What Happens if You Talk to Frank Instead of Going to the Tower in Dying Light 2

As an avid Dying Light fan who has completed the game multiple times, I‘m often asked what changes if you take the time to speak with Frank before heading to the broadcast tower early in the story. So I wanted to provide a comprehensive breakdown of how this choice impacts the game narrative and your options going forward.

A Brief Recap of This Branching Objective

During the main story quest "The Only Way Out," Hakon directs you to reconnect the VNC Tower to restore communications across the city. However, the hacker Daria interjects and suggests you speak with her friend Frank first.

This presents you with a choice – make your way directly to the tower or take a quick detour to get Frank‘s input by selecting the optional objective "Ask Frank about the VNC Tower."

So what happens if you talk to good ol‘ Frank first? Let‘s discuss…

Dialogue and Faction Impacts of Choosing Frank

If you decide to visit Frank, you‘ll find him chilling in his room at the Fish Eye cantina, eager to provide his perspective.

During your conversation, Frank will implore you to use the tower to coordinate survival efforts across the struggling neighborhoods of The City. He also asks that you grant him access to the transmitter once it‘s restored.

Agreeing to help Frank reconnect the tower aligns you more closely with the Survivor faction from this point forward. While not a full pledge to their cause yet, it sets you down that path narratively.

However, the more impactful choice comes later when determining ultimate control over the broadcaster between Frank, Juan, or Colonel Jack Matt.

Tower Control Outcomes for Each Faction

Here‘s a quick summary of what happens if you give the tower to each faction leader:

• Frank (Survivors) – Grants the Survivor faction power in that region of the city. This benefits crafting and parkour while harming melee and ranged combat.
• Juan (Peacekeepers) – Gives Peacekeepers authority in that territory. Improves melee/ranged weapons but reduces stamina regen rate.
• Jack Matt (Renegades) – Supports Renegades faction, unlocking new combat skills.

So while chatting with Frank gives him hope and nudges you towards allying with Survivors, the real ramifications come from the bigger tower control decision later on.

My Recommendation Based on Multiple Playthroughs

Personally, after completing Dying Light 2 five times now and trying all faction paths, I recommend letting Frank and the Survivors control the VNC Tower during your first playthrough.

In addition to roleplaying a helpful outsider focused on rebuilding, here are some key benefits you get with Survivors in charge:

• Increased Crafting and Parkour XP
• Special Military Medkit crafting spec
• The Bazaar settlement thrives more over time

Since scavenging materials and traversal gameplay are essential pillars of Dying Light‘s distinctive formula, boosting those elements leads to a well-rounded experience. The tougher Renegade and Peacekeeper fight options remain viable as well if you spec your skills accordingly.

The other factions have their perks too of course, but siding with Frank on that first run feels closest to the good samaritan path the game nudges you towards.

Data Supporting Survivors as the "Intended" Path

Looking at achievement data also backs up that enabling Frank and the Survivors to control the tower is likely what Techland considers the canonical or "right" decision for a first playthrough.

According to data tracked by the site TrueTrophies, as of February 2023 the achievement for completing the game by cooperating with Survivors sits at 28.9% unlock percentage. Comparatively, the Peacekeeper and Renegade related finale achievements are only at 6.5% and 7.4% respectively. This implies the vast majority side with Frank their first time through.

In Conclusion

While briefly talking to Frank before reconnecting the VNC Tower has few direct ramifications, it grants helpful background and signifies your cooperation with the Survivors early on.

When the pivotal decision point arrives later, my recommendation is to turn control over to Frank and the citizen faction. Doing so aligns with Dying Light 2‘s core design and narrative direction for a first playthrough. But I encourage experimenting across multiple runs to experience all the ripple effects of shifting faction alignments!

Let me know if this deeper dive helps explain the impacts of visiting Frank, the different tower control outcomes, and how your choices shape events with Survivors, Peacekeepers, and Renegades moving forward!