters.

From at that place, Crane must recover some sensitive intel, merely it's not long before an infected foe bites him, shifting his priorities considerably. Much of the plot revolves around Antizen, a powerful drug that doesn't cure the virus, but keeps its worst symptoms at bay. Crane spends his fourth dimension helping the Runners, a group of survivors who have establish relative safety in a building dubbed "The Tower." This also serves as a sort of domicile-base for players. The Runners are the game's "good guys," helping others survive and ever hunting for Antizen.

Apart from the infected, Crane and his newfound friends likewise fight warlord Rais and his army of thugs. On peak of serving as Dying Light's principal human baddie, Rais besides takes part in many of the story'southward unexpected twists and conspiracies. By the game'due south conclusion, Crane and his remaining friends face the ruthless leader in a number of set-piece battles. At that place's an particularly memorable encounter in an loonshit full of zombies, as well as a final confrontation that sees Rais autumn to his decease from atop a skyscraper.

Dying Light's narrative runs deeper than merely Crane and the Runners taking on Rais and his goons though. Without getting too deep into the weeds, we'll say that the government — especially GRE — are non who they starting time appear to be. In fact, rather than seeking a cure for the infection, the shady organisation has plans to weaponize it. In that location's even a plot to flop Harran to contain the virus and cover up GRE's nefarious deeds, besides as that tiny detail concerning Crane'due south employment.

In the cease, Crane sides with the survivors, even refusing extraction by the GRE in favor of staying backside to help Harran's struggling populace. He also refuses to give GRE valuable information on the virus, instead handing it over to a local md who'southward working on a cure.

While Dying Light's ending isn't happy, it is hopeful. That's not the case, however, with its DLC, The Post-obit, which brings Crane'south story to 1 of two devastating conclusions. Past the finish of the expansion, Crane either transforms into a full-on infected, or launches a Harran-obliterating warhead.

Dying Light two Stay Human being: What to expect

In terms of gameplay, Dying Light 2 has largely adopted an if-it-ain't-broke-don't-fix-it approach. One time again, players drop into a big open up world, where hordes of undead wait to turn them into lunch. Navigation is once again parkour-based, while fighting is heavily melee-focused. Toss in a mix of RPG elements, survival/horror scares, and enough of gore-soaked activeness, and the sequel should feel similar domicile to existing fans of the series.

While Stay Man has smartly retained what worked the first time around, it'due south also polished and evolved those aspects, while adding plenty of original features. For starters, fans can plan on exploring a significantly larger, more diverse post-apocalyptic globe. Additionally, players tin larn new gear, including a para-glider, too every bit new acrobatic skills.

A fresh focus on role player-driven choices will fuel a more malleable narrative path, leading to both immediate and far-reaching consequences. Players volition also spend more time working with — and against — different factions, equally well every bit employing stealth to complete missions that might otherwise finish with their spines being used every bit dental floss.

While Techland hasn't been shy near sharing gameplay details, information technology'southward guarded story details every bit if they were the final remaining vials of Antigen. We know the sequel picks up 20 years after Kyle Crane's tale, in a new European setting dubbed "The City." It also introduces brand-new protagonist, Aiden Caldwell, as well as a mysterious survivor played past Rosario Dawson. Across all that, Dying Light 2's setting, story, and characters are largely under wraps.

Thankfully, we don't have to expect much longer to dig into the game's secrets, mysteries, and surprises. Dying Light 2 will be out for PlayStation, Xbox, Switch and PC on February 4.