Dying Light 2: Every Ending Explained
Here's how you unlock all of Dying Light 2's endings and what they mean for the game's story.
This article contains spoilers for Dying Light 2.
Like many of the best RPGs ever made, Dying Light 2 features multiple endings that change based on the decisions you’ve made throughout the game as well as the decisions you make during the adventure’s climactic moments.
While the game does a pretty good job of giving you the ending that best reflects the choices you’ve made so far (or at least the biggest choices), getting the “right” ending in Dying Light 2 (or at least your preferred ending) does require you to make every right move along the way. Even if you do get the ending you want, you’ll probably be left wondering what other endings are out there just waiting to be experienced if only a few things had gone differently.
Whatever the case may be, here’s what you need to know about Dying Light 2‘s various endings and how you see them.
How Many Endings Are There In Dying Light 2?
This is a surprisingly complicated question to answer.
There are anywhere from 2 to 8 endings in Dying Light 2 depending on how you choose to look at the game’s ending system. If you’re just looking at the broadest possible ways that the game’s ending can be changed, there are two definitive endings to the game (one considered to be “good” and another probably best seen as “bad”). There’s also a “secret” ending that follows the basic structure of one of the other endings but introduces a fascinating new element that I’d argue distinguishes it enough to make it its own thing.
Beyond those “major” endings, there are also several ways that aspects of Dying Light 2’s endings can be altered based on certain choices you make throughout the game. Because it’s possible to “mix and match” those ending differences, you can technically see up to eight possible exact ending scenarios play out based on what you decide to do at the end of the game and what you decide to do leading up to the climax. While the exact differences might not amount to anything more significant than a slightly different set of circumstances, I tend to agree with the argument that there are (technically) eight possible finales.
So while you would need to essentially play Dying Light 2 eight different times in order to experience every possible conclusion, there are really only three significant endings that you “need” to know about if you’re looking to understand the drastically different ways that the game can end.
Dying Light 2 Ending Scenario Explained
While your choices in Dying Light 2 can affect exactly what happens in the build-up to the ending and exactly what happens during the ending, the basic ending scenario remains the same regardless of what you’ve done and will do.
Basically, all roads in the game lead to the secret X13 facility. Aiden discovers that the facility contains a large cache of supplies that the GRE hid years ago as well as quite a few missiles that could easily destroy the city if they are launched. It’s also where Aiden and Mia were experimented on years ago.
Right before his final confrontation with Waltz, we learn that Mia is not Aiden’s sister and is actually Waltz’s daughter. Aiden hoped he could find a cure for Mia’s disease, but things obviously went south since then (see the rest of the game for more information).
Waltz wants to use the X13 facility to run extra tests that he hopes will uncover a cure for Mia, but he accidentally triggers the facility’s security protocols in the process. Faced with the prospect of destroying the city in order to possibly save Mia, Waltz elects to do just that.
Aiden manages to defeat Waltz, but the missiles are still set to launch. Mia tells Aiden that she does not want to be spared at the cost of so many lives, and shows Aiden the key that will allow him to disable the missiles. Unfortunately, Waltz manages to pry the key from Mia’s hands and sents it into flying into a vat of chemicals waiting just below. Waltz and Aiden then carry Mia to a hospital bed, and Aiden tells the nearby Lawan that they may be able to destroy the bombs rather than deactivate them. However, if Lawan chooses to destroy the bombs, she will almost certainly die in the resulting explosion.
That roughly brings us to Dying Light 2’s climactic moments and the choices that will determine which endings you’ll see.
Which Dying Light 2 Choices Change the Game’s Ending?
The biggest choice that affects Dying Light 2’s ending doesn’t happen until the very end of the game when you’re asked to either let Lawan detonate the bombs or save Lawan. We’ll talk about the consequences of that choice in just a bit.
As for the other choices…well, you may be disheartened to learn how many of your choices throughout Dying Light 2 don’t really impact the game’s ending. In fact, these are really the “only” three choices that directly alter the game’s ending:
- Did you kill or save Hakon?
- Did you give the VNC Tower to Frank or Jack Matt/Juan?
- Did you save Lawan or let her detonate the missles?
Again, those choices not only form the broad strokes of the ending you see but can subtly change aspects of the final ending as well. So, if you choose to save Hakon, give the VNC Tower to Frank, and save Mia, the ending will be slightly different in some ways than if you did the opposite of those actions (and every other available combination).
So while we’re going to focus on three of Dying Light 2’s endings in the sections below, just know that some of the details will be slightly different based on the specific combination of choices you made in those three categories throughout the game.
Does Dying Light 2 Have a Point of No Return?
While there is something close to a point of no return in Dying Light 2, it’s really not quite as dramatic as that common phrase makes it sound.
After you complete the “Assassination” quest, you’ll be led to a door. Before entering that door, you’ll be warned that advancing beyond this point will trigger the game’s epilogue. You’ll also be advised to “complete any unfinished business in the city before continuing.”
That last line is a little misleading. We’ll talk about this a little later on when we cover Dying Light 2’s post-game, but it’s still possible to complete most of Dying Light 2’s content even after you’ve played the epilogue. However, if you want everything to remain exactly as it was (or if you’re not ready to lock in your epilogue choices just yet), then it may be best to heed this warning and turn back until you’re ready.
How Do You Unlock Dying Light 2’s Worst Ending?
Dying Light 2 Worst Ending Choices: Kill Hakon, Give the VNC Tower to Jack Matt/Juan, Save Lawan.
While your interpretation of the worst possible ending in Dying Light 2 is somewhat dependent on how you choose to play the game and what kind of person you’re trying to be in its world, this has to at least be in the running for the absolute worst ending in the game.
This ending sees Aiden try to save Lawan and stop her from destroying the missiles. Sadly, Aiden ends up attacking Lawan once their infection takes hold of them. He manages to regain control of himself and escape with Lawan, but it’s too late. The missiles destroy the city, Lawan dies soon afterward, and the Peacekeepers decide to rule the ruins with an iron fist. Aiden leaves the city unsure of what lies ahead and heartbroken about what was left behind.
Unless you really sympathize with the Peackeeprs, there really isn’t a lot of “hope” in this ending. It’s certainly the roughest possible conclusion for Aiden on a personal level.
How Do You Unlock Dying Light 2’s Best Ending?
Dying Light 2 Best Ending Choices: Save Hakon, Give the VNC Tower to Frank, Save Mia/Detonate the Bombs
As you might imagine, you’ll need to do the exact opposite of everything you would do to see Dying Light 2’s “worst” ending in order to see the game’s “best” ending.
This ending sees Aiden let Lawan destroy the missiles that are about to destroy the city and attempt to save Mia before the facility explodes. He’s ultimately not able to save her life, but they do get a few key final moments together. Hakon also manages to save Lawan right before the bombs explode, so she manages to both destroy the missiles and survive the blast. After the missiles are destroyed, the Survivors are able to secure the city and establish democratic order while Lawan and Aiden decide to hit the road and remain Pilgrims.
This is, by far, the most optimistic ending in the game. Aiden gets what he wanted (mostly), Lawan is alive, and there are even some hints that the city will probably be ok. It’s the closest you’ll come to feeling like you “won.”
How Do You Unlock Dying Light 2’s Secret Ending?
Dying Light 2 Best Ending Choices: Save Hakon, give the VNC Tower to whoever you’d like, and Save Lawan
I don’t know if this ending is really a secret in the traditional sense of the word, but it’s worth noting that this combination of choices results in a unique finale.
This ending sees Lawan fail to destroy the missiles (which leads to the city being destroyed) and refuse to join you. Whoever you gave the VNC Tower to will end up controlling the ruins, and Hakon will decide to hit the road with Aiden instead of Lawan (or Aiden by himself).
The only way to convince Hakon to leave with you is to choose to save both him and Lawan, which is what makes this ending so special. Whether or not that’s something you would be interested in really depends on how much you like Hakon, but if you’ve worked this hard to save him up until this point, then you might be interested in hitting the road with him instead.
Does Dying Light 2 Have a Canonical Ending?
At the moment, Techland hasn’t confirmed whether or not there is a canonical ending to Dying Light 2. It’s likely we won’t know which ending they consider to be canonical until around the release of Dying Light 3 (assuming we ever get to play that game). Even then, they may choose to keep things ambiguous.
In fact, there’s still some debate about which (if any) of Dying Light’s endings canonically match the events of Dying Light 2. All things considered, there’s really no point in wondering if you’ve seen the “right” ending to Dying Light 2 at this time.
Dying Light 2: Is There a Postgame or New Game+ Mode?
While there is sadly no New Game+ mode in Dying Light 2, the RPG’s “postgame” does change the rest of the experience in interesting ways.
After you reach the “point of no return” Epilogue section described above, you’ll be forced to make your final ending choices. Once the ending has played out, you’ll be thrown back into the game’s world and will be able to complete any missions, objectives, leveling goals you haven’t yet completed. However, the following things will have changed:
- You will retain access to the GRE Access Key.
- The game will continue to scale in the usual ways based on the level you were at when you started the epilogue.
- The city will change based on the key decisions you made in the ending.
- You will not be able to replay the Epilogue sections again during this run.
All of that is really just a way to say that you’ll pretty much pick up where you left off in Dying Light 2 after seeing the game’s ending sequence. While a few things will be different based on the choices you made at the end of the game, you don’t have to worry about missing out on that one mission or that one collectible. They’ll all be waiting for you.
Dying Light 2: How to Fix the Black Screen Error
Many players are reporting that they run into a black screen during the game’s ending. Some players say that they’re running into this black screen right before the credits, and some are saying that it happens during the climactic cutscene. Regardless of when it appears, this black screen does lock the game.
If you do run into this black screen during the ending, here are a few things you can try:
- Just wait – Sometimes, the black screen will resolve itself and you can just wait it out. This is the best possible option.
- Restart the game – Simply closing the game and restarting the app seems to fix the problem most of the time, but you will need to return to your last save when the game restarts, so you might need to replay some sections.
- Update your game – It’s entirely possible that you’re an update behind where you are supposed to be, so make sure your game is up-to-date if you just can’t seem to get past the black screen.
- Reinstall the game – This is an absolute worst-case scenario that we only advise pursuing if you’re desperate and are able to retrieve your save data relatively easily. It shouldn’t come to this, but you should know it is an option.
Most players will be able to eventually fix the black screen by restarting the game or just waiting it out, but more extreme and direct measures may be necessary if you just keep running into this problem no matter what you do.
Written by
Matthew Byrd is Games Editor at Den of Geek and an entertainment enthusiast living in Brooklyn. When he's not exploring the culture of video games, he's…