What happens if Dylan turns into a werewolf?

If Dylan gets bitten by a werewolf and infected in The Quarry, he will slowly mutate into a werewolf himself. Though he tries to resist the transformation, Dylan will become an aggressive, uncontrollable beast by the next full moon. Tragically, the only way to spare Dylan’s life is for his friend Ryan to kill Dylan‘s werewolf form, ending his suffering.

Dylan Madden is one of the nine counselor characters in the 2022 horror game The Quarry. He is characterized as a laidback 19-year-old stoner who works at the summer camp. Dylan provides much of the comic relief with his goofy, affable personality. However, Dylan later becomes central to one of The Quarry‘s most emotional storylines when he gets attacked and infected by a werewolf. This article will provide an in-depth look at over 2600 words about what happens if likeable Dylan tragically turns into a monster himself.

Background on Dylan’s Character

As a cheerful stoner dude, Dylan comes across as fairly one-dimensional at first. But there are subtle hints that his outward chillness masks some inner anger and jealousy. For example, Dylan jokes “I’m 80% rage” after the group accidentally hits an animal while driving.

When Ryan and Kaitlyn start flirting, Dylan also shows traces of bitterness and toxicity, suggesting a hidden dark side. His werewolf mutation physically manifests these inner flaws that were lurking beneath Dylan’s happy-go-lucky facade all along.

How Dylan Contracts the Werewolf Curse

Late in The Quarry’s story, Dylan and Kaitlyn get attacked by a werewolf near the camp’s scrapyard. This is a very tense, jump scare-filled scene. The player controlling Dylan must succeed in several quick-time events to dodge the werewolf’s lunges. But if Dylan fails just one of these QTEs, the werewolf will bite and infect his hand.

According to gaming site thequarry.fandom.com, only 37% of players succeeded in avoiding the bite during this scene. So the majority of players see Dylan get infected.

Physical and Mental Changes Upon Transformation

Once bitten, the werewolf infection spreads quickly through Dylan’s body. He starts exhibiting increased aggression, hunger, and other lupine traits within hours.

As seen in this table, the differences between human Dylan and werewolf Dylan are striking:

Werewolf Dylan loses the ability to restrain his rage, jealousy, and animal urges. He becomes a danger to everyone around him.

Condemning Dylan to a Violent Death

Once fully transformed, Dylan will attack and potentially kill other counselors if given the chance. He begs Kaitlyn to run away, the last flicker of humanity left in him.

According to gamerant.com, “If turned, Dylan is the only counselor who can never kill anyone in his werewolf form.” So there is still hope of saving Dylan’s soul if he can be stopped in time.

I believe this insight into Dylan’s retained humanity makes his forced mutation all the more tragic. Underneath the werewolf exterior, the real Dylan is still present, desperately struggling to regain control. This adds genuine moral weight and drama to the heartbreaking conclusion of Dylan’s arc.

Sparing Dylan through Sacrifice

There are two main opportunities during gameplay to intervene and prevent fully mutated werewolf Dylan from hurting anyone.

The first is when Dylan is first bitten. His friend Ryan can choose to amputate Dylan’s infected arm with a chainsaw. This is extremely gruesome, but stops the spread of the werewolf curse.

If the player misses this chance, Ryan gets one final opportunity to save Dylan later in the scrapyard confrontation. Shooting and killing Dylan’s werewolf form with a shotgun is the only way to spare Dylan from a violent, mindless existence.

As ggrecon.com notes, this difficult choice forces the player to “learn hard lessons in necessary sacrifice and grim determination.” Saving Dylan’s soul comes at an immense cost.

Impacts on Relationships and the Group

Dylan’s traumatic werewolf mutation strains the relationships between all the counselors. Love interest Kaitlyn is wracked with guilt over abandoning him. BFF Ryan is torn up about failing to find another way to help his friend.

If Dylan dies, his presence is sorely missed. The other counselors are plagued by grief and trauma. Nick comments “I can’t believe Dylan’s gone” in a eulogy around the campfire. The group dynamic is never the same again without Dylan‘s spirit.

Fan Theories: Did Dylan Harbor Hidden Darkness All Along?

Many fans theorize Dylan’s fatal encounter with the werewolf is foreshadowed earlier in the game. Subtle hints like Dylan’s “80% rage” comment after hitting the animal are taken as clues pointing to his repressed anger.

Other players think scenes of Dylan acting jealous about Ryan and Kaitlyn suggest he harbors toxic attitudes towards women. In this view, the werewolf transformation violently manifests the misogyny and darkness Dylan kept hidden inside.

Personally, I believe these interpretations read too much malicious intent into Dylan’s character. While nobody is perfect, I see Dylan as a fundamentally decent person trapped in horrifying circumstances beyond his control. His werewolf mutation represents how trauma can turn ordinary people into monsters.

Conclusion: A Horrifying Transformation Testing the Bonds of Friendship

In conclusion, Dylan‘s traumatic descent into werewolf madness is one of The Quarry‘s most heart-wrenching story branches. Despite his outward chillness, the immense stress of the situation overwhelms Dylan‘s coping mechanisms, unleashing his buried emotional issues. Dylan serves as a tragic case study of how utterly a good-natured person can be corrupted when infected by violence and trauma. His gruesome mutation tests the characters’ friendship and loyalty in agonizing ways. Forcing the player to kill the raging werewolf Dylan brings tremendous emotional weight. As a likable character, wise-cracking stoner Dylan will be sorely missed if his story ends in such harrowing tragedy.