Dead Island 2: All skill cards and their effects, explained
Learn which cards you can use to stack the deck in your favor.
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Dead Island 2 is very similar to the previous games in Deep Silver’s melee-focused zombie series, but one major difference between it and the first Dead Island is that it features a skill card system instead of a traditional skill tree. As you play, these cards can be used to put together a skill deck for your chosen Slayer that gives them new combat abilities, powerful defensive and offensive buffs, and more.
There are tons of skill cards to find inDead Island 2, all of which belong to specific categories and have unique effects. In this guide, we’ve gone over everything you need to know about the game’s skill card system, including how it works, how you can find additional cards, and a complete list of every skill card in the game.
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In Dead Island 2, collecting and using skill cards is the primary way you’ll get stronger as you level up. While you’ll only have your character’s two intrinsic skills and a pair of empty slots for additional skill cards at the start of the game, you’ll gradually unlock more cards and slots for them throughout your playthrough. Notably, unlike talents on skill tree branches that have strict prerequisites, you can mix and match most of your skill deck any way you want (some cards only affect specific abilities, though).
The primary way you’ll unlock new cards to use is by leveling up, which you can accomplish by killing zombies and completing quests. However, some skill cards can also be found in the environment, rewarding players that thoroughly explore Hell-A’s various locations.
There are five different categories of skill cards in Dead Island 2: Innate, Abilities, Survivor, Slayer, and Numen. In the sections below, you’ll find a complete list of every skill card within each of these categories, along with a quick overview of both the categories themselves and the effects of each card.
Dead Island 2: All Innate skills
Innate skills are unlike other skill cards in that they’re exclusive to a specific character and are permanently active for the entire game. They, in addition to attributes, are what differentiate the Slayers from one another. When building your deck, try to pick cards that synergize well with these base traits.
Dead Island 2: All Abilities skills
The Abilities category is unique since its cards fall into one of five subcategories, with each one determining what one of your five combat abilities will be. You can only choose one card for each ability type, so you’ll be forced to make some important decisions when putting together a build. For example, both Block and Dodge go in the Defense Abilities slot, so you must choose one or the other.
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Here are all of the Abilities subcategories and skill cards:
DEFENSE
JUMP KICK
SPECIAL ATTACK
FURY
FURY SPECIAL ATTACK
Dead Island 2: All Survivor skills
Survivor skill cards enhance your overall survivability and defensive utility in combat. This is accomplished with buffs to defensive actions like dodging and blocking, as well as enhancements and effects that make it easier to disable zombies and make it harder for them to fight back. Note that while there aren’t many restrictions on what Survivor cards you can equip, some can only be used by specific Slayers, and others improve specific talents from the Abilities category.
Here’s every Survivor skill card in Dead Island 2:
Dead Island 2: All Slayer skills
Slayer skill cards are basically the opposite of Survivor ones, as the benefits they provide raise your damage, improve your offensive uptime, and add unique capabilities to other skills. Like some Survivor cards, a fair number of these ones are exclusive to certain Slayers or require the use of specific Abilities.
Here’s a list of every Slayer skill card:
Dead Island 2: All Numen skills
Numen skill cards are very powerful, and you won’t unlock them or the ability to use them until Dead Island 2’s late game. They allow you to take advantage of the infected blood coursing through your veins (good thing you’re immune to the disease!) and channel it into extremely powerful combat abilities. However, several of these also have a significant downside, so you have to be careful when using them.
Here are all of the different Numen skill cards:
Dead Island 2 is available now, and it’s easily one of thebest Xbox gamesavailable if you love zombies. With its addicting and satisfying melee combat, clever level design, hilarious B movie-tier writing, and goretastic presentation, it’s sure to delight action horror fans.
Dead Island 2
Dead Island 2 is everything a fan of the original game could ask for. Between its brutal melee mechanics, satirical writing, and awesome presentation, it’s a must-play for any zombie lover. Make sure to get the Deluxe or Gold Edition if you want access to the first two Character Packs.
See at:Microsoft (Xbox)|Epic Games Store (PC)
Brendan Lowry is a Windows Central writer and Oakland University graduate with a burning passion for video games, of which he’s been an avid fan since childhood. He’s been writing for Team WC since the summer of 2017, and you’ll find him doing news, editorials, reviews, and general coverage on everything gaming, Xbox, and Windows PC. His favorite game of all time is probably NieR: Automata, though Elden Ring, Fallout: New Vegas, and Team Fortress 2 are in the running, too. When he’s not writing or gaming, there’s a good chance he’s either watching an interesting new movie or TV show or actually going outside for once.Follow him on X(Twitter).
