One might think that zombies are the only threat in the colorful world of Dead Island 2, but that would be a fatal mistake on multiple fronts. Not content with just letting the undead rip players apart, Dambuster Studios has also constructed a dangerous Los Angeles full of death traps and environmental hazards that can easily catch the unprepared out.
That said, with the right knowledge and awareness, Dead Island 2 players can turn the tables and make a threatening world work for them instead. By taking advantage of everything the environment has to offer, there is always going to be more than one way of eliminating the zombie threat than just melee and ranged weapons. In this guide, Slayers will learn about all Status effects and how to use them effectively in Dead Island 2.
All Status Effects in Dead Island 2
In short, Status Effects can cause damage or debuffs, and can affect both the player and any zombies that are caught in the area of effect. It occurs after taking too much of a certain type of damage, be it from an elemental zombie or skills, mods, Curveballs, and environmental hazards.
These Status Effects will affect both Slayers and zombies alike:
- Ignited - Causes fire damage over time, and ignites any flammable environmental hazards in range.
- Electrified - Causes shock damage over time, and can arc to other targets nearby. It will also stun zombies.
- Melting - Causes caustic damage over time, and makes the afflicted more vulnerable to fire, shock, and additional caustic damage.
- Bleeding - Causes bleeding damage over time.
- Blinded - Causes vision to be partially or completely obscured.
- Slowed - Causes sprinting to be disabled.
The first three types of Status Effects can be added to weapons via mods, and will help in the fight against zombies.
The following Status Effects can only affect zombies:
- Stunned - Zombies can't move or attack, and can be counter-attacked.
- Weakened - Zombies take more damage from physical attacks.
- Frenzied - Zombies are more aggressive, and recover faster from being Vulnerable.
- Traumatized - Zombies are disoriented and can't move or attack. Any damage will remove the effect.
- Soggy - Zombies are wet and become Electrified faster from shock damage.
- Flammable - Zombies are coated in fuel, and become Ignited faster from fire damage.
To see what Status Effect is currently affecting a Slayer, players need only look at the health bar in the top left corner and see if there are any icons. The corresponding icon will fill up, and once it's full, the state is applied and the effects will persist for a while. Having a high Resilience stat will ward off Status Effects more effectively too.
How to Use Status Effects Effectively in Dead Island 2
There are many ways to make use of Status Effects, however, it is more likely that Curveballs and the world will play bigger roles.
Zombies near oil tankers and petrol cans are a recipe for explosive mayhem, so a well-timed Molotov Cocktail or even a Ground Slam can cause the flames to start. For those that prefer shock damage, use the Chem Bomb to afflict the Soggy effect and increase the wet radius, and then follow up with an Electric Star/Bomb or attack a nearby outlet.
The normal Slobbers are annoying with their caustic damage, but they do not differentiate between friend or foe. Use its projectiles are traps to lure other enemies in and get them melting, and if there is a need, water can negate acid, and using a Med Kit will remove the effect of melting as well. Keep in mind that weapon mods can also be an invaluable tool to make things happen.
Certain zombies, like Burning variants, can be immune to a specific Status Effect, so be sure to have more weapons in the backpack to deal with these monsters.
Dead Island 2 will launch on April 21 for PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X|S.