This quick Dying Light 2 guide won’t go into story-related specifics about the Survivors or Peacekeepers to keep spoilers light, but it will highlight the differences between the Factions in terms of City Alignment.
Survivors vs. Peacekeepers in Dying Light 2
You’ll be introduced to Dying Light 2’s City Alignment system in the story mission “Water Tower.” Here, you’ll be tasked with activating the Horseshoe Water Tower. Once you get the power back on, you’ll be asked to assign it to either the Survivors or Peacekeepers.
As you progress, you’ll come across more Water Towers and then Electrical Substations (the first of which appears during the story quest, A Place to Call Home). There are 7 Facilities to assign in all; certain territories, such as The Wharf and New Dawn Park, are assigned to specific Factions automatically.
Aside from how you feel about either Faction at this point in the story, there are some practical considerations that will impact your decision between The Survivors vs Peacekeepers. The Faction you choose determines the types of structures added to each zone or territory.
Note: story-related decisions do not impact City Alignment as it pertains to Survivors vs. Peacekeepers.
The Survivors specialize in parkour and traversal structures, such as two-way ziplines and airbags. Level 1: Ziplines Level 2: Airbags Level 3: Landing Bags Level 4: Survivor Revival Level 5: Air Vents Level 6: Upgraded Airbags Level 7: Two-Way Ziplines The Peacekeepers specialize in combat-focused traps, such as Molotov lanterns and electrical traps. They are also the only way to get the Crossbow. Level 1: Car Traps Level 2: PK Razor Cannon Level 3: Electrical Traps Level 4: Crossbow Pack Level 5: Molotov Lanterns Level 6: Pendulum Traps Level 7: UV Trap
To see which upgrades you’ve already assigned outside of the primary City Alignment screen when assigning Facilities, go to Player Menu -> Map. Then zoom all of the way out; the Faction allocation bar will appear at the bottom.
These upgrades unlock in sequential order based on the Faction you choose when assigning Facilities. Once you have assigned all Facilities and spent the “points” allocated for City Alignment, you cannot choose any other upgrades.
For example, I chose to focus on the Survivors and chose to select all 7 levels of upgrades for that Faction. That left me only 2 City Alignment points for the Peacekeepers, forever locking me out of the Crossbow for one of my save files.
To be clear, there are only 7 Facilities to assign; two points come from elsewhere, though I haven’t quite figured out exactly where (notice 9 points in the screenshot above taken at ~55 hours of my first playthrough).
You’ll also get a trophy or achievement, Municipal Services, for assigning 7 Facilities to a single Faction. Ultimately, though, who you decide to assign these buildings to in the battle of The Survivors vs Peacekeepers comes down to your playstyle.
Honestly, once you get the paraglider, the only true advantage to the Survivors is the increased number of air vents you can add to zones at Level 5. These help you reach many of Dying Light 2’s Airdrops and some out-of-the-way collectibles. Getting around without using fast travel is easier, too.
On the flip side, the Crossbow is one of the best weapons in the game, and car traps are great for distracting Infected at night. Having UV traps isn’t too shabby either.
Hopefully, that answers your question in regards to whether you should choose the Survivors or Peacekeepers in Dying Light 2. You’ll have other story-related opportunities to choose between the Factions, but those don’t impact City Alignment (which is a bit odd, but whatever). For more DL2 tips, walkthroughs, and more, consider heading over to our Dying Light 2 guides hub.
