Dead Island 2: 10 tips for getting started

Dead Island 2 takes you to Hell-A as you bash, electrocute, and explode your way through zombie hordes. It’s more than just a simple hack-and-slash adventure, though; using the destructive environment around you can save you if you’re in a pinch and the new weapon upgrades will see you burning and melting foes as you go.

Whether this is your first venture into killing zombies or not, there are a few things you’ll want to know before setting out to kill the hordes. So, with that in mind, here are our 10 tips for surviving Hell-A.

Dead Island 2: 10 tips before you begin 

Keep an eye on challenges for passive rewards

You’ll complete all sorts of challenges, some with several tiers, as you play through Dead Island 2 just by killing zombies, using specific weapon types, kicking them in the face, and so on. Different challenges yield different rewards, such as overall health increase, cash and critical damage bonuses, so it’s well worth experimenting with different kill styles to improve your character passively.  

Buy fuses from trader ASAP

Don’t be like Sean and forget to read the tutorial pop-up that instructs you where to get fuses. You’ll unlock Carlos, the trader, once you reach Jaunt’s mansion and unlock the workbench from Sam, and from there you can buy fuses. Fuses will open locked doors and contain uncommon or rare, weapons and a bunch of crafting resources, so they’re definitely worth stocking up on. A fuse will set you back $1500, however, and Carlos frequently only has two available at a time, so stock up every time you return to the mansion. 

Look out for named zombies

When visiting locations, you’ll commonly find safes and doors locked with a specific named key. Unfortunately, where you’ll find them is often randomised, but what you need to look out for is a named zombie. They’ll have a name like Safe Key Kevin, so keep a look out for them and make killing them a priority. You will often find safes or locked doors near the entrance or end of an area, so remember to circle back to find them. 

Use water, fuel and caustic solutions to your advantage

You’ll encounter puddles of water, caustic solution, and patches of fire as you explore LA, as well as jerry cans, containers, oxygen tanks and more that you can use to your advantage. You can upgrade weapons to cause electric, fire or caustic damage to zombies, but what’s even better is that you can hit a body of water with an electric weapon and the entire thing will continuously fry enemies for a few seconds.