Dead Island 2: Best Weapon Mods & Perks

Dead Island 2 brought back the beloved weapon customization from the first game, however, not in the same old-ordinary fashion. They've included a list of new elements, such as weapon perks and a tier system to rank them. In total, there are 36 mods and 43 perks, all of which can be purchased from the weapon benches scattered throughout the game. But with so many to choose from, how can you decide which mods and perks are the best for your weapon? Well, that's where we come in.

To refresh your memory, mods add cool new characteristics to your weapon, often boosting their damage as a result. Perks, on the other hand, are a type of passive upgrade that increases stats or gives the weapon a new skill. Now that we're all caught up on the basics, let's take a look at the best weapon mods and perks to help fuel your zombie-slaying rampage in Dead Island 2.

8. Leech Perk

Leech is one of the best Dead Island 2 perks because it keeps you in the fight longer. Essentially, with the Leech perk, any damage you deal to zombies will restore some of your health. This is especially useful when you're low on medkits and surrounded by zombies. Plus, you never know, it could save your life. As a result, Leech is a must-have perk that should be equipped on every melee weapon. Trust us, it will save you more time than you can count, and you'll be able to conserve your medkits for emergencies.

7. Electrocuter Mod

Dead Island 2 brought back the beloved elemental mods, which not only look cool and are very fun to use but are also extremely powerful in the appropriate environment. For example, this upgrade works well with the many swimming pools scattered across the map. If you shock a zombie in water, the electrical current will spread throughout the water, frying all undead who come into contact with it.

While other mods may inflict higher damage, this mod can kill large groups of zombies considerably faster when near water. Because of the large swarms of zombies in Dead Island 2, the best mods and perks for weapons are required to kill them efficiently, and the Electrocutor mod ticks that box.

6. Static Charge Perk

The best mods and perks in Dead Island 2 work together to build ridiculously strong weapons. The Static Charge perk and the Electrocutor mod work together to create an absolute killing machine. Essentially, this perk allows electricity to spread to foes regardless of their surroundings, even if there is no water around. However, it's only available for melee weapons that already have the Electrocutor mod applied. So, if you're using the Electrocutor upgrade on melee weapons, best double down with the Static Charge perk.

5. Liquidator Mod

Liquidators are a powerful weapon upgrade that deals poison damage to enemies. Known as caustic damage, and it is extremely corrosive. This weapon mod is extremely efficient against most zombie types in the game as they are highly susceptible to caustic damage. What's more, while many of the best mods and perks are one-offs, this upgrade has a bonus effect when hitting a zombie repetitively causing it to melt from the acidity. We would recommend using this upgrade on a fast-swinging melee weapon to activate the melting effect faster since it’s based on total hits, not damage.

4. Ferocious Perk

With the number of zombies and the difficulty of some, Dead Island 2 can be extremely chaotic at times. Ferocious is a perk that can help with the chaos. Working off filling a “Fury Meter”, you charge up the meter by attacking and killing zombies. Once full, you will activate Fury Mode, putting you into a Rambo-like rampage in which you regain tons of health and take minimal damage while dealing much more damage for a short period of time. As a result, it's pretty clear why Ferocious is one of the best mods and perks in Dead Island 2.

3. Cremator Mod

Who doesn't enjoy setting zombies on fire? The Cremator mod allows you to use melee weapons or bullets to ignite the undead. Like other elemental mods in its class, Cremator benefits from the environment. For example, you can ignite groups of the undead when they pass by a conveniently placed jerry can or oil spill. While many upgrades and perks work better with melee weapons, this upgrade is ideal for guns because it takes several hits for your target to ignite. Once completely ignited, watch one of the best mods and perks in the game fry your enemies.

2. Slaughter Perk

Many of the best mods and perks are unlocked later in the game. This can be frustrating at times, but fortunately, Slaughter is one of the first perks you unlock. While other upgrades are better, Slaughter dominates in the early game. In essence, it grants the ability to deal more limb damage to zombies and slow the loss of weapon durability. This perk will make you feel like a surgeon as the increased damage allows you to surgically chop through the undead's limbs. Furthermore, it's critical in the early game for keeping your melee weapons longer.

1. Damaging Mod

Although many of the best mods and perks in Dead Island 2 provide a unique aesthetic and effect, all this weapon upgrade does is boost the damage of each weapon. While this is pretty simple in comparison to the other mods in the game, it knows its job and does it well.

This upgrade, which deals more damage than many of the other mods, works best on guns rather than melee weapons. That's because being able to shock and poison zombies up close is more effective for taking out large numbers of zombies. Guns are scarce and should only be used against tougher enemies from a distance. This mod boosts the already high damage to a new level, making it ideal for guns.

So, what's your take? Do you agree with our picks? Are there other mods and perks you think are best in Dead Island 2? Let us know in the comments below or over on our socials here!