Can You Fully Upgrade Both Factions in Dying Light 2?
The short answer to the burning question of whether you can fully upgrade both factions in Dying Light 2 is a resounding no. You cannot max out both the Peacekeepers (PK) and the Survivors upgrade trees in a single playthrough. This is a core design choice by the developers, forcing players to make meaningful decisions about the kind of gameplay experience they want to cultivate. Once you assign a facility to a faction, that decision is permanent. This makes the choice between Parkour enhancements from the Survivors and combat boosts from the Peacekeepers all the more impactful. This single decision is tied into how you will move through the city, take down hordes, and approach missions.
The Faction System: A Deep Dive
Dying Light 2 features a unique faction alignment system where players must choose which group controls different parts of the city. These aren’t just cosmetic changes; they directly influence how you interact with the environment and what skills you gain.
Each faction offers seven unique upgrades tied to specific city locations, for a total of seven facilities that you can assign throughout the game. Each time you take control of a power station or a water tower, you will be prompted to assign the location to one of the factions.
Survivor Upgrades
Choosing the Survivors path leans heavily into mobility and exploration. Their upgrades often include things like parkour aids, allowing you to move quickly and nimbly across the rooftops of Villedor. If you enjoy the feeling of quickly navigating the city with ease and want to spend more time free running through the urban environment, then the survivor upgrades are ideal. The survivor faction rewards fast and evasive players who prioritize movement and traversal as core to their playstyle.
Peacekeeper Upgrades
On the other hand, the Peacekeepers focus on combat prowess and brute force. Their upgrades include features like traps and defensive fortifications, turning the city into a series of traps that work well when fighting groups of infected. Choosing the Peacekeeper faction will see your experience through a different lens, and will reward combat-oriented playstyles and allow players to more efficiently deal with large swaths of enemies.
The Hard Limit
The fact that there are only seven facilities in the city that can be assigned upgrades to each faction means that you must make strategic choices about which faction you want to benefit from. This makes the game replayable and incentivizes players to play again, making different choices in their subsequent play throughs. This is a hard limit, and there is no way to circumvent it.
The Impact of Your Choices
Your faction choices will affect how you move around the city and deal with enemies but have no impact on the main story or the various endings. It does come down to a simple preference: do you want an easier time navigating the city or destroying enemies? This does impact gameplay significantly, and forces you to consider your own playstyle.
Gameplay Differences
The Survivors offer a more streamlined experience when it comes to exploration. They add items such as zip lines and air vents to the city. The Peacekeepers, on the other hand, make the city more of a combat arena, with electric fences and auto-turrets. This makes the game much more dangerous if you prefer to travel on the ground level of the map.
Moral Choices
While there are moral implications in your interaction with both the Survivors and the Peacekeepers the game makes it clear that there is no good or bad side. Each group has their positives and negatives, and it is up to you to decide which faction better aligns with your morals and preferences.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
1. How many upgrades does each faction have?
Each faction, the Peacekeepers and the Survivors, has seven distinct upgrades, which means that seven facilities can be assigned in total.
2. Can I change my faction allegiance mid-game?
No, once a facility is assigned to a specific faction, that choice is permanent. There is no mechanism in the game to switch a facility from one faction to the other.
3. Does choosing a faction affect the story endings?
No, your faction choices do not influence the main story or the multiple endings of Dying Light 2. The game ends the same way regardless of who controls the city.
4. Is it better to side with the Survivors or Peacekeepers?
There is no “better” faction. The choice depends on your playstyle. The Survivors enhance parkour and exploration, while the Peacekeepers focus on combat. It comes down to your personal preferences as a player.
5. Can I get the crossbow without siding with the Peacekeepers?
No, the crossbow is a Peacekeeper-exclusive reward. It can only be obtained by aligning with the Peacekeepers faction.
6. Are the Peacekeepers inherently evil in Dying Light 2?
The Peacekeepers aren’t presented as purely evil but are an authoritarian group. They prioritize order and safety, sometimes at the cost of freedom, and their policies can be aggressive.
7. Does enemy level scale with my level?
Yes, enemies will scale to your level after you finish the story, adding a new layer of challenge and excitement for experienced players.
8. How many endings does Dying Light 2 have?
Dying Light 2 has at least five main endings, with a few variations and a secret ending. Your choices with Hakon and during the Radio Tower mission will determine which ending you unlock.
9. Can you obtain unlimited immunity in Dying Light 2?
Yes, you can craft an unlimited number of Immunity Boosters using the Immunity Booster Consumable Blueprint, provided you have the necessary materials.
10. Can you max out both the stamina and health stats in a single playthrough?
No, due to a limited number of inhibitors in the game (126), you cannot max out both health and stamina in one single playthrough.
11. Who should I give the Water Tower to?
Giving the Water Tower to the Survivors starts the Revolution Main Story Mission in Old Villedor. This is an early mission, and while important, is not a story altering event.
12. Is there a right choice between Sophie and Aitor?
No, both Sophie and Aitor are valid choices and lead to the same outcome later on in the game. Pick whichever character you feel more aligned with.
13. Should you tell Aitor’s wife about the witch?
No, you should not tell Aitor’s wife that you went to the healer Margaret. Margaret was indeed telling the truth about what ails Aitor, and the only way to save him is by giving him the small petals from the Recluse Herb.
14. Is Kyle Crane mentioned in Dying Light 2?
Yes, Kyle Crane is mentioned a few times by NPCs in Dying Light 2. They refer to his past experiences and say that his end was a tragic one.
15. Is there a firearm in Dying Light 2?
Currently, there is only one firearm in the game called the Boomstick. You must complete the Observatory mission, then purchase the blueprint from a vendor in a Peacekeeper territory.
Conclusion
Ultimately, the decision to side with the Survivors or the Peacekeepers in Dying Light 2 is a personal one. Neither faction is better than the other, and there are benefits to each. You must consider your own playstyle, and the types of rewards you want. Remember, you can only choose one track for each facility, and you are locked into your decisions. This ensures a unique experience for each player’s playthrough, making Dying Light 2 a game worthy of playing again. While you can not fully upgrade both factions in a single playthrough, there is enough content to warrant playing through the game multiple times.