When deciding on the best Dead Island 2 weapons there's a wide selection for consideration, and although there are a number of legendary and unique weapons that stand out, you do also have access to a range of mods and perks that can be combined to turn pretty much anything into the 'best'. Naturally, there are certain Dead Island 2 legendary weapons and unique options that you really should get, as their built in mods and perks can provide powers not seen elsewhere in Dead Island 2.
To explain how all of this works, I'm going to take a look at the way Dead Island 2 weapons function in general, then go on to list all of the legendary or special weapons available and where you can find them to upgrade your arsenal.
Dead Island 2 weapons explained
There are two kinds of Dead Island 2 weapons you'll pick up - melee and ranged options. There are four basic kinds of each we'll cover in more detail below, but the key thing is that uncommon (green) weapon and above can be modded and have perks added. Dead Island 2 perks and mods behave like this:
- Dead Island 2 weapon mods inflict extra damage and add status damage like fire, electric and caustic.
- Dead Island 2 perks change the way the weapon works and can enhance player stats when used in specific ways. The Agile perk makes kills boost agility, for example. But they can also have negative effects - the Enhanced perk boosts damage at the expense of durability.
There are also different types of both melee and ranged weapons that affect how they behave. These options focus on things like raw power, speed etc giving you more critical hits for one type, more limb damage for another and so on. These break down like this:
Dead Island 2 melee weapon types
- Maiming - Deals extra damage to limbs and all hits on limbs are critical hits. Maiming weapons also regain stamina when you maim an enemy.
- Frenzy - Fast attack weapons speed up the more hits you string together. Get enough hits in a row and all your attacks automatically become critical for a short period. Frenzy weapons also charge heavy attacks faster.
- Bulldozer - All heavy attacks are critical attacks and do additional stability damage to stun zombies faster. Throwing them will also damage all zombies in an area.
- Headhunter - All headshots are critical, heavy attacks boost agility and don't slow you while charging.
Dead Island 2 ranged weapon types
- Demolition - Shots on vulnerable/stunned zombies are always critical and you gain toughness while reloading.
- Rapid-fire - Fast firing weapons where getting hits in a row increase your accuracy until all hits are critical for a time.
- Tactical - Defensive actions make you faster at moving and reloading and give you a brief window where all hits are critical.
- Sharpshooter - Slow to fire but head and limb hits are always critical hits. Aiming down the sights also does additional damage.
Dead Island 2 best weapons, legendary and unique options
The best Dead Island 2 weapons by far are the 11 legendary or unique weapons you can find as you play. Most of these are rewards for side missions or inside locked boxes that need you to find Dead Island 2 keys for. These are worth seeking out as they come with a range of often unique perks and mods that massively up their damage and effects.
Here's a quick list of all the Dead Island 2 legendary and unique weapons in the game:
| Name | Type | MIssion |
|---|---|---|
| Peggy | Superior Rifle/Sharpshooter | Side Quest: Creature Comforts, Bel-Air |
| Raven | Rare Rifle/Sharpshooter | Lost & Found: My Mailman was a Zombie, Bel-Air |
| O-Kami and Whiskey | Rare Sword/Maiming, | Side Quest: The Ballad of Rikky Rex, Beverly Hills |
| Extinction Event | Superior Pistol/Demolition | Story: Justifiable Zombicide, Beverly Hills |
| Big Shot | Legendary Pistol/Demolition | Side Quest: It's not your Fault, Bel-Air |
| The Brutalizer | Legendary Machete/Maiming | Side Quest: Body Art, Bel-Air |
| Jade Dragon | Superior Sword/Maiming | Side Quest: The Terror of Sound Stage 7, Monarch Studios |
| Blood Rage | Legendary Knife/Sharp | Lost & Found: Fool's Gold, The Pier |
| Emma's Wrath | Legendary Hammer/Bulldozer | Story: Hollywood Ending |
| The One | Legendary Sword/Maiming | Side Quest: Beacon of Hope, Hollywood Boulevard |
| Zom-B-Gon | Superior Blunt/Maiming | Side Quest: Going Viral, Hollywood Boulevard |
And here's more detail on what they do and where to get them.
Peggy
This rifle is probably one of the first unique weapons you'll get, when you find the Creature Comforts side quest in Bel-Air. You'll have to find and rescue an ageing actor called Curtis Sinclair, and once you have he'll go to Emma Jaunt's house. Find him there and he'll send you off looking for booze and cigars. Get that and you'll receive Peggy, a powerful sharpshooter weapon, especially considering how early you can obtain it. Its main advantage is that it does increased damage and Force, which can knockback zombies.
Raven
You'll get Raven, a sharpshooting rifle that boosts damage when you string together hits, by tracking down a mailman in Bel-Air. While you'll find a note that gives you some addresses when you find the mail van, it's not a huge help so use the map below to find the three locations you need. Look out for piles of packages on a trolly and the third one you find will spawn the courier you can kill to get the Dead Island 2 Mailman keys to the box, back at the van.
Extinction Event
This demolition heavy revolver does acid damage and kills trigger a caustic cloud which can affect other zombies nearby. You can get it after completing the Justifiable Zombicide story mission, from the safe inside Nikki Gutte's house. Once that mission is complete a named zombie will spawn in the garden with the key, although you might have to leave and come back to make that happen.
O-Kami and Whiskey
This maiming sword boosts limb damage and durability. To get it, find Rikky Rex in Beverly Hills and reach the mission The Ballad of Rikky Rex.
Big Shot
This demolition pistol fires explosive rounds that stun and traumatise zombies. It's a reward for the side mission It's Not Your Fault, which can be obtained from Luciana in Emma Jaunt's Bel-Air house. She's the one with the laptop.
The Brutalizer
To get this maiming machete you'll have to complete five missions for the artist Francesca in Bel-Air. Each mission requires you collect a set number of certain zombie parts, and when you turn them all in you eventually get the weapon. It causes major physical and maiming damage and can also transmit status effects from one zombie to another.
Jade Dragon
The Jade Dragon is earned as a reward for the Monarch Studios side quest, The Terror of Sound Stage 7. It gives you a toughness boost and increases attack speed.
Blood Rage
This fast, pokey knife is a pain to get from the Fools Gold Lost & Found quest at the pier. Find everything though and you'll get a bleed inducing knife that spreads its effect to other zombies.
To get it, head to the lifeguard tower where you'll fight a Crusher called Dante and start the quest by getting a note when you defeat him. You'll then need to find the locker and two burner phones before you can access the safe. The info isn't clear though so use this map to help you:
Emma's Wrath
This hammer deals massive amounts of physical damage. Traumatised zombies can be sent flying by attacking them, and they'll then damage any enemies they hit. Stomping a zombie also charges a shotgun blast the next time you hit anything and knocking down zombies also triggers an explosion.
Zom-B-Gon
This frenzy axe does bleed damage that transmits to other zombies and can be gained as a reward for the Side Quest: Going Viral in Hollywood Boulevard. This mission triggers after the main story is completed.
The One
This sword weakens zombies and triggers explosions when you decapitate them. It's a reward for the side quest Beacon of Hope that can be picked up near the theatre in Hollywood Boulevard after completing the main story.
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