Dead Island character selection guide

A common question we get is, "what character should I start with in Dead Island?" or "which hero to choose in Dead Island?"

This guide will help you make that decision

Purna
Firearms expert
Health: 100
Speed: 100
Stamina: 90
Character bio:  I hate rich assholes, which is fucking ironic since i'm expected to put my bloody life on the line for them. That's what they pay me for. The pricey hotel here? To be a bodyguard for the rich and famous fuckwits who come to Banoi to blow their money. I used to be a cop. A bloody good one. A vice detective in Sydney. You know how many female half Aborigine detectives there were before me? None. You think it was easy suffering the abuse of my so-called colleagues? Half of 'em hated me because I was a girl and the other half didn't like the fact that my mum was a Koori. So I came up the hard way: I busted my ass. It took twelve years to make detective and that sill wasn't enough. It's an old boys' club, you know. The whole justice system is a fucking joke. Teenage drug addicts get put away forever and old white wankers who steal fucking millions get away scot-free. One rich bugger I investigated was clearly molesting his fourteen year old daughter, but he had too much pull with the politicians, so I couldn't touch him. After the girl killed herself, I confronted him but he just laughed at me. He pulled out a pistol and told me he could blow my bleedin' head off and no one would care because I was nothing, a nobody, an Abo bitch... So I fucking took his gun away and shot the bastard. It was self-defense, but I still got sacked. Twelve bloody years down the drain. Worst part is, I didn't even kill the son of a bitch. I just gelded him. One day I'm gonna have to go back and finish the job…

Gameplay: Purna is a balanced character. Although she might be hard to play at first, due to the difficulty in obtaining firearms and ammo in the beginning, once you reach later stages of the game she becomes a deadly slaying machine. Also, her fury mode has a very high damage rating. With proper use of the talents, she can turn out to be a very powerful character.

Advantages: Fury Mode, Gun Specialist
Disadvantages: Hard to find weapons and ammo in early stages of the game

Recommended for: Intermediate and Advanced players.

Xian
Sharp weapon expert
Health: 90
Speed: 100
Stamina: 100
Character bio: My father was a very great man. A Chief Inspector for the Hong Kong Police. Even though he died when I was ten, I remember him very well. He was killed by an enforcer for the Wo Shing Wo Triad. I told myself then that I would follow in his footsteps and honor his memory. He taught me martial arts and I continued to practice after he was gone. After finishing at the top of my university class, I joined the Hong Police and was chosen as part of the first all female anti-organized crime squad. I worked hard. I did my best. But the men in charge never intended to put us on the front lines. They didn't train us the way they promised they would. They didn't believe any of us women were up to the task. We were only for show. Instead my superiors sent me here. To this resort. To this front desk. To be an informer. To spy on wealthy Westerners. My father would not be proud of me. This work dishonors his memory. But I will do as they ask. For I am a patriot. But I know I am capable of much, much more. I just need the opportunity to prove myself

Gameplay: Xian has the most stamina, which is good for her blade skills. Her stamina will let you do the most attacks before she gets tired, This combined with her speed makes her a fast killing machine

Advantages: Stamina, Speed, Slicing up zombie limbs
Disadvantages: Low health, cannot take many hits from zombies

Recommended for: Intermediate players

Sam B
Blunt Weapon expert
Health: 110
Speed: 100
Stamina: 90
Character bio: I grew up in New Orleans. The Lower Ninth Ward. My daddy went to prison when I was two. That's where he died. Angola. Momma didn't ever recover from that and drank and did crack and any random motherfucker who didn't smack her around too bad. My nanna's the one who raised me. She ran a washeteria and we lived in a little shotgun house on Burgundy. From the time I was ten, man, I wanted to rap. I was into old school free-style rap and I'd be kicking ass at them battles, brah. But man, I just couldn't catch a break. Nothing caught on. So one Halloween, I came up with "Who Do You Voodoo, Bitch?". Just as a motherfucking joke, you know? It went right to the top of the hip hop charts. Like a motherfucking rocket! Suddenly, I was famous. Going to the Grammies. Hitting the parties. Man, I had bitches up the yin yang and for the first time in my life, I was making money. But shit, I was spending it as quick as I was getting it. I thought I had made it, you know what I'm saying? That the gravy train was never gonna end. So I did another song. And another song. And nothing hit. Nothing fucking hit. Song after song and nobody gave a shit. It's been ten years man, and yeah, I can still get gigs, but all they want me to do is "Who Do You Voodoo, Bitch?". I used to play the big Casinos in Vegas or Atlantic City, but now it's just Reno or Laughlin or some motherfucking cruise ship. So this gig here might be my last chance. There's some heavy Hollywood hitters here and if I get noticed, I could be right back on top. You know what I'm saying?

Gameplay: Sam B: Sam is the "Tank" of the game, with the most starting health of all characters, letting him survive for longer. He uses Blunt weapons which are pretty easy to come by even at early stages of the game. However, his low stamina can be a problem as the blunt weapons can be slow and expensive to swing and you might find him getting tired quickly.

Advantages: High health, Blunt weapons abundant and easy to find
Disadvantages: Low Stamina

Recommended for: Beginner and Intermediate players

Logan
Throwing Expert
Health: 100
Speed: 100
Stamina: 80
Character bio:  Oh, man. I used to be on top of the world, brother. All-pro quarterback, four years running. Voted the Sexiest Texan in 2004. Beat out Dennis Quaid and Matthew McConaughey for Christ’s sake. So I drank a few beers now and then. Popped the occasional pill. That’s nothing compared to what the team quacks would shoot me up with just so I could play. Sometimes I just needed to numb the pain. You know what I’m saying? My biggest vice was speed. Not meth, buddy, adrenalin. I blew every penny I had on the fastest cars I could find. Just so you know... I'm a damn good driver. If that asshole I was street racing hadn’t a side-swiped me, I never would have crashed. And that poor girl would still be alive. That's right. It's his goddamn fault I shattered my leg in six goddamn places. So I had a few drinks in me. So what the fuck? I drive drunk better than I do sober anyway. Of course, I couldn't play worth shit after that. After I got outta jail, they canned my ass. Said I violated the morals clause on my goddamn contract. Ended up playing semi-pro in fucking Canada. But I’m still a name. Still a celebrity. That’s why they wanted me to promote their blood drive here. That’s why they fucking flew me first class halfway around the goddamn world. Because my name still means something. Logan Carter is no goddamn douchebag.

Gameplay:  Logan uses thrown weapons to kill zombies from a distance. Thrown weapons dont have durability so they do not break, however you do have to pick them up. Logan gets stronger at later stages of the game. Can regenerate health while drunk.

Advantages: Kills from distance, thrown weapons don't break, health regeneration, balanced character
Disadvantages: Harder to play in early stages of the game, only one damage mod for blunt/sharp

Summary: If you are just starting out in dead island, it is recommended you choose Sam B because of his health and the abundance of blunt weapons. More advanced players will do best with Purna or Xian, while the expert players should choose Logan who is the most challenging character to play but can become very powerful at later stages of the game.

If you have advice or tips about the character selection in dead island, feel free to post them here as comments!