Dead Island 2: tips and tricks to survive your journey in Hell-A
Dead Island 2’s LA, also known as Hell-A, might look colorful and vibrant, but rest assured - it’s not an easy place to stay.
As with any other adventure game rife with zombies, anything, whether it’s alive or dead, will try and take you out in your time in the story, and more.
That’s why we’ve put together some tips and tricks for you to have a safer time in Hell-A, so that you’re prepared enough for what’s expecting you in this brand-new zombie apocalypse.
For everything you need to know about Dead Island 2, and where you should begin from, keep reading our guide below.
… and side quests for all - Dead Island 2
If you want to just stick to the main quest, Dead Island 2 allows you to do that quite easily. However, in a couple sections, you might feel a bit underpowered against a zombie horde, or in the middle of a boss fight. In those cases, give the required mission level a look, and just give up if you’re really struggling, getting back in the fight after playing a few side quests and leveling up a bit. It might look a bit silly as a tip, but that’ll spare you quite a lot of frustration along the way.
Elemental prowess - Dead Island 2
With the right weapon, any environment can become an explosion in waiting
At the workbench, vary as much as possible with your elements, so that you can always have something useful in combat. This is key as you’ll have to face special zombies with immunities to specific elements, so don’t get too fixated on just one element if you don’t want to end up powerless.
Upgrade your weapons often - Dead Island 2
If you fall in love with one or more weapons, don’t forget to upgrade them up to your character’s level every now and then. This process requires money and resources, and it’s key not only to do more damage, but also to get those weapons’ performance on par with how you remember them from when you originally found them. On top of that, the bigger the gap between your level and the weapon’s, the more costly the process will end up being - so, upgrade as often as you can.
Duplicates - Dead Island 2
Always gather anything you can in the environment, but don’t lose sight of your inventory. It doesn’t make sense to have two shotgun types, for example, just because they’re slightly different: they use the same kind of ammo, and upgrades and unique traits just don’t feel enough to justify them occupying your inventory’s slots. Sell them for a profit, instead.
Fuses - Dead Island 2
Fuses might be expensive, but they're important if you want rare loot
Fuses are a key tool in the world of Dead Island 2, allowing you to open doors closed behind an electric panel. Behind those doors, you’ll find precious materials and rare weapons. What the game doesn’t tell you is where to find them. As we highlight in our Dead Island 2 fuses guide, you can only obtain them by buying them at vendors in safe houses. So, make sure you buy some before getting back on the streets, when you can, and always have a couple on you, just in case.
Curveballs - Dead Island 2
Speaking of vendors, make sure you check them out every now and then, especially when it comes to curveballs: you can find some of the most lethal, such as Bait Bomb and the Sticky Bomb, out there in the world — but some are also available at vendors. The game won’t ever let you know about them if you don’t pay attention, but make sure you pick them up, especially if you’re struggling with a boss fight and want to give your approach some variety.
Melee weapons and guns - Dead Island 2
Dead Island 2 strikes a good balance between melee weapons and guns, introducing the latter only in the second half of the story, as the likes of knives and bats remain the core of the experience. You should be careful not to overuse pistols and shotguns, not only because ammo is not widely available in most cases, but also because there are still circumstances where melee weapons are more effective. It’s better to save your guns for when you really need them.
Blocking is better than dodging - Dead Island 2
Always go for blocking rather than dodging. By doing a perfect block, you’ll be able to stun enemies, and have a free hit all the time. On top of that, picking the right cards, you’ll even get some health back. Perfect blocks’ windows are pretty flexible, so you should really take advantage of that.
