Ever since Dead Rising came onto the scene, it is almost mandatory for zombie games to include some kind of weapon-crafting system. The first Dead Island had it, and now Dead Island 2 does as well. This system lets you turn any ordinary bat or blade into an electrified powerhouse, flaming flurry, and much more. Aside from needing the materials to actually construct these mods on your weapon of choice, you also need to find their respective blueprint in order to craft it. Considering there are more 30 mods — and even more perks — in Dead Island 2, we don’t expect you to go find them all and figure out which ones are best. You’ve got too many zombies to kill for that, so we’ve done the homework and listed all the best weapon mods and perks in Dead Island 2, plus where you can get them if you haven’t found them yet.
Best weapon mods
Superior Melee Liquidator Mod
Any mod that applies the Liquidator effect to your weapon means it will start inflicting Caustic damage. While every element is useful, Caustic in particular is the top choice because there are very few zombies that are immune to this damage type. Because status effects build up based on continuous hits, this mod works best when attached to a weapon with a high rate of attack like a dagger or brass knuckles.
It is given as a reward for completing the “Fool’s Gold” Lost and Found quest, which is also how you can get the Blood Rage Legendary dagger.
Superior Melee Electrocutor Mod
As far as a more traditional elemental mod, we favor the Electrocutor mods above the others. Shocking a zombie in normal circumstances is already great for two reasons; it stuns them, and it can arc over to other zombies nearby. Things only get better when there’s water nearby, which is more often than you might think. Just make sure you’re not the one who’s wet when the sparks start flying.
You can get this mod by completing the “Dez and the Mother of Satan” sidequest in Venice Beach.
Superior Ranged Punctuator Mod
Bleed isn’t the most flashy or exciting status, but it works on just about every enemy you’ll face and ticks down their health just as effectively as anything else. This time we’re highlighting the ranged version of this mod because it also comes with a damage boost that works wonders with an automatic weapon.
This is a trickier mod to get. It is found in the Theater Box Office Safe in the Hollywood Boulevard area, but getting the key to it is where things get problematic. The key is held by a zombie named Nick, but where and when he spawns is completely random within this hub.
Superior Melee Mutilator Mod
Alongside a nice little damage buff, the Mutilator mod also comes with the bonus of Weakening enemies. Despite the name, this doesn’t mean zombies take (or deal) less damage; rather it means that every hit you land restores stamina. If you’re fond of using those big, charged attacks, this mod will keep you swinging.
Just like the previous mod, the Superior Melee Mutilator Mod is locked in a safe. This one is in the Serling Reception Safe in the hotel. The key is held by another random zombie somewhere in the Lotusville Mall.
Best weapon perks
Leech
You might be confused as to why there is both a Leech and Vampire perk in Dead Island 2, but we’ll explain the difference for you. Leech is no doubt the better option and likely does what you assume both would do — every time you damage a zombie gives you a chance to restore some health. Over the course of the game, this will save you tons of medkits, if not respawns, by offering you a renewable way to regain health.
This is an easy perk to get, too, since you will probably unlock it without even trying. To get it, you need to complete the Leechblade Challenge, which asks that you just kill 100 zombies with melee weapons.
Vampire
So, if Leech restores health on hit, then what does Vampire do? Well, it restores health on each zombie killed. Obviously, that’s not quite as good, but still is a great way to conserve health and med packs. Plus, you can slap both perks on a weapon and stack the benefits!
The Vampire perk is tied to the Vampire Challenge. You can’t even begin this challenge until you have reached Venice Beach and get the ability to collect zombie parts. Once you can, collect 200 of them to get the perk.
Static Charge
This is a more specialized perk since you can only put it on a weapon with an Electrocutor Mod, such as the one we listed above. By adding this perk to the mix, you get a major boost to how much electricity you inflict with each hit — and it makes zombies that are hit enough times shoot out electric shocks.
All you need to do is inflict 50 zombies with the Electrified status to get this perk.
Ferocious
Once you unlock Fury mode, you will likely use it every time a special infected shows up that you don’t want to deal with. The best part is that every attack you land in Fury restores some health, so getting back into Fury mode is always the best option. This perk increases the amount of Fury you build up with each zombie killed so you can unleash your rage more often.
This last perk is tied to completing a sidequest. The one in question is called “Lending a Hand” and is found on the Ocean Avenue map.
