One ofDead Island 2’s main selling points is the ability to play online co-op, but the feature isn’t available right out of the gate. Unlocking co-op multiplayer inDead Island 2first requires players to reach a certain part of the main story, so players should plan accordingly when trying to organize a co-op gaming session with their friends.
To play co-op inDead Island 2, players must first complete the first three main story quests: Flight of the Damned, Desperately Seeking Emma, and Bel-Air Brawl. These first three story quests basically serve as thetutorial quests forDead Island 2, giving players the rundown on how everything works in the game in terms of combat and exploration. It does take a bit of time to get through these quests, at least an hour, so keep that in mind.
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OnceDead Island 2players have completed the first three main story quests, they will get a new quest called Call the Calvary, the fourth mission in the game. The first step of Call the Calvary is to talk to Michael at Emma Jaunt’s safe house, located inDead Island 2’s take on Beverly Hills. Speak to Michael and then go outside. At this point, a prompt will appear on the screen explaining that it’s now possible to playDead Island 2in co-op.
Once the prerequisites have been met, starting a co-op session inDead Island 2is simply a matter of inviting friends to the game. As long as they have progressed far enough with their ownDead Island 2slayer, players should be able to join each other’s games with no problem. Everyone will still get credit for quest progress, so there’s no downside to playing through the game in co-op. In fact, doing so is necessary to unlock all the achievements/trophies inDead Island 2.
There’s a limitation withDead Island 2’s co-op that fans should be aware of. Only three people total can play the game in co-op, as opposed to the standard 4-player co-op that some may have been expecting.
There are also sometechnical problems tied toDead Island 2’s co-opthat players should be aware of, with the biggest problem being an issue where co-op partners become de-synced from the host. Most of these glitches can be resolved by triggering a “huddle up.” Huddle ups happen when speaking to a quest NPC or traveling to a new area. Otherwise, players should have little issue exploring zombie-ridden Los Angeles with their friends.
Dead Island 2is out now for PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X.
