Dead Island ‘Bloodbath Arena’ DLC is set for release next week, on November 22

By Adam Rosenberg November 15, 2011

dead-island-bloodbath-arena — Image used with permission by copyright holder

Techland delivered one of the more impressive sleeper hits of this holiday season in Dead Island. The open-world zombie-mashing RPG adventure plays a lot like you might imagine a bastard child of Borderlands and Dead Rising would: big world, great co-op, deep RPG character and weapon customization, first-person perspective. DLC was promised, but failed to materialize when the dev team shifted its post-launch priorities to squashing some of the game’s lingering bugs. Now that DLC is finally, officially upon us.

The first DLC release for Dead Island is Bloodbath Arena, and it’s coming on November 22. Yes, next week. It’s a survival mode for up to four players, with four different maps to choose from. There will be leaderboards of course, and all experience earned in a Bloodbath mode outing will carry over to your campaign save, which is a nice bonus.

Bloodbath Arena hits Xbox Live, PlayStation Network and PC digital delivery storefronts next Tuesday. It’s a free download for anyone who pre-ordered the special edition version of the game from GameStop. Anyone else will have to cough up some money, to the tune of $9.99 (or 800 MS Points).

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Former Digital Trends Contributor

Previously, Adam worked in the games press as a freelance writer and critic for a range of outlets, including Digital Trends…

Gaming

How to get fuses in Dead Island 2

A group of survivors looking stressed and annoyed.

eThere are going to be tons of things blocking your progress when trying to escape LA in Dead Island 2. Aside from the, you know, hordes of zombies, you will find plenty of gates and doors that need power to open. Most can be worked around by installing a battery or circuit breaker, but some require something else. Fuses aren't required at any point in the main story, but instead are limited keys that hide away some of the game's best loot. If you've been spotting all these gates and garage doors taunting you to open them, but lack the fuses to do so, we'll tell you how you can get your hands on some in Dead Island 2.
Where to get fuses in Dead Island 2

Unlike batteries or circuit breakers, fuses won't be found anywhere on the map while exploring. Instead, the only way to get these electrical devices is to purchase them. Obviously, your local hardware store isn't open for business anymore, so your options are limited to the vendors you come across such as Carlos in Emma's house or Ezekiel on The Pier. No matter who you get them from, you're going to be paying a premium. Each fuse costs $1,500, and the sellers usually only hold a few at a time. Even if they had the stock and you had the cash, your character can only hold three fuses at a time before needing to spend them to get more.

Gaming

How to fast travel in Dead Island 2

Dead Island 2 zombie

In a somewhat curious design choice, Dead Island 2 doesn't feature a fully connected open world. Instead, you go to individual zones that are connected via loading screen as you progress through the game. Early on, this might lead you to think that there's no fast travel function, however, that isn't the case. You don't get the ability to quickly zip between locations for longer than you would in most other games, and it does have restrictions, so here's everything you need to know about fast travel in Dead Island 2.

Gaming

How to complete the Resurrect the Rex quest in Dead Island 2

Dead Island 2 zombie

Despite the world literally and figuratively falling apart around you in Dead Island 2, some (or rather most) of the cast of characters you come across don't seem to take the whole "zombie apocalypse" thing all that seriously. One couple you meet early on in your escapades through the undead-filled streets of LA are particularly nonplussed by the undead horde surrounding their house. This old rock star isn't quite as sharp as he used to be, so when he plans to go pick up some old recordings of his band from a friend's house, what else can you do but step in and offer to do it for him? If you're having trouble finding this washed-up star his old tunes, we'll show you where to look.