Techland has gone all-in when it comes to making Dying Light 2 as realistic as possible. At least in terms of weapons. The first game was always more about melee combat, and the second game doubles down on that side of things. However, you could also pick up firearms in the first game. They weren’t all overpowered, but they did make the game a lot easier. That’s not possible in the sequel. In a recent Q and A, Techland shared that there are no firearms. You can get your hands on some handmade stuff that’s similar, but not unless you put in a tonne of effort.
Apparently, there’s a path, defined by a tory choice, that will see handmade firearms become more common. I think this is probably related to clearing out a steelworks or something. If you don’t make that choice though, you’re not going to have those firearms. There’s a handmade shotgun that all players will eventually be able to craft, but this is also down a certain progression track, something you’ll have to gear towards from the game’s early hours.
I love that Dying Light 2 is going down this route. The worst thing for ruining my immersion in post-apocalyptic settings is the abundance of firearms. In the early days, sure. There would be firearms left over from the world that’s just ended. Once you’re decades into the post-apocalypse though, those firearms will be falling apart, and ammo will be so rare that most people probably won’t bother with them. It makes no sense to carry around a gun if a single bullet is worth more than all of your possessions. Sell it and live like a king.
Dying Light 2’s world will feel a lot more credible because of the abundance of handmade weapons. Bows, machetes, and anything else that can do harm that is cobbled together will be everywhere. That’s because people just have to work with what they’ve got. There’s no weapons factory in operation, it’s just you and the materials scattered around the world now. I hope this makes the game a much more personal experience because every battle is likely to come down to the wire.