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Can You Still Freely Roam The Open World of Dying Light 2 After Beating The Main Story?

Hey friend! If you‘re anything like me, you love open world zombie games that give you the freedom to explore and take on challenges at your own pace. Well after over 90 hours completing the main campaign, I‘m excited to report that yes, Dying Light 2 totally lets you keep roaming and enjoying the expansive city even after those end credits roll!

I know the feeling when you put dozens of hours into an immersive game world, grow attached to the characters and environment, only to abruptly get kicked back to the main menu after finishing the final mission. It‘s super disappointing!

Luckily, Techland avoided this letdown entirely with the expert design of Dying Light 2. Join me as I dive into everything you can experience in the post-game, how long you can expect your playthrough to last, details on the multiple endings, and more undead fun!

Tons of Action Still Awaits After The Credits

My favorite thing about Dying Light 2 is the freedom. Every inch of the massive map is open for exploration from the get go. You‘re never forced down a linear path or stopped from climbing to the rooftops. And thankfully that same open approach applies even after unraveling the mystery of the story!

The credits rolled at around 26 hours for me since I mostly focused on chasing the critical path quests and uncovering the next bits of narrative. But I was thrilled to immediately regain control of Aiden atop a skyscraper ready to glide and claw his way through the city.

All my hard-earned skills, weapons, inventory, and progress persisted moving into the post-game instead of wiping my slate clean. I was still at 100% completion for all the districts I had visited. This was the perfect chance to clean up all the side adventures I had skipped by!

Here are some of the many activities still awaiting you after beating Dying Light 2:

  • Take Down the Remaining Anomaly Quarantine Zones: These isolated hotspots packed with valuable loot and infected horrors make for memorable challenges. I had only cleared about half during the story.
  • Build the Ultimate Virus Curing Tools: All the factions offer unique gadgets you can craft to turn zombies back into humans. I wanted to max out my arsenal!
  • Complete Every Bounty: Dozens of named elite infected emerge at night with special mutations. Hunting them down grants money and rare trophies.
  • Achievement/Trophy Hunting: I‘m always a sucker for this dopamine hit! Dying Light 2 has 58 achievements with many tied to side content.
  • Find Every Collectible: I had snagged maybe 30% of the text/audio logs and artifacts. Time to scour every corner to find the rest!
  • Max Out All Skills: I reset my skill trees after the story to try different builds focused on parkour, combat, or stealth.
  • Help Friends Catch Up: Everything you just did? You can now replay it cooperatively with up to 3 friends and share your knowledge!

And if simply basking in the brilliantly realized interwoven neighborhoods of The City isn‘t rewarding enough, there are also community challenges that offer unique blueprints as global rewards when milestones are met.

I easily spent another 30+ hours after the credits enjoying these activities before finally stepping away from Dying Light 2 with no regrets. The satisfaction of clearing that map 100% leads to big smiles all around.

Average Playtime Depends How Thorough You Are

According to data aggregated by HowLongToBeat, here is a breakdown of the average playtime reported by players:

  • Main Story: 24 hours
  • Main + Extras: 57 hours
  • Completionist: 96 hours

The developers at Techland themselves have stated the most hardcore Dying Light fans gunning for 100% completion could sink 500+ hours into this world. However, that requires doing literally everything possible!

For us mere mortals, I found the Completionist time of around 90-100 hours to feel just right. I did all main and side quests, found all inhibitors, completed all safe zones, grabbed every collectible, finished every bounty, etc.

That offers plenty of substance without burning out. The City is gorgeous but after 130 hours you‘ll probably be ready to step away. If you mainly stick to critical path and some side quests, you‘re looking at 50-60 hours.

Either way, Dying Light 2 delivers a meaty adventure! But never feels padded or repetitive like some giant open world games (cough Ubisoft cough). The parkour and addictive loot progression keeps you driven to see what‘s over the next hill.

Endings Encourage Replayability

Now, I won‘t spoil anything here! But a big part of the appeal offered by Dying Light 2 is seeing how your choices ripple through the complex narrative. Key decisions made at pivotal story moments open up alternate resolutions.

There are three major factions vying for control as you delve deeper into uncovering the dark secrets. Who you side with, which citizens you save, whether you show mercy at times or ruthlessly slaughter enemies – it all impacts the ending you get.

I was satisfied with my resolution, but I already know my next playthrough I‘ll approach some situations differently. If you‘re invested in the world and characters, seeing the story play out based on contrasting choices gives this game great replay value.

The conclusion nicely ties up narrative threads while still leaving doors open. Fans are already speculating if this means Dying Light 3 could arrive around 2028 based on typical development timelines. But Techland is staying quiet for now.

Either way, Dying Light 2 stands on its own as a memorable open world zombie experience that respects player freedom even through the credits and beyond. Now get out there and parkour to your heart‘s content, brave survivor!

Let me know if you have any other questions about the post-game or world of Dying Light 2! I‘m always happy to chat more about one of my new favorite zombie playgrounds. Stay safe out there and watch out for volatiles after dark.

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Michael

Michael Reddy is a tech enthusiast, entertainment buff, and avid traveler who loves exploring Linux and sharing unique insights with readers.