Dead Island 2 is all about beating or shooting zombies until they’re reduced to a bloody pulp, but to do that, you’re going to need some weapons. Thankfully, there are hundreds of weapons available for you to scavenge, earn, or purchase as you explore Hell-A, with each one fitting into a handful of distinct categories. Some of these are even unique, and have functionalities that no other piece of gear in the game can spawn or be modded with.
It can be difficult to know which weapons are the strongest with a sandbox this huge, especially since each playable character synergizes well with different types. Now that we’ve played through the game with multiple Slayers, though, we’ve gotten a good idea of what the top options are. Here’s our list of the best weapons in Dead Island 2, including the best early game weapon, the best Legendary weapons, and the best type of weapon for each character.
Dead Island 2: Best early game weapon
While you can get several decent weapons in Dead Island 2’s opening hours, the majority of them will be of the low-quality Improvised variety. However, there is one Rare weapon that’s surprisingly powerful compared to most other early options: the Electrocutor Officer Sword. Though this weapon is indistinguishable from the Officer Swords you’ll naturally find later in your playthrough, it’s incredibly powerful for something that you can get from the Beverly Hills area. It also spawns with an Electrocutor mod already on it, saving you some crafting resources.
To get this sword, you’ll need to complete the “The Clean and Snatch” Lost & Found quest in the Beverly Hills location. To do so, go to the pool next to Roxie’s House and pick up the note sitting on a locked container floating in the water. Then, patrol around the area and investigate the swimming pools of the three houses that neighbor Roxie’s for clues of the chest owner’s whereabouts.
Eventually, you’ll learn that the owner was a pool cleaner, and that he went to clean the swimming pool at the GOAT Pen in Bel-Air before the outbreak occurred. Head there and you’ll find a zombie named Obi the Pool Boy; kill him to get the keys to his chest back in Roxie’s pool. Finally, return back to Roxie’s House and open the chest and you’ll be rewarded with the Electrocutor Officer Sword, completing the quest.
Dead Island 2: Best Legendary weapons
Legendary weapons are extremely rare and powerful compared to most other pieces of gear in Dead Island 2. In addition to having completely unique models and effects, Legendaries also deal considerably more damage than similarly-leveled options. With that said, some Legendaries are definitely better than others, and getting the best ones should be prioritized while you’re exploring Hell-A.
Below, we’ve included five of what we think are the best Legendary weapons in Dead Island 2. We’ve also included details on how to get each of them, which will make hunting them down much easier.
- Blood Rage: Xian Mei’s signature weapon from the original game returns. This Headhunter knife gets stacking critical and Bleed damage buffs with successive critical hits, and can also spread Bleed damage to zombies near the one you’re hitting.
- How to get: Complete the “Fool’s Gold” Lost & Found side quest at the Santa Monica Pier.
- Bodycount: The most powerful Rapid-Fire rifle in Dead Island 2. Inflicts Bleed damage and has a high base damage. Can deal Bleed to zombies near ones you kill, and killing zombies gives you a damage boost and generates more Fury.
- How to get: Complete the “[REDACTED]” Lost & Found side quest at Venice Beach.
- Big Shot: A revolver that fires explosive firework-like rounds that deal high damage and Traumatize zombies, which makes further attacks send them flying. Also gives you a moderate damage boost when the cylinder runs low.
- How to get: Complete the “It’s Not Your Fault” side quest in Bel-Air and speak to Luciana in Emma’s Mansion.
- Krakatoa: A massive Maiming flaming axe weapon with some of the best area-of-effect utility in the game. Maiming a zombie creates a pool of flame beneath it, and hitting ignited zombies primes the weapon. When the weapon is primed, heavy attacks deal increased Fire and Limb damage. Notably, this priming effect can stack multiple times.
- How to get: Complete the “Missing: Steve” Lost & Found side quest, which can be started in the Serling Hotel in the Ocean Avenue area.
- Emma’s Wrath: A brutal Bulldozer sledgehammer you can only obtain after beating the game. Traumatizes zombies, and primes whenever you skull stomp or counter a zombie. When primed, the weapon creates a shotgun blast when you hit a zombie. Also, knocking down zombies triggers a forceful explosion.
- How to get: Complete “Hollywood Ending,” the final main quest.
Dead Island 2: Best weapons for Jacob
Since Jacob’s high Stamina attribute and Innate skills promote an aggressive playstyle with rapid attacks and tons of offense, the best weapons to use with him are Frenzy ones. These weapons get a stackable attack speed bonus along with guaranteed critical hits when you hit zombies in quick succession with them, which makes them complement Jacob’s strengths perfectly.
When using guns, try and stick with Rapid-Fire ones like SMGs and Assault Rifles. Like Frenzy melee weapons, they get critical hits after multiple rapid hits, and also provide a small stackable accuracy boost as well. Due to their high rate-of-fire, these firearms will quickly build every stack of Jacob’s Feral damage boost skill, making them extremely powerful.
Dead Island 2: Best weapons for Bruno
Success with Bruno requires a calculated and opportunistic approach to combat. Since he struggles in direct fights, you’ll need to engage zombies from behind and capitalize on his Backstab skill’s extremely high burst damage potential. Since he has a maxed out Critical Damage attribute, you should use Headhunter weapons to do this, as they provide guaranteed critical hits when hitting zombies in the skull.
Bruno can also make great use of Sharpshooter firearms, as aiming down their sights or scopes will boost their base damage and landing shots on heads or limbs will yield critical hits. Keep an eye out for high-quality Hunting and Sporting Rifles as you progress through the game (fast traveling between vendors is a good way to refresh their inventories, if you’re looking to buy one). Rapid-Fire ones can work decently, too, though the zombie will likely turn around and you’ll lose your Backstab buff before they die.
Dead Island 2: Best weapons for Carla
Carla’s high Toughness, maxed out Resilience, and skills focused around fighting multiple zombies and increasing damage resistance at low health cement her as one of the best “tanks” in Dead Island 2’s Slayer lineup. As such, you’ll want to stick with either Bulldozer or Maiming weapons, as both weapon classes are very effective at group damage and crowd control. Bulldozer weapons can be used to easily knock zombies off their feet, while Maiming ones can severely hinder their movement and attack options by breaking or cutting off limbs.
As for which guns you should use with Carla, both Demolitionist and Tactical firearms are effective. The former boost damage against Vulnerable zombies and buff Toughness after reloading, while the latter activate critical hits and boost Agility after dodging or blocking (you’ll be doing a lot of blocking as Carla).
Dead Island 2: Best weapons for Dani
Dani is similar to Jacob in that she’s incredibly offense-focused thanks to her deep Stamina reserves and the Bloodlust health regen that procs on rapid zombie kills. However, the explosive power of her heavy attacks provided by the Thunderstruck trait trades some of Jacob’s raw damage-per-second for crowd control utility. Because of this, we’ve found that both Frenzy and Bulldozer weapons work well with her. Frenzy weapons ramp up critical hits and reward aggression, while Bulldozer ones complement her forceful heavy attack explosions and ensure that the undead will fall to the ground.
When fighting from afar, Dani benefits from Rapid-Fire guns just as much as Jacob does. The hail of critical rounds you can send downrange with them will help you proc Bloodlust very quickly when fighting hordes, giving them some potent healing utility.
Dead Island 2: Best weapons for Ryan
Similar to Carla, Ryan is a resilient and durable Slayer designed to face zombie waves head on, though he’s particularly adept at knocking them down with the force boosts his Retaliation skill gives him after successfully blocking or dodging attacks. On top of that, he also heals when bowling them over thanks to the Seesaw trait. To play into these strengths, go with Bulldozer and Maiming weapons, as their high force is perfect for knockdowns.
While Demolition guns are a solid choice with Ryan thanks to their Toughness boost, using any shotgun is ultimately going to be your best bet. This is because shotgun blasts have huge force impacts and can send the undead flying, proccing Ryan’s Seesaw healing and any other Dead Island 2 skill cards you’ve equipped that benefit off of knockdowns.
Dead Island 2: Best weapons for Amy
Like Bruno, Amy is fragile and won’t last long in heavy close-range brawls, but has exceptional Critical Damage. Her unrivaled Agility makes picking your battles with her easier than it is with other Slayers, though, and you can use that to your advantage by isolating zombies and activating her Divide and Conquer damage boost. Additionally, her weapon throws regain her stamina, so you’ll generally want to focus on these instead of hacking and slashing up close. Our favorite weapons for Amy are Headhunter ones, as they give you easy access to her excellent crit damage. Smaller types of Headhunter gear like knives and hammers also sail through the air quickly when thrown, making them fairly easy to aim. If you have to resort to melee, you can also make use of Headhunter weapons that have long reach like pitchforks and spears.
Both Sharpshooter and Rapid-Fire guns synergize well with Amy’s kit, as they both deal guaranteed critical damage as long as you hit heads or limbs or land multiple shots quickly, respectively. Use Sharpshooter firearms against individual enemies to take advantage of their burst damage, but don’t be afraid to swap to a Rapid-Fire one if the zombies begin to swarm you.
Dead Island 2 is available now, and it’s easily one of the best Xbox games available if you love zombies. With its addicting and satisfying melee combat, clever level design, hilarious B movie-tier writing, and goretastic presentation, it’s sure to delight action horror fans.
