Techland has announced that Dying Light: The Beast, its next title in the survival horror/parkour franchise, is releasing one day earlier than planned, i.e. September 18th. Of course, it has also revealed several new details in the lead-up to launch, including combat and movement improvements, the various types of threats that players will encounter and much more. Here are ten more things you need to know about Dying Light: The Beast before it arrives next week for Xbox Series X/S, PS5, and PC.
Revamped Parkour Physics
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After the brilliance of the first, Dying Light 2 Stay Human received criticism for its parkour, especially due to the stamina requirements. While they’ve since been removed, The Beast is like that from one day – stamina no longer limits where you can climb, and pretty much everything is climbable. However, Techland went the extra mile and revamped the parkour physics, removing any floatiness to keep things grounded and pouring thousands of hours into ensuring that the geometry didn’t interrupt one’s parkour flow. It also revealed that the default mode of playing doesn’t have any assists, meaning you’ll need to assess and plot out routes on your own. Of course, it also indicates the possibility of optional assists for those who aren’t as confident in their parkour skills.
Over 100 New Animations
To further ensure seamless movement, Techland added over 100 new parkour animations, tailored to Kyle Crane. It’s so extensive that there are 17 unique animations for just grabbing and climbing on edges. Since Castor Woods is more tightly packed, there will be more up-close encounters of the undead kind, adding even more tension to your parkour runs. When to fight them off, when to run and where – all of these are factors while exploring during the day and night, so it’s nice to see Kyel’s agility keeping up throughout it all.
Combat Improvements
Alongside over 100 weapons, including series’ firsts like the flamethrower, the overall combat has seen some significant upgrades. There’s a new physics engine, and each melee weapon strikes differently depending on its overall weight. Perhaps most enticing is the improved hit reactions and ragdoll, which, combined with the enhanced blood and gore, mean much more visceral combat encounters. Shooting is also less awkward since Kyle can quickly stabilize his shots. However, the infected have also seen some upgrades, from increased aggressiveness to immediately countering when hit, keeping Kyle on his toes throughout.
More Biter Variants and Virals
You’ll spot some familiar-looking infected types throughout Castor Woods, and while you probably won’t pay too much mind, they’ve been made disturbingly more human (with Techland boasting over 9000 different zombie screaming soundbites). There are over 110 variants of Biters with various body types, but there are also the Virals, recently turned and even more distinct because each has its own background. For example, the Goon is much more physically stronger because of a blue-collar pre-infected life. We’re not sure what aspects of having a medical past would allow the Spitter to shoot acid projectiles, but that’s also a thing. There are nearly 60 types of Virals, and by observing their attire and antics, you can learn how to fight them before diving into the fray.
Overhauled Damage Model
Increased blood and gore, including extensive dismemberment and literally tearing through bodies – Dying Light: The Beast isn’t messing around when it comes to the damage model. Enemies have at least 12 different parts that can be destroyed, adding to the overall realism of the combat (and ensuring less repetition when it comes to the gory spectacles). Even the simple act of slicing enemies has seen a Dead Island 2-esque glow-up of sorts with more visible slashes and wounds, as Techland assures that these are double that of its previous titles in the series.
New Human Enemies
The other side of the conflict is the human enemies, namely, the Baron’s army. They’re packing firearms and advanced tactics, often using cover dynamically depending on the situation (with up to 22 different strategies programmed). Countering this, especially since Kyle is more proficient at using guns, is important, but it also means that stealth is much more viable. If you’re keen on investigating territory and quietly taking down any human threats, go right ahead. Just be prepared to go loud when necessary.
Unleashing the Beast
Which is what makes the Beast, Kyle’s infected-like state, that much more appealing. Undergoing a Hulk-like transformation (minus the green skin and ripped threads), he can be seen performing feats like going toe-to-toe with the big bad Chimeras and effectively ripping their heads off in executions. But how do you build up to it? Perfect dodging enemy attacks, using melee strikes, and parrying are a few ways, but taking damage also works, making it a viable tactic in an emergency. As the story progresses, Kyle becomes more proficient in controlling the Beast, but based on the unfortunate direction of his life thus far, there may be consequences.
More Dangerous Volatiles
Regardless, he’ll have to embrace the Beast to counter the revamped Volatiles. Not only do they have more jump grabs and attacks and better path finding, but they’re also less likely to retreat in more scenarios. Techland has also improved aspects of these encounters, from reduced animation synchronicity to improved locomotion, making them that much more adept at chasing you down. You could use the Beast to run away and gain some distance (though beware of their volatile senses making it easier to track you) or hop in the new vehicles. Just beware of a Volatile suddenly leaping on the hood.
Lots of Secrets and Collectables
Castor Woods is the most diverse world that Techland has ever created, but even more intriguing is the sheer number of secrets that players can discover. Director Nathan Lemaire told Insider Gaming that there are “many to discover,” including maps leading to secret locations with their own unique discoveries and collectables that expand on the setting and its people. However, it’s ultimately up to you whether you’ll go out of your way to find them.
PC Requirements
Even if this isn’t Dying Light 3, Dying Light: The Beast is certainly upping the ante in terms of PC requirements. Playing at 1080p/30 FPS on Low settings will require an Intel Core i5-13400F or an AMD Ryzen 7 5800F, 16 GB RAM, and an Nvidia GeForce GTX 1060, Radeon RX 5500 XT or Intel Arc A750. So far, not too crazy, right? Bump up the resolution to 1440p and graphics quality to Medium, and you’ll require roughly the same CPUs (a Ryzen 7 7700 is needed over the 5800F) and RAM, but an RTX 3070 Ti, a Radeon RX 6750 XT, or an Arc B850 for 60 FPS.
At 4K/60 FPS and High settings, you’ll need a Core i7-13700K or Ryzen 9 7800 X3D, an RTX 4070 Ti or Radeon RX 7900 GRE, and 32 GB of RAM. For Ultra settings with ray tracing at the same frame rate and resolution, a Core i9-14900K or Ryzen 9 7950X3D, 32 GB of RAM and an RTX 5070 or Radeon RX 9070 are required, and Frame Generation is a must. At least it supports the likes of DLSS 4, FSR 3.1 and XeSS 2, along with Ultrawide resolution, Nvidia Reflex 2, HDR, and dynamic resolution scaling. Regardless of everything else, however, 70 GB of installation space is required with a solid-state drive mandatory across the board.
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