Dead Island 2 tips, tricks, and guides for getting around HELL-A

Getting around HELL-A in Dead Island 2 isn’t all that troublesome, especially with an immunity to zombie bites. Alas, there are a few tips and tricks that’ll help you get started and reign victorious over the plague that wound you up here in the first place.

There are also plenty of opportunities for chaos and mass destruction that can be easily missed, too, as well as some pretty easy ways of grabbing yourself some more loot. So, here’s our guide full of tips and tricks for getting to grips with Dead Island 2.

Keep your cards close to your chest

Your deck of ability cards doesn’t feel all that impactful at the beginning of Dead Island 2, but you should consistently pay attention to it. You’ll unlock new cards for your deck regularly, and can switch these out on a whim; even during a fight!

Different cards might need swapping in for specific boss battles, and so forth, but there are two cards that’ll come in use from very early on in the game. Your defensive ability, which you can choose to be either a block or dodge, is great for evading a zombie attack; after each successful evasion, you’ve then got a window to land a heavy attack of your own.

Similarly, there’s a ground-pound card that you’ll unlock following your fight with Bridezilla. When overwhelmed by a horde of zombies, you can use this ability to make space between yourself and the horde, simultaneously stunning them for a time.

There are plenty of other great cards to utilise too, but these are great for in a pinch.

Buy fuses from vendors

Throughout Dead Island 2, you’ll meet a few characters that are also vendors. You can buy an array of materials from them, weapons, blueprints, and more.

One item you should always purchase from vendors, if you have the money, is fuses. Across HELL-A, there are plenty of storage rooms and other small areas that require a fuse to enter. These areas will contain plenty of loot, which is extremely useful in the later half of the game when you’re in dire need of ammo, medkits, and more resources!

Different weapons have different specialities

Across Dead Island 2, you’ll acquire a wide range of weapons, and some of them have their own special profiles.

Headhunter weapons will do critical hits to the head of an enemy, while Frenzy weapons will do critical damage after a dozen hits land in quick succession. Bulldozer weapons can take on large groups of common zombies with ease, while Maiming weapons have a higher chance of maiming zombies and will do critical hits to limbs.

This doesn’t matter so much in the early stages of the game, but bear this in mind when you find yourself amidst a particularly tough fight!

Elemental weapons can pack a punch

As you go about upgrading your weapons, you’ll be able to set some weapons up to do elemental damage to enemies. You can also use the environment to deal elemental damage, or exacerbate it, too. For example, when facing a horde of zombies in the sewers, using an electrical weapon while they’re in the water will wipe all of them out with ease.

Elemental damage can pack a real punch against enemies, but you also need to be mindful of who you’re fighting against. For example, caustic enemies will be immune to any caustic damage your weapons may do, and so forth.

Maim enemies accordingly

The enemies you come across will all have different strengths and weaknesses; the Crusher has a devastating ground pound, Runners are constantly in your face, and Screamers… well… they scream at you.

But did you know that you can target specific limbs to make tackling these enemies much easier? If Runners are bothering you, simply shoot their kneecaps. They can’t run anymore. If Crushers keep sending you flying, take off their arms. They can’t ground pound you across a parking lot now. If Screamers are giving you a headache, aim for the head. They can’t do much screaming if their head isn’t attached to their body anymore.

Don’t forget about your Curveballs

Curveballs are equippable items in Dead Island 2. You can launch these items at enemies to cause damage or debuffs, and will then need to wait through a short cooldown period before reusing them.

There’s a few different Curveballs on offer, and more are unlocked as you play. Make sure to experiment with which ones work with your play style, and don’t forget about the damage immunities of enemies. There’s no point wasting your molotov on a fiery enemy.

Your first Curveball is also some bait; actually use it! This will lure enemies over to it, so you can take them all on with ease or merely run past.

For more on Dead Island 2, check out our guides:

• How to repair and upgrade weapons in Dead Island 2
• How to play Dead Island 2 multiplayer
• Best cards in Dead Island 2's Skill Deck and how to use them
• How to solve the Sewer vat puzzles in Dead Island 2's Flushed quest
• How to find Dr Reed’s lab and disable the maglock in Dead Island 2
• Where to find the Goat Pen Master Key in Dead Island 2
• Where to find Curtis’ Safe Key in Dead Island 2