Dead Island: Pandemic screens shamble toward closed beta

By Adam Rosenberg February 6, 2014

Deep Silver’s Dead Island series will soon shamble into a reimagined un-life as a MOBA (multiplayer online battle arena) game called Dead Island: Pandemic. The closed beta is about to kick off, and you can sign up on the game’s official website, PlayDIE.net.

Pandemic is a competitive multiplayer game that pits three teams of four against one another in a fight to claim resources, hold strategic capture points, and blast through hordes of zombies. There’s no release date yet for this free-to-play PC title, but the coming launch of the closed beta suggests that it’ll be ready soon. Deep Silver notes that 30,000 players are already involved after the game’s alpha.

The screens above give a good sense of the gameplay, so take a look.

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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.