Dead Island 2 guide - 5 tips to get ready for zombie killing

Dead Island 2 is almost here, and with it comes a wealth of new zombies, new loot, and a gripping new story. Set in “Hell-A”, players will control one of several new survivors, as they try to deal with the apocalypse unfolding around them. This means you’re going to constantly need new and creative ways to obliterate the hordes of the undead, as you go from area to area throughout Hell-A.

After spending a lengthy amount of time playing Dead Island 2, here are some tips I’ve figured out through my many successes and failures across this new first-person zombie-killing marathon. It’s incredibly fun, but there are some things to know that could make the game even more fun - with a little bit of work.

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How to get ready for zombie killing in Dead Island 2

1) Revisit previous areas frequently for materials

One thing I learned pretty quickly in Dead Island 2 is that areas respawn kind of on the fast side. This goes for crafting materials and zombies alike. Before I had access to fast travel, I ran back and forth through a lot of areas repeatedly. In particular, the first three areas. It’s going to take some time to really get the good crafting recipes to upgrade your weapons, but there’s no reason not to start stocking them early.

Every time I log in, I clear out whatever area I’m going through, before I resume working on story missions, side quests, or anything else. It occasionally gets expensive when it comes to buying ammo. Guns really are amazing in Dead Island 2, but ammo can be sparse. But if you want to always have resources, explore all the time.

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2) Master Doding to get Instant Kills

It’s slower to fight this way, but there are lots of times when you want to master dodging in Dead Island 2. Dodge is an Ability card you pick up early in the game. Regular zombies wear out immediately after a perfect dodge, allowing you to do free attacks on them. Depending on your strength versus theirs, you can defeat these enemies in one or two strikes.

Bigger zombies like Crushers take a few dodges to really wear down, but it’s worth practicing. In addition, there’s a Survivor card, Safety First. This lets you use Blocking and Dodging to regain health. Smashing a zombie on a dodge gives back a huge chunk of health. Master this early.

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3) Take the time to upgrade your weapons

Selling weapons is a great way to make money in Dead Island 2. With this in mind, you might occasionally pick up a weapon that you love and want to keep with you. Don’t be afraid to pick one or two early weapons and take it to the workstation. You can increase the item level/dps of a weapon to match your current level, though it can be expensive.

Crafting is so important in this game though. In Dead Island 2, you’ll get quite a few recipes to attach to your weapons, for elemental damage, heavier swings, and much more. Always stop and consider what you’re encountering, and craft appropriately. If you’re seeing a lot of enemies that are on fire, you won’t want fire weapons, for example.

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4) Take advantage of the world around you for extra damage

There are so many places in Dead Island 2 where you can lure zombies into death traps. You can lead them into chemicals, across oil on the ground, or across water. You can throw a battery onto water, and even oil, and electrocute/ignite zombies this way. I’ve even thrown weapons at oil on the ground to set a spark and blast zombies.

In addition, if you’re on a roof and there’s glass under zombies, you can shoot that out, and have a firing pit where you just shoot them at your will. Even on the movie set, you can use the switches to set up huge death traps to run zombies through. If you pay attention to your surroundings, the possibilities for death are endless.

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5) How to open maglocks

This is something I wish I had learned sooner in Dead Island 2. You’re going to come across some areas that are locked, and there’s no key that you can use to unlock them. The first time you will probably see it is outside of Halperin Hotel. When you see these maglock doors, look at the lock and the lines that lead away from them.

If you destroy the electric panels that each of these leads to, it will open the door, and let you loot some secret areas. There are tons of items around each map, and this will give you some pretty great stuff most of the time. It will also be necessary for at least one side quest.

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Dead Island 2 is a game with plenty to see and do. There are tons of enemies to slaughter and awesome ways to do it. It’s a huge world, and with these tips, you should be better prepared to survive in it.