Dying Light 2’s First Anniversary Update to Finally Address Enemy Ragdolling, While Also Making Night Time More Terrifying

After seven long years of rumors, delays, and non-action, Dying Light 2 was finally released last year, marking the next step in post-apocalyptic zombie survival. Much like the first game, developer Techland spoke highly of its ambitious plans to support the title for at least five years, with a variety of content to enhance the core experience.

Dying Light 2 is slowly creeping up to its first anniversary, and an upcoming update looks to inject a ton of life into the title, with a new trailer breaking down the developer’s plans for year two.

In a recent interview with Twinfinite, Techland director Tymon Smektała spoke about two aspects of the 1.90 update: ragdoll/body physics and making the nighttime experience more terrifying for players.

Much fan criticism surrounding Techland’s sequel focused on the disparity between the first and second title’s physics. Many cited the first game felt much more weighty when in combat, as enemies responded to your actions, whereas this same phenomenon was seemingly almost absent in the sequel. In response to those concerns, Smektała says:

“It’s an extremely well timed question as we’re just releasing an update which changes the physics for some of our enemies – and it’s just a first step in a bigger plan to take some of our core systems even higher this year. We’re listening to our community very carefully and it’s obvious that there are few areas that our fans want to see upgraded – brutality and physicality of combat, flow and realism of parkour, the scariness of the night experience.”

Conversely, the nighttime experience in Dying Light 2 was another point of ire, as many found it less challenging and fearsome since Volatiles could easily be dodged due to static programming. In an attempt to liven up the night, Smektała states they plan to “Connect the strongest elements of Dying Light 1’s night,” into that things will become much more terrifying soon.

There’s plenty more coming with Dying Light 2’s update, and for more key highlights, be sure to check out our related section below.