Dead Island 2 is all about smashing zombies around, but that doesn't mean it can’t be deep. The Skill Card system is a great way to customize your gameplay experience with added abilities and skills. Unlike other Dead Island games, the card-based mechanic allows you to change your whole build on the fly.
A traditional skill tree lets you unlock skills as you level up. The Skill Card system here allows for free experimentation without any penalties. Swap the card you don’t like and be on your way to slay zombies. There is almost no downtime with this mechanic in place. The only downside is that you’ll have to farm for cards: most are given to you simply by leveling up. However, some drop from killed zombies while some are placed around the world.
10 Janus Rage - Win Everything
Janus Rage is one of the best skill cards in Dead Island 2 simply because of how useful it is. It’s what we call a win-win card that doesn’t have a downside. The card provides passive boosts depending on your Fury bar. If the Fury bar is filled, you gain a moderate boost to toughness. If the bar is empty or filling, you gain a damage boost.
Janus was the god of transitions and doors in Roman mythology so it’s a fitting name for an excellent card. The perk also works on already excellent ranged weapons. We highly recommend you keep it in your builds to gain passive bonuses.
9 No Mercy - Elemental Powers
This game provides you with plenty of tools to take down enemies. Sure bashing zombies around with a hammer is fun, but bashing them around with a flaming hammer is twice as fun.
If you have elemental effects on your weapons then the No Mercy skill card is a no Brainer to have in your build. Any zombie afflicted with an elemental status effect would get more damage. Doesn’t matter which effect is on the zombie, it will receive more damage regardless. This makes taking down heavy enemies a breeze.
8 Corpse Blossom - Death Blooms
Corpse Blossom is a Numen card that unlocks late in the game. It’s a powerful skill card that can make any zombie an elemental bomb. If you love using elemental attacks and like seeing zombies electrocuted, fried, or even dissolved in acid, this skill card is a must-have.
Corpse Blossom turns any zombie killed with an elemental status effect into a bomb of the same flavor. For instance, if you use a shock shuriken to kill a zombie, it will explode in a spectacular electric fashion damaging any other zombies near it. This is an excellent crowd control tool as well and a must-have for anyone looking to dish free elemental damage.
7 Short Fuse - Anger Management
Once Fury mode is available, you’ll be able to dish out a ton of damage with your bare hands. Usually, you’ll need to fully charge the Fury meter by killing zombies. However, if you find that it takes too long to fill the meter, the Short Fuse skill card might be for you.
This card allows you to activate Fury mode even when the meter is half full. Fury mode is also great if you are in a pinch too; activating it emits a shockwave that can stagger zombies around you. This stagger is more than enough to get your footing and go on the offensive.
6 Ravenous - Stay Angry
Like staying in Fury mode? Want to stay in it for as long as possible? Then the Ravenous skill card is the best one for you. It allows you to slay zombies to extend the Fury time. It’s another one of those win-win cards that don’t have any downsides to it. You get to dish out a ton of damage while continuing to be in Fury mode and zombies get to die.
Fury mode makes you go berserk and take down enemies with your bare hands. If tearing zombies to pieces sounds like fun, you should extend that fun with this skill card.
5 Born Survivor - Long Live The King
Born Survivor might sound like a Survivor category skill, but it’s actually the first Numen card you get. It can only be obtained after you reach a certain story point, but it will help you survive any future encounter.
If you have a Fury, any damage that would kill you will instead create an explosion. This effect completely drains your Fury and gives you the opportunity to regain health by attacking zombies. Think of it as the “Fight for your Life” mode in Borderlands games. It’s a neat skill card to keep if you don’t want to restart encounters.
4 Dodge - Your Problems
There are two defensive abilities in Dead Island 2. One is Block, which allows you to counter-attack and the other is Dodge, which is far superior in our opinion. Dodge allows you to be nimble on your feet and completely ignore zombie attacks. It also lets you charge heavy attacks while you move around the battlefield.
This ability can be used to close the gap between you and the zombies for more efficient hitting. Do a perfect dodge, and you can perform a special counter-attack too. Overall, dodge is the bread and butter for any build, and we highly recommend it to you.
3 Ground Pound - Hulk Smash
You always need a survival skill that can get you out of a pickle if needed. If you find yourself surrounded by flesh eaters and need a quick escape, Ground Pound would take zombies down.
Ground Pound skill card does exactly what the name says: you jump up and pound the ground sending a forceful shockwave to drain the stability of surrounding zombies. Most zombies would stagger, allowing you time to reassess or retreat.
2 Dash Strike - Look Ma No Hands
If Ground Pound isn’t for you, Dash Strike would do the job. It is a dash that ends with a strike so it can be used both offensively and defensively. Any zombies you strike will get weakened, priming them for follow-up attacks.
Combine Dash Strike with Dodge and you’ll be moving around the battlefield like a pro athlete. There are supplementary skill cards that further increase the power of Dash Strike if you feel the need to buff the ability.
1 Greased Pig - Slippery Escapes
Tired of clingy zombies that always want a piece of you? With the Greased Pig utility skill card you will automatically escape their grasp. Whenever a zombie grabs you in Dead Island 2, there is a mini, quick-time event that have you bash a button and then press another to escape.
With this nifty Skill Card, there won’t be any need to wear down your controller/keyboard buttons. We’d like to see this included in the accessibility settings, but the skill card works too.