'Dying Light 2' Beginners Guide: How to Unlock Co-Op, Repair Weapons and Invite Friends

Dying Light 2 is finally out—and with 500 hours' worth of open-world content, there is plenty to see and do.

Upon opening the map, you will notice that it's filled with the kind of multitudinous activities that are normally reserved for games like Far Cry or Assassin's Creed. Among other things, there are windmills to climb, inhibitors to find, districts to liberate and hideouts to unlock.

There is obviously a storyline path for you to follow, but along the way you will inevitably get distracted by some of these optional missions and you might even need to do some of them to improve your combat prowess.

In short, while it is possible to just blitz through Dying Light 2's campaign (and even a little tempting given how many other huge blockbusters are on the way) we wouldn't advise it. Not only will you miss out on a lot of enjoyable content, but you will also make things needlessly difficult for yourself.

With that said, here is a beginner's guide to the complex world of Dying Light 2.

How to Repair Weapons in 'Dying Light 2'

Technically speaking you can't repair degradable items in Dying Light 2, but it is possible to at least increase their lifespan.

When you install mods on a weapon (to alter its stats or infuse it with elemental damage), you will also patch it up as a nice little bonus. This is indicated on the right-hand side of the crafting menu, where you can see the durability bar for whatever you are upgrading. This will be filled by about 20% whenever you install a mod.

The downside to this is that you can only modify each weapon a certain number of times (three to be exact) before all its upgrade slots have been used. As such, you will eventually run out of opportunities to repair your gear and it will wear out.

Much like with The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, this is presumably to encourage you to experiment with different loadouts throughout the game and to not become over-reliant on just one weapon.

How to Fast Travel in 'Dying Light 2'

Given the enormity of its zombie-infested world, you will be pleased to learn that Dying Light 2 has a fast travel system. There is a fun in-universe explanation for how this works, as you're essentially using the subway tunnels to get around (a similar concept was used in the game We Happy Few).

Of course, Aiden can't just materialize anywhere on the map without putting in some legwork first. Infected and bandits have taken up residence in the various metro stations around Old Villedor, so you'll have to clear them out if you want safe passage.

Once you have navigated through the dungeon environment, you will then have to complete a small traversal challenge (often against the clock) to activate the metro station's power generator.

If you manage all of that, it will then be accessible as a fast travel point going forward. To actually make use of this functionality, open up your map and then hover the cursor over the metro tunnel icon. A prompt will then appear telling you to hold down a contextual button (square for PlayStation users).

When Does Co-Op Unlock in 'Dying Light 2'?

Dying Light 2 supports 4-player co-op, allowing you to take on the zombie hordes with friends.

This option isn't available to you from the very start, and you have to earn it. Specifically, you must complete the prologue and tutorial section on your own, as well as the "Markers of Plague" quest. Gating the multiplayer component until after you have learned the ropes is pretty standard for this type of game, as a similar approach is employed by most Far Cry installments and Sea of Thieves.

Once you have finished "Markers of Plague" (after roughly 90 minutes of playtime) the co-op mode will then unlock. Unfortunately, Dying Light 2 has no crossplay feature at launch, meaning you can only invite friends who are on the same platform as you.

How to Invite Friends to Play 'Dying Light 2' Co-Op

Assuming that you and your friends are all on the same console (or PC), then you can invite them to assist you with your Dying Light 2 playthrough.

To do this, launch the game itself and then open the pause menu. From here, choose the option for "Online Menu," which is the third one down in the list.

Here, you will be able to calibrate various settings that dictate who can and cannot join your campaign. The part that you might need to tweak is the "Game Type" setting. Your options here are as follows:

• Single Player
• Public (Enabling anyone to join)
• Friends Only
• Private (Even friends require an invite to join)

As long as you have not selected "Single Player," you should be able to invite friends to your Dying Light 2 game via the network tools on your respective platform. There is also a dedicated "Friends" tab you can use in the Dying Light 2 Online Menu page.

How to Increase Health and Stamina in 'Dying Light 2'

At the start of Dying Light 2, you will be relatively weak and defenseless. However, you can gradually upgrade your health and stamina by tracking down inhibitors (of which there are 126).

For the most part, these collectables can be found in GRE containers. When one of these is in your nearby vicinity, your access key tool will alert you. A voice notification saying "inhibitor container detected" will sound off, and then a small icon in the bottom left-hand corner of the screen will appear.

This also provides a distance reading, letting you know how far away the inhibitor is and if you are going in the right direction.

Dying Light 2 is available now on Xbox One, Xbox Series X, PS4, PS5 and PC. A Nintendo Switch port is scheduled for release later in the year.