The best skills in Dying Light 2

dying light 2 skills
(Image credit: Techland)

Struggling to decide which Dying Light 2 skills to choose? To fend off zombies in the virus-infested city of Villedor you need every boon you can get. Whether you prefer to keep to the quieter rooftops or drop right into the action, skills will make sure you're well prepared for whatever the game throws at you.

There are lots of skills to pick from, and as you don't get to choose new skills often, you should think carefully before deciding which to settle on. That said, here's a list of all the Dying Light 2 skills and which ones you should prioritise to get the greatest advantage in movement or combat with living and infected enemies alike.

Dying Light 2 skills: What to pick first 

Your first combat skill has to be Vault Kick: it's the only available choice for beginners and needs to be unlocked before the rest of the skill tree becomes available. Luckily, it's a great one, letting you use a stunned enemy as a springboard to launch a two-footed kick at another enemy. If you kick stuns someone, you can vault right back over them and launch another kick, so it's a fun, damage-chaining skill to have.

Perfect Dodge makes a nice companion to it, since a well-timed dodge will stagger an enemy performing a light attack, letting you launch into a Vault Kick, so it's a nice pick for your second combat skill. Rather than going for Grapple or Grapple Throw as your next two picks, however, go for Air Kick, which lets you drop down on enemies from above with a power kick. More importantly, it opens up Dropkick for your next choice, the utterly awesome two-footed flying kick that sends bandits and zombies soaring off rooftops or flying into spiked walls. It's the best (or at least the most fun) combat skill in Dying Light 2.

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(Image credit: Techland)

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Unless you're heavily into stealth I'd hold off on picking Stab or Stab Followup for a while—you can already choke out unaware enemies from behind (yes, even zombies) and while stabbing them is a little quicker it requires you to have a throwing knife. Instead opt for Power Attack, great for big two-handed weapons aimed at stunned or slow enemies. Perfect Parry also staggers opponents with a well-timed block, but more importantly leads to Block Projectiles. In big fights, a few enemy bandits love hanging back and shooting arrows or throwing knives.

For Parkour skills, your first pick has to be High Jump, and you should spend your second on Firm Grip. It lets you make one last grab when your stamina is spent and lets you hold on when you land on a ledge after a long fall or jump. It's critical for avoiding a deadly plunge. With Active Landing you can tap Ctrl after a long fall to take less damage and roll through the landing, important when you're being chased. Far Jump will let you push off obstacles like they're springboards, so pick that next. Eventually spend a point on Dart, which lets you sprint (yes, sprinting requires its own skill), and Bash which lets you plow through enemies, scattering them like bowling pins, while Dart is active.

Sleek Runner speeds up your parkour, but it also leads to Slide, which isn't strictly necessary, but is extremely fun to do. Finally, you want to wall run, right? Nothing else makes you feel like a parkour expert like running along a wall. When you've raised your stamina enough, unlock Tic Tac (wall running), Wall Run (run up walls with no handholds) and Wall Run Jump (run up a smooth wall and leap). No building can stop you from climbing it now.

Dying Light 2 skills list

Combat

(Image credit: Techland)
Swipe to scroll horizontally
SkillDescription
Vault KickJump over staggered enemies and follow up with a kick.
Perfect DodgeDodge at just the right time to Stagger an enemy.
GrappleUse the momentum of attacking enemies to throw them to the side.
Grapple ThrowIncrease the momentum of enemies thrown with Grapple to knock them to the ground.
Air KickWhen dropping onto enemies from above, nail them with a power kick.
Drop KickPerform a powerful kick while jumping.
Vault Power KickAdd force to your Vault Kick and send enemies flying.
Head StompHeadstomp enemies that lay on the ground.
Perfect ParryPerform a Perfect Block to Stagger your enemy for longer and trigger a slo-mo effect that allows additional follow-up actions to be executed more easily.
Block ChargeWhen blocking, charge at an enemy in front of you and knock them to the ground.
Block ProjectilesBlock incoming projectiles like knives and arrows.
Deflect ProjectilesDeflect an incoming projectile and send it back to your attacker.
Power AttackPerform a powerful attack that deals more damage, interrupts enemy attacks and blocks.
WindmillPerform a powerful attack that hits all enemies around you.
Ground PoundPerform a powerful attack while in mid-air.
StabQuickly take down an unaware enemy (requires a Knife).
Stab FollowupAutomatically throw a knife at another enemy after performing Stab (requires a Knife).
Ledge TakedownQuickly take down enemies by pulling them down from a Ledge.
Precise AimingIncrease your aim with all ranged weapons.
Parkour ShotGain the ability to use ranged weapons while parkouring.
Power ShotAdds piercing and weapon damage to all ranged weapon shots.
Serial ShotAllows you to fire up to three projectiles at the same time.
SmashSmash enemy heads while dropping onto them from above.
Smash JumpPerform a jump right after Smash, giving you the opportunity to follow up with another aerial attack.

Parkour

(Image credit: Techland)
Swipe to scroll horizontally
SkillDescription
High JumpAllows you to jump higher and reach higher ledges.
Active LandingReduce fall damage and keep your momentum.
Safe LandingIncreases the height from which you can land without taking any damage.
Landing JumpJump instantly from an Active Landing.
Firm GripMake the last climb on ledges even when your stamina is gone and briefly maintain your grip when you land on ledges from great heights.
Fast ClimbMove faster on ledges when moving up and to either side.
Ledge JumpJump while climbing on ledges to get higher more quickly.
Far JumpUse any obstacle to spring from it and jump further.
Double JumpReach even greater heights while jumping off obstacles.
Rotate JumpTurn 180 degrees during a jump.
Sleek RunnerIncrease your speed while navigating tricky obstacles like slopes, balance boards, climbing pipes, wall openings, etc.
Stealth MovementIncrease your overall speed and mobility while sneaking. Gain the ability to perform a Crouch Jump.
Crowd RunnerRun through a group of enemies without losing any momentum and lowering the damage you receive.
SlideSlide while running to pass through low holes in walls and other passages.
Slide JumpPerform a jump directly from a Slide without losing any momentum.
DartTemporarily increases your movement speed, which allows you to jump across wider gaps, reach higher ledges or run longer on walls.
DashDash for as long as your stamina lasts.
AfterboostGain a brief burst of speed after performing specific parkour moves.
Enemy JumpJump off enemies while in Dart/Dash.
BashBash through obstacles and enemies without stopping.
Tic TacRun alongside vertical surfaces.
Wall RunRun upwards on vertical surfaces.
Wall ComboCombine Tic Tacs or Wall Runs into longer combos.
Wall Run JumpJump up while performing a Wall Run.
Sarah James
Guides Writer

Sarah started as a freelance writer in 2018, writing for PCGamesN, TechRadar, GamingBible, Red Bull Gaming and more. In 2021, she was offered a full-time position on the PC Gamer team where she takes every possible opportunity to talk about World of Warcraft and Elden Ring. When not writing guides, most of her spare time is spent in Azeroth—though she's quite partial to JRPGs too. One of her fondest hopes is to one day play through the ending of Final Fantasy X without breaking down into a sobbing heap. She probably has more wolves in Valheim than you.