Dead Island 2 brings the series a new landscape and unique characters in a mayhem-filled zombie-hunting adventure. While Sam B does return as a side character, players now have six new Slayers to choose from to start their playthrough. Each Slayer has a standard build that highlights their strengths and weaknesses.
Players may wonder how much of a difference each Slayer makes to the gameplay or which is the strongest in Dead Island 2. However, they all thrive differently, even if some are better for certain situations. So here's a tier list for those stuck on which Slayer to choose in Dead Island 2.
Dead Island 2 Slayer Tier List
The main differences between the Slayers in Dead Island 2 are their attributes, play style, and particular abilities they start with and can pick up through the missions. While none are intrinsically bad, certain Slayers are more versatile and better suited for challenging missions and side quests.
S-Tier
Ryan (The Tower): Ryan is what most would consider a tank as far as his stat distributing goes in Dead Island 2. His Toughness is maxed out and is paired with decent Stamina, Health Recovery, and Resilience, so he isn't going down easy. However, Ryan's main weakness is his Agility, so be prepared to eat some hits when he is slow on the draw.
A low speed is a good trade-off for his offensive abilities. He uses pure brute force when he lays his attacks, and his jump kicks, in particular, will send Zombies flying. His two Innate Skills are Retaliation and Seesaw. Retaliation means he gets a moderate Force boost when using Block or Dodge successfully. On the other hand, Seesaw grants him Health when he knocks Zombies down. Because of his bulky qualities and strength, Ryan is great for solo playthroughs in Dead Island 2.
A-Tier
Dani (Wheel of Fortune): Dani is excellent in hand-to-hand combat against groups of Zombies. Her Stamina is highlighted as her best attribute, but she isn't lacking in Peak Health or Toughness. This means Dani can tear through Zombies without running out of steam for an extended time. However, this comes at the cost of very slow health regeneration, so while she fights hard, she has a longer recovery period without Med Packs and recovery Skill Cards.
Due to her stats, Dani's Heavy Attacks are her go-to, and her Skill Card Thunderstruck makes them even more devastating for Zombies. Thunderstruck triggers an explosion when a Heavy Attack lands. This goes well with her second Innate Skill Bloodlust, which regains her Health when she kills Zombies in succession. Dani works great in solo or co-op gameplay, although having a teammate does help account for her for Health Recovery.
Jacob (The Emperor): Jacob is featured as the unofficial face of Dead Island 2, and his abilities as a Slayer may have something to do with that, aside from his iconic design. For the most part, his attributes leave him more balanced defensively. Unfortunately, he has low Resilience, but there are Skill Cards that can help avoid Status Damage. He's a solid "starter" character for players to push through the story easily.
Jacob's Innate Skills are where his strengths really shine, and he is one of the most offensive-leaning Slayers in Dead Island 2. For example, Feral gives him a stackable Damage boost when attacking in quick succession. This is triggered quite often in Zombie Hot Spots. His second Skill, Critical Gains, gains boosts his Stamina recovery and gives him higher Critical Damage when Stamina is running low.
Carla (The Lovers): Carla is second only to Ryan regarding Toughness, but her best attribute is her maxed Resilience. She can hang with even the worst Status affected Zombies and isn't afraid to get up close and personal with them. Carla works similarly to a wall due to her high defensive stats, but her Critical Damage is her lowest, so she depends on Skill Cards to boost her attacks.
Mosh Pit is one of her Innate Skills that activates when she is in the middle of multiple zombies and grants her a moderate Damage boost. Getting surrounded actually works in her favor. Her other Skill Dig Deep also comes in handy in those situations by increasing her Toughness when her Health is low. So, overall Carla can soak up quite a bit of damage before falling.
B-Tier
Amy (Strength): Despite her low Toughness, Amy is a confident and chill Slayer in Dead Island 2. Her greatest strength is her Agility which means she can easily escape from tricky situations when overwhelmed. When Amy is backed into a corner and can't run, using a Frenzy weapon is a solid solution against large Zombie hordes.
Amy also has high Critical Damage, so her attacks hit hard when they land. Nevertheless, Dead Island 2 players are better off using her from a distance with melee throws and ranged weapons in her arsenal of attacks. Amy's Innate Skill Relief Pitcher gives her Stamina when she lands a hit on a Zombie from far off. Her other one, Divide and Conquer, means she gets a boost when attacking isolated Zombies. She puts in solid work on co-op teams as a sniper or lookout.
Bruno (The Hermit): Bruno, like Amy, is known for his speed and ability to land lots of Critical Damage. However, he is incredibly vulnerable to attacks with the lowest Peak Health out of all the Slayers. So, it's best to be quick, silent, and efficient when playing with Bruno and avoid using loud weapons such as firearms and explosions that attract angry masses his way.
Stealth missions are Bruno's forte in Dead Island 2 because of his Innate Skill Backstab. As the name implies, Backstab boosts his damage when attacking Zombies from behind. For those who want to play to his strengths, Rapid Reprisal charges up his Heavy Attacks and Agility when he Dodges or Blocks direct hits. So, his Critical Damage can be used more often, and he is more likely to avoid taking damage.
Dead Island 2 is now available for PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.