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How to survive your first week in Dying Light

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Why hello there! If you’re reading this, then you’ve most likely been patient enough to stick it out for the physical release of Dying Light. You my friend, are also and completely screwed, because Dying Light isn’t exactly an easy game. It can be downright brutal at times, while also remaining pants-crappingly scary as well. A lethal combination on clean underwear, but one that can be rectified with a quick jump into Dying Light boot camp.

There’s no real fast travel

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Besides being able to quickly jaunt between the slums and Old Town, Dying Light has zero fast travel to get excited by. Instead, you’ll be racing between safe zones, levelling up your parkour, which leads us to the next tip…

Start unlocking safe houses as quickly as possible

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The Slums and Old Town are massive locations to explore. Areas that can quickly distract you from the oncoming darkness. In order to survive the night early on, you’re going to want to focus on unlocking safe houses. They’re usually easy enough to clear. Kill some zombies, lock the gates and flip a few switches in order to get some of that sweet UV light going.

Unlocking a safe house also rewards you with a nice chunk of survivor XP, as well as a handy respawn point should you bite the dust. You’ll need some skill to reclaim these spots, but when done properly, you’ll find that they’re a nice way to level up with early in the game.

Quartermasters are your friends

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Hey, free supplies and regular weapons? These guys are all right!

Side quests for days

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When it comes to the main campaign, Dying Light has a rather rubbish one. What it does have however, are infinitely more interesting side-quests on hand, which you can spend days on. Hell, you don’t even have to do one at a time, and can easily stack them as you gain a treasure trove of some of that valuable survivor XP. They’re also far more interesting than the main quest, filled with more colourful characters and errands.

Use your Spidey-sense

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Or survivor-sense, to be exact. It’s an often overlooked part of the game, but when you have a minute to spare, activate your survivor-sense for a quick scan of the area, in order to grab some crucial supplies that are highlighted.

Dying can mess up your XP

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This is going to happen quite a bit in Dying Light, as being a hero can have negative consequences. Find yourself overwhelmed by the infected, and you’ll soon be joining them. When you respawn however, you’ll find that you’ve lost some survivor XP. Kepp dying, and those points will decrease in ever increasing chunks. You won’t lose a level, but losing any survivor XP can be a setback in an otherwise unforgiving game. Rather use the King Arthur technique to run away and fight another day, than try your hand at being brave.

Guns are overrated

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At many points in the game, you’re going to wish that you had an assault rifle with you, so that you can mow down the infected. And yes, you can get a gun, starting with a pistol once you reach level 9 and from the bodies of freshly-murdered scavengers. But the downside to guns however, is that these weapons are attention-getters. You can easily take down a few infected from a distance, but doing so will mean that more rabid infected will pick up on the gunfire and make a beeline for you.

As well as being rare, ammo can also be expensive, so guns are pretty much a last resort weapon.

Get your ass to an air drop pronto

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For most of the game, you’ll be able to see relief air-drops in Harran. If you get there quick enough, you can grab some valuable supplies for yourself, as well as some kit that can be traded in for more survivor experience points. Most times however, there’ll be other scavengers there, so prepare to fight it out. But it’s worth doing so for an early leg up in the game.

Volatiles are bastards

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Once the night has come, you might be tempted to go scavenge for some supplies. Doing so however, means running into the Volatiles. They’re UV-sensitive, but they hit harder than reality when you’re out of high school, are preposterously quick, can climb after you and they have enough health to withstand a ridiculous amount of damage. They’re pretty much honey badgers on two legs with a taste for your flesh.

But well worth the night-time XP

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You are however, also faster at night and your blows carry more weight. Just being outside is a great way to earn survivor XP, and managing to evade Volatiles will drop a stack of agility XP on your parkour skills. Night time is the true test of the game, and dying here won’t see any survivor XP subtracted from your skill tree. It’s well worth being outside, and risking it all.

Watch your weapons

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Weapons work a tad bit differently in Dying Light than when compared to Dead Island. For starters, each weapon still degrades with use, but they have an alloted amount of repairs available to them. Once you’re out of repairs however, the weapon is gone for good, so you’re going to want to watch what you use in hairy situations. In other words, only fix your weapon when you truly have to. This isn’t like a typical shooter game that requires a reload when you’ve only shot two bullets.

You’re also going to want to watch what you spend upgrades on. With some of the better weapons available later in the game, you’ll want to save those upgrades for later, or maybe even use a duplication cheat in order to give yourself an extra edge in battle.

Last Updated: March 2, 2015

40 Comments

  1. Correct me if I’m wrong, but wasn’t there a launch party for
    this game hosted by lazygamers ? Where is the party pics ? Where is scandal stories
    with the Admiral photocopying his A$$ ? Did all the winners give Geoff BIG HUGS
    ?

    Reply

    • Hammersteyn

      March 2, 2015 at 18:19

      That party sounds like it would make Game of Thrones look like a Nickelodeon show.

      Reply

      • Loftus

        March 2, 2015 at 19:11

        Red Wedding at Dawn. Scarey stuff!

        Reply

        • Lothy

          March 3, 2015 at 08:47

          Well there was a corpse bride there and a really big dude running around screaming.

          Reply

          • Loftus

            March 3, 2015 at 09:27

            some guys have commitment issues, necrophilia is only for the strong of digestion

          • Lothy

            March 3, 2015 at 10:43

            kehpassa? Do u mean “only for the strong constitution?

          • Geoffrey Tim

            March 3, 2015 at 10:48

            “Que Pasa” Means “how are you doing.” The Mexican equivalent of our own “Howzit.”
            “Que?” would signify confusion, working as a solitary “What?”

          • Sageville

            March 3, 2015 at 11:19

            You missed your calling as an annoying Spanish teacher offering unsolicited corrections to random people in public….

          • Lothy

            March 3, 2015 at 12:18

            lol its a general term of my own making. At least im not far off.
            But thanks for the clear up 😉

    • Kensei Seraph

      March 2, 2015 at 23:14

      To the hugs bit, yes and apparently my friend and I were the last ones to give Geoff hugs… after a few drinks.

      Reply

      • ReaperOfSquirrels

        March 3, 2015 at 08:11

        Drinking to get courage?

        Reply

      • Loftus

        March 3, 2015 at 09:26

        The prophecy has been fulfill, we have the chosen ones!

        *chants chosen ones, over and over*

        Reply

    • Rock789

      March 3, 2015 at 08:15

      Those pics are all R18… So they all have to be censored first before they can be published. 😉

      Reply

      • Loftus

        March 3, 2015 at 09:24

        Age on my ID says i’m over 18…mentally it is a touch and go if i’m over 18

        m/(^o^)m/

        Reply

        • Rock789

          March 3, 2015 at 09:29

          But we’re all kids at heart… We can’t have our eyes tainted with that filth! 😉 🙂

          Reply

          • Loftus

            March 3, 2015 at 09:35

            What are you hiding Rock789 ? Be there photos of you amongst those “filth” ? hahaha

          • Rock789

            March 3, 2015 at 09:49

            Lol. 🙂 Sadly not – I wasn’t invited… 🙁

    • Audacity (or-das-it-eeee-eee)

      March 4, 2015 at 12:54

      Didn’t give Geoff a hug, got too engrossed in the demo’s

      P.s. *hug* was a cool party

      Reply

  2. Geoff Murphy

    March 2, 2015 at 18:30

    To anyone who owns this game, how is it as a single player only experience? Worth my money and time?

    Reply

    • Tulipdame

      March 2, 2015 at 19:48

      I love this game. It really is very fun. The RPG elements to me adds interest. Hubby also loves playing it. We only play co-op to massacre zombies for loot. We do missions solo. To me, I took a chance and paid release price for it, and it is totally worth it. Side missions galore and not a bad story at all.

      Reply

    • Geoffrey Tim

      March 3, 2015 at 06:36

      Yes. YES> One of my favourite games of the year. Great fun.

      Reply

    • Tiaan Vorster

      March 24, 2015 at 15:58

      It is easier in co-op and harder in single player but I think it is worth your time

      Reply

  3. Tulipdame

    March 2, 2015 at 19:46

    This game isn’t that difficult (granted, I play on easy), and even less so scary.
    But it is amazingly fun. Loving it. Bought it digitally, so no waiting on a physical release

    Reply

    • Lothy

      March 3, 2015 at 08:49

      well stop being a tulip and turn up the heat a little!

      Reply

      • jack2365

        March 3, 2015 at 10:05

        You guys are talking like there is a difficulty but there isnt yet.

        Reply

        • Lothy

          March 3, 2015 at 10:41

          Ye when that hardmode comes out, there will be many tears

          Reply

      • Tulipdame

        March 4, 2015 at 02:09

        Lol Love your creative reply. I will admit, I never play on hard. Always easy. I don’t like a challenge. I like to just enjoy myself, and constantly dying, isn’t fun for me. I did play Prototype 2 on hard though.

        Reply

        • Lothy

          March 4, 2015 at 06:50

          See now that’s where Im different. I look at a game I have just purchased and think, what is the best way to get value for money playing this game. So most of the time I look to play the game on hardest or as close to.

          Reply

          • Tulipdame

            March 4, 2015 at 16:17

            I get what you are saying and I understand. I, on the other hand, rate my value for money based on enjoyment, not longevity (if I play on hard, it takes me very long to finish). Dying Light is by far worth it, as I enjoy the game so very much. And the best of it all- even while playing on easy, the game is still long. Loving it. I must admit though, sometimes side missions grow tiresome due to being repetitive. *Looks at Far Cry 4*

  4. Ngoc Anh

    March 2, 2015 at 21:04

    Relax with the entertainment you here okay.

    Thank you. Wish you a very effective working days.

    Friv 4 School

    Didi Games Online

    Reply

  5. Rock789

    March 3, 2015 at 08:13

    Man, tomorrow can’t come quick enough!! Can’t wait to finally get my hands on Dying Light… My schedule and my body is ready!

    Reply

    • Nikola

      March 3, 2015 at 11:25

      Feel exactly the same way:) body is ready schedule not soo much:(

      Reply

  6. Lothy

    March 3, 2015 at 08:49

    So got my code yesterday form the LG team and started playing last night. The game is awesome and really enjoying it! There are performance issues and it does seem to be more related to the game then hardware (although the game was made with Nvidia in mind). so tonight ill be trying some of the tweaks I found. So far? Well worth getting and try convince ur mates, co-op and zombie mode look awesome!

    Reply

    • Matthew Holliday

      March 3, 2015 at 09:44

      at the top of options, theres an option for best performance, i stuck it on that, game looks glorious even on lowest settings.
      the jitter lag i got when i tried to max thigns out was unbearable. fraps fps counter holds at 60, but dat jitter.

      Reply

      • Lothy

        March 3, 2015 at 10:42

        I only get lag in certain situations, like suddenly looking into the sun. there are some tweaks im gonna test tonight.

        Reply

  7. Nikola

    March 3, 2015 at 11:24

    Super excited for this can’t wait for Wednesday!! Thanks for the great article will definetly help to know what to do when get into the game!!

    Reply

  8. Lothy

    March 4, 2015 at 06:53

    has any1 encountered an issue where u cant secure a safespot? I happened upon a safe spot and tried to secure it. After numerous zombie deaths I was unable to switch the power on and close the gate. The only thing I can think of is these safe spots only become available as u progress through the story line.
    Also I found a cave, with some seriously fugly dudes waiting inside for me. Apparently they don’t dig the water, I used that to my advantage and made a quick escape.

    Reply

    • Geoffrey Tim

      March 4, 2015 at 07:00

      Yeah, you go there for one of the side missions. If you go at night, they’re all out hunting, so the cave is clear.

      Reply

      • Lothy

        March 4, 2015 at 08:49

        oh awesome! I love exploring the city, it really is amazing!

        Reply

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