Tier List

Dead Island 2 tier list ranking S, A, and B tier weapons like the Katana, Machete, and Military Axe. Find the best weapons for your build.

S Tier Weapons

• The best of the best, these weapons do what you need them to do better than any others. As long as they’re of sufficient rarity, you should upgrade them and keep them leveled.
• Katana: Arguably the best weapon type in the game, the katana has a lot going for it - fast attack speed, decent damage, 1.4x Critical Multiplier and 1.4x Limb Damage and the Maiming profile. Aim for your enemy’s legs and watch the limbs go flying. Any enemy not killed outright will end up prone. The only downside is its low Force stat, which is somewhat disappointing against bosses, although the katana’s raw damage helps smooth that potential shortcoming over quite nicely.

A Tier Weapons

• While not quite as good as the best weapons, they’re still excellent tools for slaughtering zombies. Unless you’re absolutely spoiled for the absolute best weapons, you’ll want to keep some of these handy, even if you just use them to put down fodder and switch to your better weapons when apex variants show up.
• Cleaver, Machete, Tactical Sword and Zombie Sword: The workhorse Maiming profile weapons in Dead Island 2. These weapons may not be as fast as the katana and their Critical Multiplier and Limb Damage stats aren’t as good, but they tend to be more durable and more readily available, both of which are greatly appreciated in the early-game. Their attack range and radius is fairly generous.

B Tier Weapons

• Suboptimal in some way compared to higher tier weapons, these are worth keeping around until you find something better. If you really enjoy their playstyle, however, they’re fine substitutes for higher tier weapons, so long as you’re aware of their limitations.
• Military Axe and Zombie Axe: Serviceable enough weapons, these two axes are similar to the machete in their range, damage output (including their Critical Multiplier and Limb Damage), and Force. They just swing considerably slower. They’re serviceable enough, but as long as you peruse the weapons offered by merchants and rummage through crates regularly, you should have enough better weapons to relegate these axes to the sale list, unless you’re just aesthetically fond of axes.
• Claymore, Heavy Wrench, Mace and Whispering Blade: These weapons are fairly slow, but powerful, having more Damage and Force than most other weapons on this list, and in the case of the Claymore and Whispering Blade, a generous attack arc. Their Attack Speed and decent - but not outstanding - Critical Multiplier and Limb Damage stats keep them on the fringes of this list, but they’re usable enough if you’re going for a maim build and can adjust to the slower playstyle.

The Maiming Build

Given the number of weapons you can find and the diverse Skill Card loadouts you can equip, your preferred playstyle may vary. However, a fairly effective build makes use of weapons with the Maiming profile and various skill cards that give you boons whenever you maim enemies. Maiming weapons also inflict critical hits when you strike limbs, so the playstyle is simple - get close to enemies and start swinging at their legs. Break or sever these limbs and you’ll gain boons from your equipped skill cards and rack up hefty damage via critical hits. Improving your weapons with upgrades that further boost Limb Damage, Critical Multiplier, Damage and Attack Speed (and later on, perhaps some “Zombie Part” upgrades) will further increase the rate at which you hobble enemies, and in so doing, keep yourself hale and hearty.