Dev Blog #7 - The story of Tolga & Fatin

Hi! It’s Tymon here! I hope you’re enjoying our most recent update – running around Villedor, gun in hand, taking part in Survivor Missions and racking up those Legend Levels.

As you already know, the Firearms update is our biggest one yet. Because of that, we wanted to give you sufficient time to figure out what’s been added, and this is why we decided to stagger the quest launches and introduce them gradually over the course of three weeks. The one featuring the return of Tolga and Fatin will be unlocked on February 29th, so save that date!

It was a long-time dream of ours to reintroduce these two iconic characters, as the heritage of the first Dying Light is as important for us as it is for you. Even though the events of Dying Light 2 Stay Human take place in Villedor a couple of years down the line, we are still dealing with one Dying Light universe that picks up and connects many threads coming from the first game and The Following DLC (downloadable content).

But let’s get back to our beloved friends. Tolga and Fatin are the favorites of a lot of our team members. I’m not sure if you know, but these two started out as an Easter Egg in the first Dying Light – but because everyone liked them so much, that storyline grew into a bigger quest, and then it evolved even more in The Following.

And when we talk about Easter Eggs you must know that our “Easter Egg Master of Disaster” (official title!) of the Dying Light series is none other than the Lead Level Designer Piotr “SiCK” Pawlaczyk. It is him, along with my other friend, our Executive Game Producer Adrian Sikora, who fathered the idea of Tolga and Fatin.

So, I’ll let Piotr take over for a moment. He’ll tell you about the origins of the duo and reveal some juicy details.

“The initial impulse for creating someone like Tolga & Fatin was simply the need to break up the grim reality of Harran slums. We wanted to add a funny beat – basically, some clowns for comic relief. But their role sort of changed and then grew on its own, mostly because you’re building that relationship over a number of meetings, so you need depth.

“I hear that the players really bonded with those characters! My theory on why it happened is that when you love what you do, you channel yourself into your creations – and Tolga and Fatin were definitely something that grew organically from our funny talks over pizza. I like to think that the community recognized our hearts in that duo, they tend to zero in on such things, they’re amazing like that”.

“Fun fact – do you remember the Rocket Wagon from The Following? Around the first time it was getting presented, we were a bit pressed for time. So, the initial prototype was put together from meshes and 3D assets made out of the scans of bowls and glasses. Where there’s a will, there’s a way!

“And about that – as soon as the players found the Tolga and Fatin Easter Egg in Dying Light 2 Stay Human, they started speculating about their comeback. What we knew for sure was that we needed to up the ante. After all, when we first meet the duo, they’re working on a submarine, then a rocket train, so what would be next? Maybe a flight to the moon? But when you get to their storyline in Dying Light 2 Stay Human, you’ll see that we went even further!”

Of course, Tolga and Fatin wouldn’t leave you empty-handed. As you experience the return of our favorite duo, you’ll be able to collect a gear set created by them for Aiden. By completing their story you’ll get 6 pieces in total – take a look at them below:

Remember – Tolga and Fatin are not the only elements of the first game that we call back to during the 2nd Anniversary of Dying Light 2 Stay Human. If you take part in our Anniversary Celebrations on Pilgrim Outpost website, you will find special Bounties that you can complete and claim some familiar weapons, such as Nocturnal Tribal Machete, or cosmetics, like Acolyte Outfit from The Following. These are joining the legacy items that we already have in the game, such as the Outfits of Rais and Brecken.

I won’t take up more of your time, I’m just going to leave you with a reminder to check out the return of Tolga & Fatin, which you can witness from February 29th. Let me know what you think on reddit! You can also always check out Pilgrim Outpost for more information. I’ll let you get back to the game now, go get those firearms!