In the sprawling, infected world of Dying Light 2, it's easy to get lost in the parkour and the combat, to see only the threats and the loot. But sometimes, the game asks you to slow down, to listen to a story. For me, that moment came when I met Cyra in the PK Floating Fortress. She wasn't just another NPC handing out a fetch quest; she was a widow, preserving the memory of her husband Leon and his fallen comrades in Squad 404. Her Wall of Valor side quests felt different. They were personal, a request to help someone grieve by recovering the last physical remnants of lost soldiers. The Deadly Exchange quest, in particular, was about finding Bartez, a Peacekeeper who walked into a trap. It was a mission I undertook not just for the experience points, but to understand a piece of this broken world's history.
My conversation with Cyra set the tone. She spoke of Squad 404 with a quiet reverence that was a stark contrast to the usual shouts and chaos of the Fortress. The room itself was a sanctuary, filled with letters and mementos. Interacting with one specific letter on the wall formally gave me the quest: find Bartez's dog tag at the Houndfield Sports Hall. The briefing was grim—a fake distress call, a trap, and a soldier left behind. Honestly, it gave me the chills. You hear about these things happening, but going to the actual place? That's a whole other feeling.
Now, Villedor is dangerous at the best of times, but I've learned a few things since 2026. Daytime is your friend for delicate work like this. Fewer Virals, better visibility. I marked the Sports Hall on my map and made my way there as the sun was high. The building itself had that eerie, abandoned feel—you know, the kind where every shadow seems to move. As I approached the entrance, a signal picked up on my device: an audio tape labeled "Unit 404: The leg day is today." I hit play.
The tape was... haunting. It wasn't a formal log; it was the casual, nervous chatter of soldiers on a routine run that was about to go very wrong. You could hear Bartez's voice, the camaraderie, and then the sudden panic as the attack began. It made the quest instantly more real. This wasn't just a marker on a map anymore; it was where someone's story ended. Talk about a mood shift.
Getting inside meant climbing through a broken window. The interior was dark, dusty, and predictably, not empty. A couple of infected shambled in the main hall. After dealing with them quietly, I activated my survivor sense. The world lit up in a blue hue, revealing critical clues:
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Red footprints leading towards a staircase.
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Bright yellow warning signs painted on the floor and walls, indicating the presence of mines. Someone really didn't want visitors.
I followed the footprints upstairs, my steps careful. The upper floor was a mess of overturned furniture and debris. My scanner picked up two bodies—one on the stairs, one outside a room. Searching them yielded nothing but old supplies. But then, in the corner, propped against a pillar, I saw it: a figure in distinctive Peacekeeper armor.
It was Bartez. The scene was... quiet. Solemn. The frantic energy from the audio tape was gone, replaced by a heavy stillness. I walked over, the game's music fading to almost nothing. The prompt to search the body appeared. I took a breath and pressed the button. A simple, tarnished dog tag went into my inventory. Bartez's Dog Tag. No fanfare, just a small, cold piece of metal. In that moment, it felt heavier than any weapon.
The journey back to the Floating Fortress was contemplative. I kept thinking about the tape, the trap, and what Cyra had said. The Fortress was as noisy as ever, but the Wall of Valor room was its own world of quiet. Cyra was there, waiting. I initiated the conversation, and when the dialogue option appeared, I selected "Found Bartez's dog tag."
The cutscene that played was short but powerful. Cyra took the tag, her gratitude palpable even through the screen. She thanked me and handed over my reward. The game notified me of the completion:
| Reward | Quantity |
|---|---|
| Agility XP | 3,750 |
| Combat XP | 1,250 |
| Remote C4 | 3 |
| Audio Tape | "Unit 404: The leg day is today" |
| Quest Item | Bartez's Dog Tag (Key Item) |
The mission was done. The XP was useful, the C4s would come in handy, sure. But what stayed with me were the other rewards: the dog tag now forever in my inventory as a keepsake, and that audio tape. I could listen to it anytime, a frozen moment of bravery and tragedy. Completing "Deadly Exchange" was more than just ticking off a side quest. It was a reminder that in the midst of the zombie apocalypse, the most enduring stories are often the human ones left behind in silent rooms and on forgotten dog tags. It's these moments that make Villedor feel truly alive, even in its death.