There are numerous RPG trappings in Dead Island 2, the most consequential of which is your character’s level, as everything else scales off this. On this page we’ll discuss level scaling in Dead Island 2, and how it affects the strength of zombies, the potency of weapons you find and the amount of money you earn.

Leveling Up in Dead Island 2¶

As you defeat zombies and complete quests, you’ll earn XP. Gain enough XP, you’ll level up, increasing your Health and perhaps giving you new Skill Cards and Skill slots. The amount of Health gains you’ll make varies by character, but generally, the more you level up, the stronger you’ll be… in a vacuum. Unfortunately, the zombies in Dead Island notice when you level up, and think it’s a rather fine idea and follow suit.

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Enemies tend to scale to your level, but you can encounter higher-level enemies.

How Enemy Scaling Works in Dead Island 2¶

Zombies more or less scale to your own level in Dead Island 2, with some exceptions. Generally the stronger your character is, the stronger the zombies you’ll be fighting are, ultimately leading to a feeling of stasis, with the floor for enemy levels being one less than the player’s level. The ceiling, however, is much more variable, and isn’t restricted by the player’s level. Enemies that are a higher level than you will have a red blood splash effect behind their level, assuming said enemy’s level is only one or two levels higher than the player’s. If the zombie’s is three or more levels higher than the player, their level number will be replaced by a red skull, indicating that this is a DEADLY zombie. The level of these Deadly Zombies can be three levels higher than your own, or thirty - there’s no way of knowing… although you might get a rough ballpark of the power difference when you hit them, or worse, they hit you.

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Weapons also scale to your level, and as your level increases, the odds of getting rarer weapons also rises.

How Weapon Scaling Works in Dead Island 2¶

In addition to zombies leveling with you, so do the weapons you’ll find. Higher level weapons will have higher stats, even if it’s the same type and rarity of item. You’ll also start finding rarer weapons as you progress through the game, giving you a much-needed edge over your enemies. On the downside, rarer and higher level weapons cost more money to upgrade or repair, but the amount of money you’ll find also increases based on your character level (rarer and higher level weapons also sell for more).