Spoilers forDying Light ahead.One topic that has long been up for debate is how exactlyDying Lightconnects toDying Light 2. At the end ofDying Light’s narrative DLC “The Following,” players are given the choice to either nuke the zombie-infested Harran and save the rest of the world, or go against The Mother’s wishes to detonate a nuclear warhead over the city. If he makes the latter choice, Kyle Crane spares Harran and its neighboring countryside, but becomes a sentient Volatile in the process.
In a recentDying Lightdeveloper stream, it was confirmed byDying Light 2lead level designer Piotr Pawlaczykthat Kyle Crane did become an Infected and spread the Harran Virus to the rest of the world. Crane’s intentions may have been good, but they ended up costing all humankind. Because of this, the now-confirmed canon ending ofDying Lightmay not be as morally clear as people think.
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Kyle Crane’s Determination to Save Harran is Admirable
Upon arriving in Harran, Crane feels no ties to the city and its people. His sole reason for being there was to locate an important file for the Global Relief Effort (GRE), under the assumption that it will help infinding a cure for the Harran Virus. Crane’s loyalty and moral compass are put to the test as he is constantly instructed by the GRE to commit acts that sacrifice Harran’s citizens for the ultimate goal of saving the world.
Eventually, Crane decides that the GRE’s methods are inhumane, sp he ends up siding with Harris Brecken’s group at The Tower. He starts taking on missions that help the group without any ulterior motives, and even after the deaths of his closest friends from The Tower - like Jade and Rahim Aldemir, Crane still endeavors to keep the group alive. He goes so far as to follow the ramblings of a person from the countryside to find a cure for the virus,a task that ultimately leads to his confrontation with a cult called The Followingand The Mother.
Saving Harran Doesn’t Save Dying Light’s World
While Crane’s decision to forgo the launch of a nuclear warhead was spurred by his wish to save Harran, it ended up doing more harm in the long run. Crane is left with no choice but to fight The Mother, but not before being drinking a vial that turns him into a Volatile - a creature that retains its human consciousness by day and becomes a monster at night. After he defeats The Mother and makes his way to the surface, Crane escapes the quarantine zone and infects the rest of the world. WhileDying Light 2mentions that the GRE was responsible for the new strain that infected the rest of the world,Crane’s nature as a Volatilewould have played a part in turning the world’s population into Infected.
By sparing the survivors in Harran, Kyle Crane dooms the rest of humanity to their same fate. This time, however, there can be no help from the outside. Things might have been different had Crane launched the nuke, containing the zombie nightmare once and for all. Then again,the GRE would have inevitably found a way to create and weaponize a similar virus, as proven by how the Tachytransmissive Harran Virus escaped a lab to spur on the events ofDying Light 2. It might not have mattered in the long run, but Crane’s decision to save Harran robbed the world of a few more years of peace.
Dying Lightis available for PC, PS4, Switch, and Xbox One.
