Dead Island 2 is all about slaying zombies and like any good zombie apocalypse game players are forced to use a variety of melee weapons to keep the hoard of undead at bay. With some of these weapons being deemed quite unconventional while others are likely to brutalize some zombies there are plenty of options as well as types of weapons for players to experiment with.
Mods and perks have a tendency to make these weapons even better. However, for this article these weapons are only ranked on their base usefulness that considers how quickly they swing or how easy they are for the player to use in combat.
10 Golf Club
The Golf Club is a Headhunter melee weapon that requires players to have a good swing off the golf course if they hope to do the most amount of damage to a zombie's head. Golf Club overall have a decent amount of damage to them as well as a little force though players that are using Headhunter weapons are more likely to be attempting to instantly kill an opponent instead of knocking them down.
While the golf club is a brilliant weapon some players may struggle to aim for a zombie's head due to the largeness of the golf club when compared to other Headhunter weapons.
9 Cleaver
Maiming zombies is by far one of the most useful mechanics in the entire game and therefore focusing on weaponry that can easily do this is an avenue many players a likely to walk down constantly throughout the game. Due to this many of the greatest weapons are those that fit into the maiming category of Dead Island 2.
Cleavers are fast to slice and will easily cut through the limbs of the zombies players will face. Not to mention how incredibly common they are so players are likely to always find one that has far better stats than the last one they discovered.
8 Claws
Frenzy weapons in Dead Island 2 are incredibly hit-and-miss depending on the situation the player finds themselves in. There are countless Frenzy weapons available but only some of them really require the speed needed to quickly dispatch of enemies.
Unlike other weapons in the game the Metal Claws and many other frenzy melee weapons don't require a lot of accuracy to use and therefore players can slash wildly into zombies as if they were Wolverine. Due to these light slashing attacks Claws aren't great for Force and therefore are less likely to knock down an enemy, therefore players should consider dodging around their target to avoid getting attacked.
7 Metal Bat
Bulldozer weaponry is great for players that are looking for weaponry that no only do a heap of damage but also hit with a lot of force. The Metal Baseball bat is a great option for players that have found themselves feeling as if these hard hitting melee weapons swing too slow.
These bats, specifically the metal ones, are also incredibly durable and therefore players are less likely needed to consistently repair them after exploring an area of Hell-A. While this article doesn't focus on the mods that can be put on weapons, metal bats have a lot of capability with alternate mods as well as perks to turn them even more ferocious.
6 Katars
Claws are not the only weaponry that directly makes the player feel as if they are simply punching a zombie as the headhunter melee weapon of Katars also have a chance of dealing some brutal damage up close. Unlike the golf club the Katars hit with a tad more force though they continue to not be the best for this stat.
While the Katars are arguably slower than the golf club by a fraction players are less likely to get confused on where they are swinging due to the players fists being contained. These zombies can also quickly be dealt with from a single heavy attack of the Katars making them even more lethal.
5 Pickaxe
While headhunting larger weapons may be a struggle to use, these large and somewhat sluggish melee weapons are actually beneficial for other categories especially those such as Bulldozer or maiming like the Pickaxe.
Swinging at a similar speed to the golf club the pickaxe should be aimed at the legs of Walkers to quickly snap the limbs from underneath them. This makes these zombies a lot easier to deal with as they can only crawl. This combined with the force of the pickaxe means if a player is unable to maim a zombie they are still likely to knock them down.
4 Wakizashi
While the claws are a great option for their speed and lethality a frenzy weapon that players are sure to want to keep a hold of and continue to level up throughout their journey is the lethal Wakizashi. While this weapon hits at the same speed as the claws, players may find it easier to use the Wakizashi due to it being handled similar to the typical machete or other simple melee weapons of Dead Island 2.
Other than this, the Wakizashi appears to be quite the rare find compared to other frenzy weapons and therefore players should at least give the short Katana like sword a go before banishing it into the storage box.
3 Improvised Hammer
By far one of the greatest bulldozer weapons in the entire game has to be the Improvised Hammer. Although it may seem as if it wouldn't stand a chance with improvised in its name, this metal pipe with another hammer like metal head on it, is sure to wipe out groups of zombies easily.
Surprisingly this hammer isn't even that slow to swing and therefore players don't need to worry about leaving themselves open to multiple attacks while attempting to hit. Plus the Improvised Hammer also has an amazing stat in force and therefore every hit is likely to push a group of zombies to the ground before it gets too dangerous.
2 Blood Rage
While legendary weapons have not yet been mentioned, it wouldn't be right to not mention the iconic weapon of Xian Mei from Dead Island and Dead Island Riptide. Blood Rage is also conveniently one of the best Headhunter weapons in the game as it makes dealing with Walkers easy as long as players can charge up a lethal hit to the head.
Apart from this Blood Rage does incredible damage at a decent speed and has perks which automatically come equipped onto the weapon. One brilliant perk it has is Infectious which causes bleeding to not only affect the zombie being hit but also those around it.
1 Machete
By far one of the greatest weapons players are going to want to have equipped at all times in their weapon wheel is the most prominent zombie maiming melee weapon and that is the machete. Nothing could ever compare to this lethal blade that slices through the limbs of zombies carelessly.
Eventually players can then get their hands on the legendary machete The Brutalizer by completing all the side quests in Body Art which sees the player collecting different body parts for a questionable artist.
Dead Island 2 is now available for PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.