Dead Island 2 has 6 different 'Slayers' players can roam around Hell-A with, from an overly-cowardly exotic dancer to a roller derby Irish punk, and all of them have very unique appearances. Granted, the game is first-person, so one would assume that the character's appearance doesn't really matter unless they're in co-op.
But, those that think this are forgetting about the fact that they constantly see their character's legs and arms in-game. Whether this is through Flying Kicks, Drop Kicks, simply from swinging weapons, or just looking down while running, players see their character's legs and arms quite often, so it's worth knowing how exactly players can switch skins if it's at all possible in Dead Island 2.
How To Switch Skins In Dead Island 2
Sadly, at the time of writing this (April 2023), there's no method for players to change outfits in Dead Island 2.
But, when the system eventually does come to the game, it's very likely that the method for changing outfits will be done through the Slayer Menu option on the Main Menu. While right now there are only options to switch between Slayers or Delete the Slayer entirely, there will likely be a third option to 'Switch Costumes' when more cosmetics come to the game later in 2023.
Again, because the game is third-person, it's very likely that any future costumes will focus on visually distinct sleeves, nail polish, pants, and shoes for the costumes, and these are the only parts of each Slayer that players will actively be able to see in single-player.
With the Rodeo Sunset Jacob Costume seen in the promotional images for Character Pack 1 and the Neurunner Amy Costume in Character Pack 2, this concept is pretty much proven. Whereas Jacob and Amy wear mesh or no sleeves in their default costumes, these DLC Costumes explicitly have sleeves, so players will be able to tell the difference even while in first person.
When Will Players Be Able To Switch Costumes?
The confirmation that Dead Island 2 currently doesn't have a method of changing costumes comes from a recent Tweet by the official Dead Island Twitter Account. In this Tweet, they state that the Character Packs 1 and 2 that players received from both the Deluxe ($64.99) and Gold ($79.99) Editions of the game will likely be 'delivered' in the Summer of 2023.
While the response to this has been pretty polarizing by the player base, especially considering how the marketing for these Packs was (though no release date was ever explicitly stated), there is a positive aspect to consider. Essentially, it's much better to have cosmetics for the game be pushed past the release of the game than it would have been for actual gameplay aspects of Dead Island 2, right? Regardless, it's a bit of an odd development in general, and many are wondering if they'll have to wait equally as long for cosmetics for the other 4 Slayers besides Amy and Jacob, or if cosmetics for each Slayer will all come out around the same time (maybe even alongside New Game+).
Where To Acess Bonus Weapons & Weapon Cosmetics
And finally, let's briefly go over 'Weapon Outfits' in Dead Island 2. Through Pre-Orders and from the different Editions of the game, players will have access to a multitude of different weapons and weapon skins such as the Memories of Banoi weapons, the Golden Weapons, and the Pulp Weapons. Sadly, the Devil's Horseshoes hand weapons in Character Pack 1 and the Casimir and Julienne twin-bladed weapon from Character Pack 2 are equally as inaccessible as the Outfits are. But, obtaining the other weapons/weapon skins is as easy as:
- Memories of Banoi: Grab these for $0 at the NPC Trader Carlos in Emma's Mansion in Bel-Air as soon as he's available as a Merchant.
- Golden Weapons: Only obtainable once players reach the Serling Hotel on Ocean Avenue, which is at least 4+ hours into the game's main story quest. Grab these from the NPC Trader Dougie in the bar area.
- Pulp Weapon: Same as with the Gold Weapons, only obtainable after reaching Serling Hotel on Ocean Avenue.
Keep in mind that these alternate versions of weapons/weapon skins will scale with the player's current level when they're bought, but if a player grabs them early they can just use the level-matching mechanism at the workbench to keep them relevant. Also, these weapons can't be shared with a friend in multiplayer, where any other weapon can be dropped to be given to an ally in online co-op, dropping any of the weapons from the Deluxe or Gold Edition packs will only drop it on the ground for an ally if that ally has that Bonus Content installed.
Dead Island 2 is now available for PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.