Dying Light is one of the few games that made 2014 a year to remember for some of us. Being major fans of parkour-based running games such as Mirror's Edge in the past, it's no surprise that something like Dying Light will grab our attention. Add to that, the distinctive flavour of Dead Island done right.
The main of objective of Dying Light is to survive the zombie apocalypse. And contrary to other such games in the genre (save Walking Dead, Last of Us), guns and ammo are hard to come by, as it would have been in real life. Instead, you got to run your socks off if you are to survive, while always keeping on a higher ground.
Being major fans of Left 4 Dead ourselves, we do enjoy a bit of firepower being applied on the ever-roaming undead. However, if you are to keep things real, you need games such as The Last of Us and Dying Light in your collection to feel the situation. And although zombies and the infected remain a major threat, newer such titles have introduced your fellow humans as opponents as well. It's actually a question of survival for all when the world goes bonkers.
Nonetheless, you have to survive. Survival is the key element of dying light. However, it may not really be a walk in the park as you try evading thousands of undead craving for your flesh. But here are a few tips that might help you survive the onslaught.
Keep Checking for Air Drops
If you are already knee deep into the Dying Light experience, you must know how essential it is to locate and retrieve airdrops that are being deployed from time to time. There's nothing in the game that will provide you more stuff and resources than a healthy airdrop, that is, if you are able to retrieve them before Rais' men. Sure, you won't be able to get the best out of every airdrop that's being deployed, but you could do yourself a world of good if you at least keep a check on them and try retrieving a few before it's too late. These airdrops are always filled with essential stuff that will ensure your survival.
Save Whatever Little Ammo You Get
As we mentioned before, Dying Light falls more in the category of The Last of Us and The Walking Dead. This means you will have to deal with the apocalypse in a more human way, deviating from the usual all-guns-blazing approach. And moreover, you can consider yourself lucky if you actually manage to find a firearm at the start of the game, because chances are that you won't. But later down the line, even if you manage a firearm, don't expect dropped ammo everywhere. You got to work your way, roll a few zombie heads and maybe you will get something by searching the dead zombie. But if you do, make sure you make use of the ammo judiciously. The best use of the ammo is for enemies that are extremely dangerous or for resulting in a chain of explosions (like shooting a gas tank). Also, trying aiming for the heads.
Improve Any Firearm You Have
Sure, you will run out of ammo if not used judiciously. But you get to keep the firearm, no matter what kind it is. While you keep looking for ammo, you should make sure your firearm can deal the best possible damage to the enemy. And the best way to do this is to keep upgrading the weapon via blueprints. Keeping your weapon updated at all times might be that fine line that divides your from falling a prey to the undead and Rais' men and ensuring safe passage to the nearest safehouse.
The Key Lies in Crafting
Automatic weapons are hard to come by in Dying Light. Instead, you must focus on the fine job of crafting and making your own weapon. While don't go around expecting Dead Rising-esqe style of crafting (a road-roller to a Harley?), you can still forge intelligent weapons that might just save your life while you hacking through the horde. Of course, in order to craft the perfect weapon, you need to loot. Loot everything that's in sight. The more loot you collect now, the better you will be at the business end of the game.
Keep Moving, Stay Alert
Dying Light has a parkour-styled gamelay mechanics for a reason. It means you keep moving no matter what. But that doesn't necessarily mean you won't be aware of all the threats around you. The best deal here is to keep on high ground where the undead can't reach you. Going by the fact that you will be given the role of a runner in the game, you have to absolutely make sure that you keep away from the dangers looming all around you. That being said, killing zombies and looting them does get your crafting components for your weapons.
Locate Your Nearest Safehouse
A safehouse is basically your ticket to ensuring momentary safety and peace away from the threats that are outside. And the need of a safehouse is indeed the most urgent as soon as night time approaches. Night is bad for humans since that is the time they stand most vulnerable to the infected. It's better if you locating higher grounds in the game, since chances are you will come across a safehouse that will guarantee you safe passage for the night.