Dying Light: The Beast – 10 Brand New Things You Should Know

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Techland is releasing its new survival horror and parkour game, *Dying Light: The Beast*, on September 18th – a day earlier than originally announced! They’ve also shared a lot of new information about the game, including improvements to fighting and movement, the different dangers players will face, and more. Here are ten key things to know before the game launches next week on Xbox Series X/S, PlayStation 5, and PC.

Revamped Parkour Physics

Following the highly praised movement in the original *Dying Light*, *Dying Light 2 Stay Human* faced some criticism for its parkour system, particularly the stamina bar. While stamina is no longer a factor in the sequel, *The Beast* offers a similar experience from the start – you can climb almost anything without limits. Techland didn’t just stop there, though. They completely reworked the parkour physics to make it feel more realistic and spent countless hours making sure the environment doesn’t get in the way of smooth movement. The game also features a core experience without any helpful assists, encouraging players to plan their routes carefully. However, Techland plans to offer optional assists for players who prefer a little extra help with parkour.

Over 100 New Animations

To make movement feel even smoother, Techland created over 100 new parkour animations specifically for Kyle Crane. There’s a huge amount of detail – for example, 17 different ways he can grab and climb ledges. Because the Castor Woods area is more cramped, you’ll face zombies at close range more often, which will make your parkour runs even more intense. You’ll need to decide when to fight, when to run, and where to go, both during the day and at night, and thankfully, Kyle’s improved agility helps him handle it all.

Combat Improvements

The game now features over 100 weapons, including a brand-new flamethrower, and the combat system has been greatly improved. A new physics engine makes each melee weapon feel unique based on its weight. The combat is more impactful thanks to better hit reactions, realistic ragdoll effects, and increased blood and gore. Shooting feels smoother, as Kyle can now quickly steady his aim. However, enemies are also tougher – they’re more aggressive and react instantly when attacked, keeping you constantly challenged.

More Biter Variants and Virals

As you explore Castor Woods, you’ll encounter different kinds of infected, and you might not notice at first, but they’ve become unsettlingly more human-like – Techland even created over 9,000 unique zombie sounds! There are over 110 types of Biters, each with a different build, and also the Virals, who are newly turned and stand out because of their individual histories. For instance, the Goon is much stronger, likely due to a physically demanding job before becoming infected. We’re not sure how a medical background helps the Spitter shoot acid, but it does! There are almost 60 types of Virals, and you can figure out the best way to fight them by paying attention to what they wear and how they act.

Overhauled Damage Model

Dying Light: The Beast takes damage and gore to a new level, featuring incredibly detailed dismemberment and brutal attacks. Enemies have over a dozen parts that can be destroyed, making combat feel more realistic and visually diverse. Even basic attacks, like slicing, have been improved with more visible and detailed wounds – Techland says there are twice as many as in previous Dying Light games.

New Human Enemies

Your main opponents are the Baron’s soldiers, and they’re well-equipped and tactically smart. They use firearms and adapt their strategies on the fly – they have around 22 different approaches programmed! Since Kyle is a good shooter, you can fight them directly, but stealth is also a very effective option. Feel free to explore and eliminate enemies quietly, but be ready for a firefight if you’re discovered.

Unleashing the Beast

The Beast, Kyle’s powerful, infected form, is a really exciting part of the game. Like a transformation similar to the Hulk – but without the green skin or torn clothes – it allows him to take on even the toughest enemies, the Chimeras, and defeat them with brutal efficiency. You can trigger this transformation by perfectly dodging and parrying attacks, landing melee hits, or even by strategically taking damage when you need a boost. As the story unfolds, Kyle gets better at controlling the Beast, though his troubled past suggests this power might come with a price.

More Dangerous Volatiles

He’ll need to use his Beast abilities to fight the updated Volatiles. These enemies are tougher now – they attack more often, can find you more easily, and are less likely to run away. Techland has also made the fights smoother and more realistic, improving how the Volatiles move and chase you. You can try to escape using the Beast, but be careful – their heightened senses make it easier for them to follow. Alternatively, you can use the new vehicles, but watch out for Volatiles jumping onto the hood!

Lots of Secrets and Collectables

Techland’s new world, Castor Woods, is incredibly diverse and packed with secrets for players to uncover. According to director Nathan Lemaire, there are tons of hidden areas to find, complete with maps, unique items, and lore that deepens the game’s story and characters. Whether you choose to hunt down these secrets is entirely up to you.

PC Requirements

While not a full sequel like *Dying Light 3*, *Dying Light: The Beast* will demand more powerful PCs to run. To play at 1080p resolution with 30 frames per second on low settings, you’ll need at least an Intel Core i5-13400F or AMD Ryzen 7 5800F processor, 16GB of RAM, and an Nvidia GeForce GTX 1060, Radeon RX 5500 XT, or Intel Arc A750 graphics card. That’s not too demanding, but if you want to play at 1440p resolution with medium graphics and achieve 60 frames per second, you’ll need a similar processor (a Ryzen 7 7700 is recommended instead of the 5800F), the same amount of RAM, and a more powerful graphics card like an RTX 3070 Ti, Radeon RX 6750 XT, or Arc B850.

To play the game at 4K resolution with smooth 60 frames per second and high graphics settings, you’ll need a powerful processor like an Intel Core i7-13700K or AMD Ryzen 9 7800 X3D, a high-end graphics card such as an Nvidia RTX 4070 Ti or AMD Radeon RX 7900 GRE, and 32 GB of RAM. If you want the highest possible settings (Ultra) with ray tracing enabled at the same resolution and frame rate, you’ll need an even more powerful processor – an Intel Core i9-14900K or AMD Ryzen 9 7950X3D – along with an RTX 5070 or Radeon RX 9070 graphics card, and using features like Frame Generation is highly recommended. The game supports the latest visual technologies like DLSS 4, FSR 3.1, and XeSS 2, as well as ultrawide monitors, Nvidia Reflex 2, HDR, and dynamic resolution scaling. No matter your settings, you’ll need at least 70 GB of free space on a solid-state drive to install the game.

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2025-09-16 17:42