Dead Island: Definitive Edition Survival Tips

When Dead Island released five years ago, it changed the way we look at survival horror games – with a first-person perspective and a focus on real-time combat. Now, the game has returned with a new Definitive Edition for Xbox One and PlayStation 4, and we’ve got some survival tips that will help you get off the island – maybe – in one piece.

Keeping Your Stamina and Health At Bay

The first thing you’ll want to learn as a survival tip in Dead Island is managing your stamina. With each prolonged move you make in the game, it’ll take a hit. Swing a fist, it goes down. Knock an enemy down with a kick, it dwindles. Go running and you’ll see it eventually chip away.

The best course of action when it comes to managing your stamina in Dead Island: Definitive Edition is to time your attacks and avoid running unless absolutely needed. For instance, if you’re taking on a group of zombies, keep your distance, then move in and strike a couple of times, then move back out until your stamina rebuilds. If you deplete it, you run the risk of not having enough energy to fight back, and you could be overwhelmed as a result. Likewise, if you’re running too long, you’ll eventually run out of breath and have to slow down – and if you’ve got pursuers, that could be a problem. Keep a close eye on this bar and use your stamina wisely.

Likewise, health can be a pain to manage as well, especially if you’re attacked often by zombies. Soda and health bars can help you replenish some of this lost energy, so use it whenever you can. Another thing – if you just want the energy boost, or are in the middle of a fight, wait until you take the first swig of the soda or bite of the energy bar, then hit the kick button. You’ll get the boost and get right back into fighting, without the unnecessary animation.

For the most part, it’s best to try and avoid running into every zombie scenario in Dead Island: Definitive Edition. Sure, some you won’t be able to get through without a fight, so you’ll want to save your strength and health for those. Otherwise, if zombies are out in the distance, just leave them be and go about your way. You’ll live a little longer, and be prepared for the next group of nasties ahead of you.

Knowing Your Weapons and Other Strengths

You could fight zombies with fists in Dead Island: Definitive Edition, but it’s best to have a weapon in your hands. Usually, you can find these scattered throughout the island, from boat oars to planks that you can swing away with. However, you don’t want to waste your wings – you want to time them so that you can swiftly knock an enemy into the ground with one or two well-timed swings, instead of just chipping away and doing enough damage to your weapon so that it’ll break apart.

The best thing to do is manage your swing distance. Know the length of your weapon and then distance yourself enough so that you’ll make the most contact with the end of said weapon. For instance, if you have a knife, get a little closer so the blade digs into them; and if you have a plank, step back a bit and swing away, George. Remember to time your attacks – if you deliver too many hits that don’t bring enemies down, your weapon will eventually wear out, and you’ll need to find a new one.

For that matter, upgrading and repairing some weapons can make a difference, but only for the ones that are most worthwhile. For instance, metal weapons are much more long-lasting than wood ones in Dead Island: Definitive Edition, so you can use whatever funds you earn and upgrade them. You can always sell them down the road once you acquire new ones, and still have something on hand that will give the zombies the business. In addition, make sure to have a few weapons on hand at your base camps as well, in case you end up going back or need to respawn.

Don’t forget to use items in the environment to your advantage. If there’s a huge bonfire nearby, save your weapon and just kick zombies into the fire. They’ll eventually burn out, even though they probably don’t smell the greatest. Near a railing? Kick a zombie with enough force and watch them go tumbling over the railing. You don’t always need to knock their heads off – sometimes there are better ways for them to go.

Finally, if you see a vehicle in Dead Island: Definitive Edition, don’t hesitate to jump in. These will enable you to get to objective points a lot faster (when there are roads to travel on, that is), and you can rack up quite a bit of kills by running over zombies with one of these. Cars don’t take nearly as much damage as your weapons do, so go ahead and mow several of them down. You won’t earn XP from the kills, but you’ll definitely clean house on the undead foolish enough to stand in your way. Plus, it’s just satisfying watching them succumb to the sheer force of your car.

We hope these Dead Island: Definitive Edition survival tips help you along, but there’s more where that came from, including this awesome Dead Island trailer and these Escape Dead Island beginner’s tips.