Dead Island 2 Tips For Combat, Crafting, And Exploring

Dead Island 2 has arrived, and that by itself is something that didn't always seem likely. After more than a decade in development within at least four studios, Dambuster is the team to finally get it to the finish line. Now that it's here, take our Dead Island 2 tips and tricks with you on your adventure through "Hell-A" so you can stay upright and out of the jaws of the many undead roaming the beach boardwalks, Hollywood hills, and elsewhere across Los Angeles. We've already put dozens of hours into the game to learn these helpful hints, so you can benefit from our experience on day one. Here are 19 tips for Dead Island 2.

Exploration tips

Invest in fuses early and often

The importance of fuses isn't exactly stated early on, but take it from us: Carry them whenever you can. You can stock up on as many as three at a time. They're used to unlock optional caches full of weapons, crafting materials, and cash. They're also usually booby-trapped, so once you get them open with a fuse, check for tripwires and use zombies to set them off for you. Here's where to find fuses in Dead Island 2.

Don't get distracted by locked doors--they usually require backtracking

Other than doors requiring fuses, which are clearly marked on your compass and map, many doors you'll encounter will be locked when you first come across them. Whether they say they open with a specific key or that they open from the other side, it's worth looking into a little, but not for too long. A lot of doors (and chests) like these require quest items that you can't find unless you're actively on the related quest. There are a lot of backtracking and light Metroidvania elements in Dead Island 2, so don't fret about a locked door you have to walk away from. It's likely you're meant to come back to it later.

If a door isn't locked, open it ASAP

Having said that, when you do find a door or chest you can open, you should do so right away. These often result in shortcuts being created in the area, like moving through a neighborhood for several minutes, then getting to a section where a newly opened door creates a circuit through the backyards. Just also note that you can't manually close a door once you open it, so if you need a door closed to catch your breath, keep it that way until you're healed up.

Medkits are limited, so look for snacks to heal

Speaking of healing, you can hold up to five medkits at any one time, and though you can find them, buy them, or craft them, you'll still sometimes be without many or even any. For that reason, when you're hurting, look for protein bars and energy drinks before you resort to using a medkit. A medkit in-hand is crucial for saving your life at the last possible second, so if you can make it out of a scuffle and get to the snacks on the other side of the room, do it.

Resources respawn when you return to areas

One of the most surprising things about Dead Island 2's semi-open world is how resources restock so easily. When you think you've ransacked an area for all its crafting supplies, that may be true, but by leaving and returning, you'll see everything has restocked--good as new. This is important since weapons will so often be breaking down. If you put in the time to collect more materials, you can always craft what you need.

Named enemies hold special items, like keys and skill cards

Most zombies are named according to their class, such as walker, shambler, or crusher. But when some zombies have unique names, like Nosy Neighbor or Farouk, you can rely on them having unique items, such as safe or door keys or keycards. Kill these enemies whenever you can, because then you'll be able to access the loot related to them right away. Just know that some such enemies don't spawn until their related quest is active--much like the locked doors.

Fast travel is possible, though the game doesn't explain it well

The game's early zones aren't too big, but eventually, the world opens up quite nicely, and it would be quite a trek if you had to make it in real-time. Thankfully, fast travel is possible--even if the game doesn't make it obvious at first. We've built out a guide on how to fast travel in Dead Island 2 right here.

Let sleeping zombies lie

Every area in the game features some zombies moving about and others lying still. In the case of the latter group, don't disturb them and you'll have an easier time through their territory. It's often the case that dormant zombies won't get up and attack you unless you attack them first. This can mean kicking or hitting them or even just having a Curveball (throwable) or environmental element affect them.

Combat tips

When choosing block versus dodge, choose dodge

Early in the game, you will need to make a choice: Activate the dodge ability or the block/parry ability. They occupy the same button and the same spot in your skill tree, so you can't have both--though you can switch between them whenever you'd like if you don't mind pausing each time to do so. Several of us on the team all came to the same conclusion independently: Dodge is superior. Use that to stay out of harm's way more reliably than the block and parry system seems to allow.

Let zombies do some work for you

The nice thing about zombies is they're foolish. You can use this to your advantage by having them hurt each other sometimes. This is most often the case with crushers, the big, brutish class of undead who do ground-pound moves whenever you get close. If you time your jump, you'll avoid the effects of this attack, while nearby zombies won't. Those fools can't jump.

Save on durability by going for environmental kills

The above tip helps you save on some durability, and this one does too. The world of Dead Island 2 is littered with opportunities for creative, almost hands-off kills. Instead of whacking a zombie four times with your axe, sometimes you can just throw an electrified shuriken into a puddle of gas, which will explode and ignite and maybe kill several zombies at once. Feats like this, performed often, do wonders to keep your best weapons in great shape for when you need them most.

Kick runners when they get close to halt their attack

Runners are easy enough to spot; they're the ones sprinting tirelessly for your face, of course. If you try to time a swing of your weapon, you're liable to miss, or they might even dodge it and counter you. To avoid this and ensure you get the first (and perhaps only) hits in, always open with a kick (click right stick) when they get within range. This causes them to stumble and leaves them open to your weapon attack right after.

Use the high ground

Like Obi-Wan when Anakin broke bad, you can smartly use the high ground to give yourself the advantage--most of the time anyway. This is best done when you have a long weapon, such as a pole or pitchfork. You should also be aware that runners can still climb atop vehicles just like you can, though others will be left desperately reaching like fans in the front row at a Harry Styles concert.

Most enemies match your level, but some will be stronger

Dead Island 2 likes to challenge you at all times, so you can never really over-level for any particular mission--at best, we were just one level over some enemies some of the time, and just as often under-leveled even while doing lots of optional missions. This means side missions you discover at level 10, for example, will level with you. If you put such a mission off until you were level 15, the mission's enemies would rise to your level, too; it won't stay a mission with level-10 zombies. There are no cakewalks in Dambuster's LA. In fact, some enemies will be deliberately over-leveled and marked with a red skull icon next to their HP, and in these cases, it's best to return later. You'll be able to meet their level, though, due to the mechanics mentioned before, you'll never blow past their level.

Upgrades and skills

You can level-match any weapon, though the price is quite high

The nice thing about finding one of Dead Island 2's best weapons is you'll never be forced to move on from it. Most weapons you find will be at your level at first, but they don't automatically improve as your character does. However, visit any workbench and you'll see an option to "Match Level" for any weapon--so long as it's below your current level and you have enough money to match its level. If you're short on the cash you'd need, the option disappears from the UI, which is a bit confusing. Level-matching weapons can take tens of thousands of dollars for the game's better weapons, so you probably don't want to do it until you're a few levels apart from your favorite weapons to really justify the spending.

To quickly make money in Dead Island 2, be sure to sell your unwanted weapons. Also, check the weapon lockers at any safehouse and you'll see a tab full of forgotten loot, Borderlands-style. This is often a great pile to pull from for selling and dismantling weapons for cash and materials.

Autophage skills come with caveats

About halfway through the story, you'll unlock skill cards attached to something called autophage. For spoiler reasons, we'll avoid explaining why these spring up in the story--though the definition of the word is a bit of a hint--but what you need to know about these is that, though they are powerful, they always come with caveats. Like the game's earlier weapon blueprints, which tend to give you a buff and a nerf to separate stats, autophage skills often allow you to perform incredibly powerful moves, but at the expense of things like your own health or stamina. Have a character build in mind and consider whether autophage skills make sense for the zombie slayer you're envisioning. In my review playthrough, I actually tended to avoid these entirely outside of some testing, and I never felt like I was left wanting for them.

Carry weapons for each status effect

Your zombie-killing arsenal ought to be as diverse as you can make it. This means not just carrying weapons that are sharp or blunt, or guns or melee. It means carrying weapons for every status effect too. As enemy hordes grow larger and more diverse as the game goes on, you'll often need to swap from weapon to weapon several times per fight. The full range of status effects includes: fire, electricity, poison (Caustic-X), daze, bleed, and fatigue, and your weapon wheel have enough room for at least one of each of those, so stock up on weapons as diverse as the monsters you'll be facing. Every strength has a weakness in Dead Island 2, and you can carry it in your backpack, whatever it is.

When customizing weapons, let durability take precedence

A lot of early-game blueprints for customizing weapons will ask you to take a nerf as well as a buff. You can improve attack speed at the cost of force, damage at the cost of durability, and so on. In my experience, durability is key and should be favored when making such customization decisions. Later in the game, you'll have blueprints that don't attach any downsides to your build, but in the early phase, the advantage should go to durability, especially on your favorite weapons. It's likely already a favorite due to how effective it is, so improving durability just means you get to use it for longer.

Many blueprints are found, but some must be bought

When you're on the main story path, new workbenches will often come with blueprints sitting atop them as a way to reward you for your progress. Other workbenches may have more, too, but for some blueprints, you'll want to go shopping. Inside some, but not all, safehouses, you'll find traders willing to buy and sell with you. Among crafting materials, weapons, and more, you'll also find that some sell blueprints, including exclusive blueprints for crafting ammo for guns. Just as it's always worth straying from the beaten path to seek out new workbenches and the blueprints they might store, it's also well worth your time checking the inventory of every trader you meet.