Techland Teases What to Expect from New Dying Light 2 Zombies

Internally, Dying Light 2 may not be considered a zombie game; still, the undead will be central to the overall experience. In a recent interview, Lead Game Designer Tymon Smektała offered a few more details about the creatures in Dying Light 2. These details outline what seems to be a pretty complex life cycle for the sequel’s walking dead.

While speaking with GamesRadar, Smektała explained that Techland has added a “cycle of infected life” to the sequel. This cycle begins with infected known as “Viral.” Smektała told the publication,

The infected start as a Viral, which is someone who just got bitten and just got infected, so they still show traces of humanity, and at this point they are very quick, very dangerous—they avoid the sun at all costs. But after some time in that state, they turn into what we call Biters, which are your regular zombies; slowly moving infected that, if able, will try and grab you and infect you or eat you, but the sunlight is dangerous to them, and they are not as quick and as agile as the Virals.

When exposed to the sun’s UV rays for too long, Biters eventually evolve into “Degenerates.” This stage of the infection greatly weakens the zombies, resulting in their becoming much less of a threat. Visibly, Degenerates differ from the rest in that they have “pieces of flesh falling off of them.” However, players shouldn’t be too quick to write them off as non-factors. Smektała continued,

But still you have to keep an eye for [Degenerates] because Dying Light 2 is a systemic game, a lot of things happen emergently. And of course, there’s a different path of evolution for the Infected where they turn into the Volatiles, which are the most dangerous, extreme night predators. If you see them, you just need to run. There’s no fighting with those guys because they will just kill you.

In addition to detailing the various types of zombies players will encounter in Dying Light 2, Techland also shared a new piece of concept art with GamesRadar. Seen in the image below, the concept art depicts a zombie that was previously a member of Dying Light 2’s Peacekeeper faction. A populist group, the Peacekeepers are a paramilitary force that aims to achieve some semblance of order by ruling with an iron fist.

Dying Light 2 zombies

Factions in Dying Light 2 will play a far more pivotal role than they did in the original title. Via different gameplay systems, players will have a say in how these factions influence the game world. Thus far, Techland has only spoken about the Peacekeepers and the Scavengers, though more are said to feature, as well.

Dying Light 2 currently lacks an official release date, but is expected to launch on the PlayStation 4, PC, and Xbox One sometime in 2019.

[Source: GamesRadar]