With the release of Dead Island 2 approaching as fast as a horde of zombies, we’re here to tell you a bit about some of the zombie types you’ll meet when you visit HELL-A next month.
There are three different variations — Infected, Apex and Variant — each with different strengths and weaknesses, but you’ll learn your favorite ways to dispose of each and every one of them (if you’re that way inclined). There are also certain zombie killing challenges within Dead Island 2 and once complete, you’ll learn more about each zombie to help you find the best ways to slay.
Infected Types
Let’s start with the easiest zombies to kill, the Infected types, of which there are three — Walkers, Shamblers and Runners. First up are Walkers. They have no resistance or weakness to any weapons and can be butchered easily in one-on-one combat, so they’re definitely the ones you will have the most fun with at the start.
While Shamblers are frail, rotting and slow, they’re weak to blunt and explosive damage but resist bleed damage as they lack blood! Their bones are so brittle their own attacks often cause their limbs to break off. Keep an out for large numbers of these though.
As for Runners, they’re attracted to loud noises and as they’re fast, so they can cover ground quickly. They’re weak to sharp and bleed damage, though watch out, as they have a Push attack which will knock you backwards.
Apex Types
Next up are some of the more challenging zombie types — Bursters, Butchers, Crushers, Screamers and Slobbers. Bursters are bloated with volatile gas and infectious black blood that spreads the zombie virus and they’re properly DISGUSTING. You don’t want to get to close to them when they explode, BUT they also damage nearby zombies, so use that to your advantage.
Butchers are our least favorite – they feed on corpses to regrow their own bodies, so you have to finish them off quickly before they regenerate. They have terrifying blade-like hands too, and it’s likely you’ll hear them before you see them.
Crushers are swollen with autophage-reinforced muscle fibers and their overhead smash sends a seismic shockwave through the ground — jump over it to stop getting knocked to the ground — and then take advantage of the Crusher’s momentary weakness. Top tip: you can stop this powerful attack by maiming their arm.
We think the worst type of zombie you’ll meet are the Screamers. Their voltaic lungs produce a plasma-induced stream of sonic shockwaves which force you backwards and attract all zombies in the surrounding area. Projectile attacks are the only way to defeat them.
Unfortunately the best way to defeat our next zombie – Slobbers – is to get close as fast as possible to stop them puking caustic bile and then force them into melee combat. They resist blunt and projectile damage and are immune to caustic damage, but slice or shock them to cause the most damage.
Variant Types
Don’t get too comfortable just yet… you haven’t met the Variant zombies! This is when things start to get really spicy. Burning Runners will ignite anything flammable they come into contact with and, as you’d expect, they’re immune to fire damage, but water and chem bombs will extinguish their raging flames.
As the name might suggest, Grenadier Walkers wear a vest loaded with grenades, ready to explode the moment they receive any damage. You’re better off focusing damage on limbs or the head when in close combat to try and prevent the vest detonating. Finally, Riot Gear Walkers — to even get close to defeating them, use melee and projectile attacks — explosives are a great way to knock that armor off.
That’s it for now, as we don’t want to spoil too much ahead of launch on Xbox One and Xbox Series X|S on April 21st.
There’s still time to sign up to the Dead Island 2 newsletter and get the Tricksters’ Smile Knife at DeadIsland.com. Now, where did we put that katana?
