The renowned first-person zombie game Dying Light has won over 50 awards and is one of the best games in the post-apocalyptic genre for people to enjoy. The original game in the series had a great story that expanded on a couple of DLC’s and now we are waiting for the second entry which is to be expected at the end of this year. In this article, we will talk about all zombies types in the Dying light world. But first, let’s talk about the virus itself.
Harran Virus
The city of Harran has been plagued with a rabies-like pathogen that has spread to epidemic proportions leaving the small population of the remaining survivor humans to deal with the horror that has now befallen their city. The virus itself was mentioned as being an apparent mutation of rabies with an intolerance to UV light. This sunlight intolerance was exhibited more by some of the more mutated victims of the virus who are active at night as you can see in the picture below.
The transmission of the virus is done by the introduction of the infected bodily fluids into a bloodstream of a healthy human. Then the virus replicates and spreads exponentially before it completely consumes the host. Direct fluid exchange through the bite of an infected person is enough to infect the other person. Depending upon the immunity level of the host it can take hours to days for the body to succumb to the infection. Then the virus will enter into its first stage in which a person will feel indefinite anger, rage, thrust for the blood, and hunger for flesh. It’s implied that due to the rate of behavioral degeneration between the different types of infected the virus essentially worked by attacking the neurological system laying waste to the brain over time before genetically mutating the host.
The origins of the virus are unknown but there are certain clues in the game and according to a conspiracy theorist named David living in the Harran, it was caused by an alien race called Gadoids who introduced the virus through a meteor that impacted Harran. So if this theory is true then the virus has extraterritorial origins. So now that we know the possible origins of the virus and how it spread, it is time to talk about different infected mutations and stages of the virus in humans.
The infected( it is what we call zombies in Dying light world) can be put into 2 categories, regular infected and special infected.
Regular Infected
The first category is the standard evolution of zombies in the game like the ‘Viral’, the ‘Biter’, and the ‘Degenerate’.
Viral
Virals are recent human turns and they have brains that are still functioning and they have still the physical strength needed to run and attack. They can run very fast, faster than any other type except for “volatile” and “nightwalker” about which we will talk about in a while. They can also jump and climb to buildings when chasing the player and can reach the places other infected types can’t. They are very dangerous but avoid direct sunlight. The most important thing about virals is that they do not bite, instead, they use their hands to viciously claw and punch their victims. They can dodge charing attacks from humans and sometimes counter the attack.
In the enhanced edition update, we have been introduced to some new kinds of their behaviors like they can hide in the crowd of bitters and will walk like them. When a human will attack any biter in the crowd, they will trigger a small cry that will alert all other virals in the crowd. This behavior will not attract or spawn other virals but will trigger attacks from the virals in the crowd.
The virals attack when they can but will avoid, run or sometimes begin to beg for mercy when they realize in their still-functioning brain that they cannot overpower a certain human. A viral’s main mode of attack is its hands. Sometimes when there are groups of virals surrounding the player then they work as a team and they will charge in one at a time from multiple directions. They will avoid sunlight surely because the virus is weakened by the UV radiations and that’s the main reason for them to be degrading into biters.
A viral can be taken down with the same amount of damage as a normal human body needs to be killed. A viral can be killed by taking the fall damage. Pushing one from a higher place will probably kill it just like any human being.
Overtime in the world of Dying Light, the virals turn into biters.
Biter
Biter is the second stage of the virus infection in the host. They are the basically regular version of zombie’s which we see in many movies and television shows like The Walking Dead. They roam freely in the infected world and look for non-infected to feast upon. Their bodies are degraded over time and have lost their movement, coordination, and speed as compared to a viral. They can be differentiated from the virals when looking at their loss of hair and rotten bodies. They have that sheep herd mentality as when one biter sees a group or herd or even a couple of biters moving in one direction then it will join them as if they may have spotted food.
Biters are the slowest of all infected types. It holds the same aggression as the viral but doesn’t have enough strength to show it. They can survive more damage than a viral and can even remain alive while losing their different body parts. Biters come in four different models.
- The first one is with grey skin. It has most of the time lost its arm or hand and is unable to grab the victim. It is the slowest of them.
- The second one hangs on to their skin color as it is and is a bit strong and fast. It can grab and bite the player and move slightly quickly as compared to the first one.
- The third biter model is tougher and deals more damage. They have sometimes melee weapons with them.
- The fourth biter is a male biter with some kind of industrial rubber clothing you see on many zombies. They are male biters. These biters are very strong because of the fact that their human bodies are used to the hard work which they had been put upon in the industry labor category.
Biters are more dangerous in groups but they are fairly quiet when at distance. The biters who hold melee weapons will attack with them when charging on a player so they can cause more damage than usual to the victim. One thing to be mentioned here is that a biter will move slowly during the day as compared to the night due to the fact that UV sunlight will hinder their movements in the day. A headshot is a good way to instantly kill a biter. Other ways can be burned alive or attacking many times on the head with a melee weapon.
The biter then with the passage of time degrade into a degenerate.
Degenerate
It is the final stage of a lifespan of a viral-type zombie. Actually, it is the next stage after a biter but final evolution of a viral. They have degraded so much over the course of time that their body parts and meat automatically fell of them even when they are moving. It is because of the sunlight. The more UV they receive the more degraded physically they become. They aren’t an imminent threat while you pass by them but still they can bite you if you happen to be very close to their mouth.
Now we have finished talking about the regular infected category of zombies in the dying light universe. So, let’s talk about the special infected category.
Special Infected
The second category has some of the scariest and dangerous infected types like ‘Drowner’ ‘Demolisher’, ‘Toad’, ‘Goon’, ‘Howler’, ‘Banshee’, ‘Revenant’ in uncommon infected types and Night infected types like ‘Volatile’, ‘Night Walker’, ‘Bolter’ and ‘Sleeping Beauties’ from the Dying Light 2 monsters trailer. The zombies in the second category took an alternative route of evolution due to certain environmental factors, circumstances, and specific mutations due to the UV radiations.
Drowner
Drowners are the special infected types. These are the people who ended their life in water or somehow died in the water. They may have drowned alive or being thrown into the water to die. This type lives near river coasts or water areas and sunken cities like the one we have seen in the Dying Light 2 trailer.
They attack in large groups are very ugly in appearance like skinny, tall, and bony. While exploring the water areas the victim can be pulled down by one of them into the water. Drowners are very protective of their lands. You can say they are territorial creatures. There are some mutations in the drowners as well which we will see in the Dying Light 2. They have spikes on their body which can cause damage as well.
They can be burned alive by the fire or when underwater, a crossbow may come in handy. Too many fast attacks will be a bad idea since once a victim runs out of stamina they will surround him.
Not much is known about this type since it wasn’t present in the first game and Techland hasn’t said much about this enemy but from the trailer, it is confirmed that this infected type can be surely put into the special category of zombies and not the regular zombies.
Demolisher
The demolisher is surely by far the largest infected type in the Dying Light universe. Its height is approximately 10 to 12 feet and it possesses great physical strength. The creature is mutated so much that large amounts of muscular mass burst out of his body. The demolisher is made due to the failed development of the virus. Demolisher’s IQ level is the same as a biter. It is just that they are big and have more physical strength up to the point at which they can break walls and lift and throw cars at the player. Demolishers can easily be avoided and outrun. The player can easily dodge its attacks when it is charged by making quick movements.
The most effective way to deal with the demolisher is by using ballistic weapons. Getting close anywhere to this creature for melee attacks will be a bad idea and bullets weapons almost have little to no impact on it. Though throwable melee weapons multiple times on easy mode can kill it. Using the rifle from some distance can kill it when the player will aim for the headshots. It will take 6-10 headshots to bring it down but this technique has one disadvantage which is noise from the rifle that will bring more virals and biters nearby. So, it is best to avoid this creature whenever you see it or encounter it in the Dying light world.
Toad
A toad is a type of special infected zombie that can spit toxic bodily fluids at close range as well as from distance. Toads are most probably found near chemical spills, indicating that chemicals may be the cause of the mutation. Its toad-like appearance is where it got its name. It chooses to remain at distance at all times from the human when engaging.
The toad can leap across rooftops with ease. it is the weakest of the creatures in the special infected category. In the Dying Light world, a toad can be spotted on rooftops, near the coastlines of rivers, and various lakes and ponds. Toads sometimes can be seen paired with other stronger infected types to kill the victim.
The player can easily dodge its acid attacks as its spit is fairly slow so one can know beforehand when it is going to throw the acid. It can be killed with a few hits by a melee weapon. Sometimes toad can also dodge your melee attacks too. Because the creature is physically weak it prefers to stay at distance during a combat.
Goon
A goon is a larger type of infected found throughout the game. Goons tower every other infected at 8 feet tall except the Demolishers. The goon is much slower than a biter however they have a slightly increased intelligence and strength than a biter. They carry heavy rebar as a weapon to smash the enemy to death.
With every attack of the player, a goon may become more aggressive and will make quick attacks. A goon may take a while to gather its strength to lift the rebar and throw it in the player’s direction making it vulnerable to melee weapons.
Ballistic weapons and Molotov can also come in handy when dealing with this creature. In Dying light 2, the developers have said that you can utilize the environment around you to attack the creatures. We will see how that can be done once we will get the game.
Goons come in three different ranks.
- The first one wears an orange rubber uniform like an industrial worker.
- The second one is in a black firefighter’s outfit and has more health than the first one.
- The third one is shirtless with black pants and is missing much of its skin, exposing its muscles, and this is more powerful than both of the other two ranks. 5-9 shots from the ranger revolver in from of the headshots can kill even the level 3 goon.
Good night good luck
As soon as night approaches, the player gets a warning signal exactly 3 minutes before. The nighttime is 21:00 in-game world time and the character gets his warning sound effect at 20:57. This warning signal indicates that the survivors need to find a safe zone and get there quickly as the city streets are about to be filled with even more horror than the daytime. At nighttime, the city suddenly becomes very quiet, and the night infected types come out and start to scream and howl in the streets. With the night comes even more terrifying creatures. Following are the infected types you will mostly encounter if you decided to stay in the streets instead of going back to the safe zones.
Howler
Howler is a new uncommon infected type introduced in Dying Light 2. Howler is actually developed from a viral but it is hindered at some point of the transformation by the sudden dose of the chemicals. So, instead of turning into regular infected, it mutates into Howler. In the game, you will see their chest veins illuminating and glowing. It is due to the chemicals that affected its lungs.
Usually, they won’t attack you when they spot you but will alert other nearby monsters. They do so by boiling a toxic substance in their chests which will force them to emit a loud and fearful scream as a result. That scream will call other infected from the surrounding area. According to Techland, there is still some humanity left in them and they want to scream and cry for help but the virus has attacked its lungs and vocal cords so that hurt them, and they are helpless. They are not walking dead but people who are infected and being controlled by the virus.
Howler movement is swift just like a Viral but it will not chase you or attack you on sight like the Viral. As of right now, not much is known about this infected type. We will see more about it when we actually play the game.
Banshee
Banshee is yet another uncommon or special infected type in the world of Dying Light 2. A banshee is a result of a unique mutation. The Banshee is a fierce variant equipped with elongated arms and sharp claws. It is really fast. Basically, a Banshee is a representative of a female human witch which had some bad morals in previous human life.
They are much more difficult to escape or defeat than a regular zombie. They are fast and aggressive and unpredictable. They possess random behavior which means you will be surprised by their acts every time you encounter a Banshee. They sometimes experience flashes of lucidity that remind them of the person they were once before. You can see her ask for help, cry or talk like a normal human being for a while. You can spot a Banshee by watch for the pieces of gold jewelry hanging from her body.
Revenant
Revenant resembles a character from the worst nightmares. You can easily spot a revenant from other infected by seeing wings like thing behind its back. These are also the glowing bulbous weak spots of it. You can use it to take it down.
A revenant is clumsy and slow, and moves hesitantly, as his thin legs can’t really support its weight. It is a special mutation that won’t attack you by itself but will buff the surrounding infected by creating a zone of toxic mist. As a result, the surrounding zombies go insane and more aggressive and an army of mad zombies will be coming for you soon. It is uncommon and you will find it in places like dark building basements and near chemical spills etc. If you want to takedown a Revenant then stealth is your best option.
Volatile
Volatiles are essentially one of the most dangerous and disturbing variants of infected types by the Harran virus. The volatiles are granted extreme durability, strength, durability. In addition to these, they are also known to be the smartest infected type. It won’t be wrong to say they are the alpha infected types among other zombies. They are frightened by UV radiation as it hurt them.
Volatiles only come at night time. A volatile is extremely fast and can navigate through the dark places easily as the dark is their territory. They can understand the player’s movements and can match the agility of the player quickly while chasing and climbing the buildings and obstacles. In the daytime, they prefer to stay in caves or tunnels. If somehow you encounter a volatile in the day and even if you attack the creature it will ignore you and will run for a nearby shade or dark area. You can sometimes see them die from the sun before making it to a dark area.
These terrifying infected types come in three forms. A ‘regular volatile’, ‘sentient volatile’, and ‘alpha volatile’. The latter is much bulkier in appearance with prominent fangs and spikes. A sentient volatile can still control itself during the day while retaining all the qualities of a volatile.
Volatiles can be killed only by the right weaponry and skills. But most of the time you won’t have the necessary tools so your best bet is to run to the nearest safe house when spotted by them. These creatures can take heavy amounts of damage and still be standing powerful. They can also kill you within a couple of hits. A low-skilled level player can’t escape their special pound attack. But thankfully there is a UV light torch as equipment available in the game which can be used on them while they prepare for a pounding attack. This method can give you a few seconds to escape while blinding them. Also, they have difficulty in sharp rotation and turning corners while chasing a human so you can escape a volatile if you are running in a zigzag motion across the buildings and eventually break their line of sight. Another very effective way to counter a volatile is with a powerful shotgun, which can kill it in just a few shots in a very close range. But this method won’t work on an alpha volatile.
Some volatiles also has a disturbing alteration to their physical makeup in the form of the rib cage twisted and bent outwards. They are broad-shouldered, muscular, and slightly taller than the average biter. They will spit an acidic liquid towards the player just like a Toad at the time when they can’t reach the player. Let’s move on to another night-infected type.
Night Walker
A nightwalker is a type of a biter but a product of a sudden mutation and transformation in a biter that usually occurs during the nighttime. So, you can say a nightwalker is typically a biter during the day but becomes more lethal and dangerous and behaves as a viral as the night comes. They are more aggressive than a daytime viral in the night. A biter in the nighttime will take a few seconds to transform itself into a nightwalker after spotting you. That will trigger an animation and noise which will give you a good idea of what’s going to happen next.
They can detect humans during the night pretty easily and alert the more dangerous infected types such as Volatiles. Although it is easy to fight a single or a couple of them, once they start coming in numbers towards you building a large group then it is quite difficult to handle them. They can also come in your way to slow you down while you try to escape a volatile.
Nightwalkers are vulnerable to UV torch and flares in the nighttime. You can also kill a creature by a takedown and that will not alert nearby creatures. Like Volatiles they can run faster than a normal human on a straight path so you will have to move into zigzag-like motion and climb obstacles and buildings to make a considerable amount of gap between you and them.
Contrary to an average Volatile that runs back to the shades and tunnels during sunrise, a nightwalker will transform back into a biter for the upcoming day to explore the streets again.
Bolter
Unlike almost all other infected types in the dying light universe, bolters are the only creatures that do not attack a player on sight. Instead, they run and hide after spotting a human. It can be seen during the nighttime by the bright glowy green lumps covering its body.
During one of the quests in the first game, it was revealed by Dr. Zere a virus researcher that these creatures are created by consuming a bait implemented by him sometime during the outbreak. So, these creatures are artificially made and not naturally mutated.
Bolters are intelligent and will observe a human from a distance if he/she is not conscious at that time. Upon spotting the player a bolter will scream scaredly which will alert nearby creatures. Brain tissue of a bolter can be used to make a cloak potion. This potion is used for camouflage. This actually makes you smell so disgusting, that the zombies think you are one of their own. So, you are practically invisible to the creatures.
Sleeping Beauties
It is a new night-infected type creature introduced in the Dying Light 2 universe. It is unclear whether ‘sleeping beauty’ is its actual name or a nickname people used to describe this type. These types of zombies are abundant in a dark area in the second game world which will slowly turn the player into a zombie too if he chooses to stay there for some time. Sleeping beauties are abundant in this area. A companion in the trailer explained:
“You’ll want to crouch and sneak through rooms filled with this type of monster, and don’t get too close or you’re done for”
This implies during these sections of the game world, you will have to go against your parkour instincts and move very cautiously and in a sneaky way to avoid them. This also implies that maybe a human cannot fight them or counter them if they somehow awake and begin to attack. Seems like a sister of Volatile if you ask me! But let’s see actually what this new type is when we get to play the game.
Other than the UV light the Harran virus has another weakness which is called Antizen. It is essentially a synthetic viral suppressant that can temporarily stop the virus progression and help to relieve the symptoms but it is not a cure for the virus. If Antizen is not introduced in the body in time the infection will transform the host into the first stage of the virus which is Viral.
At last one main thing that the developers of the Dying Light series have said is that many infected zombies know that they have turned and they try to control themselves but they are too weak and the virus has actually taken over so they are helpless and now virus controls them.
Dying Light 2 takes place 20 years after the first game events and 15 years after the apocalypse according to the developers. The Harran virus has now spread throughout the whole world which implies that the virus in the first game was only limited to the Harran city and some neighboring parts. Humanity has now got used to living in this new world, like building up shelters, barricading the communities, and learning a new way of life.
Dying Light 2 is scheduled to launch on December 7, 2021, for Playstation 5, Playstation 4, Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, and PC. We will cover every latest news and detail about the next Dying Light game till its release so be sure to follow us on social media sites.
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