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The last bastion of humanity, a new start, a warring city-state, and our home inDying Light 2. Villedor is many things to a lot of people that are eking out a living in the greenery-filled cityscape, and it’s where you spend a lot of your time, evading infected and running from rooftop to rooftop.
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It’s a sprawling site that has quite the history behind and ahead of it. It’s not immediately clear on your first run-through, as there are plenty of other things like mutations, warring factions, and side-quests to keep track of. But there’s some interesting stuff for those that go digging around. To highlight the origins of the city and fill out some backstory on this battered burg, here’s a history of Villedor.
What Is Villedor?
Villedor is the name of thelast city on Earth. Prior to the outbreak of the THV Virus, the population was in the millions, 20 years later, it’s nose-dived to just a few thousand. Conditions in Villedor are alittle cramped and rundown,but the locals make do.Building up instead of out,as rooftop-based communities sprung up over the years. The world changed, people adapted, and the infection continued to destroy anything and anyone that wandered outside theprotective walls of thevarious safe zones of the city. These are the only places that haven’t become unlivable due to dilapidation, contamination from chemical bombings during acivil waryears ago, or compromised by Infected.
This safe haven for the sheltered masses is basedsomewhere in Europeand is broken up into different zones belonging to three main factions. There areThe Survivors,The Renegades, andThe Peacekeepers. There was a fourth group known asThe Nightrunners, but by the time of the game, they’d been disbanded. These groups roam around inside the confines of the city with relative ease as amassive wall that was installed by the GREkeeps infected out and people in. There haven’t been many visitors to Villedor, which doesn’t particularly help or give hope to the city’s already dwindling population.
The Factions In Villedor
Before diving too deep into the history books, it’s worth touching on the variousruling factions in Villedor. They’ve had quite an impact on the city and its numerous inhabitants, for good and bad.
Here’s a brief rundown of each one.
The Survivors
TheSurvivorsare essentially acommunal group of people, mostly theoriginal denizensof the city, that have banded together as a group. Though other survivors can be found in the city, they’re not to be confused with this particular group. Theylive primarily on the rooftopsand can befound around Trinity or towards New Dawn Park.
They’renon-violent in natureand only use force if absolutely pushed to the limit and given no alternative. AllSurvivors look after each other and shun an organized Government. Instead, they work towards the betterment of the group as a whole. Their influence can be increased across the city, and they providebenefits like more maneuverability and escape optionsdotted around the city.
The Peacekeepers
ThePeacekeepersin Dying Light 2 are afriendly(-ish) factionthat were originally part of theGRE-backed Army that controlled Villedor. After the chemical bombing of the city, the group split away under the leadership ofMajor Jack Matt. They’re found mainly inThe Wharf and Quarries Endareas of the map, and their goal is re-establish order and control in the city.
The end goal of The Peacekeepers is torebuild the Government, and they managed this through theirsurprisingly vast amount of resources and manpower. They operate like amodern militaryand use overwhelming power and complex traps and machines to deal with threats. Though they may sound noble, the way they express their form of law isbordering on authoritarian, with hanging and extreme punishment meted out to anyone they deem as a rule breaker or threat. They’re also the other faction that you may align yourself with as well ashelpexpand their influence. Like the Survivors, doing so providesexclusive rewardsas well as alterations to the city, in their case,more traps.
The Renegades
Described in-game as the best tribute you’ll find to agroup of cannibals and psychos. They’re a splinter group of the remnants of the old Army that used to control the city. There are alsotwo sub-groups within this faction; those that are loyal toChris Williams, and those that followVincent Waltz.
They’re acompletely hostile groupthat’s found mainly in theCentral Looparea of the citynear the Water Pumping Station. Unlike the other two groups,The Renegades can’t expand their territory,but they can be found in areas outside the Central Loop as the game’s story progresses. They’ve also got small outposts in sites likeGarrison Heightsor over atHeron Renegados. Renegades are anundisciplined, dim, and surly group that attacks anyonethat comes close, infected and human alike.
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A History Of Villedor
The history of Villedor is long and tumultuous, even before the Outbreak flipped everything upside down. According to historical plaques and what can be put together from logs and notes,the city was founded in 930 AD. Originally it was asmall fishing village known as Gresburgthat was prone to regular flooding and after a damn was built, the settlement finally began to flourish.
Over the centuries the burg would build up in complexity, and settlements would be razed by Vikings, other raiders, or just from events likeThe Great Linden Fire. But walls and new architecture to reflect the rulers of the time would be built on top of it. For history buffs, some of the original buildings can be found in-game if you feel inclined to check them out.The city would continue to flourish both democratically and economically as it continued to modernize over time. Villedor resembled a normal city and all was well.
Then the THV outbreak began.
The Pandemic Starts
When theTHV strain of the Harran Virus escaped from a Geneva labits effects were felt pretty quickly. In a very short space of time, it burned through the population of the planet like wildfire.98 percent of humanity was culledquickly, becoming aggressive monsters that turned on their friends and family in a short space of time. In the beginning, Villedor wasone of 20 safe havensaround the globe that wasreinforced by the GRE.
Giant walls were constructed, the strongest was erected around the city core, whilst partitions were used tosegregate and contain different districts. And so the populace remained inside for years as the infection ravaged the outside world. By 2022,Villedor was completely isolated, under the watchful eye of the GRE, and the populace was kept alive by regular air drops of supplies over the next two yearsas the city’s leaders and military heads tried to make the place self-sufficient. That isuntil 2023,when things started to get a little weird within the walls.
The Army Takes Over
In 2023 a local car factory wasconverted into a solar power plant, but after a few short months of activity, it went offline for no reason.A year later in 2024,the army’s lead, General Pratt,closed the TV Station, cutting information from getting out to the general public and any other potentially concerned parties. Sources close to the incident state it was tocover up the persistent rumors and mounting evidence of theTHV Infection breaching the city walls.
Anyships that arrived would find themselves stuck in the harborfor one reason or another as the army clamped down harder over the coming months. Things would boil over during an event known asBlack Monday.
Chemical Weapons Never Work
Known locally and infamously as Black Monday,in 2024 the GRE, under the orders of one Colonel Williams(known as The Butcher), ordered a series ofchemical bombings across Villedorusing an experimental compound calledTHV-GenModthat had been developed in secret a year earlier.
THV-GenMod was originally made by the GRE as an attempt tocreate immunity to the infectionfor those unaffected. Its method of dispersal was an aerosol form to impact as many people as they could. Unfortunately, this chemical compound not only killed the infected, but it alsowiped out anything organic. Plants and wildlife were decimated and as an added kicker, anyone not infected but still exposed would suddenlyfind themselves infected with THV. Unlucky that.
Two million people in the city diedalmost immediately. The once green spaces of the city became arid and large sections would still suffer from contamination years later, withyellow dust creating artificial barriersthat boxed in survivors and infected alike.
Viva La Revolution
Thechemical bombing of civiliansdidn’t exactly go over well with those that were left standing. Millions were gone, butthousands remained, and they were angry. In an act of rare solidarity, The Peacekeepers along with the now defunct Nightrunners and a few wealthy benefactors funding themlaunched a civil war on the GRE forcesin the city in 2025. With the aim of toppling the control of General Chris Williams.
Many would die in the coming conflict, a needless waste considering humanity was already on the brink of extinction. Neither side would claim victory asWilliams took refuge in the city’s dam.
His hideaway gave him the ultimate weapon, tons and tons of water that had beenirreparably contaminated with THVduring the bombing.With a button press, Villedor would drown in this toxic fluid.None would survive the floods or the following infection. It wasmutually assured destruction, but it was the only threat he had left.
Current Day Villedor
The events of Dying Light 2 take place in 2036. By that point, the19 other safe haven cities around the world have fallenandVilledor is the last. Life inside has adapted,three factions thrive in the city, whilst the damn remains standing, a constant threat to those below. Speaking of, after the chemical bombing and contamination of the city, those that live in its walls areall infected with THV.
Anyone calling the city home has to wear a special bio tracker bracelet. This little bangle essentiallymonitors the progression of the THV infectionin an individual, changing color as the infection worsens and they start to “Turn”. It’s here the protagonist of Dying Light 2, Aiden Caldwell finds himself as he tries to track down his missing sister.
Warning: Spoilers for the plot of Dying Light 2
The Future Of Villedor - Contains Spoilers For Dying Light 2
As the plot of Dying Light 2 plays out,Villedor goes through quite a bit of change. Depending on who the protagonist helps, the city aesthetically reflects it and towards the end of the game the fate of this ancient town starts to rest on a knife-edge. AGRE facility filled with supplies is found beneath Villedorand though it’s ultimately destroyed in the story, the overallcity’s fate is determined by one of two choicespresented to the protagonist in the finale.
Option one involves the city and everyone living within beingdestroyed in a missile strike. Whilst the other choice results in the City not being destroyed, butin the hands of whatever faction you supported the mostthroughout the game.
By that point, the protagonist has repaired a radio tower and though he leaves on his own, hopefully, other survivors that are out there will make their way to the city.
NEXT:Dying Light: What Are The Harran Virus And THV?
