In Dying Light: The Beast, players will have a chance to incarnate Kyle Crane once more, though a much more mature and tormented version of this character. If players want to survive the dystopian lands plagued by voracious infected and dominated by the Baron and his army of brutal henchmen, they should know a thing or two about the map, the enemies, and other useful tips.
This guide contains all the information players should know about before trying their luck in Castor Woods. Armed with the knowledge of these beginner tips, they will be able to thrive, even when attempting a run in the higher levels of difficulty. From how to move around undetected, to the best ways to increase their power.
How To Stay Alive in Dying Light: The Beast
In Dying Light: The Beast, staying alive is trickier than it might seem at first glance. From the annoying Biters that love to swarm the players in endless groups, to the annoying Virals that love to pop up every time players make too much noise, these creatures will make the players' lives miserable if they give them a chance. And dying in The Beast is quite punishing: There's an EXP penalty each time Kyle bites the dust. So, first and foremost, to stay alive is to learn how to measure distance: In every hit, in every turnaround of the camera, in every parkour movement; every time players move, they need to stay focused and clear of the arms of the zombies. If they let themselves be grabbed, there are a few moves they can use (we will check these later). However, after a few grabs, the Biters will close in, and so will all the rest of the infected.
A good way to stay clear of the zombies' reach is to use Throwing Knives, stealth kills, and Bows to deal with certain targets like Screamers, Toads, or Gas Tanks (before these can explode and attract Virals). Then, learning what one-handed and two-handed weapons are for is key. One-handed short blades are for backstabbing (knives, kukris, etc.), one-handed blunt weapons are for targeted hits (aim to the head). Then, two-handed hammers are for dealing with crowds of enemies led by bulkier zombies, while two-handed blades (Like the Scythe) are for sweeping up swarms of lesser Biters. It's all about using the weapon's reach, picking the optimal tool to keep that distance between Kyle and the Infected.
How To Survive The Night in Castor Woods
The Night and Day cycle is the main mechanic of the Dying Light series, and in Dying Light: The Beast, this becomes extremely evident and is empowered by the enormous open spaces between the scarce signs of civilization present in Castor Woods. Besides a few main urban centers, the Asylum, Power Plant, and other important landmarks, the map has a ton of open forest areas, tall grass, and bodies of water. So, if players are caught in the middle of the forest and night falls, they are about to live a truly hellish experience. Volatiles and Virals roam almost everywhere on the map, so there's no safe place besides under the UV light of any of the shelters (which are quite far from each other). Players will need to hide and be extremely stealthy if they want to pass under their radars.
Volatiles' detection radius has been significantly increased, and they now trace every source of noise and light with deadly precision. So, turning the flashlight off, staying in stealth mode, and looking for a place to hide (crouching spots, tall grass, behind a collapsed bridge, diving underwater, etc.), and slowly putting some distance between Kyle and the vicious infected is the way to survive the night. Knowing and marking on the map the nearest Shelter when the night falls is the optimal way to survive a Chase (triggered when the Nocturnal Infected spot the player), and using the parkour movement boost is a must if they want to avoid being killed. Against Volatiles coming up front and pouncing, the Slide is the best way to dodge. Against Virals, the Stomp Jump is the way to dodge. And against swarms of infected blocking the way through a small tunnel, the wall run is the way out of those sticky situations.
Learn All About Kyle's Skills & The Beast Mode
Those who have played the previous Dying Light games (especially the first game and The Following) will know about Kyle's parkour skills that allow him to stay away from the zombies roaming the grounds and escape a Chase if spotted by Virals or Volatiles during the night. For new players, this might be a little bit trickier to understand. More so, keeping in mind that the character comes with lots of unlocked skills from the prior games, which include the ability to slide below certain obstacles and perform a boosted jump to reach higher distances when grabbing onto a ledge. Players can open up the Skill menu and inform themselves about all these kills and more in the Prior Skillset tab.
The other important set of Skills is those that are learned each time Kyle levels up, which include the Active Landing (a skill of utmost importance for survival), dropkick, and other skills from the Combat, Stealth, and Parkour branches. Then, players will learn about the Beast Mode or Beast Status, which triggers when Kyle builds up rage by dodging, hitting enemies, or being hit by them. Once The Beast is active, Kyle enters a near-invulnerable state and will crush everything on sight. He gains boosted attack, the ability to perform finishers on heavier enemies (even Volatiles), hyper regeneration, speed, jumping height, and other skills that can be unlocked by injecting himself with the GSR compound found in Chimeras (bosses) that he needs to beat to power up the Beast Mode. Learning to balance out gameplay between the regular Kyle and the Beast is no small task, especially in the earlier stages of the game. But once they have unlocked the ability to control the Beast Mode, players will be nearly unstoppable.
Best Ways To Gear Up Fast
Gear and Weapon levels are associated with the player's (Kyle) level, which means that the only way to get better gear is to level up. But, this doesn't mean players cannot get tons of armor pieces, gadgets, and other stuff early during the adventure. The best way to Gear Up fast is to visit every landmark, since every landmark has at least one blueprint or gear piece that players can equip to boost their stats or acquire new ways to fend off the infested and human enemies. Rescuing Survivors is also important, since they can offer lots of exp and sometimes, even critical resources and extremely useful gadgets early on.
Convoys are a decent way to get more weapons, and players need to defeat a few roaming zombies and special infested around them, then pick up the Convoy Security Keys from the armored Biters to open up the trucks and claim ammo, weapons, and military grade supplies. Convoys and every landmark respawn each day, though the latter do not offer endless sources of Armor, only resources and Manuals (another important item players need to farm to boost their Gear Quality faster).
Level Up These Items & Skills As Priority
Speaking about leveling up gear and skills, players will have a way to increase the Quality of their gear through the workbench and select a few skills each time they level up. In terms of priority, players should upgrade their Hunting Bow (which they can get from the Workbench in the first safe zone they unlock) to at least Rare Level, since it will be the main source of silent ranged damage, crucial to survive the most difficult encounters that require stealth. From there, prioritize upgrading Bandages, Stamina Booster, Mods, and other weapons, in that order.
On the other hand, the Active Landing skill is a must-have that needs to be unlocked ASAP, since falling from greater heights without it means certain death, which comes with the penalty of XP loss. Next, players will want to take Power Shot (to cause more damage with their bows), the Stealth Expert (to move more silently), and the Flamethrower (to clear out dozens of Biters at the same time).
Most Efficient Killing Tactics to Thrive in Dying Light: The Beast
Besides the stealth kills and melee weapons, players have a lot of ways to kill swarms of enemies. And by slaying more enemies, they will be able to gather more crafting resources and XP, so it's a win-win situation. Though with limited resources, ammo, and stamina, killing enemies can be a pain. The following is a list of ways to kill enemies efficiently to gain more XP and resources with ease:
- Use Sound Decoys (Firecrackers, SPAS) to gather a swarm near a Gas Tank, then trigger the Gas with a Throwing Knife or a Molotov Cocktail.
- Use Decoys to lure enemies into a Car Trap or Electric Fence trap, then trigger with the remote to rack up the kills.
- Gather enough Beast Meter by dodging and hitting enemies. Then lure lots of enemies and trigger Beast Mode to gain tons of XP and resources.
- Use the entrance of the Town Hall by night to trigger Chases, hit enemies from the safety of the UV light, and then trigger Beast Mode to farm XP by killing Volatiles with Ease.
- Use the Bow to kill priority targets from a safe distance. Avoid using it by night, since Volatiles cannot be one-shotted (not even with the Power Shot).
- Use Two-Handed Weapons to deal with swarms of enemies and then switch to the UV Flashlight to keep the first row at bay while Kyle recovers Stamina. Rinse and repeat. The Scythe is especially useful for this tactic.
- Always carry Throwing Knives. They are cheap to craft and can instantly kill Biters if they grab Kyle. Same if they want to perform a fast Stealth Kill from behind.
- Grenades are the best way to destroy swarms. Mind the noise, though, since it will attract volatiles in a few seconds, and the blast radius, since it can insta-kill Kyle if players are not careful.
Dying Light: The Beast
