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Skills
To be a great Slayer in Dead Island 2, you must boost your skills to endure even the toughest Apex Variants. In this IGN wiki guide, we review all the Skills cards in the game, including information about what they do and their type.
If you're looking for even more Dead Island 2 guides, see these essential pages:
What are Skills?
On Dead Island 2, skills are special combat moves and bonuses you can unlock in the form of Skill Cards. Once you find or earn a card, you can equip it to your skill deck from the pause menu.
Equipping different skills is how you'll create a personalized slayer. This mix and match of skills allow you to experiment with different playstyles and tweak the experience as much as you like.
How to Find Skills
You'll get skills mainly by gaining experience and leveling up, but you can also find them by progressing through the main storyline, completing side quests, and exploring Hell-A.
Skill Tiers
Four different Skill tiers exist in Dead Island 2: Abilities, Survivor, Slayer, and Numen. Each tier has its own set of slots that you can use to equip Skill cards. These slots are unlocked as you progress through Dead Island 2 Storyline. Keep in mind that a slot can only hold cards from its corresponding tier.
Below we explain each Skill Tier:
Abilities
This one is the first tier skill tier you'll unlock. Here you'll find your average combat moves, like blocking and dodging. You will find the skills in this tier by completing story quests. There are five slots available for this tier.
Below you'll find a table with all the Abilities in the game.
All Abilities | |||||||||||
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Icon | Skill Card | What it Does | |||||||||
Block | Allows you to defend against upcoming attacks. A well-timed block regains your stamina and stuns zombies, leaving them open to a devastating attack. | ||||||||||
Drop Kick | Allows you to perform a forceful jump kick attack while in the air. | ||||||||||
War Cry | With this skill, you can let out a fierce yell that’ll boost your and your squad members’ toughness. This yell also weakens nearby zombies. | ||||||||||
Served Cold | Block attacks or take damage to build your Fury | ||||||||||
Flying Kick | This skill allows you to perform a powerful jump-kick attack while in the air. | ||||||||||
Dodge | With this skill, you’ll be able to evade incoming attacks. Well-timed dodges regain your stamina and Stun zombies, leaving them open to a devastating counter-attack. | ||||||||||
Ground Pound | You’ll be able to perform a forceful blow into the ground that drains the stability of nearby zombies. | ||||||||||
Dash Strike | Allows you to perform dash forwards and strike zombies, leaving them weakened. | ||||||||||
Surgical Focus (Autophage skill) | Maim zombies to build fury. Taking damage will drain fury. | ||||||||||
Street Brawler | Damage zombies with melee attacks or weapon throw to build fury. But stick with it, your fury meter will slowly drain unless it is full. | ||||||||||
Blood Rush | Slay zombies and perform Counter Attacks to build Fury. | ||||||||||
Scream | In Fury mode emit a piercing wail that weakens nearby zombies. | ||||||||||
Overhead Smash | In Fury Mode unleash a powerful Ground Smash. | ||||||||||
Spitting Cobra | In Fury mode, vomit caustic bile on unsuspecting zombies. |
Survivor
As the name suggests, survivor skills will allow you to perform combat moves to help you survive in Hell-A. There are four slots available for this tier.
Below you'll find a table with all the Survivor skills in the game.
All Survivor Skills | |||||||||||
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Icon | Skill Card | What it Does | |||||||||
Safety First | Allows you to regain health by performing a well-timed block or dodge | ||||||||||
Lightning Strike (Autophage skill) | Dash Strike attacks electrify zombies, but they also drain your health. | ||||||||||
Surgeon | Maim a zombie for a moderate boost to damage. | ||||||||||
Pain Threshold | Successful blocks or dodges slightly boost your damage | ||||||||||
Safe Space | By using a med kit, you’ll trigger a forceful explosion that’ll drain the stability of any nearby zombie. | ||||||||||
Invigorating | With this skill, you can counter zombie attacks to regain extra health. | ||||||||||
Flare-Up (Autophage skill) | Performing Ground Pounds will set zombies on fire, but it'll drain your health | ||||||||||
Blockbuster | With this skill, a well-timed block triggers a forceful explosion that drains the stability of nearby zombies. | ||||||||||
Shin Shrapnel | Slide attacks get a major boost to damage and can send regular zombies flying. | ||||||||||
Wrecking Ball | Flying kick attacks weaken zombies. | ||||||||||
Rallying Cry | Your war cry regains health and removes harmful status effects from you and nearby squad members. | ||||||||||
Quake | Ground pound attacks get a major boost to force that can send regular zombies flying. | ||||||||||
Hot-Footed (Autophage Skill) | Dropkick attacks ignite zombies, but they also drain your health | ||||||||||
Short Fuse | Unleash fury mode anytime once your fury meter is more than half full. | ||||||||||
Ravenous | In Fury mode, slay zombies to replenish your Fury and stay enraged longer. | ||||||||||
Greased Pig | You will automatically break free whenever a zombie grabs you | ||||||||||
Pain Magazine | A well-timed block or dodge triggers a recharge boost for your active curveball item. | ||||||||||
Vivisuction | Dash strike zombies to regain health | ||||||||||
Corpse Bomb | In Fury Mode, slain zombies erupt into powerful explosions. | ||||||||||
Thick-Skinned (Autophage Skill) | This skill card will raise your toughness but lower your resilience |
Slayer
Slayer skill will allow you to perform moves that make slaying zombies easier. There are only four slots in this tier, so choose wisely.
Below you'll find a table with all the Slayer skills in the game.
All Slayer Skill Cards | |||||||||||
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Icon | Skill Card | What it Does | |||||||||
Clear Sightlines | Knock down a zombie for a moderate boost to the damage of your ranged weapons, weapon throws, and curveballs. | ||||||||||
Pummel (Autophage skill) | Melee attack zombies in quick succession for a major boost to force that can stack multiple times, although your very first hit will be less forceful. | ||||||||||
Tools of the Trade | When you kill a zombie with a melee weapon, you'll boost your range weapons' damage. Alternatively, when you kill a zombie with a ranged weapon, you'll boost your melee weapons' damage | ||||||||||
Pay it Forward (Autophage skill) | Having a negative status effect boosts your damage | ||||||||||
Voltaic Scream | Performing a scream attack will electrify any nearby zombie | ||||||||||
Janus Rage | When your Fury meter is full, get a moderate boost to toughness. When it isn’t full, get a minor boost to damage. | ||||||||||
Unrelenting | Attacks to knock down zombies get a minor boost to damage. | ||||||||||
Skull Skewer | Nail a zombie in the head with a weapon throw to set off a powerful explosion | ||||||||||
Deadeye | Hit a zombie with a curveball item to trigger a recharge boost that can stack multiple times. | ||||||||||
The Limb Reaper | Maim a zombie to regain health. | ||||||||||
Cull the Weak | Attacks on zombies with low health gets a minor boost damage. | ||||||||||
Hunting Season | Hit a zombie with a ranged weapon or a weapon throw for a moderate boost to the damage of your melee weapons | ||||||||||
Personal Space | Kick and jump kick attacks get a moderate boost to damage and force. | ||||||||||
No Mercy | Attacks to zombies suffering a harmful status effect get a moderate boost to damage. | ||||||||||
Volatile | In fury mode, your melee attacks trigger explosions on impact, but they also drain extra fury. | ||||||||||
Hammer Fist | Increases the force of Dash Strike and allows you to send zombies flying with each punch | ||||||||||
Juggernaut | Overhead smash attacks get a major boost to damage and force, and also build fury. | ||||||||||
Heavy Hitter (Autophage skill) | Heavy attacks get a major boost to damage, but they also drain your health. | ||||||||||
Pyro (Autophage skill) | In Fury Mode, your melee and overhead smash attacks ignite zombies, but they also drain extra fury | ||||||||||
Breakdancer | Slide attack a zombie for a moderate boost to agility and attack speed. | ||||||||||
Carnage (Autophage Skill) | In Fury Mode, your attacks get a major boost to damage and force, but they also drain extra Fury. | ||||||||||
Caustic Blight | During Fury Mode, you'll be able to inflict melting on zombies when performing melee attacks. However, this will drain extra fury. |
Numen
Numen skills are the last skill tier you'll unlock in Dead Island 2. To unlock them, you must complete the main story quest, "The Search for Truth." Without giving too much of the story away, Numen skills are powerful skills that allow you to channel your powers and perform zombie-based attacks.
Below you'll find a table with all the Numen skills in the game.
All Numen Skills | |||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Icon | Skill | What it Does | |||||||||
Seismic Stomp | On impact, Skull Stomp triggers a forceful explosion that drains the stability of nearby zombies and makes them bleed. | ||||||||||
Glass Cannon (Autophage skill) | Get a moderate boost to critical damage, and an even bigger boost when your health is low, but your toughness is reduced. | ||||||||||
Born Survivor (Autophage Skill) | When you're about to die, a forceful explosion will trigger instead and drain your fury. Attack zombies to regain health. | ||||||||||
Corpse Blossom | Zombies slain with fire, shock, or caustic damage will detonate in a powerful explosion of that same damage type. | ||||||||||
Anger Mismanagement | You'll be able to stay in Fury Mode even after you're out of Fury. This will deplete you health and will only stop once you're at critical health |
Innate Skills
Innate skills come pre-equipped with the slayer you chose at the beginning of the game. All slayers have two Innate Skills unique to their character, meaning nobody else can use them, and you can't change them later on in the game. These skills usually highlight a slayer's class archetype, allowing them to make the most out of their attributes.
Below you'll find all the Innate Skills in the game:
All Innate Skills | ||
---|---|---|
Skill Card | What it Does | Who Can Use It |
Relief Pitcher | Amy regains STAMINA when hitting a zombie with a weapon throw | Amy |
Divide and Conquer | Amy gets a minor DAMAGE boost when she attacks isolated zombies | Amy |
Backstab | Bruno gets a moderate DAMAGE boost when attacking zombies from behind | Bruno |
Rapid Reprisal | Boost Bruno’s AGILITY and HEAVY ATTACK CHARGES when he avoids attacks with a BLOCK or DODGE | Bruno |
Thunderstruck | Dani’s HEAVY ATTACKS trigger a FORECFUL explosion on impact | Dani |
Bloodlust | Dani regains HEALTH when slaying multiple zombies in quick succession | Dani |
Feral | Jacob gets a stackable minor DAMAGE boost when attacking in quick succession | Jacob |
Critical Gains | Jacob’s CRITICAL HITS when stamina is low get a moderate CRITICAL DAMAGE boost and regain STAMINA | Jacob |
Mosh Pit | Carla gets a minor DAMAGE boost when close to multiple zombies | Carla |
Dig Deep | Carla gets a moderate TOUGHNESS boost while her health is critical | Carla |
Retaliation | Ryan gets a moderate FORCE boost when using BLOCK or DODGE to avoid an attack | Ryan |
Seesaw | Ryan regains HEALTH each time he knocks down a zombie | Ryan |
Autophage Skills
Autophage Skills are a type of skill you will unlock later in the game during the main story quest, "The Final Gauntlet." These skills have a special skull icon that differentiates them from other skills, they can be equipped in any skill tier, and the more of them you use, the more likely it is for you to become The Autophage.
Becoming The Autophage comes in three tiers, so the more Autophage skills you have, the closer you are to the next Autophage tier.
Each tier comes with great bonuses. For example, the first tier boosts your force when slaying zombies, and the second tier allows you to regain stamina whenever you attack a zombie after a kill. However, the more raw power you harness, the less human you become.
Once you reach Autophage tier three, you'll have access to incredible perks like the ability to replenish major fury while in Fury Mode. Still, you'll also have to deal with disadvantages such as no health regeneration and reduced health recovery from consumables.
Unique Skills
Unique skills are skills that certain characters can only equip. Unlike Innate Skills, you won't start the game with Unique Skills; instead, you have to find them like you would normal skills. Unlike Innate skills that are permanently attached to your character, you can choose to equip Unique skills or not.
These skills are shared among characters of the same class archetype, meaning that Ryan and Carla can use the same Unique skills. The same goes for Bruno and Amy and Jacob and Dani.
All Unique Skills | ||||
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Icon | Skill | Who Can Use It | Skill Tier | What it does |
Warhead | Ryan and Carla | Survivor | Drop Kick attacks trigger a forceful explosion that drains the stability of nearby zombies. | |
Far From Done | Ryan and Carla | Slayer | Block attacks or take damage from zombies in quick succession for a minor boost to damage that can stack multiple times. | |
Steadfast | Ryan and Carla | Survivor | You'll gain a moderate boost to toughness and force when you block attacks in quick succession. | |
Bob and Weave | Bruno and Amy | Survivor | Dodge attacks in quick succession for a moderate boost to attack speed and agility that can stack multiple times | |
Second Wind | Bruno and Amy | Slayer | Attack a zombie while sprinting for a moderate boost to damage. | |
Hack and Dash | Jacob and Dani | Slayer | Maim a zombie for a boost to your attack speed. | |
Serial Killer | Jacob and Dani | Survivor | Slay a zombie for a minor boost to damage | |
Group Therapy | Jacob and Dani | Slayer | Slay zombies in quick succession to regain stamina. |