Best skills to use in Dead Island 2

❘ Updated: 2023-04-21T06:05:00

Dambuster Studios

Dead Island 2 has a ton of useful skills to chop and change between, encouraging you to experiment. If you’re looking to pinpoint the absolute best skills in the game, then look no further.

Dambuster Studios have made it so that Dead Island 2 players can play the game however they want. Weighty melee weapons? Check. Deadly guns? Check. Destructive throwable weapons like Molotovs and Pipe Bombs? You got it. An extensive array of skills that will finetune the gameplay to suit your preferences? Most definitely.

In fact, you might become lost in the vast sea of skills that Dead Island 2 offers you there are so many. Each Slayer has a few preset categories with each one allowing players to equip multiple skill cards at once. As you progress through the game, your options begin to multiply exponentially.

So let’s run through all of the game’s best skills and make life simpler for you.

Best Abilities skills in Dead Island 2

Dodge: Press L1 (or applicable button) with a direction to evade incoming attacks. Well-timed dodges regain your STAMINA and STUN zombies, leaving them open to a devastating COUNTER attack.
Drop Kick: Press R3 (or applicable button) while in the air to perform a FORCEFUL jump kick attack that can send regular zombies flying.
Dash Strike: Take the fight to them! Press L1 + R1 (or applicable buttons) to dash forwards and strike zombies, leaving them WEAKENED.
Blood Rush: Get that blood pumping! Slay zombies and perform COUNTER attacks to build FURY.
Spitting Cobra: Can’t keep it down? Hold R1 (or applicable button) in FURY MODE to vomit CAUSTIC bile on unsuspecting enemies.

Best Survivor skills in Dead Island 2

Short Fuse: Forget counting to ten! Unleash FURY MODE anytime once your FURY METER is more than half full.
Lightning Strike: AUTOPHAGE skill. Shock ’em to their core! DASH STRIKE attacks ELEXCTRIFY zombies, but they also drain your HEALTH.
Vivisuction: Fitness comes first! DASH STRIKE zombies to regain HEALTH.
Ravenous: Unleash endless rage! In FURY MODE, slay zombies to replenish your FURY and stay enraged longer.

Best Slayer skills in Dead Island 2

No Mercy: Don’t let up! Attacks to zombies suffering a harmful STATUS EFFECT get a moderate boost to DAMAGE.
Corpse Bomb: Pop goes the zombie! In FURY MODE, slain zombies erupt into powerful EXPLOSIONS.
Cull The Weak: Finish ’em off! Attacks to zombies with low health to get a minor boost to DAMAGE.
The Limb Reaper: Got a limb thing, huh? MAIM a zombie to regain HEALTH.

Best Numen skills in Dead Island 2

Anger Mismanagement: AUTOPHAGE skill. Take the risk to stay in FURY MODE for longer! When your FURY runs out, you’ll stay in FURY MODE but start draining HEALTH instead until your health gets low.
Corpse Blossom: Ka-BOOM! Zombies slain with FIRE, SHOCK or CAUSTIC damage will detonate in a POWERFUL explosion of that same damage type.

We found that these abilities eventually shaped our playstyle and helped us to deal out the most damage in Dead Island 2. Try them out, and tweak some skills where needed. As well as skills, we have guides on other aspects of the game too:

Best weapons to use in Dead Island 2 | Dead Island 2: Is there fast travel? | Fastest ways to earn money in Dead Island 2 | How to craft weapons in Dead Island 2 | Where to find fuses in Dead Island 2 | All Slayers in Dead Island 2: Every Skill Card & attributes | How to beat Bucho the Clown in Dead Island 2 | How long is Dead Island 2? | Dead Island 2 voice cast – All characters and voice actors | Does Dead Island 2 have co-op multiplayer? | Dead Island 2: Best Blueprints, Mods, and Perks