One of the defining traits of an RPG is that players are often given key decisions to make that impact the game's narrative, world, and characters. While most RPGs, especially older ones, restrict these choices to just minor dialogue options that only affect character relationships, more modern RPGs have taken this choice system one step further, allowing the decision to have a ripple effect throughout the entire game, sometimes drastically changing how an environment looks, what characters are left alive, and how the story progresses. Though it isn't quite as complex as some might have hoped, Dying Light 2's choice system does do just that, with some of the tougher decisions changing the game world significantly.
During the course of Dying Light 2's 30-hour main story, players will find themselves at the center of countless conflicts, most of which allow some form of choice to be made. While some of these decisions can be as minor as choosing what weapon to take as a reward, Dying Light 2 is full of them, and they all compound together to make Dying Light 2 a very personal, unique experience.
The Water Tower - The Peacekeepers or The Survivors
After Dying Light 2's first story chapter, players will enter Villedor, the central city of the entire game. Players will quickly run into two of the game's factions, the Peacekeepers and the Survivors. These two opposing groups are at the heart of most of Dying Light 2's toughest choices, where players will need to repeatedly decide which group should hold more power: the Peacekeepers, who aim to use discipline and order to rule the new world, or the Survivors, who believe community is the only way forward.
The first big decision in Dying Light 2 occurs when the player discovers a water tower that's been rigged to explode. After deciding whether to kill the perpetrators or spare them, the player needs to make the vital decision whether to hand over the water tower to the Peacekeepers or Survivors. While the player can continue to give structures to both factions throughout the story, this first decision is a pretty important one, as it affects the story's final outcome. Giving the water tower, or any structure, to the Peacekeepers will grant the player with more offensive environmental weapons in the open-world such as lethal traps, whereas giving the water tower over to the Survivors will give the player more parkour tools, such as trampolines and air vents.
The Broadcast - Frank, Jack Matt, or Juan
A little later on in Dying Light 2's story, players can either join the Survivors' Juan, and gain a new safehouse, or join the Peacekeepers' Jack Matt. This leads directly into one of the biggest decisions in the entire game. During the mission "The Broadcast," the player will find themselves at the top of the VNC Tower, and will be prompted to give one individual the tower's broadcast signal.
Players have to choose between Jack Matt, Juan, or Frank. Siding with Frank, the former DJ, is the neutral option, with him deciding to play music across Villedor to raise the hopes of citizens. This also paves the way for a relationship quest with Lawan later in the game. Helping Jack Matt sees him broadcast Peacekeeper propaganda, while handing over the signal to Juan allows him to listen in to the Peacekeepers' private communications. This is one of hardest choices in Dying Light 2, as it's one of the biggest factors behind Dying Light 2's ending.
No Mercy/Deals With the Devil - Kill Hakon or Let Him Live
One of the more simple choices on paper, the mission "No Mercy," or "Deals With the Devil," sees the player choose whether to kill Hakon following the reveal that he's working with main antagonist Waltz, or let him live. If the player had previously decided to let Hakon die from his arrow wound, then the choice has already been made, but if they chose to help him, then they need to decide the character's final fate here. This decision massively impacts the game's final moments, in which Hakon needs to survive in order to achieve the "best" ending.
Dying Light 2 Stay Human is available on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
