You’ll most often face the following zombie types in Dead Island 2. They will appear out of the woodwork and will not hesitate to take the first swing.
This guide will tell you what you’ll be going up against in Dead Island and a few combat tips that’ll give you an early edge. There are 20 common types of zombies to look out for. And each will require a different touch to defeat effectively. But the best combat strategy can fall apart during moment-to-moment fights.
The following bits of information are unlocked after killing a specific amount of zombies. You don’t need to deliver the final blow for it to count but you need to be in the vicinity for it to count.
From this point onward, consider yourself in spoiler territory. You've got the gist of it, and now will be going into more detail.
All Dead Island 2 Common Zombie Types
Shamblers
Unlockable Zombie Intel:
- First Blood – Shamblers are frails, rotting, and slow. They’re found just about anywhere.
- Under the Skin – Shamblers are weak to BLUNT and EXPLOSIVE damage but resist BLEED damage because they lack blood.
- Sliced to the Bone – Shambler bones are so brittle that sometimes the force of their own attack will cause their limbs to break off.
- Deep in the Guts – Shamblers are pathetic shells of their former selves, but in large numbers, even ankle-biters can be fairly dangerous.
Potential Parts:
- Infected flesh
- Wire
- Scrap
- Fabric
Walkers
Unlockable Zombie Intel:
- First Blood – Walkers hunger for your juicy flesh and infect everyone they bite or scratch. A pack can chew you to the base in seconds.
- Under the Skin – Walkers have no resistances or weaknesses to any weapons and can be butchered easily in one-on-one combat.
- Slicked to the Bone – MAIM its limbs! Maiming its arms weakens its attacks. Maiming its legs turns it into a CRAWLER.
- Deep in the Guts – When Walkers gather to feast on corpses, it’s the perfect opportunity to cull them all with one big blast or in a Molotov fireball!
Potential Parts:
- Infected flesh
- Fabric
- Scrap
- Adhesive
- Fasteners
Runners
Unlockable Zombie Intel:
- First Blood – Runners are attracted by loud noises such as gunfire, explosions, and alarms. Their speed allows them to cover ground fast.
- Under the Skin – Runners have a PUSH attack that doesn’t do much damage, but it will knock you backward and interrupt any special move you were making.
- Sliced to the Bone – Runners are WEAK to SHARP and BLEED damage, and their legs are WEAK to MAIMING. Cut ’em off at the knees!
- Deep in the Guts – Runners are wired for agility and lightning-quick reactions, allowing them to DODGE heavy attacks.
Potential Parts:
- Infected blood
- Fabric
- Scrap
- Fasteners
- Wire
Burning Walkers
Unlockable Zombie Intel:
- First Blood – Burning Walkers are horrific human pyres. The autophage in them feeds the flames via unknown metabolic processes that protect the Walker itself.
- Under the Skin – The Burning Walker is IMMUNE TO FIRE damage and will IGNITE anything FLAMMABLE that it touches.
- Sliced to the Bone – The flaming claws and jaws of Burning Walkers will burn you. Enough damage from a Burning Walker will IGNITE you!
- Deep in the Guts – WATER or CHEM BOMBS will put out a Burning Walker’s flames, preventing them from igniting flammable and removing FIRE damage from their attacks.
Potential Parts:
- Infected flesh
- Chemicals
- Aerosol
Burning Runners
Unlockable Zombie Intel:
- First Blood – Burning Runners are alight with boundless energy. While burning, they will IGNITE any FLAMMABLE they come into contact with.
- Under the Skin – Burning Runners are IMMUNE to FIRE damage but WEAK to SHARP and BLEED damage.
- Sliced to the Bone – WATER and CHEM BOMBS will extinguish its raging flames, preventing it from IGNITING you!
- Deep in the Guts – Like all Runners, its legs are WEAK to all damage and easy to MAIM. Just be careful that Burning Crawler doesn’t IGNITE your ass! Or ankles.
Potential Parts:
- Infected blood
- Chemicals
- Aerosol
Shocking Walkers
Unlockable Zombie Intel:
- First Blood – The Shocking Walker was exposed to electromagnetic fields as the Autophage re-engineered it on a cellular level. Mutations build super capacitance of incredible potential!
- Under the Skin – They are IMMUNE to SHOCK damage, but other zombies near them might not be. To discharge a huge SHOCK, just add WATER!
- Sliced to the Bone – The highly charged nature of Shocking Walkers constantly subjects the gadgets on their toolbelts to high voltage, until they inevitably overload in SHOCKING explosions.
Potential Parts:
- Infected flesh
- Wire
- Metal Parts
- Electronics
Shocking Runners
Unlockable Zombie Intel:
- First Blood – The Shocking Runner has been enhanced for combat: fast, aggressive, hyper-aware, and generating megavolts of SHOCK potential!
- Under the Skin – Shocking Runners are IMMUNE to SHOCK but WEAK to SHARP and BLEED damage.
- Sliced to the Bone – Nothing spoils a Shocker’s day more than a big puddle of WATER! Watch it dance the Electro-spasm Fandango in a silent disco of its own making.
Potential Parts:
- Infected blood
- Wire
- Metal Parts
- Electronics
Spiky Walkers
Unlockable Zombie Intel:
- First Blood – This Walker has covered itself with sharp objects like broken glass and razor wire, making it extremely dangerous in close combat.
- Under the Skin – Spiky Walkers are WEAK to EXPLOSION damage, so try to use nearby hazards or explosives to take them down.
- Sliced to the Bone – KICKING or SLIDING into these zombies will make you BLEED! No touchy!
- Deep in the Guts – MAIM Spiky Walkers’ limbs to reduce the threat they pose and slow them down.
Potential Parts:
- Infected flesh
- Metal parts
- Blades
Spiky Runners
Unlockable Zombie Intel:
- First Blood – Spiky Runners are covered with sharp shards of glass or coiled razor wire, and their speed makes them deadly in combat.
- Under the Skin – Spiky Runners are WEAK to EXPLOSION damage. Time to get your detonatin’ on!
- Sliced to the Bone – Spiky Runners are exceptionally dangerous in MELEE combat. Kicking or sliding into them will cause you to BLEED.
- Deep in the Guts – The threat from any Runner is its ability to close distance quickly, to dodge and leap! MAIM its legs to shut that shit down!
Potential Parts:
- Infected blood
- Metal parts
- Blades
Riot Gear Walkers
Unlockable Zombie Intel:
- First Blood – Riot gear give IMMUNITY to MELEE and PROJECTILE attacks until your attacks knock the armor pieces off.
- Under the Skin – Riot gear protects zombies from FIRE, SHOCK, and CAUSTIC attacks.
- Slicked to the Bone – Attack unprotected parts of Riot Gear Walkers with enhanced weapons to have fun with fire, shock, and other HARMFULL STATUS EFFECTS!
- Deep in the Guts – Riot Gear Walkers wearing helmets can’t grapple and bite you, so avoid knocking those off if you don’t want to keep them muzzled.
Potential Parts:
- Infected flesh
- Synthetic fibers
- Alloy
- Fasteners
- Gunpowder
Insect Swarm Walkers
Unlockable Zombie Intel:
- Not the Bees – The Swarm Walker has a symbiotic hive of insects nestled in its abdomen, which attack and attempt to infect victims just as their host-zombie would.
- What’s the Buzz? – When a swarm gets close it will DRAIN your STAMINA. Using WATER or MED KIT will drive the swarm away.
- Waggle Dance – Swarm Walkers are WEAK to FIRE, SHOCK, and CAUSTIC DAMAGE. Killing one will dispense its swarm.
Potential Parts:
- Infected flesh
- Insect Larvae
- Aerosol
- Chemicals
- Fabric
Caustic-X Walkers
Unlockable Zombie Intel:
- First Blood – Once part of the CDC’s pandemic strategy, these Walkers wear hazmat suits and carry a pressurized tank of CAUSTIC-X to help dispose of infected corpses.
- Under the Skin – Like all other CDC zombies, Caustic-X Walkers are IMMUNE to CAUSTIC damage thanks to their hazmat suits.
- Sliced to the Bone – Damaging the tank on this zombie’s back will cause it to leak Caustic-X, which can start MELTING other zombies around it.
Potential Parts:
- Infected flesh
- Synthetic fibers
- Chemicals
- Aerosol
Hydration Walkers
Unlockable Zombie Intel:
- First Blood – The Hydration Walker has a pressurized hydration pack of sparkling mineral water strapped to its back. The water is no longer for sale.
- Under the Skin – Damaging the hydration pack on this Walker’s back will make it EXPLODE, showering water all around.
- Sliced to the Bone – You can exploit a Hydration Walker to put out nearby fires or extinguish zombies that have fire attacks.
Potential Parts:
- Infected flesh
- Adhesive
- Chemicals
- Electronics
Incendiary Walkers
Unlockable Zombie Intel:
- First Blood: This Walker carries a high-pressure fuel tank on its back that is filled with gasoline.
- Under the Skin: Shooting the fuel tank once will cause gasoline to spray around the walker, making affected zombies FLAMMABLE.
- Sliced to the Bone: Major damage to the fuel tank on the back of this Walker will cause it to EXPLODE, igniting all zombies within the blast area.
- Deep in the Guts: Use Incendiary Walkers against other zombies– after all, they’re basically huge, walking Molotovs!
Potential Parts:
- Infected flesh
- Chemicals
- Aerosol
- Gunpowder
Grenadier Walkers
Unlockable Zombie Intel:
- First Blood – The Grenadier Walker wears a vest loaded with grenades, which is likely to explode if damaged.
- Under the Skin – Focus your damage on its limbs and head when in close combat, to avoid detonating its grenade vest.
- Sliced to the Bone – Damaging a grenade vest could knock a pin loose and trigger a grenade’s fuse, which will give you only seconds before the whole thing detonates!
- Deep in the Guts – Use a JUMP KICK to launch Grenadiers at other zombies once their fuses are counting down to detonation!
Potential Parts:
- Infected flesh
- Fasteners
- Gunpowder
- Metal Parts
Hazmat Runners
Unlockable Zombie Intel:
- First Blood – Hazmat Runners are recently infected members of the medical teams who were studying the zombie virus.
- Under the Skin – Hazmat Runners are IMMUNE to CAUSTIC damage and can run through puddles of Caustic-X with ease.
- Sliced to the Bone – Hazmat Runners can be found in medical areas, CDC camps, and any locations used for corpse processing.
Potential Parts:
- Infected flesh
- Synthetic fibers
- Chemicals
- Blades
Hazmat Walkers
Unlockable Zombie Intel:
- First Blood – Hazmat Walkers wear PPE that makes them IMMUNE to CAUSTIC damage.
- Under the Skin – As with all Walkers, MAIMING its limbs is a smart move. PPE won’t protect it from cold steel!
- Sliced to the Bone – Watch out for Hazmat Walkers near disposal pits, medical centers, and field labs.
- Deep in the Guts – Hazamat Walkers are only IMMUNE to CAUSTIC damage; they’ll still get torn up by SHOCK and FIRE.
Potential Parts:
- Infected flesh
- Synthetic fibers
- Chemicals
- Blades
Firefighter Runners
Unlockable Zombie Intel:
- First Blood – Firefighter Runners are fast, aggressive, and IMMUNE to FIRE, SHOCK, and SHOCK damage.
- Under the Sun – The relatively fresh bodies of Firefighter Runners are WEAK to SHARP weapons, and to BLEED damage.
- Sliced to the Bone – Their legs are amped up for speed, but weak to MAIMING. Attack their legs to drop ’em, then finish them off!
Potential Parts:
- Infected blood
- Synthetic fibers
- Blades
Firefighter Walkers
Unlockable Zombie Intel:
- First Blood – These are the brave members of LA’s beloved fire service no more — don’t hesitate, because now they are the cold-blooded undead!
- Under the Skin – Fighter Walkers wear a protective suit that makes them IMMUNE to FIRE, SHOCK, and CAUSTIC damage.
- Sliced to the Bone – Because of their protective suits. Firefighter Walkers can be a real threat if all you have are heavily modded weapons.
- Deep in the Guts – Firefighter Walkers are an excellent source of SYNTHETIC FIBERS for use in FABRICATION.
Potential Parts:
- Infected flesh
- Synthetic fibers
- Blades
EAT Couriers
Unlockable Zombie Intel:
- First Blood – EAT Couriers carry a bag filled with PROTEIN BARS and ENERGY DRINKS.
- Under the Skin – EAT Couriers are vulnerable to SHARP damage. MAIM their legs to stop them in their tracks.
Potential Parts:
- Infected blood
- Protein bars
- Energy drinks
And that’s all we have right now on the common zombie types in Dead Island 2 and how to counter them. Hopefully, this information was of some use to you, and good luck out there, Survivor.
Dead Island 2 is available now on PS5, PS4, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, and PC.