Dying Light 2 is getting nightmare difficulty mode

4.5

Just like in the original Dying Light, nighttime in Dying Light 2 is pretty spooky: it’s when the game’s most terrifying enemies come out to play, and getting spotted by any of them triggers a chase that sends you scurrying along the rooftops looking for sanctuary. If that’s been too much of a cakewalk for you, you’re in luck: TechLand is about to add a new nightmare difficulty mode, and it’s going to change things up significantly.

In a new post on the zombie game‘s Steam page, Dying Light 2 franchise director Tymon Smektala discusses the changes that are coming with nightmare difficulty mode. This isn’t simply a matter of adding enemies or buffing their health; nightmare mode includes newly remixed mechanics that force a more tactical and considered approach.

“To get you even more immersed in the terrifying world of our game, Nightmare Mode removes the majority of HUD elements,” Smektala explains. “To notice an enemy, you will need to rely on your eyes and ears, instead of checking the UI markers.”

It’s not hard to see how dropping the HUD indicators for dangerous enemies will make Dying Light 2 a much scarier experience. One aspect of the game I always found more frustrating than fun was the howlers, which appear at night and will send everything in the neighborhood after you by screaming when they see you. They’re easy to spot, though, and always have a special icon floating over their positions, so any sense of surprise or menace is lost – you just have to avoid those areas.

Co-op will also function a bit differently in nightmare mode, the developers say. “Normally, playing in co-op makes the game easier, but here it is quite the opposite – the fights are scaled to be very challenging,” explains game designer Jan Rajtar-Kruczyński. “The idea here is that through good cooperation and communication, you will be able to overcome even the toughest enemies.”

So yes, expect much tougher enemies, especially when it comes to the special infected and volatiles. Oh, and that flashlight you were depending on? Yeah, it’ll be flickering from now on, just to make things even scarier.

The developers say that the changes coming with nightmare difficulty are too numerous to list individually, so we’ll all have to keep a lookout when it arrives. Fortunately, we won’t have too long to wait – Smektala says we can expect the update in “just a couple of days.”

Check out our guides to the Dying Light 2 factions and how to get the best Dying Light 2 weapons if you need a bit of a refresher before setting out on your nightmare mode adventure.