Dead Island 2 brings a whole array of skills for each slayer, bringing them to their full potential and even deadlier than before. Since each slayer has a unique playstyle, specific skills might work for one character and not so much for another. For this guide, we will go over the best skill cards for all playable characters so you know how to customize each.
Top Skill Cards to Use in Dead Island 2
Below you will find four skill cards that work best for each slayer in Dead Island 2. Keep in mind that you might need to unlock a good amount of these, so feel free to read our guide on how to unlock new skill cards.
Best Amy Skill Cards in Dead Island 2 – Dodge, Dash Strike, Shin Shrapnel, Break Dancer
Amy’s playstyle focuses on her being a quick character, designed to quickly jump in and out of the battle due to her high agility. To make her even better in this field, you must equip the Dodge and Dash strike skill cards — increasing her overall agility and speed even further.
As for her dash attacks, you will want to equip the Shin Shrapnel and Break Dancer skill cards. Shin Shrapnel increases the damage for slide attacks and will send zombies flying, while Break Dancer will boost Amy’s agility and movement speed with every successful slide attack.
Best Bruno Skill Cards in Dead Island 2 – Bob and Weave, Ravenous, Corpse Blossom, Seismic Stomp
Bruno kills as many zombies as possible by smashing and being an absolute brute force. You can help with this playstyle by equipping the right skill cards. Bob and Weave will help with Bruno’s tank-like structure, making him dodge attacks quickly, while Ravenous will keep Bruno in rage mode longer as long as you continue to kill zombies. These two, paired with one another, make Bruno a quick and deadly smasher.
Next, equip Corpse Blossom to make all enemies explode while in Rage mode and deal damage to other zombies in proximity. Then you have an excellent pair for the Skull Stomp ability called Seismic Stomp — which drains stability and bleeds every enemy in the area.
Best Carla Skill Cards in Dead Island 2 – War Cry, Rallying Cry, Voltaic Scream, Wrecking Ball
Carla is an excellent character for going into a horde of zombies and making some insane things happen—primarily through these four skills. First, let’s review the three skill cards that pair well together. These are War Cry, Rallying Cry, and Voltaic Scream. Using these three at the beginning of every battle will increase Carla’s damage output, decrease zombie defenses, and electrify all enemies.
Using those abilities before every horde encounter and then using Wrecking Ball — will make Carla a force to reckon with. Wrecking Ball weakens enemies with every successful Flying Kick attack. All these skills are a perfect way to end a fight before it starts.
Related: Dead Island 2 Trick Kick Guide: How to Knock Down 3 Zombies with a Jump Kick.
Best Dani Skill Cards in Dead Island 2 – Group Therapy, Dodge, Limb Reaper, Vivisucation
Dani needs some help with her standard strength through these skill cards. Your primary goal here is to increase Dani’s attack speed and Stamina through Group Therapy and Dodge — increasing her overall usefulness first and foremost.
Considering Dani’s unique ability is health regeneration, you will want to play on that through the Limb Reaper ability and Vivisucation. Limb Reaper will increase Dani’s health regeneration even further by allowing you to gain health through maiming zombies, while Vivisucation will help you recover health through Dash Strikes. Dani’s health regeneration ability, mixed with these two skill cards, will almost make it impossible for you to die quickly.
Best Jacob Skill Cards in Dead Island 2 – Lightning Strike, Corpse Bomb, No Mercy, Janus Rage
Jacob has a high health pool, meaning you can focus on something other than skills that help increase this component. What you should focus on, though, is attacks that focus on status effects such as the Lightning Strike ability. This ability will electrify enemies with every dash attack while lowering your health, but since Jacob can afford the loss in HP — the damage on zombies is worth it.
Corpse Bomb and No Mercy will be your friends here, as the former will cause explosions while in Fury mode, and the latter will increase damage output on any enemy inflicted with a status effect. Use Lightning Strike and No Mercy to maximize damage output on the most challenging enemies. Finally, Janus Rage will provide a minor boost in damage when your Rage meter isn’t full.
Best Ryan Skill Cards in Dead Island 2 – Block, Quake, Overhead Smash, Ground Pound
When it comes to Ryan, you will want to focus on his defense capabilities and make them more sturdy than usual. Block is an excellent skill here, as once you get the timing down, you will have a continuous replenishment of Stamina and the ability to stun all the zombies you want.
As for attacks, you will want to focus on using Quake, Overhead Smash, and Ground Pound — all attacks that keep enemies off the ground so you can deal more damage and leaves them vulnerable to your subsequent attacks. It also helps that after using these three skills, they won’t have the opportunity to attack you for a specific amount of time.
