Honestly, if you've played through the "Veronika" quest in Dying Light 2 Stay Human, you probably needed a minute to just sit there and stare at the screen after the credits didn't roll. It's easily one of the most intense, claustrophobic, and frankly traumatizing sequences in the whole game. You’re finally getting answers about the GRE, Waltz, and Mia, but the cost is just... a lot.
Most people going into this are just looking for a walkthrough or trying to figure out if they can actually save her. Spoilers: the game doesn't make it easy on your conscience.
Finding Dr. Veronika Ryan: The Old Villedor Lead
The quest usually kicks off after you've dealt with the massive drama of the VNC Tower. Whether you sided with Frank, Matt, or Juan, the goal eventually narrows down to finding Dr. Veronika Ryan. Aiden remembers her as one of the "good" ones from his childhood memories at the facility, which is kind of a rare find in this world.
Your first stop is the Bazaar in Old Villedor. If you haven't been back there in a while, it feels weirdly nostalgic. You’ll talk to Barney—who is still being Barney—and he points you toward a hideout on Courtesan Row.
The Hideout and Vincenzo
Once you get to the hideout, it’s not exactly a welcoming party. You’ll have to clear out some Renegades who are poking around. After the dust settles, you find Vincenzo (Alberto’s son) hiding in a room you have to lockpick. He tells you Veronika is out near the dam.
Getting to the Observatory
Meeting Veronika at the dam is where the vibe of the mission really shifts. She’s not some mustache-twirling villain; she’s actually a terrified scientist who’s been living in hiding. She also happens to be extremely claustrophobic, which makes the upcoming trek into an underground GRE bunker feel especially cruel.
Pro tip: Before you head into the chemical-soaked area, Veronika gives you a blocker. Do not wander off into the yellow fog without it. You basically have a limited window to parkour your way to the Observatory entrance. Use the monkey bars and the grappling hook—don't overthink the jumps, just keep moving.
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Restoring Power in the Dark
The Observatory is a mess. It’s pitch black, crawling with infected, and the power is, naturally, out. You’ll spend a good chunk of time playing "electrician" in the B-Block and Block C.
- Block B: You need to find the green generator. Pull the cable and traverse the room—which is full of Sleepers—to plug it into the target unit.
- The Elevator: Once the power is back, you meet Veronika by the elevator. This is where you get some of the best character moments. She starts opening up about the GRE experiments on children, explaining that they were trying to find a cure using kids who showed natural immunity. It's grim stuff.
The Central Database and the Point of No Return
Once you finally reach the Central Database, things go sideways fast. You’re looking for a specific blocker to help Aiden’s worsening condition, but Waltz’s Renegades show up to ruin the party.
The combat here is frantic. You’re defending Veronika while she tries to access the data. You’ll have to fight off waves of enemies in a fairly tight space. My advice? Use your environmental traps and high-damage 2H weapons if you have them. The Renegades here don't play around.
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The Waltz "Boss Fight"
This isn't really a fight you "win" in the traditional sense. It’s more of a terrifying chase sequence followed by a scripted encounter. Waltz is a tank. He hits like a truck and moves faster than he has any right to.
Then comes the moment everyone talks about.
Aiden loses control. The infection takes over completely, and in a feral blur, he... well, he kills Veronika. It’s a brutal, messy scene that happens because of the very experiments she helped conduct. It's the definition of "tragic irony."
What Most People Get Wrong About the Choices
There are a few dialogue prompts during this quest, like "Trust Veronika" or "Don't Trust Veronika."
Here is the truth: None of these choices change the outcome for Veronika. You cannot save her. Her death is a fixed point in the Dying Light 2 narrative because it’s the catalyst for Aiden’s final push toward X13 and the confrontation with Waltz. People often search for "How to save Veronika Ryan," but the developers at Techland wrote this as a mandatory tragedy. It’s meant to show you just how dangerous Aiden is becoming to the people around him.
Rewards for Finishing the Quest
If you manage to stomach the ending of the mission, you get some decent loot for your troubles:
- 3,500 Combat XP
- 3,500 Parkour XP
- 2,000 Old World Money
- Renegade Mask Weapon Charm (This is actually a pretty cool collectible)
- 1 Military Medkit
Actionable Steps for Your Playthrough
If you’re currently stuck or about to start this quest, do these things first:
- Check your GRE Key: You’re about to lose it. Right after this mission, the GRE key is taken from you. If you have any Inhibitor containers or GRE facilities you wanted to unlock in the open world, do them now before you start the quest. You won't get the key back until the very end of the game.
- Stock up on UV Bars: The Observatory sections are dark and full of volatiles and virals. UV bars are your best friend for keeping them at bay while you’re messing with power cables.
- Upgrade your Grappling Hook: Having the level 2 or 3 grappling hook makes the climb to the Observatory domes significantly less frustrating.
- Listen to the Audio Logs: There are mementos in the Observatory, like "The Doctor Gambit." Grab them. They add a lot of context to what Veronika was actually trying to do before everything fell apart.
The Veronika quest is the moment Dying Light 2 stops being a fun parkour playground and starts being a dark, personal horror story. It’s a rough ride, but it’s the most important piece of the puzzle if you want to understand what actually happened to Mia and the other children of the GRE.