The tradition in the world of game development to insert Easter Eggs in to new games - and in particular Easter Eggs that reference nad pay homage to OTHER games - is a well established and well-liked one that most players look forward to seeking out and discovering.
Dying Light is no exception to that tradition - and its wizards have inserted quite a few such treats for the players to find. While we have not found all of them - thanks to word-of-mouth and the successful exploration of other gamers who have shared their finds, we can help you to the following:
Anyone who played Dead Island - which of course was also a Techland game - in fact a case can be made that Dying Light is really a more serious and less silly remake of Dead Island. Now that said, it should come as no surprise that the wizards behind it opted to issue an homage to that previous title.
A funny little Easter Egg has the player place two stones in a skull in the Old Town area, and as a result obtaining a blueprint for the "Right Hand of Glova" -- a weapon that launches electric balls at enemies.
Do you remember the loot cave from Destiny? Well you can find it in Dying Light... Sort of.
When you enter a cave in the game you'll discover gear and a note there (it reads: "Your destiny is to build your legend (and get loot)."
This is a reference to Destiny's marketing tagline of "Become Legend."
After a sufficient number of zombies have been killed in the cave the Egg kicks in.
A sword from myth and legend, depending on whether it was the Disney version of the story or the Hollywood version you either think of it as having been pulled from a stone, or lobbed at you by some watery tart... The important thing though in either version is that the sword Excalibur is imbued with mythical magical powers and can only be wielded by the true of heart.
Also known as the “Caliburn” in some tellings of the legend, the sword is the legendary sword of King Arthur, it is irrevocably attached to the Arthurian legend and as a result tends to crop up everywhere fantasy runs rampant and particularly in video games.
In Dying Light the sword called Excalibur is one of the Easter Eggs - actually an important one as this is a game in which really good melee weapons are really good to have. But in this case at least at first it does not appear to be a really good melee weapon. After all it is easily damaged, and cannot be repaired... Or can it?
The sword that you find embedded in the body of the infested on a rock is indeed one that cannot be repaired and is easily damaged. If the player struggles with and withdraws the sword and then, taking it with them, scampers off, it is very little to the good.
If, however, they stick around they are in for an extra treat. You see if you remain near the body it will eventually burst into flames and burn to powder - revealing a Crafting Blueprint beneath it for - you guessed it - the Excalibur Sword!
Not only can the player then craft their own but the crafted Excalibur can be repaired.
Teddy bears appear all over the game - you just have to pay attention - but this one is found during the side quest "Rupert the Gunsmith" in the building that is part of the quest.
Inside the building can be found a daycare area with a pink teddy bear that is sitting on a pile of bean bags.
The Easter Egg is found by.interacting with the bear until it says "I love you." Then you just keep interacting as it works its way through a set of warnings, and then finally announces that you asked for it - and BOOM!
Following the explosion you will then learn how to craft the stasis field projector - so hey, Easter Egg Win-Win!
Another zombie homage for another zombie game - when you encounter the one that has been sliced in half by a saw blade in the School House on the mission with Jade you are meant to associate it with the Ravenholm area in Half-Life 2 and its blade-blasting Gravity Gun.
We don't actually know that this is a dev weapon or not - the community seems to think that it is... But anyway, in a box you can find the Blueprints for the Korek Machete...
They are located on the top of an apartment complex for the Parking Garage Quarantine Zone - you can reach that by jumping on an air conditioning unit and then Parkouring up. Up top concealed behind some boxes is the box with the Blueprints.
The box does not open when you try to open it - it appears to be bugged - but it is not. Basically you need to try to open it 50 times before it will open and give up its treasure - a very deadly weapon indeed. This machete does short work of the infected - just saying.
You have to admit that the zombie survival-horror genre has seen a LOT of entries in the past few years, and among them The Last of Us stands out. So it should not be much of a shock then that the wizards chose to pay homage to it by adding a special zombie that is inspired by the infected from The Last of Us.
During the side-quest "The Bunker" about half-way through the quest there is a building in which a bunker can be found. On top of the stairs there near the lift you will find a “Clicker” Zombie that will walk out and attack you - look familiar?
This one is among the more subtle of the Easter Eggs and requires the player to pay attention - as it is one of the visuals in the game... The sign reads "Left4Bread" and is an obvious nod to Left 4 Dead.
Another major and legendary title in the history of gaming, the Zelda series is one of the most popular and so getting an homage in Dying Light? Well sure, why not?
During the side-quest "Crayons for the Kids" the player is asked to find some crayons for a women named Kate, who is looking after a large number of children for the group.
After you bring the Crayons to Kate, she will thank you, and then reward you, saying: "Here, take this. You'll make better use of it than I will" - a line that serious fans of LoZ will recall is similar to the line that the old man used at the start of the game when he gives Link the sword. That is not the Easter Egg...
The Easter Egg is found in the next room, where one of the kids has a toy sword that is - wait for it - a replica of Link's Sword! Sweet!
Durring the mission "Broadcast" after you reach the top of the Tower, you can slide down a zipline, whereupon you can then take another zipline.
On the right of the area you will find a small flower - use the action button on it and you are transported to a secret area that was inspired by Popcap Game's Plants vs. Zombies!
Video games are not the only pop-culture icon that gets the Easter Egg treatment in gaming - movies also get their share - like this homage to Silence of the Lambs.
During the side quest "Where's My Mother.” you loot a corpse outside of the house - then use a trap door to the basement and you unlock a door that reveals a woman prisoner - and a spooky homage to the movie.
The regal status that Super Mario enjoys among generations of gamers easily explains why this one is a major Easter Egg treat!
When the player activates this Easter Egg they are warped to a first-person level of Mario, complete with goombas and the signature flagpole at the end.
Careful attention can get you a rare Blueprint that allows you to craft an item that allows you to glide around the map, just as Mario does in his Tanooki suit...
If you seach your way through the warehouses you will eventually find the ZOmboe Disco - where the infected get down and show off some mega-dance-moves. Not sure what this is an homage to, maybe it is just a case of it is what it is?
To be clear these are NOT all of the Easter Eggs in the game - they are just the ones we heard about or found - there are likely a lot more. We'll add those when we find em!