20 Need-To-Know Tips Before Playing Dying Light 2

Reading time icon 16 min. read


Readers help support Windows Report. We may get a commission if you buy through our links. Tooltip Icon

Read our disclosure page to find out how can you help Windows Report sustain the editorial team Read more

Key notes

  • Decided to pick up Dying Light 2 Stay Human and need a few pointers before you start?
  • Beginners can have a really tough time if they don't understand the proper mechanics.
  • Here are 20 tips that will prepare you for what you are about to face in Dying Light 2. 
dying light 2

So, you finally decided to pick up Dying Light 2 Stay Human and test your skills against the zombies that are roaming the city?

First of all, let us say you made a great choice in terms of video games. Secondly, there are some things you need to know before embarking on this exciting but dangerous journey.

Surviving in Villedor is a bit more challenging than you might initially think, so we’re about to share some tips that will surely come in handy when you find yourself in a tight spot.

Remember that you are fighting blood-thirsty zombies, after all, not some rowdy teenagers that had a bit too much to drink.

That being said, if you are 100% percent sure about doing this, here’s what you need to know in order to have an easier and longer life in Dying Light 2.

What do I need to know before playing Dying Light 2?

1. Avoid exploring buildings at the start

We know you’re probably thinking: “What’s the point of developers allowing building access if we’re not even supposed to explore them?”

We’re not saying don’t explore them, just don’t do it at the very start. Sure, you might be tempted to do so even during the opening few hours of the game.

However, as brave as you consider yourself to be, this isn’t really recommended too early because some of these buildings are packed with sleeping zombies and other powerful enemies.

Yes, you can rely on your stealth to avoid waking them, but it only takes one wrong move to wake an entire horde of sleepers.

Needless to say what will happen if you end up doing so. On the off chance that does happen, however, make sure you run as fast as you can and get out of their range.

2. Avoid exploring during the night at the start

If you’ve also played the first Dying Light game, then you know that nighttime is full of dangers that you are not yet prepared to face.

You should really think about limiting the time you spend outside at night before Aiden has access to the game’s Nightrunner tools.

These are the hours in which the deadliest and most powerful infected in the game, such as the Volatile, wake from their slumber and start hunting.

Of course, tools such as the UV Flashlight are a great way to deal with the undead. However, specialized tools like these aren’t available until much later in the game.

Thus, if you are just beginning Dying Light 2, it is recommended that you focus on sleeping through the night and do all your exploring by day.

If, by any chance, you absolutely have to explore at night, make sure you are as fast and efficient as possible and use parkour and stealth if you want to see the morning again.

3. Your stamina is more important than your health

Stamina is really useful and drains pretty fast, so make sure you prioritize this stat if you want to be able to get yourself out of sticky situations.

A lot of Dying Light 2 players have constantly complained about the stamina gauge or its lack in the early parts of the game’s campaign.

While playing, you will loot Inhibitors which, when used, will give Aiden the chance to upgrade his stamina. 

New players may be under the impression that in a world with a never-ending horde of infected beings, building up health for a tank-like run would be exactly what they needed.

That is wrong, as leveling up stamina is far more useful in the early stages thanks to its improvements to climbing, escaping, and activating windmills.

Actually, stamina also impacts combat, so think about that as well. It goes without saying that running out of stamina and being unable to defend yourself will likely get you killed.

4. Stack on Inhibitors early in the game

Remember the Inhibitors we were telling you about a few seconds ago? Well, hunting for them and stacking up as many as you can at the start will go a long way and make your life much easier.

In Old Villedor you can find about half a dozen of easily explorable and beatable Quarantine Sites and GRE Anomalies where you can loot inhibitors.

Don’t worry, you will receive plenty of inhibitors in story missions early on, but finding extras can really open your character’s capabilities earlier.

It goes without saying that doing so will give you a bigger edge against enemies that are the same level or one rank lower than you.

Thus, seeing how the combat perk tree is governed by your health total, and the parkour perk tree is gated by stamina, looting as many as you can in the early stages can prove really useful.

5. Use parkour as much as you can

If you are just starting Dying Light 2, you’re probably not aware that the title features some of the best parkour mechanics we’ve seen in a long time, maybe even seen since Mirror’s Edge. 

In fact, Dying Light 2’s open-world city is actually built around and designed to be an athletic playground for the main character to run, climb and explore.

Making the most of this skill you can leap rooftops, grab ledges, scale walls, and swing from ropes to traverse this extremely dangerous environment.

It goes without saying that practicing the parkour mechanics as much as possible is imperative. Because Dying Light 2 is an RPG, the more you use your abilities, the more skills you can unlock.

Beginners should really avoid fighting the undead unless it’s absolutely necessary and there’s no better way to escape.

We can even show you how to get double parkour XP in Dying Light 2 by using a tiny glitch that allows you to gain skills faster.

6. Learn how to use the paraglider

Moving fast, safe, and efficiently through Villedor is one of the keys to survival. After playing Dying Light for a few hours, you’re going to get your hands on the paraglider.

As fun as it is, know that it’s one of the handiest tools you’ll be given and will therefore change how traversal works in-game significantly. 

However, use it wisely, as the paraglider is not a parachute. Yes, it stops any fall damage, but it only does so if you’re actually gliding.

So, if you were thinking about trying to jump off a high building and activating the paraglider at the last second in order to avoid taking any damage, think again. 

We strongly urge that you activate it as you’re falling, but far before you hit the ground if you want to see the rest of the adventure through.

7. Weapons are a lot less durable but can be repaired with mods

You were also probably wondering about the weapons you are about to use so we’re going to show you what is different from the first game.

In the prequel to Dying Light 2, weapons would break fairly quickly but could only be repaired a limited number of times before you had to discard them.

This time around you won’t find any repair kits, which means you have to be more careful, as most weapons are highly disposable.

Weapons can be found literally everywhere and they’re mostly intended to use until they completely break, because of the lack of a traditional repair system like there was in the original game.

You should definitely know that, when you install a Gear Mod to your weapon, the action will also repair said weapon.

Thus, seeing how you can install more than one Gear Mod per weapon, you’re basically looking at least two repairs for each weapon.

8. Seriously invest in Gear Mods

We mentioned Gear Mods earlier when we were talking about weapon repairs. However, you might not have understood how important they really are.

Basically, you’re going to want to invest in these Gear Mods more than you would invest in anything else in Dying Light 2.

So you better think twice about buying the flashiest weapon a vendor has for sale. A much better alternative would be to go for the GearMods that also give your weapons elemental abilities such as fire, or lightning.

These Gear Mods act as blueprints, meaning that once you’ve bought them, you can craft them as many times as you want.

9. Always utilize your useable items

For new and experienced players alike, it’s sometimes easy to forget completely about the usable in-game items, which can save your life if used properly.

This happens mostly because items like the grapple and UV flashlight both take up the left trigger slot, which is also where other useable items go.

We’re talking about Molotov cocktails, throwing knives, decoys, and grenades. Overlooking these and not using them could prove to be the difference between success and failure. 

In fact, Molotovs and grenades are incredibly powerful, easy to craft, and can come in handy when you’re up against lots of human foes.

So, bottom line is, use everything at your disposal to make your life easier, longer, and more meaningful while playing Dying Light 2.

10. Make sure you prioritize the main missions

It’s easy to get lost and stray away from your course while doing all there is to do within the massive world of Dying Light 2.

Yes, there are a lot of tasks to perform, but the recommended way to level up and obtain the best equipment within the game is by focusing on the main story quests as much as possible.

As a matter of fact, the game doesn’t open up properly until much later so prioritizing the main missions will better prepare you for what is to come.

Nightrunner tools like the Paraglider will take several hours to unlock, but they’ll only become available by moving forward with the game’s main story missions, so keep that in mind.

11. Don’t neglect side missions

Sure, we just told you about prioritizing the main game missions, but that doesn’t mean you have to completely neglect all of the side activities.

For beginners, it’s not really recommended to wander too far off the beaten path, especially in the early stages of the story.

You will be under-geared and won’t possess enough skills for the challenges ahead, which will make the journey harder than it needs to be

With that in mind, know that taking on side missions appropriate to your character’s level is a good way to gain more experience and unlock additional skills.

All of these secondary missions will also reward you with weapons, currency, and blueprints to use and upgrade Aiden’s weapons.

But, just as with the main missions, make sure you are well prepared for the endeavor you are about to undertake.

12. Always check the mission level recommendations

As with most RPGs, the leveling process can be slow at times. This means that players can get bored easily and try to take on more than they bargained for.

Biting more than you can chew will be the last mistake you will do in Dying Light 2, so never ignore the mission level recommendations.

We said that because even going on a mission or engaging an enemy that’s only one level above Aiden’s can quickly overwhelm you and give you a real headache.

In order to avoid this, simply start missions that have as a requirement the same level you are at or face the consequences.

13. Go out during nighttime as much as you can

You’re probably going to find this funny, as we’ve just told you not to stay out at night that much. Well, that was for people only beginning the game.

Just like in the first Dying Light, daytime is much safer and has weaker enemies, while nighttime has a lot more powerful foes and zombies altogether.

That being said, if you consider yourself properly equipped and prepared, you’re going to want to play in the dark as much as possible.

Why? Well, the main reason is that you’ll get a pretty significant XP boost for combat and parkour while the moon is up in the sky.

The map is also sprinkled with Dark Hollows that can only be entered in the night and that contain rare loot and crafting materials. How’s that for an incentive?

14. Be sure to unlock hideouts, windmills, and fast travel locations

You might think that such tasks aren’t as exciting or action-packed as others in the game, but taking care of them will make your life so much easier in the long run.

So, unless you’re in the middle of a story mission, you should really take the time to take care of these open world objectives whenever you stumble upon them.

Besides being the best way to travel during the night, these places can really save your life if you’re doing a lot of nighttime scavenging.

With that in mind, make sure you don’t avoid them and you will thank yourself for doing that later on in the game. That’s a guarantee.

15. Not everything is a decoy and some decoys only work on certain enemies

Distracting your enemies and slipping past them is a much better alternative than actually fighting them. This is an important lesson that will save you more than once.

However, if you want to achieve that, unless you are using a dedicated decoy you are not going to distract large numbers of infected by blowing up a propane tank.

Bricks and golden coins are only useful as lures on human enemies. If you’re trying to lure, move, or delay Infected, use a device that was made specifically for that purpose.

It’s safe to say that decoys are vital if you’re going to be scavenging at night. All you have to do is learn the difference between them and how to properly use them to your advantage.

16. Don’t use all your Gear Mods at once

As we said above, installing a mod will repair up to 50 durability points on a weapon. That being said, consider saving one or two mod slots for when you really need to extend the weapon’s durability.

Even if you have a mod slot available on a unique-class weapon you earned early on, it may not be worth putting a new mod on it and partially repairing it.

Given the fact that you can’t craft weapons, you should routinely check vendors’ supplies, especially after you level up.

Learn how to be patient and only do certain things when it bests suits you, thus making sure nothing is wasted and you maximize your overall efficiency.

17. Prioritize kicking and dodging over blocking

As your level grows, so will your enemies. At higher levels, enemies will vary their strikes and evasions, making the combat more challenging.

We know it can be tempting to block and counterattack everything, especially since the window for perfect blocks is more than generous.

Keep in mind that blocking still consumes a lot of stamina and can leave you with little room for a counterattack if you’ve been parrying a large enemy.

You should know that kicking enemies away is just as useful as a block, especially if you’re on a rooftop, which means you’ll send them falling towards their demise.

Dodging is yet another essential perk for your Dying Light 2 character. It staggers enemies when you dodge them, meaning heavy enemies and those using power attacks can be set up for vault kicks.

18. Use survivor sense as much as you possibly can

Did you know that in the first chapter, you can find enough honey and chamomile in the wilderness to craft six health patches before you even get to Villedor’s tunnel entrance?

How, you ask? By using your survivor sense, which is one of the most essential and useful tools at your disposal throughout the entire game.

This survivor sense is also good for alerting you, indirectly, that you’re about to step into a major battle. So, it goes without saying that activating it should become more than a habit.

You can also find weapons and other loot with the survivor sense, so just make sure you don’t forget about it while playing Dying Light 2.

19. Talk to craft masters and upgrade your gear

Some of the best tools you have at your disposal will also need to be upgraded from time to time if you want to get the most out of all of them.

Craftmasters allow you to upgrade some of the useable items, among which are the grappling hook and paraglider.

But which of the available items would you prioritize? Paraglider upgrades, for example, allow it to go much faster and rise in the air.

Keep in mind that you’re going to need Military Tech to upgrade most of your gear. This crafting resource can be found from Military Drops across the map.

20. Join The Survivors for better rewards

Making choices is a key mechanic for every decent RPG. Within Dying Light 2 you will be given the choice to either side with the Survivors or with the Peacekeepers.

Besides getting different missions and interactions, you’ll also make decisions such as who to give certain structures.

Developers are under the impression that either side gives equally good rewards, when in fact that is not the case at all. 

The Survivors give out better rewards, as Peacekeeper upgrades are mainly focused on traps. The rewards you get from the Survivors build structures for you to parkour from.

Honestly, would you pick some car trap that won’t give you any combat XP whatsoever, or ziplines all over the city? It’s all up to you to decide who you want to be.

⇒ Get Dying Light 2 Stay human from Amazon

⇒ Get Dying Light 2 Stay Human from Kinguin

⇒ Get Dying Light 2 Stay Human from G2A


There are, of course, other things to know about this great game as well, but with these 20 tips you will have a basic idea of what is good for you.

You might also run into some bugs or errors while playing, but we got you covered. We can show you how and where to download Dying Light 2, or what to do when you get the Unable to initialize Steam API error.

And, if you want to make the most of this experience, we’re prepared to guide you through activating ray-tracing for some astonishing visuals while in-game.

If you are having trouble deciding what to pick between Dying Light 2 Stay Human and Horizon Forbidden West, we will assist you in making a choice.

Have you tried Dying Light 2 Stay Human? Share your experience with us in the comments section below.