Dying Light 2 fans can now purchase and play the game's latest new piece of post-launch DLC, the Bloody Ties expansion pack. Featuring a new iteration of the classic bloodsport arena trope as its main draw, Bloody Ties offers players an exciting aside to the game's central narrative, as well as offering some respite from the usual open-world zombie slaying that's part and parcel in the main game.
While Dying Light 2 has received a number of DLCs since its release early in February 2022, Bloody Ties is its first major story-based expansion pack. Whereas the previous bits of extra content consisted mainly of new weapons and extra armor sets, Bloody Ties is a major new aside with a number of its own narrative twists and turns, though most of them concern the aforementioned combat arena.
Dying Light 2's Bloody Ties DLC was revealed a few months back at this year's Gamescom conference, promising a hefty new departure from the main storyline. Priced at $9.99, it puts the protagonist, Aiden, smack-dab in the middle of a growing conspiracy whose focal point lies in the so-called Carnage Hall, an old opera house that's now been repurposed as a fighting arena. On top of a whole arsenal's worth of new loot and spectacular combat setpieces, Bloody Ties also promises an engaging narrative about the power struggles of Carnage Hall.
With that in mind, Bloody Ties DLC offers a substantial tonal shift for Dying Light 2 players, as Aiden will need to play ball until he comes to terms with the inner workings of Carnage Hall. Whereas the base game is mainly a battle for survival, Bloody Ties tasks the player with making fights as interesting to watch as possible, since the arena needs to draw in a crowd to earn revenue for the proprietors.
In preparation for Bloody Ties, Dying Light 2 was updated to version 1.7.2, with the patch introducing a wide variety of important tweaks and fixes to the base game. Most notable, however, is the introduction of the original Dying Light's X-ray feature, which can trigger during pivotal moments in fights, slowing the time down and highlighting the damage player had just finished dishing out, such as a shattered bone or a particularly nasty gash.
Players that are returning to the game after finishing it earlier this year may be happy to hear that Dying Light 2's previous updates also added a whole bunch of free content. New missions, bounties, enemies, and loot have all been added to the mix at no additional charge. The new Bloody Ties DLC should, however, add an extra layer of complexity to the experience.
Dying Light 2 is available now for PC, PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox One, and Xbox Series.