Now that conventional guns and armaments have been removed from the game,Dying Light 2’s combat system is way more melee-focused than the firstDying Light. Players looking to create a ranged build can still do so by using the game’s bows and throwables, but doing so requires them to scavenge a good amount of resources. If players want to eliminate their enemies quickly without using too many supplies, then melee weapons are the way to go.
Just like the first game,Dying Light 2’s weapons have durability bars. The more players use a specific weapon, the more the bar depletes. By attaching mods to their favorite weapon, they can add different effects such as fire, electricity, or poison damage. More importantly, modding a weapon increases its durability. Sadly, the number of mod slots available per weapon is finite. Once all slots are filled, a weapon cannot be repaired any further. Thankfully, players can make use ofDying Light 2’s combat abilities to circumvent the weapon durability issue entirely, something that makes melee weapons a lot less important.
RELATED:Dying Light 2: Biggest Changes in Update 1.3.0
Combat Abilities Create And Make Use of Opportunites
Combat abilities are tied to the combat skill tree - one of two main upgrade paths players can invest points inDying Light 2. Some combat skills, such as Block Projectiles and Perfect Parry, improve uponAiden’s existing moveset. Other skills add all-new abilities to his repertoire and make Aiden a more versatile combatant. It’s these new combat abilities that makeDying Light 2’s weapon system less of a priority for players.
Abilities like the Vault Kick and Dropkick are directly implemented into combat. By sacrificing some of their stamina, players can use these moves to create openings that they can exploit.The Dropkick in particular is very effective, as it doesn’t require any prerequisite conditions to pull off (the Vault Kick, for instance, can only be performed on a staggered foe). Once an enemy has fallen to the ground, players can follow up with a Head Stomp that can immediately take them out of the fight.
These skills only get more powerfulfurther downDying Light 2’s combat skill tree. The Smash ability can instantly take out an enemy below Aiden, but when upgraded, the improved Smash Jump allows players to immediately perform a high jump afterward. This allows them to potentially take out multiple enemies as they chain jumps and Smashes one after another. When combined with the other abilities available in the combat skill tree, players can defeat a good number of enemies without ever having to raise their melee weapon.
Replenishable Stamina Trumps Weapon Durability
The thing about these combat abilities is that most of them require stamina to use - a replenishable, infinite resource. Instead of using upDying Light 2weapons' precious durability bars, players can just use their stamina to spam combat abilities. More powerful enemies like the Goon and Volatile still require the use of a melee weapon to take down, but the majority ofDying Light 2’s enemies are just the standard zombie and human fare. If players allocate their skill points correctly, they can take out these enemies without having to spend too many resources.
While many would see this as a broken feature, the implementation of strong combat abilities reinforces the idea that players can playDying Light 2any way they want. Those who would prefersaving theirDying Light 2upgrade points for staminarather than health can acquire a few strong combat skills and focus instead on the game’s parkour skill tree. This lets them run circles around the game’s enemies but still allows them to hold their own in a fight in case they get cornered.Dying Light 2lets players get up close and personal with the obstacles in their path, and there is nothing much closer than dropkicking a zombie into a horde.
Dying Light 2is available now for PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S. A Switch version is in development.
