Viral

Viral
Aggression:	■■■■□□□□□□
Speed:	■■■■■■■□□□
Threat(s):	■■■■■□□□□□
Weapon(s):	Hands

Virals are a common infected-type in Dying Light.

Overview

Virals are humans that have only very recently succumbed to the infection. As a result, their bodies still retain the physical strength needed for them to possess a high level of fitness and agility. They run far faster than any other Infected, except for the Volatile and Night Walker. They can also jump and climb over obstacles and buildings, allowing them to chase after the player even when he's in a spot where most normal infected can't reach.

Unlike the slower, lumbering types of infected (that all virals will eventually reach as their bodies degrade), Virals do not bite, nor could they 'lunge' at a player and trap them into a QTE; instead, they use their hands to viciously claw and punch their victims.

Virals posses advanced mental faculties when compared to their Biter counterparts. They often dodge attacks and hang back from the player charging in and backing off.

As of the Enhanced Edition update, they also posses new behaviours that allow them to get the jump on players and further enhancing their combat abilities. One of the most dangerous new parts of their behaviour is the tendency of then to shuffle about in crowds of biters and appear fully normal. Once an infected in the crowd is attacked, they will release a small cry that will trigger all virals nearby. This will not spawn new virals, it will only attract ones that are already nearby and are in "Shuffler mode". After becoming triggered, virals will function as normal, (pursuing the player, climbing, and killing as normal) as well as constantly screaming as the player fights or runs to trigger other nearby virals (note this does not spawn new virals either). Viral combat behaviour is now dynamic based on the composition of nearby infected. When alone, they will behave suicidally and is more likely to be for its life, attacking viscously they do as much damage as quickly as possible. When near biters, they will wait until the biters have swarmed the player, hanging to the back where they can not be damaged, and will charge in briefly before retreating quickly and getting behind the player again. When multiple virals or a Goon is present, they will do the same behaviour as they do when Biters are present except the virals will work as a team and charge in one at a time from multiple directions, surrounding the player, and will come in one at a time in a random order. When other specials such as a demolisher, volatiles, toads, or bombers have aggro on the player, the Viral will attempt to prevent the player from moving by getting in the way and surrounding the player

Virals are attracted to four types of sounds:

• Gunshots: Depending on the weapon, it usually takes at least three to four consecutive shots for a pistol and rifle, and two to three shots for a shotgun in order to attract Virals. Weapons fired by Rais' men will also attract Virals.
• Explosions: These can be caused by propane tanks and/or fuel barrels that have been ruptured and exploded. Grenades tossed by the player will also immediately attract Virals. However, Kurt's Bombs, the poison variant of the grenade, Air Strike, and Trap Bombs, while explosive, do not attract Virals.
• Structural Breakage: This can only be caused when the player lands on a flimsy roof from a high enough distance, breaking it as a result. The player can also break a roof by shooting it or hitting it with a melee weapon. The sound of the roof collapsing will always attract Virals.
• Screamer: Cries will also draw a nearby Viral and spawn new ones. Silencing screamers is priority as they will infinitely spawn virals while they cry.

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Strategy

• The player can evade their pursuit by breaking line of sight and staying quiet. If a tall, vertical structure is available, such as a telephone pole, the player can climb up high enough so stay out of reach of the Virals. Unlike Volatiles, Virals cannot spit at a player they can't reach, and will eventually grow bored and leave.
• Heavy, slow weapons that take a large amount of time to swing and recover - especially something like a two-handed hammer or a baseball bat - are not recommended. Virals are extremely agile and move erratically, meaning that they can easily avoid a swing and get in for a counterattack while the player is still trying to recover from the inital swing. Light, fast weapons, such as a knife or one-handed melee weapon, are more suitable against Virals.
• The Leg Breaker move will instantly kill them, but can be tricky to pull off as they will try to dodge it. It's recommended that the player try to stun the viral via another ability first if you try to pull this off.
• As Virals climb onto a ledge, they are vulnerable to the finish move, which will kill them instantly if kicked.
• When frozen by Freezing Throwing Stars, they can still dodge melee swings.

Trivia

• Because Virals have recently turned, they still retain some bit of humanity in them. When the player attacks a viral, male or female, they will sometimes stop attacking, cover their head with their arms, and beg for their lives. This lasts only for a brief second, as the virus regains control of its host's neurological system and the Viral turns again.
• Virals are a homage to the "Infected" variant of zombies from Techland's previous zombie survival game, "Dead Island", which are themselves homages to the Infected from the British 2002 film 28 Days Later.
• Virals tend to appear suddenly, either bursting through doors, crawling from under cars or popping out of sewer manhole covers. There also seems to be a large number of Virals and Volatiles in the sewer system.
• Virals can be taken down fairly quickly with body shots when it comes to firearms, however there are some drawbacks - trying to shoot at Virals will create more noise and lure even more Virals to the player's area. Virals also move very quickly and unpredictably, making body shots very hard to land, much less headshots.
• Virals can often survive having an arm or hand severed, but not a leg or foot, as it will be strange to try to animate a crippled Viral, unlike a normal Biter-typed infected.
• Virals run at around the same speed as the player on a straight-away.
• In some areas, Virals are prone to spawning one after another, notably in or around mission objectives. This can make searching for an objective difficult as a stream of the infected constantly swarm and attack the player.
• Virals seem to spawn more often at Old Town.