Dying Light: The Beast is here, and despite some odd issues with super rain (which should be all fixed up now), I’ve been having a wonderful time with Techland’s open-world zombie RPG. After spending over a dozen hours with it, as well as playing the past games in the series, I have some tips to share with folks either hopping in for the first time or looking for some extra help during their next zombie-killin’ session.

Kick! Kick! And Kick Some More! 

As with past Dying Light games, you have a kick button. And you should use it and use it often. Kicking the undead doesn’t use much stamina and can keep them from grabbing you, something they love to do in this game. Plus, you can kick them off roofs and ledges for easy kills that never stop being funny.

Grab The Drop Kick Skill ASAP

Speaking of kicking zombies, very early on in Dying Light: The Beast, you gain access to the game’s skill tree. Once that happens, prioritize getting the drop kick ability. This lets you do a more powerful two-footed jump kick that can send multiple zombies and human baddies flying far away. I love to drop-kick zombies into other zombies.

..And Then Get The Safe Landing Skill Next

Oh, and on the topic of great skills to grab early on, I’d also shout out the safe landing skill found in the top section of the skill tree. It lets you drop from extreme heights and take no damage by holding the crouch button right before you land. It saved my ass many times, and it will save your zombie-killing butt, too. Trust me.

©Techland Don’t Get Attached To Weapons

You’ll likely find some really powerful and deadly melee weapons in Dying Light: The Beast. Big hammers, flaming machetes, etc. All of that stuff is fun to use and can mow down zombies quickly. But don’t get too attached. Weapons can only be repaired so many times, as identified in the menu and weapon wheel, and once you’ve used up their repairs, that’s it. If you have a specific weapon’s blueprint, then you can craft it repeatedly, but if not, you might want to be cautious with the cool exotic knife you found in a random apartment.

How To Throw Weapons In Dying Light: The Beast

When a weapon is out of repairs and about to break, you could dismantle it, or you could just toss it at a zombie, giving it one last hurrah. But for some reason, The Beast does a poor job of explaining that you can toss weapons. To do so on a controller, hold the attack button and then click the right stick. On keyboard, hold the attack button and then hit F. If done correctly, you’ll toss your hammer or sword or whatever at the zombie ahead of you and hopefully crack it in the face.

Always Unlock New Safehouses And Towers

When out and about in The Beast, you’ll occasionally spot towers and safehouse icons on the map. Head to these the moment you see them, no matter what you’re doing. Once you activate these locations, they become safe zones that can save you from the night, which is very dangerous in the game, and can also act as a spawn point when you die.

When Farming Loot, Walk Away From The Bodies To Save Time

Here’s a trick I’ve been using since the first Dying Light game. If you’ve just killed a large horde of zombies and have a dozen or more corpses to search, don’t waste your time searching each one for loot. This takes a while and is tedious. Instead, run away at least a few hundred feet or so and then turn back around. When you return, the corpses should all be gone and replaced with little grey bags containing whatever loot each zombie was carrying. These can just be picked up instantly, no annoying animation needed. And better yet, if a zombie had nothing on them, then no bag is left behind, saving you even more time.

©Techland / Kotaku You Get Double XP At Night, But Be Careful

And hey, if you’re going to farm hordes of zombies using Molotov cocktails and then pick up all their little loot bags, I’d recommend doing so at night. You get double XP for all your actions during the night, which helps you level up much faster.

Sure, when the sun goes down in Dying Light: The Beast, you have to avoid deadly, fast, and hard-to-kill super zombies. But if you stick near a safehouse or tower and use the method I outlined above, you can always just run back to safety before they get you and farm a lot of loot, resources, and XP in the process.

Use Your Survivor Sense Ping To Quickly Spot Loot

Kyle Crane has a nifty and useful “Survivor Sense” ability from the moment you start Dying Light: The Beast. Use this! It will mark loot and searchable containers near you, making it easier to grab some supplies and get out. It also marks human enemies and special infected, too, which can help you avoid them or get the drop on them and take them out like a ninja.

Pick Up Every Weapon And Dismantle Them For Extra Resources

Yes, grab that crappy crowbar or the shitty broken bat. Grab it all. Then head to your inventory and dismantle those items. You’ll get a lot of extra resources that you can use to craft better gear and weapons, and repair the weapons you actually use.

©Techland / Kotaku Keep An Eye Out For Random Events

While running around the city and countryside, you might spot a blue icon on your compass. This is a random event, and you should try, if you can, to check these out whenever they appear. Sometimes you’ll find armed guards and good loot. Other times, it might be a person being held hostage by raiders. Or it might just be a random survivor being attacked by a zombie. Completing these awards gives you XP and other goodies.

… Maybe Kill Hostages After Saving Them

Okay, listen, you don’t have to do this. But, as far as I can tell, once you’ve saved a hostage and grabbed the reward from them, the game doesn’t track what happens next. So if you were to kill them and take their weapon so you can dismantle it for some extra resources, nobody in the game will ever know or care. Do I do this? Maybe. Do I feel bad? Yes. Do I have lots of scrap and screws? You better believe it, bucko.

You Can Unlock Safes Without The Code

Sometimes you’ll encounter locked safes in Dying Light: The Beast. You might think that the only way to unlock them is to find the safe’s combination. But you can also just unlock them by slowly turning the safe’s dial and feeling for a vibration. This will let you crack any safe without the combination. This feature is carried over from Dying Light 2, and it’s great.