Dead Island 2 Classes, Characters & Stats Explained

In Dead Island 2, there are six different classes, or better yet, characters, to choose from. Each of these characters has their own set of skills, different stats, and own personalities that can greatly impact the way your entire playthrough will pan out.

You should be quite considerate while choosing which character you want to play, as in Dead Island 2, as not only will it affect your playstyle, but it will also affect the vibe that each character brings to the narrative. That is why we’ll carefully consider every single factor while choosing a character in Dead Island 2 so that you can pick the right one for yourself.

Dead Island 2 Stats Explained

One major difference between every single character in Dead Island 2 is their different attributes/stats. There are seven different attributes in Dead Island 2 that can greatly affect the way a character will play out.

Also Read: Dead Island 2 Fuse Location

In fact, each of the Dead Island 2 Class is designed such that a certain character will excel in a certain stat while lagging behind greatly in another so that there is some balance. How well a character ranks in a certain stat is determined by a 5-star system.

Therefore, it is quite important to understand every single stat in the game before you end up choosing a character. Not only will it give you an idea of what kind of playstyle to expect, but it will also help you assess which character is better than the other.

Stat	Summary
Toughness	Determines the amount of physical damage a character can withstand.
Stamina	Dictates how many special moves or attacks a character can perform.
Health Recovery	Affects the rate at which a character recovers health.
Critical Damage	Determines the damage output of a character’s critical hits.
Agility	Influences a character’s base walking speed.
Peak Health	Represents the maximum health a character can have.
Resilience	Provides protection against elemental and status effect damage.

Toughness

The first stat that you’ll see for every character is Toughness. Simply put, it is how much physical damage you’ll take from any attack. It is worth noting that it applies only to physical damage, such as being hit by a zombie or being punched. Damage dealt through fire or other elemental stuff comes underneath another stat.

Stamina

It is quite a common stat in many games and serves a similar purpose in Dead Island 2. Stamina will determine how many special moves or attacks your character will be able to dish out before they need to recover. Usually, dealing with heavy damage will drain your stamina the most. But certain characters have abilities that allow you to regenerate your stamina while fighting, so it’s important to be on the lookout for that.

Health Recovery

Quite an important stat, especially if you’re prone to be hit too much. Usually, the stat will be higher for those that have less health and lower for those that have more peak health. Therefore, it’s a trade that you’d have to be willing to make.

Critical Damage

Critical damage is your main stat which will decide how physically strong your character is. It isn’t tied to the chance of your Critical Hits but rather how much damage they’ll output when you do land them. Although many weapons can also affect the exact amount of damage that you’re dealing to your enemies, it is usually a good idea to pick a character with higher Critical Damage if you’re looking for an aggressive character.

Agility

Agility is a tricky stat to consider. Essentially, it affects your base movement speed. The lower your Agility, the slower you’ll walk. But it is worth mentioning that the stat only affects your walking speed and not your actual sprinting speed. Each character has the same sprinting speed, and during battle, you’re usually more focused on dodging out of the way, which also cancels out the effect. Therefore, Agility is a stat that you can mostly ignore while choosing a character.

Peak Health

Every single character starts out with a base health which increments as you level up. Unfortunately, the increments are not equal, meaning those with a higher base health will automatically have a higher maximum health. However, you cannot base the effectiveness of a character solely on Peak Health, as other stats, such as Resilience and Toughness, will have a major impact as well.

Resilience

Resilience is your protection against elemental damage such as fire, shock, caustic damage, or any other source of damage that causes status effects. It combines with Toughness and Peak Health to determine the overall health of your character. Therefore it is a stat that should not be ignored.

All Dead Island 2 Classes & Characters

As mentioned earlier, there are six different characters in Dead Island 2, which can also be considered as six distinct classes due to how differently they play out and their starting stats. You can only choose one character at the start, and you’ll need to carry out your entire playthrough with that character.

Jacob

Stat	Rating
Toughness	3/5
Stamina	4/5
Health Recovery	2/5
Critical Damage	3/5
Agility	3/5
Peak Health	5/5
Resilience	1/5
Innate Skill	Description
Feral	Stackable minor Damage boost when attacking in quick succession.
Critical Gains	Moderate critical damage boost while stamina is low. Critical hits regain stamina.

Jacob is a former London stockbroker who turned to stunt work after the loss of his mother. With an antihero persona and rockstar flair, Jacob relishes his role as a Slayer in Los Angeles, where his snappy one-liners and Shakespearean quotes often go unnoticed by the undead.

• Jacob is widely regarded as one of the most potent Slayers in Dead Island 2, boasting impressive damage capabilities and sustained offensive prowess, making him a top choice for players who favor aggressive gameplay.

Nevertheless, Jacob has notable weaknesses, such as susceptibility to elemental damage and sluggish health recovery.

• His low Resistance attribute leaves him vulnerable to fire, shock, and caustic damage, requiring caution when facing zombies or environmental hazards that deal these damages.
• Additionally, although Jacob has a substantial health pool, his Health Recovery stat is slow, prolonging his healing process.

Commenting on Jacob’s innate abilities, his first ability, Feral, provides him with a stackable damage boost when attacking in quick succession.

• These can go up to a stack of five and can go as high as a 30-40% increase in damage, depending on the type of weapon that you’re using.

His second innate ability allows him to get a critical damage boost when his stamina is low.

• However, this is an ability that you might only trigger sometimes due to the fact that Jacob has quite a high amount of stamina.
• But, if you’re using heavy weapons with heavy attacks, it can come in quite handy.

You can enhance Jacob’s strengths and mitigate his weaknesses by equipping one-handed weapons with high damage output and swift attack speeds, which are more suitable for his playstyle than two-handed weapons.

• Furthermore, utilizing weapons that deal elemental damage can counterbalance Jacob’s vulnerability to specific elemental damages.
• You should seek weapons with bonus attributes such as increased critical hit chance or attack speed to maximize Jacob’s offensive potential.

Ryan

Stat	Rating
Toughness	5/5
Stamina	3/5
Health Recovery	3/5
Critical Damage	2/5
Agility	1/5
Peak Health	3/5
Resilience	4/5
Innate Skill	Description
Retaliation	Moderate force boost when using block or dodge to avoid attacks.
Seesaw	Regain health every time you knock down a zombie.

Ryan emerges as a playable character with a stubborn, pessimistic, and sarcastic demeanor. Formerly a male stripper, Ryan found himself stranded in Los Angeles amidst the zombie outbreak and is determined to survive and reunite with his younger brother in Fresno.

Possessing the unique skills of Retaliation and Seesaw, Ryan is an ideal choice for players who intend to plow through hordes of zombies.

• Ryan’s Retaliation skill enhances his force whenever he successfully blocks or dodges an attack, allowing him to deal increased damage while minimizing incoming damage.
• Conversely, Seesaw enables Ryan to recover some health upon knocking down a zombie.
• These two skills synergize quite well together as you can block or dodge an incoming attack, which will increase your force.
• The increase in force will allow you to knock back enemies much more easily.

Although Ryan is not explicitly labeled as a “tank” character, his skill set suggests similarities to this role.

• However, Ryan is not without his weaknesses, such as vulnerability to elemental damage and slow health recovery.
• As a result, players should consider employing weapons that deal elemental damage, like fire, to compensate for these shortcomings.
• Additionally, Ryan’s skills allow him to be a really good crowd-control-styled character.
• You can combine his abilities with Bulldozer weapons to get a really good combination of a strong tanky character.

Dani

Stat	Value
Toughness	3/5
Stamina	5/5
Health Recovery	1/5
Critical Damage	3/5
Agility	3/5
Peak Health	4/5
Resilience	2/5
Innate Skill	Description
Bloodlust	Regain health by slaying multiple zombies in quick succession.
Thunderstruck	Heavy attacks trigger a forceful explosion on impact.

Originally from County Cork, Ireland, Dani worked as a retail assistant before joining a roller derby team that led her to the United States. Trapped in Los Angeles, California, due to the outbreak, she is now on a mission to escape and reunite with her roller derby team for a match.

• Dani’s personality is defined by her strong-willed, rockabilly brawler attitude, foul language, and twisted humor.

Her innate Bloodlust skill embodies her brutal fighting style and determination to survive in the face of adversity.

• Known for her aggressive playstyle, Dani’s unique skill, Bloodlust, allows her to recover health when rapidly dispatching zombies.
• Despite this advantage, she possesses the lowest Health Recovery in the game.
• To optimize Dani’s gameplay, you should rely on her Bloodlust ability and carry an arsenal of melee weapons to eliminate hordes of zombies and regain health quickly.

Additionally, her second innate skill, Thunderstruck, is quite useful for targeting multiple enemies and is quite consistent and reliable.

• Combining both of her abilities together, you can get out of a sticky situation with her forceful impacts, and when you’re low on health, use Bloodlust to regain enough health to re-enter the fight.

If you want to maximize Dani’s abilities, you can consider using Frenzy weapons, which allow you to perform fast attacks.

• Alternatively, Maiming weapons might also work nicely, as they can dismember zombies with ease.
• O-Kami and Whiskey, which can be attained through the Balland of Rikky Rex side quest, is an example of such a weapon type.

Carla

Stat	Rating
Toughness	4/5
Stamina	3/5
Health Recovery	3/5
Critical Damage	1/5
Agility	2/5
Peak Health	3/5
Resilience	5/5
Innate Skill	Description
Dig Deep	Moderate toughness boost while health is critical.
Mosh Pit	Minor Damage boost when close to multiple zombies.

Carla was a motorcycle stuntwoman before finding herself trapped in Los Angeles, California, during the zombie outbreak. Recognized for her street smarts, extroverted nature, and unshakable physical self-assurance, Carla is a tenacious mechanic unafraid to confront the undead menace plaguing the city.

• Carla is an ideal Slayer for beginners due to her impressive Toughness and resilience, making her difficult for zombies to eliminate, and her crowd control capabilities, which prevent her from being easily overwhelmed.
• In fact, she has the highest resilience in the game, making her amazing against elemental damage.

In the game, Carla’s unique skill, Mosh Pit, grants her a slight damage increase when surrounded by multiple zombies.

• The thing is, you’ll always be around multiple zombies.
• So you can pretty much consider the damage increase as almost a permanent damage increase.

Additionally, her Dig Deep skill offers a moderate toughness enhancement when her health reaches critical levels.

• Usually, these critical levels are below the bottom third of health.
• If you’re just getting started with the game, then there will be a learning curve, and the additional Toughness can certainly help out in those times when your health is low.

Carla’s weapon preferences lean towards heavy weapons with high damage output and slow attack speed, complementing her Mosh Pit skill.

• Heavy weapons enable her to inflict substantial damage on multiple zombies with a single strike, facilitating crowd control.
• The Bulldozer or the Headhunter weapons are a great example of such weapons.
• Specifically, you can opt to use the Brutalizer.

Additionally, Carla can consider using firearms for ranged combat against zombies.

• Shotguns excel in close-quarters combat, while rifles are better suited for long-range engagements.
• The Fenrir’s Howl or the Bodycounter are just a few possible options.
• However, you should be careful when using firearms, as ammunition scarcity can be a concern in the game.

Bruno

Stat	Level
Toughness	2/5
Stamina	3/5
Health Recovery	3/5
Critical Damage	5/5
Agility	4/5
Peak Health	1/5
Resilience	3/5
Innate Skill	Description
Backstab	Moderate damage boost when attacking from behind
Rapid Reprisal	Boost agility and heavy attack charges when avoiding an enemy’s attack via block or dodge

Bruno was previously a street hustler in Los Angeles, California, renowned for orchestrating heists targeting scammers and spammers. Trapped in the quarantine zone during the outbreak, he quickly adapted to his new surroundings, employing his deadly knife-wielding abilities and disarming charm to vanquish the undead.

• Possessing two unique abilities, Backstab and Rapid Reprisal, Bruno is an ideal choice for players who prefer a tactical approach to eliminating zombies.
• Backstab grants Bruno a substantial damage increase when attacking zombies from behind.
• Whereas Rapid Reprisal enhances his agility and heavy attack charge rate after evading an enemy’s attack through blocking or dodging.
• These skills enable players to dispatch zombies efficiently and with minimal risk.

Bruno boasts the highest Critical Damage in the game, making him an excellent option for players seeking to inflict significant damage on zombies. However, Bruno’s low Peak Health necessitates a focus on dodging, blocking, and stealthily attacking zombies from behind.

• Bruno’s gameplay style caters to players who appreciate a strategic combat approach.
• While not a tank character like some other Slayers, Bruno can deliver immense damage with his knife expertise.
• Players selecting Bruno should concentrate on landing powerful strikes while evading enemy attacks, retreating swiftly to avoid damage.

For weaponry, players should opt for knives and other one-handed weapons with high critical hit probabilities and rapid attack speeds.

• Additionally, elemental damage-inflicting weapons can offset Bruno’s weaknesses.
• There are many weapons that fit the described criteria, such as the Shark Tooth (acquired through the Dez and Mother of Satan side quest)
• And also the Special Forces Knife (which can be bought from the Trader in Venice Beach).

Amy

Stats	Rating
Toughness	1/5
Stamina	3/5
Health Recovery	3/5
Critical Damage	4/5
Agility	5/5
Peak Health	2/5
Resilience	3/5
Innate Skills	Effect
Relief Pitcher	Regain stamina by hitting zombies with weapon throws.
Divide & Conquer	Gain a minor damage boost when attacking isolated zombies.

Amy is a Paralympian who became trapped in Los Angeles during the zombie outbreak. Her quick wit, calm demeanor, and love for the thrill of zombie combat make her a formidable adversary. As she views each battle as a puzzle to solve, her mental acuity and adrenaline remain consistently heightened, further enhancing her abilities.

• Amy’s gameplay features two innate abilities exclusive to her character: Relief Pitcher and Divide & Conquer.
• Relief Pitcher replenishes her stamina after damaging an enemy by throwing a weapon
• Whereas Divide & Conquer provides her with a damage increase when attacking an isolated zombie.
• These abilities, coupled with her remarkable Agility, render her a top choice for players who appreciate a swift and tactical playstyle.
• However, where Amy falls short and where almost every other Dead Island 2 Class outshines her is in her innate abilities.
• The two abilities sound nice on paper, but the thing is, throwing weapons is quite ineffective in the game, and you’ll hardly be doing it.

Additionally, her second innate ability is triggered only when you find zombies alone. But the problem is that is rarely the case in Dead Island 2, as the main ideology is to fight against hordes of enemies. That is why many players are better off skipping Amy.

Best Dead Island 2 Classes

Now that we’ve thoroughly discussed every character in detail, it’s time to rank each character and decide which one you should pick. Here is our ranking based on all innate abilities, stats, and playstyles with the explanation entailed below.

Character	Ranking
Dani	1st
Jacob	2nd
Carla	3rd
Ryan	4th
Bruno	5th
Amy	6th

• Amy is at the bottom due to the fact that her innate abilities do not offer much, and although her Agility is the highest in the game, it is a stat that does not offer much.
• Despite having one of the highest damage outputs in the game, Bruno has a very specific playstyle where you have to constantly strafe and try to get behind zombies to make the most of his abilities. That is why he is second last.
• Ryan is quite useful and is quite a tanky character due to his moderately high health and his ability to regain health with his forceful and knockdown-related innate abilities. He is also great for crowd control, but his individual damage to enemies is quite limiting.
• Carla is great for new players due to her ability to have increased Toughness when her health is low. Additionally, her second ability allows her to have an increased damage output most of the time.
• Jacob is perhaps one of the best-designed Dead Island 2 class. He has the most peak health and has a good damage output if you can properly manage his innate abilities. However, he requires quite a bit of skill to make the most use of his innate ability, as keeping up the stacks requires you to be quite aggressive.
• Dani has the second-highest health in the game. And although her limiting factor is her health regen stat, that is mostly overcome by the innate ability that allows her to regain health. Additionally, her second ability is great for dealing with multiple enemies, making her a well-rounded and perhaps the best character in Dead Island 2.

Summary

With that, you know everything about the Dead Island 2 Classes and Characters. There are six different characters that pretty much act as the different classes due to their different stats and playstyle. Choosing the right character is quite important as you’ll be stuck with them throughout your entire playthrough.

While choosing a character, it is important to assess their innate abilities as well as starting attributes. Not only that, but you should consider their voice and mannerisms as well because it can greatly impact the dialogue and how you interact with the world around you in-game.

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