As Techland promised during the time of its launch,Dying Light 2is receiving a constant stream of content. Paid campaign and cosmetic DLC, patches, and tons of free content have already been released for the sequel. If Techland’s past penchant for post-release support is any indication,Dying Light 2will keep evolving for years to come.
One of the pieces of contentDying Light 2could adopt from the first game is Be The Zombie. A stark contrast to the franchise’s cooperative mode,Be The Zombie allows players to invade an ongoing campaign sessionofDying Lightas a Night Hunter - a special high-ranking Infected. Being able to experience the zombie apocalypse through an Infected’s eyes provides players with a unique experience the likes of whichDying Light 2could give players as free content.
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Dying Light’s Be The Zombie Mode Already Has A Strong Multiplayer Foundation
Be The Zombie mode can be played from two perspectives. On one side are the humans, which consist of the host and any other player-controlled companions in the session. Humans have access to all of their skills, weapons, and equipment andnaturally progress through Kyle Crane’s campaignuntil invaded by a Night Hunter. It is only then that they are given the priority task of finding and destroying a set number of Infected nests that spawn throughout the map.
This is where the Night Hunter comes in. As a Night Hunter, it is the invading player’s job to eliminate the humans' set number of lives andprevent them from destroying the Infected nests. The Night Hunter’s base moveset consists of a weak primary attack, long tendrils for locomotion, a one-shot pounce, a ground pound for stunning humans, and a Horde Summoner Spit that beckons several Suicides to chase after enemy players. Upgrades to existing abilities like faster sprint and tendril speeds as well as new skills like various Spits can be unlocked as the Night Hunter completes objectives and gains experience. While it may seem like the Night Hunter is overpowered, it should be noted that there can only be one of them present in any session that allows up to 4 human players at a time.
Be The Zombie Isn’t Perfect, But Dying Light 2 Can Improve It
While Be The Zombie can be fun, the mode has its issues. Multiple connection problems like lag prevent matches from going smoothly. Preemptive quitting is also prevalent, resulting in wasted time for parties on both sides. But the biggest issues stem from balancing. The Night Hunter has a tendency to be overpowered against fewer human players. Likewise, well-equipped humans can easily take down low-level Night Hunters that don’t have all of their skills unlocked. Humans can alsoavoid nighttime by hiding in Safe Zones, forcing Night Hunters to either waste their time waiting for their opponents to come out or quit the game. These are just a few of the things that can make Be The Zombie infuriating to play at times.
Should Techland decide to add Be The Zombie toDying Light 2, it has to expound on the mode while addressing its many problems. More Infected variants and powers would add more depth to the invading side while keeping human players on their toes. It would also be interesting if Techland allowed more than a single Infected in sessions with multiple humans as it would even the playing field. Most important of all,Dying Light 2’s version of Be The Zombie should fix the original’s matchmaking and balance issues. While the prospect of dedicated servers seems unlikely, Techland should at the very least take a look at all the aspects of the mode and make them fair for both sides.Dying Light’s Be The Zombie is still going strong to this day, so there is a market for its return inDying Light 2.
Dying Light 2is available for PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
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