Dead Island 2 features six different characters, named Slayers, to choose from. After a brief introduction at the beginning of the game, you will be asked to select one of them who will accompany you throughout your adventure. Each has unique skills and statistics, so pick carefully! You won’t be able to change them during the story, and you will have to stick to your selection until the end.
You can always start a new run with a different Slayer, as the game gives you six different save slots, one for each character. If you are still deciding which one to pick first, check our guide for more details on them.
Dani
Dani has the lowest Health Recovery rate among the six Slayers, meaning you’ll need to wait a bit more to see your HP bar increase again after you get hit by zombies. However, her Bloodlust Innate Skill somehow compensates for this because Dani will regain health if you slay multiple enemies quickly with her. She also has a good level of Peak Health, which determines your maximum health, and her stamina levels are pretty high. In other words, you can land quite a few heavy attacks and special moves with her before needing to rest.
Jacob
Jacob is the most balanced Slayer and a perfect pick for players looking for a straightforward path. He has excellent Peak Health levels, meaning his maximum health is pretty high, and he also has good Stamina attributes. On the other hand, his Resilience is the lowest among all the characters, so he’s more vulnerable to particular types of damage and status effects. Thanks to his Critical Gains Innate Skill, Jacob’s Critical Hits get a moderate Critical Damage boost when his Stamina levels are low, and he also regains some Stamina.
Ryan
Ryan might not seem the best Slayer to choose based on his terrified expression on the character selection screen, but he has some good aces up his sleeve. His Toughness levels are high, so he takes lower physical damage from enemy attacks than the other characters. His Resilience is also good, so he benefits from good protection against certain types of attacks and status effects. His Agility levels, however, are low. This attribute determines the base movement speed for the Slayer, so you will be pretty slow with him, and hordes of zombies can quickly surround you. His Seesaw Innate Skill, however, lets him regain health every time he knocks an enemy down.
Bruno
Bruno is a good choice for players looking for a stealthier approach. His Backstab Innate Skill, in fact, grants him a moderate damage boost when he hits enemies from behind. His Critical Damage levels are the highest among the six playable characters, and he also has good Agility attributes. His Peak Health, however, is low. Therefore, you need to rely on environmental kills and master the dodging (or blocking) techniques if you don’t want to die often with him.
Carla
Carla isn’t the best pick if you want to rely on critical hits to slay zombies, as her Critical Damage levels are the lowest among the Slayers in Dead Island 2. However, she has excellent Resilience attributes, meaning she has high protection against specific types of attacks and negative status effects. Her Toughness levels are also high, so she will take less physical damage from zombies. Thanks to the Dig Deep Innate Skill, she gets a moderate Toughness boost every time her health bar reaches critical levels.
Amy
Amy has the highest Agility levels among the Slayers, so you should definitively pick her if you like to run fast and quickly explore your surroundings. This also comes in handy against bigger hordes of zombies because you will have more chances to find a high spot and take control of the action before being attacked by enemies. In addition, she has good Critical Damage levels, but she lacks Toughness. If a zombie hits her, she will take quite a lot of physical damage. Her Relief Pitcher Innate Skill allows her to regain Stamina when she hits an enemy by throwing a weapon at them.
Which Slayer should you choose in Dead Island 2?
Each Slayer has their own skills, attributes, and characteristics, so our analysis should help the undecided pick the best one based on their preferences. Players looking for a more balanced experience should choose Jacob or Dani; the remaining characters are built on more specific traits but not for this less enjoyable.
New skills will also be unlocked during the game, further enhancing the whole experience. Remember that you can always start a new run with another Slayer, to test their abilities and slay zombies in more different ways. And you can also check our beginner’s tips if you need more help with Dead Island 2.
