Dying Light Summary
Techland’s Dying Light is the 2015 first-person parkour-driven open-world zombie survival horror game. Development on Dying Light originally began as the sequel to Techland’s first zombie survival horror title Dead Island. After realizing that the studio had a different creative vision for the sequel than publisher Deep Silver, Techland decided to split off and make their own survival-horror game that was similar to its work on Dead Island but with a greater emphasis on movement and parkour.
Techland’s implementation of its proprietary “Natural Movement” system scans all in-game surfaces and implements an appropriate pre-set animation based on whether it is climbable. In addition to getting input from extensive play-testing, real-world parkour expert David Belle consulted on the title. Despite revealing in 2013, Dying Light would not release until 2015 due to multiple delays to improve the game’s movement mechanics.
The game currently holds a respectable 75% average on review aggregate site Metacritic and a mostly-positive reception from fans and critics alike. Notably, Dying Light is a best-seller from the month of its release, selling over 1.2 million copies in just a week. As of April 2022, Dying Light holds sales of over 22 million units. It is by far the best-selling game from Techland and the fastest-selling new survival horror IP.
Dying Light Premise
Similar to its predecessor in many ways, Dying Light puts players into the shoes of a survivor during a zombie apocalypse. Gameplay takes place from a first-person perspective and combat is melee-focused. Players assume the role of Kyle Crane, an agent in the GRE, a ficticious global agency. Crane air-drops into the fictional city of Harran to investigate a mysterious viral outbreak that is turning everyone into the undead. Shortly after arriving in Harran, Crane is bit by one of the infected and has no choice but to help other survivors as he uncovers the cause of the outbreak and seeks to identify a potential cure.
Much of the game’s action takes place across buildings and rooftops, with players given incentive to stay above ground thanks to dangerous hordes lingering on the surface. Additionally, the game uses a day/night cycle in which nighttime becomes significantly more dangerous for the player. The numbers of infected increase as well as new, more dangerous enemy types appearing. Sound also plays a critical role in players’ survival, placing importance on using melee weapons. Since the infected are drawn to sound, the player can use this to their advantage for safe passage.
Notably, the title features some light RPG-style mechanics in its player progression. Players have different skill trees in which to alott points after gaining levels. Each of these skill trees relates to one of the core gameplay mechanics, with players having to carefully choose where to spend points. The game also features a color-coded loot system for its many melee weapons. Players can also craft their own weapons from blueprints hidden in the game’s world.
Dying Light Main Characters
Although it is a survival horror game, Dying Light is anything but a one-man show. The main story quest line in Dying Light features a memorable cast of characters. In addition to the game’s protagonist Kyle Crane, there are several other side characters and villains. Main characters in Dying Light include:
- Kyle Crane: Kyle Crane is the player-controlled protagonist of Dying Light. A freelance government agent, he is hired by the fictional GRE to locate and extract sensitive research from the fictional middle eastern nation of Harran. Just as Crane’s mission begins, he is bitten an quarantined in Harran with no way out. In addition to helping his fellow survivors secure medicine and research a cure, he is secretly continuing on with his mission for the GRE.
- Jade Aldemir: Jade is one of the first fellow survivors that Crane meets after parachuting into Harran. After saving his life, Jade brings Crane back to The Tower to heal and meet the other survivors. She is a former kickboxer and skilled at parkour, making her a valuable mission runner for The Tower.
- Rahim Aldemir: Jade’s brother Rahim is The Tower’s resident tech expert and mission coordinator. He helps train Kyle to be a runner in the zombie-infested streets of Harran.
- Dr. Imran Zere: Dr. Zere is one of the only scientists still remaining in Harran and actively searching for a cure. Crane will meet and assist Dr. Zere throughout the game, attempting to find a cure for the viral outbreak.
- Karim: Karim is the quartermaster and right-hand man of Rais, the game’s antagonist. He is responsible for organizing Rais’ raids on the GRE-dropped supplies making their way into Harran. As a result, he is responsible for untold survivor deaths so that Rais and his gang can profit off of the outbreak.
- Rais: Kadir “Rais” Suleiman is the antagonist of Dying Light and a despotic criminal warlord. Following the viral outbreak and quarantine of Harran, Rais siezes what’s left of the criminal underground. He gladly takes advantage of the chaos and turmoil in Harran for personal gain.
Games in the Dying Light Series
Since splitting off from the Dead Island parent franchise, Dying Light has grown into one of the best-selling survivor horror series. In addition to several DLC expansions, the game has since spawned a sequel. Games and expansions in the Dying Light series include:
- Dying Light (2015)
- Dying Light: Cuisine & Cargo (2015)
- Dying Light: The Bozak Horde (2015)
- Dying Light: The Following (2015)
- Dying Light: Hellraid (2020)
- Dying Light 2: Stay Human (2022)
Dying Light Cheats
While the game doesn’t have any officially supported cheats, there are several glitches and secrets players can take advantage of. Additionally, the PC version has a cheat trainer available through WeMod or other third-party cheat engines. One note of caution is that the glitches below have the potential to be removed via patches.
PC Item Duplication Glitch
Unlike the previous weapon duplication glitch which was removed as of version 1.2.1, the item duplication glitch is still active. This glitch also works on the console versions of the game provided that the console used supports keyboard and mouse controls. Successful use of the item duplication glitch requires players to use a mouse. Note: this glitch does not allow for weapon or ammo duplication.
- First, travel to anywhere on the map that has a player stash (e.g. The Tower)
- Select the item you want to duplicate and transfer it into storage
- Click on an item that you currently have a stack of (e.g. multiples). The number you hold of this item will become the number of items you duplicate. Note that the stack needs to be visible in your inventory without scrolling
- Hover the mouse cursor over the stacked item. Press the key to back out of the player stash without moving the mouse
- Press F to re-open the stash while simultaneously clicking both left and right on the mouse
- If successful, players can now move their mouse cursor around in the background with the stash menu open
- Use the WASD keys to navigate to the item you wish to duplicate in your stash. Press C to take all and the number moved into your inventory should be the same as the initial stacked item.
PC Weapon Duplication Glitch
Similar to the Item Duplication Glitch, this exploit is best done on the PC version of Dying Light thanks to how it works. The exploit can still work on consoles but the process is slightly different.
- Travel to anywhere on the map that has a player stash
- Make sure that the weapons you want to duplicate are in your inventory
- Click “Matchmaking” in the options menu and then click “Join Game” to join another player’s lobby
- A warning message will pop-up, prompting the player to confirm they wish to leave their game without saving. This is where players will need to get ready to quickly disconnect their internet connection.
- Press ENTER for “Yes” and quickly hit ALT + TAB to disconnect your PC from the internet
- If done correctly, you’ll get an error message and then a prompt explaining you’ll be put back into single-player
- Quickly press F to open the player stash before loading back into single-player
- When the single-player session loads, you’ll see your stash and inventory menus pulled up. Simply drop any item you wish to have duplicates of on the ground. Note: dropping too many items (e.g. thousands of the same item) can cause game instability
For consoles, this glitch still works but requires coordination with a friend since it’s not possible to quickly disconnect in the necessary time window. Join a friend’s lobby and fully load-in. Once in, hover the cursor over the player stash and disconnect WiFi. You’ll be greeted by the same two menus as on PC and will repeat the same steps of opening the stash before single-player loads back in.
Cheat Trainer for Dying Light on PC
Like many other games with console and PC versions, the PC version of Dying Light supports use of a third-party cheat engine. WeMod is a popular and verified third-party cheat engine software that uses confirmed trainer files. Simply download and install WeMod and then download trainers for your games. The trainer for Dying Light can be found here and contains the following cheats:
Player Cheats
- Unlimited Health
- Unlimited Stamina
- Easy Lock Picking
Stat Cheats
- Max Survivor Level XP
- Max Agility Level XP
- Max Power Level XP
- Max Driver Level XP
- Max Legend Level XP
Vehicle Cheats
- Unlimited Repairing
- Unlimited Fuel
Enemy Cheats
- One-Hit Kills
- Zombie Carnage
- Set Damage Multiplier
Game Cheats
- Switch to Day
- Switch to Night
- Set Day Time
- Freeze Timers
- Weapons/Looting in Safe Zone
Inventory Cheats
- Unlimited Throwables
- Unlimited Items
- Free Crafting
- More Backpack Slots
- +5K Money
- -5K Money
- Set Money
Weapon Cheats
- Unlimited Durability
- Unlimited UV Flashlight
- Unlimited Grappling Hook
- No Reload
- Add Selected Weapon Ammo
- Super Accuracy
- No Recoil
- Weapon Cloning
Physics Cheats
- Jump Height
Teleport Cheats
- Teleport to Waypoint
- Save Location
- Teleport
Dying Light Cheat FAQs
Can you cheat in Dying Light?
Dying Light contains quite a few exploits of in-game systems despite not featuring officially supported cheats. In addition to the weapon and item duplication glitches discovered by the community, the PC version supports cheats via third-party cheat engine software.
How do you spawn items in Dying Light?
In order to duplicate items, players will need to be playing using a keyboard and mouse. The Item Duplication Glitch above goes over detailed instructions on how players can effortlessly duplicate large quantities of items.
Does Dying Light use anti-cheat?
Yes, the game does use anti-cheat software for multiplayer modes. For single-player mode, however, players can use cheat engines or mods without penalty.