Techland's Dying Light 2: Stay Human is shaping up to reinforce the original game's stellar combat and traversal gameplay with a more fleshed-out and fully realized zombie apocalypse world. It's been a long road since its debut back in 2018, but Dying Light 2 seems primed to expand on and deepen Dying Light's elements in every way. That means improved traversal gameplay and fluid movement, a reactive open-world story that takes player choice into account, and of course, lots more horrific zombie monsters primed to rip you apart. We've learned quite a bit about Dying Light 2 of late, thanks to the fact that the game is finally approaching its release date after numerous delays. Here's everything we know about Dying Light 2.
Table of Contents [hide]Release dateWhat exactly is Dying Light 2: Stay Human?What's the deal with Dying Light's zombies?Should you still play the original?What's new in the sequel?Dying Light 2 gameplay in actionWill there be multiplayer?PC requirementsMinimum System Requirements (Ray Tracing Off):Recommended System Specifications (Ray Tracing Off):TrailersPre-order guide
The long wait for Dying Light 2: Stay Human could be attributed to the tumultuous development cycle surrounding the project, with complaints regarding Techland's use of other games as creative starting points for its own projects as well as a toxic work culture. Another issue could possibly be linked to prominent developer Chris Avellone, who originally served as Dying Light 2: Stay Human's narrative director but was terminated from the project following sexual misconduct allegations. However, these reported issues have not been acknowledged by the company in an official capacity.
The sequel takes place 20 years later, where the modern world is a thing of the past. In Dying Light 2: Stay Human's present, advanced technology is scarce, and firearms are hard to come by, requiring you to scavenge parts and craft makeshift weapons together to survive the onslaught of infected, along with enemy factions looking to take what you have left. You'll see some shooter combat, as well as first-person melee fighting akin to something like Left 4 Dead 2. As you freely explore The City, which is four times bigger than the original game's world, you'll be able to take on side missions, explore abandoned buildings, and make essential choices that will impact the flow of your story. Ultimately, your decisions throughout the settlement will leave an impression on the state of the last human settlement.
Techland released a trailer during E3 2021 that runs down what you need to know about its particular zombie apocalypse, while also filling in some details about protagonist Aiden Caldwell, which you can watch below.
Throughout the game, you'll acquire new abilities and weapons to aid you in your fight against bandits and the more evolved infected. There's a more significant emphasis on crafting gear, and in some instances, you can build modded weapons that have multiple uses. In the E3 2019 demo, Aiden picked up a special harpoon gun that can be used as a mace when you're out of ammo. Along with that, modded weapons are far more effective in the sequel, but your enemies are also far more capable of taking you down in combat.
According to the developers, the sequel plans to take more cues from role-playing games to give players more choice in the flow of the narrative. Dying Light 2's story offers a lot more flexibility when compared to the original's static plot. This approach will, in turn, create more opportunities to shape the dynamic of The City based on your preferences. In addition to the returning focus on open-world exploration and melee combat, the adaptive narrative adds a new twist that makes the game's world feel more like your own. In a recent interview, the Techland devs stated that to see the game's 100+ hours of content, it will require multiple playthroughs of the game.
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Dying Light 2 Stay Human New Gameplay
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Editor Mark Delaney played Dying Light 2 for GameSpot's preview and lauded the fluidity and freedom of movement the game presented in our hands-on session. He also wrote that, while the characters can feel a bit flat and story choices are often binary, the narrative feels like a step forward for Dying Light in general, and has potential.
"Dying Light 2 feels familiar, but not in a bad way," he wrote. "The additions, be they original or derivative, tend to feel like good fits for this world, and because the game's most special aspect, the parkour movement abilities, are clearly improved, it feels like Dying Light 2 is both a bigger and better sequel. Blatantly inspired by juggernauts such as The Witcher, Zelda, and Assassin's Creed in different parts, Dying Light 2 still feels like it will manage to leave its mark on the sandbox formula. With the fluidity of a fountain, the exciting parkour should prove to be its signature when Dying Light 2 launches next February."
Check out a video version of Mark's preview below.
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Dying Light 2 Preview
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CPU: Intel® Core™ i3-9100 or AMD Ryzen™ 3 2300XRAM: 8GBGPU: NVIDIA GeForce® GTX 1050 Ti or AMD Radeon™ RX 560 (4GB VRAM)OS: Windows 7Available storage space: 60GB HDD
CPU: Intel® Core™ i5-8600K or AMD Ryzen™ 5 3600XRAM: 16GBGPU: NVIDIA GeForce® RTX 2060 6GB or AMD Radeon™ RX Vega 56 8GBOS: Windows 10Available storage space: 60GB SSD
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Dying Light 2 Stay Human - Official Gameplay Overview Trailer
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In May 2021, Techland showed off extensive gameplay for Dying Light 2: Stay Human after years of no new details. The latest footage offers a renewed overview of the game's various characters, factions, mechanics, and monsters.
We also got a look at even more of the monsters you'll face in a trailer released during the summer.
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Our latest look at Dying Light 2 came during the 2021 Game Awards, which debuted a new two-minute trailer for the game. The cinematic trailer gives a bit of a narrative look at the game, giving a bit of a character study that puts you in the game's world that has a tragic ending. Check it out below.
The trailer also came with the announcement of a preorder bonus for the game: an exclusive skin pack created in collaboration with Dawson. The pack will include multiple skins for Lawan, including a new outfit, a skin for her crossbow, one for her backpack, and one for her paraglider. Aiden will also receive the backpack skin and the paraglider skin.
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