Techland has today released a new update for Dying Light 2 that most prominently adds Nightmare Mode to the game. Earlier this week, Techland announced that it would be gearing up to release Nightmare Mode in DL2 and provided some initial details of what it would have in store. Now, that patch has rolled out and has brought with it a ton of additional overhauls that change Dying Light 2 in some big ways.
As of this moment, update version 1.16 for Dying Light 2 can be downloaded across PlayStation, Xbox, Nintendo Switch, and PC. Nightmare Mode is by far the biggest new aspect of the patch and brings a much more hardcore experience to players who are looking for a challenge. Beyond this, though, Techland has also made a vast number of tweaks to co-op, cutscenes, and the game’s FOV slider. Lastly, there are also a ton of balance changes and bug fixes in this update, with the most notable alteration being a broad buff to guns.
The full patch notes for today’s new update to Dying Light 2 can be viewed at the bottom of the page.
Nightmare Mode
If you like challenges, we’ve got what you need. Nightmare Mode is our new highest difficulty for those wanting to truly experience the nightmarish reality of the Dying Light universe. Enemies are most cunning and brutal. They will put up even more of a fight now, which is important, as you’ll now realize everything you’ve relied on in previous playthroughs aren’t so reliable! And survival becomes essential with limited information and UI elements. To sum up the Nightmare Mode experience:
Night Changes
The Nightmare Mode Update will also incorporate various changes to the night itself. We grouped these changes into two sections: all difficulties and Easy/Normal.
Changes made in all difficulties:
Changes made only for Easy and Normal:
Co-op for Community Maps
Grab your friends and wreak havoc together on maps created by you, our community, because co-op is here! Try to prove yourself as the best Pilgrim amongst your pals or just enjoy the crazy scenarios designed by our players as a group!
But what’s co-op on Community Maps without the Community Maps? That’s why we’re adding a whole bunch of new DevTools functionalities, so our creators can come up with even more creative, challenging and diverse maps. Your toolbox has been expanded with:
And yes, we heard you! We’re also adding a low gravity functionality! We can’t wait to see what you come up with!
Gear Loadout System
In response to your requests, we are introducing the Gear Loadout System to Dying Light 2! In the Inventory menu, you can now switch between 4 customisable loadouts to quickly equip the gear, weapons, consumables and accessories that suit your current needs and playstyle.
Cutscene Improvements
With the Nightmare Mode Update, we’ve updated over 70 scenes and dialogues to improve the overall quality of the cinematics. There’s a lot of changes in terms of improved lighting, smoother (or more advanced) animation, special effects, and many other qualitative changes that should be visually noticeable to the player!
What’s changed?
Power Shot Skill Rework
We reworked the Power Shot skill to give players more agency. Now, when you charge a power shot, your reticle will begin to shrink. Release it at the right moment to fire a perfect shot for extra damage!
Tactical Stamina Management Mode
We’ve added a new stamina management mode – Tactical Stamina! An intrinsic part of Nightmare mode, with this turned on, stamina regeneration takes longer to kick in, and when exhausted, you’ll only be able to shove until the bar is full again. This preset can be selected via the Game Options panel. And no, you can’t switch it off on Nightmare difficulty!
Main Menu Redesign
The latest update will refresh the design of the Main Menu by enriching its visual layer. Now, the character outfit will be better presented here. Additionally, we want to make the Events & Alterations, Special Offers, and Community Maps more visible by introducing a new information panel on the right side of the screen.
Scalable Player FOV Correction
After the Firearms update, many of you started asking about more FOV (field of view) flexibility and we’ve delivered. With the Nightmare Mode Update, we are adding a slider allowing you to reverse the distortion of the player character when changing the FOV. When set to the default (100%), the player character appears the same regardless of the FOV value and when set to zero, the player character scales accordingly to the FOV.
Grappling Hook Customization
The update also introduces a new skin type, a bespoke one made for one of the most important tools in a Nightrunner’s arsenal: their Grappling Hook! Be sure to visit the Pilgrim Outpost to grab the First Pilgrim Grappling Hook skin for free and swing through the Villedor in style!
Game Updates
Apart from all the big news from the Nightmare Mode Update above, we’ve also introduced the following fixes and improvements to the game:
CO-OP
Gameplay
Technical
UI
