After being announced during Microsoft's E3 Conference last year, developer Techland's Dying Light 2 looks to bring back the open-world parkour adventure to players in the near future. As with any sequel, new features and gameplay mechanics are making their way into the second installment of the series, with player agency and working for or against NPC factions being a major component in how the narrative and world will be shaped.

Speaking in an interview with PCGamesN, Tymon Smektala (Lead Designer) discussed how the game's wildcard factions will alter relationships and consequence in Dying Light 2. Every group in the fictional open-world of Harran has its own means of survival; a world which sees bandits and thieves becoming as big a threat during the day as the infected zombies who roam the streets at night.

Of the wildcard factions being introduced in Dying Light 2, The Peacekeepers appear to be the most powerful group, with other factions having their own agendas with how to use the city's limited resources to their advantage. One example mentioned saw both groups fighting over a specific location, with The Peacekeepers intending to use the area as a training ground, while The Scavengers would prefer to use it as an agricultural and crafting station in order to create more fuel for vehicles.

Every faction, according to Smektala, is described as having their own approach to survival. The Peacekeepers' purpose is to simply remove all of the infected from the world and take control of the city, while The Scavengers see no way to fully cleanse the world of the infected and thus will look for ways to live amongst them in the safest ways possible. Siding with The Scavengers will also lead to destroyed areas of Harran being reconstructed, making travel easier for players. When asked how the choices players make could impact plans for DLC, Smektala remained quiet on the matter.

"....as I said, you'll probably find even more places to drive (vehicles) them as we support the game after release."

Playing into having multiple factions and story outcomes could lend itself into whatever post-launch plans Techland has for Dying Light 2. Considering the first game was so well received, the developer decided to not only support Dying Light for three years but also released an enhanced version of the game in 2016 with Dying Light: The Following. Techland is showing it's confident early in already making post-launch plans, which surely will see these wildcard factions playing vital roles in the story once more.

Dying Light 2 currently has no release date.

Source: PCGamesN