Are you ready for the Zompocalypse? Dead Island 2 dropped on April 21, unleashing hordes of zombies for you to take out with legendary and brutal weapons. In our “10 Best Weapons” guide, we’ll uncover the most powerful tools of destruction you can get your hands on.
10 Best Weapons for Dead Island 2
1. O-Kami and Whiskey
A katana may not be the first weapon on your list for a zombie apocalypse, but O-Kami and Whiskey is an exception. It’s a great weapon to have on hand if you need to decapitate a few limbs quickly and easily.
It’s not as impressive as other weapons on this list, but it’ll get the job done if you find yourself in close combat.
How to Get This Weapon
Complete the mission The Ballad of Rikky Rex from Ricky
2. Bo Staff
The Bo Staff is one of the better early-game weapons. It’s speedy, and it has the Frenzy profile, which means that rapid attacks can trigger crits and speed-boosting effects.
Bo Staff is the kind of weapon that you can use to button-smash your way to carnage. Later on, you can reinforce it to boost its force or durability. You can also empower this staff to improve its heavy attacks and critical hits.
How to Get This Weapon
The Bo Staff is scattered throughout the island, but it’s also sold by merchants, can be found in metal boxes and is sometimes dropped by zombies.
3. Sledgehammer
Want to deal some serious damage? Grab a sledgehammer. Sure, it’s slow, but just one swing is all you need to cave in a zombie’s skull.
Did we mention that sledgehammers are also super durable?
If you’re good at planning and timing your attacks, sledgehammers will be your bread and butter throughout the game.
Even without mods, these weapons are devastating. Empower them and you can really bump up your heavy attacks and critical hits.
How to Get This Weapon
The Sledgehammer can be bought from a merchant, given as a quest reward, found in metal chests or looted off of dead zombies.
4. Machete
Machetes are versatile weapons that crit easily and can deal some serious damage if you mod them properly. Modding early on will get you the Enhanced Electrocutor Machete, which immediately boosts the weapon’s base damage and force.
Machetes have the Sharp and Maiming profiles. Maiming will help you regain stamina, and if you target limbs, you’ll land a critical hit.
You’ll find rare machetes hidden throughout the island, so be on the lookout for them. Electrocutor Mods are perfect for these weapons because you can use them with bodies of water to electrocute hordes of zombies at once.
How to Get This Weapon
Machetes can be bought from merchants, found in metal chests or looted from dead zombies.
5. Big Shot
Like the Sledgehammer, the Big Shot is slow but deals some serious burst damage. Use it to take down weaker hordes swiftly.
Ammo is pretty scarce on the island, but this is one gun that’s worth the pain.
Big Shot is a legendary three-chambered revolver that fires explosive rounds. The explosion radius is small – just like its magazine – but it will go through weak zombies like a hot knife through butter.
This weapon also has some great perks and stats:
- Russian Roulette perk boosts your damage when your magazine runs low.
- Boomstick perk triggers explosions that traumatize zombies.
- Demolition profile deals automatic critical hits to vulnerable zombies and boosts toughness when you’re reloading.
How to Get This Weapon
Complete the post-game quest It’s Not Your Fault from Luciana
6. Blood Rage
Blood Rage is a legendary weapon that’s ultra-fast and powerful but tricky to use. It’s a dagger that’s best left to players with a crit-based play style.
To really tap into this weapon’s potential, you need to have surgeon-like precision. It’s a great option if you want to challenge yourself or if you’re a more experienced player.
That said, if you can master this weapon, it has some great perks:
- Headhunter and Sharp profiles boost your agility and help you land more critical hits.
- Puncture Wound perk stacks bleed damage when you land crit hits in succession.
- Infectious perk spreads the weapon’s bleeding effect to nearby zombies.
How to Get This Weapon
Complete the Fool’s Gold missions
7. Peggy
Peggy is a one-shot sniper rifle that scores easy critical hits. If you have great aim and you like to play aggressively, this is the weapon for you.
Peggy has the Sharpshooter profile, so targeting limbs and heads will land critical hits. You can mod this weapon to deal fire damage and empower it to increase damage and force.
How to Get This Weapon
Complete The Creature Comforts quest for Curtis Sinclair
8. Emma’s Wrath
Emma’s Wrath is a legendary hammer that deals massive damage and is long-lasting. This weapon is a sledgehammer/shotgun hybrid that will send zombies flying high with a single swing.
Stomping a zombie will also charge up the weapon’s shotgun blast, which will knock down zombies and trigger an explosion on your next hit.
Emma’s Wrath is one of the most powerful sledgehammers in the game, and it will quickly become your go-to after you complete the main story.
How to Get This Weapon
Complete the final mission of the game: Hollywood Ending
9. The One
The One is a legendary sword that has everything going for it – except for durability. This powerful melee weapon will never let you down, and it has some awesome perks, like:
- Headhunter, decapitating a zombie will trigger a powerful explosion while helping you regain health and stamina.
- Guardian, which grants some toughness when you’re using this sword.
- Vampire, which gives you a chance to regain health.
The One has Maiming and Sharp profiles, so targeting limbs will land critical hits and boost your stamina.
How to Get This Weapon
Complete the mission Beacon of Hope
10. Bodycount
Bodycount is a unique legendary AK-47 with a shredded barrel that deals insane damage at a lightning-fast speed. With its fully automatic function, Bodycount will annihilate anything in its path and is easily the best legendary weapon in the game.
How to Get This Weapon
Complete the mission Beacon of Hope
11. Red Dragon
Red Dragon is the only shotgun you’ll ever need on the island. It has a pre-built fire mod that will roast zombies to a crisp.
This epic weapon will follow you through most of the game, but it becomes less powerful as you progress in the storyline. The biggest gripe with Red Dragon is that you can’t change its fire mod. Once Fire-Based Apex Zombies enter the picture, this weapon becomes irrelevant.
Still, it’s a fun tool of destruction to play around with until you reach late-game.
How to Get This Weapon
Bought from a vendor in Serling Hotel, Ocean Avenue late in the game
12. Raven
The Raven comes loaded with a scope that makes it easy to pop zombie heads. It’s a semi-automatic rifle that’s reliable, but its damage is surprisingly average.
That doesn’t mean that it’s not worth picking up. The Raven can get you through some difficult fights.
How to Get This Weapon
Complete the My Mailman was a Zombie mission
Weapon Stats in Dead Island 2: What You Need to Know
What makes a weapon the “best” in Dead Island 2 – or any game for that matter? It’s stats. You’ll come across a lot of weapons in this game. Some are fun to experiment with, and others are ultra-powerful.
Whenever you come across a new weapon, there are a few stats you want to look at to decide whether it’s worth using and carrying around. These include:
Damage
Weapons deal different types of damage, which are known as profiles. These Profiles will give you an idea of how the weapon behaves.
Along with the weapon’s profile, you’ll want to look at how much damage it deals. The amount of damage you deal will also depend on the type of zombie you’re fighting, its level, its rarity and other factors.
Some zombies are more vulnerable to certain types of damage. Sharp weapons, for example, are great for runners because you can maim their legs to keep them from getting away.
Let’s take a closer look at the types of weapons you’ll find in Dead Island 2.
Maiming
These weapons decapitate limbs and boost your stamina in the process. They’re great for when you need to grab specific body parts for collection or to dampen a zombie’s attacking abilities.
Bulldozer
Bulldozer weapons are slow, heavy hitters that can destabilize and stun zombies. Some of these weapons can even be thrown to hit multiple zombies at once.
You’ll want to use bulldozer weapons for:
- Crowd control.
- Taking out apex variants.
Frenzy
As the name suggests, Frenzy weapons are ultra-fast and allow you to land blows in quick succession. Damage builds up with each strike until every hit becomes a critical one.
These weapons are great for:
- Fast-paced combat.
- Large hordes of zombies.
Tactical
Tactical weapons can increase your agility, help you land more critical hits and boost your reload speed when dodging or blocking.
These weapons are great for:
- Combat scenarios that require quick reflexes.
- When strategic combat is required.
Headhunter
Headhunter weapons are designed for headshots and deal serious damage to zombies. They have longer ranges, greater agility and can maintain charging speed even during heavy attacks.
Headhunter weapons are great for:
- Staying mobile and agile in combat.
- Taking out zombies quickly and efficiently.
Sharpshooter
Sharpshooters are precise and powerful. They have special aim modes that make it easy to target zombie limbs and heads.
You’ll want to use sharpshooters when:
- You want to score more critical hits.
- The goal is to take out zombies in a single shot.
Demolition
Demolition weapons deal critical hits to vulnerable zombies – guaranteed. They also give you a toughness boost when you’re reloading.
You’ll rely on demolition weapons when:
- Facing intense combat situations.
- High-damage attacks are crucial.
Level
As you probably guessed, a weapon’s level will also affect its power. The weapons you find throughout the world will typically be on par with your level. But you can use workbenches throughout the game to scale up your weapon.
Rarity
Weapons in Dead Island 2 also have a rarity level. There are six in this game:
- Improvised
- Common
- Uncommon
- Rare
- Superior
Legendary
If you’ve ever played a video game, then you’re probably familiar with these rarity levels. Improvised weapons are some of the earliest ones you’ll find in the game. They’re fun to use, but they break easily. Legendary weapons are, of course, some of the best in the game and have great perks.
How Do You Find Weapons in Dead Island 2?
There’s no shortage of weapons in Dead Island 2. You’ll find them scattered all throughout Hell-A when you’re:
- Progressing through the main questline.
- Exploring the world.
- Opening chests.
- Completing side quests.
Finishing Lost & Found quests
If you want to get your hands on as many awesome weapons as possible early on, then invest in fuses early on. Fuses will let you unlock doors with high-quality weapons inside.
Understanding Weapon Durability
Even the best weapons in Dead Island 2 won’t last forever, and some are less durable than others. The good news is that you can repair weapons to get them back up and running again. Just visit a workbench and hit the Repair button. Repairs will cost you some cash, but it will be worth every penny if you find a weapon you like using.
You can view a weapon’s durability on its stats page. Once it turns red, however, you won’t be able to use it anymore.
To offset low durability, you can add perks and mods that will boost its longevity.
Final Words
Dead Island 2 is a massively fun post-apocalyptic, zombie-slaying game with loads of weapons to use in your mission to massacre the undead.
But weapons are just one part of this game. There are lots to do in Dead Island 2. Be sure to check out streams and gameplay on YouTube and Switch to get more tips and tricks to improve your gameplay.
And if you’re looking for more horror games to try, check out our post 7 Horror Games for Non-Horror Fans.
