Dead Island 2 (Windows) · Guides
Dead Island 2 (Windows) 100% guide
Published by Chubuggles
A chronological route for the Windows (Xbox app and PC Game Pass) achievement list through the base campaign, post-game cleanup, Haus, SoLA, and New Game+.
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ETA
Estimated time, as the guide’s author estimates: 40-50 hours
Difficulty
4/10, as the guide’s author rates it
Your Progress
59 achievements in this guide
Sign in with Xbox to see which of them you have already earned.
▶Before You Start
▶Completion Plan
This guide covers the Windows version of Dead Island 2 on the Xbox app and PC Game Pass, which has its own Xbox achievement list: 59 achievements for 1,340 Gamerscore. On Windows the base game holds 47 achievements for 1,040G, because the two New Game+ achievements (Groundhog Slay and Shoulda Stayed Dead) from the free Patch 6 update are part of the base list. Haus adds six achievements for 150G and SoLA adds six for 150G. Achievement names and requirements are the same as on console.
You need one normal campaign run and one New Game+ story run. There is no difficulty achievement and the standard campaign has no selectable difficulty requirement. New Game+ is mandatory for the final two achievements and is substantially tougher than the normal campaign.
There are no true missables in the standard campaign, Haus, or SoLA. The base game returns you to free roam after the story, and both story expansions allow cleanup afterward. There is no completion-critical final-story point of no return.
Two achievements directly require co-op, and the Survivor Challenge set also includes a co-op revive requirement. The efficient route is to do five quests with another Slayer and revive that player five times in the same session. Dead Island 2 has no cross-play between PC and consoles, and official material only confirms PC cross-play between Steam and Epic. Whether the Xbox app version can join Steam or Epic players isn't confirmed, so the safe plan is to partner with another player on the Xbox app or PC Game Pass version.
As of 2026-09-14, no achievement on the Windows list is CURRENTLY CONFIRMED UNOBTAINABLE or CURRENTLY CONFIRMED DISCONTINUED. Co-op is peer-to-peer and doesn't depend on dedicated servers.
Dead Island 2 uses a single autosave rather than a normal manual-save system. This route does not depend on save backups or cloud-save manipulation.
During the normal campaign:
- Maim limbs whenever practical.
- Use Fire, Shock, and Caustic damage regularly instead of saving elemental weapons for cleanup.
- Finish downed zombies whenever the finisher prompt appears.
- Practice perfect Dodge or Block timing instead of ignoring the mechanic.
- Knock down Apex Variants whenever you fight them.
- Pick up every Journal and Skill Card you see.
- Kill uniquely named zombies and always take their keys.
- Open convenient Lockboxes instead of leaving every one for the end.
- Do not grind a Challenge that is not tracking yet. Challenge categories unlock progressively with story advancement.
Haus can be started after The Chosen One, and SoLA once you reach Beach Offensive, so both can technically be entered before the base story is finished, but both are cleaner after the campaign. Haus can spoil later story information, and SoLA is much easier with a finished build. This guide therefore completes the 45 standard base-game achievements first, then Haus, then SoLA, then New Game+.
▶Base Campaign
▶Bel-Air and Halperin Hotel
Follow Flight of the Damned, Desperately Seeking Emma, Bel-Air Brawl, and Call the Cavalry normally. Co-op unlocks when you reach Emma's mansion during Call the Cavalry.
▶Welcome To Hell-A
This is story-related. It unlocks after you survive the opening, establish the first safe area in Bel-Air, and complete Bel-Air Brawl.
▶Hotel California
Continue through the Halperin Hotel and finish Call the Cavalry. The achievement unlocks when that story quest completes.
▶Break a Leg
Break a Leg10G
Start working on this immediately. Maim 100 zombie limbs across normal play. Bladed Maiming weapons make this effortless, especially if you deliberately attack arms and legs rather than center mass.
The achievement unlocks on the 100th limb maimed. It is cumulative and does not require 100 different zombies.
▶Coup de Grâce
Whenever a zombie is knocked to the ground and presents the finishing-move prompt, use it instead of simply attacking. The achievement unlocks after 25 finishing-move kills.
You will also need finishing moves for the Combat Challenge set, so building this habit now saves a separate grind.
▶I Got a Zombie Army and You Can't Harm Me
Equip either Dodge or Block and perform 25 perfect defensive moves. A perfect defense is the correctly timed defensive input immediately before an incoming attack, not simply holding a defensive stance.
Basic Walkers are the easiest practice targets. Finish this early so later combat can be played normally.
▶First Co-op Window
Do this as soon as you have a partner, or save five easy side quests for a later boosting session. Main Quests, Side Quests, and Lost & Found quests can contribute to the five co-op completions, but doing ordinary Side Quests is the least disruptive option.
Co-op is peer-to-peer for up to three players. Each player keeps their own story progress. A less-progressed player can't join a host who is further ahead in the story, but the more-progressed player can join the less-progressed player's earlier game. On Windows, partner with another player on the Xbox app or PC Game Pass version, through an Xbox friends invite or a public session. Whether the Xbox app version can join Steam or Epic players isn't confirmed, and PC can't play with consoles.
▶Slayer Squad
Slayer Squad10G
Complete five quests while playing in co-op. You do not need to be host.
The achievement unlocks when the fifth qualifying quest is completed while you are in the co-op session.
▶I Am the Resurrection
While doing those five quests, have the other Slayer deliberately get downed five times and revive them each time. The achievement unlocks on your fifth successful revive.
This also covers the first tier of the Revival Act Survivor Challenge, which prevents Survival Skills from being blocked later.
▶Beverly Hills and Monarch Studios
Continue through Room Service For Major Booker, The Chosen One, O Michael, Where Art Thou?, Kwon With The Wind, Michael Anders and the Holy Grail, and Justifiable Zombicide. Haus becomes available after The Chosen One, but this route leaves it until after the base game.
After Call the Cavalry, complete Amanda's #Clickbait side quest when it appears in Bel-Air. This is the first step toward Internet Famous.
Once Beverly Hills is open, you can do the Lost & Found Weapon quest The Clean and the Snatch now; the steps are under Sharpest Tool in the Box. It's optional this early, but it gives a strong Shock sword.
When Hana's radio offers The Rav-Ages of Caustic-X, complete it. It is the first VCLA Bobcats quest. The radio that offers these quests can appear at different safe locations, so follow the in-game radio prompt rather than traveling to one assumed radio. If the radio hasn't offered it yet, keep going; all three Bobcats quests can be done after the story.
▶Personal Assistant Personally Assisted
This is story-related. It unlocks when Michael Anders and the Holy Grail is completed after rescuing Michael at Monarch Studios.
▶Git Gutte!
Git Gutte!10G
Continue into Justifiable Zombicide and finish the quest. The achievement unlocks when you join forces with Sam B and receive access to firearms through the story.
From this point onward, rotate rifles, handguns, and shotguns into normal combat. Each weapon class has its own Weapon Challenge, so spreading kills across firearm types now is more efficient than farming all of them later.
▶Hazardous Materials
Use Fire, Shock, and Caustic weapons or environmental effects throughout the campaign. The achievement unlocks after 100 zombies have been killed with those elemental damage types.
This is cumulative across the qualifying elements. Let the elemental damage actually finish the zombie rather than always switching to a physical weapon for the final hit.
▶This is My Weapon
Once you begin receiving Superior, purple-rarity weapons, keep one good weapon and fully customize it at a workbench. Install a mod and fill every perk slot that weapon provides. Level-match it first if it is below your current level so the weapon is worth keeping.
The achievement unlocks when a Superior weapon is fully upgraded and every customization slot is filled.
▶Sewers and Venice Beach
Continue through Saddle Up for Santa Monica, Flushed, The Heart of Darkness, and The Red Mist. Finishing The Red Mist opens fast travel and gives you Fury, which is the point where broad side-content cleanup starts becoming efficient.
Two more Lost & Found Weapon quests can be done early if you want them, with full steps under Sharpest Tool in the Box. When you're back in Bel-Air at the start of Flushed, the Journal for My Mailman Was A Zombie! can appear by the delivery truck on Alpine Drive. Once you can roam Venice Beach after The Red Mist, Jo's Rainy Day Stash starts in the Jo's Rentals shop near the Blue Crab. Neither is required now.
▶Friends Like These
This is story-related. Complete The Red Mist and the achievement unlocks after the encounter with your mysterious benefactor.
▶Anger Management
Fury is unlocked during The Red Mist. From now on, activate Fury whenever a dense group is available instead of saving the meter indefinitely.
The achievement unlocks after 50 zombies are killed by Fury attacks. This also progresses the Furious Fighter Combat Challenge.
After reaching Venice Beach, continue through The Giant-Slayer. The Autophage Perks tutorial during this quest is an important progression gate: Blueprint Challenges and zombie-part collection begin tracking properly from this point. Do not worry about any earlier zeroes in those trackers.
If Sarah and Sebastian's first quest, It Came From Monarch Studios, is offered during the campaign, you can do it then. Their chain ends with a post-story quest, so there is no need to hunt for it now.
▶Apex Predator
From this point onward Apex Variants are common enough to finish this naturally. Knock down ten Apex Variants by draining their stability with kicks, Drop Kick, Ground Pound, Impactor weapons, or other knockdown tools.
The achievement counts knockdowns, not kills, and does not require ten unique Apex types.
▶Ocean Avenue and The Pier
Continue through Beach Offensive and The Final Gauntlet to reach the Serling Hotel.
▶Dr. Reed, I Presume?
Complete The Final Gauntlet and reach Dr. Reed at the Serling Hotel. The achievement unlocks with the story.
Continue with Plumbing the Depths and Blood Drive, then on to The Pier and through Boardwalking Dead.
If Hana's radio offers Boz Makes a Bang after you've finished The Rav-Ages of Caustic-X, do it. This is the second VCLA Bobcats quest. If The Terror of Sound Stage 7 is offered after It Came From Monarch Studios, you can do it as well. Neither is needed now, and Amanda's Like And Follow! and Going Viral only become available after the story.
The last Bobcats quest, Dez and the Mother of Satan, only appears after Boardwalking Dead is complete and the first two Bobcats quests are done. Do it when Hana offers it, or leave it for post-story cleanup.
▶Go, Bobcats!
Go, Bobcats!10G
Complete all three VCLA Bobcats quests in order:
- The Rav-Ages of Caustic-X
- Boz Makes a Bang
- Dez and the Mother of Satan
The achievement unlocks when the third quest is completed and all of the Bobcats have been reunited. All three remain recoverable later, so a missed radio call is not a lost completion.
▶But Doctor, I am Butcho
Finish Boardwalking Dead. The achievement unlocks after the Butcho encounter and completion of the relevant story sequence.
▶Bookworm
Bookworm20G
Keep collecting every Journal that is directly on your route. The achievement unlocks when your total reaches 50 Journals.
Quest rewards provide many Journals automatically, so do not turn this into a map-wide collectible sweep. If it has not unlocked by the end of the story, normal side-quest cleanup will comfortably finish it.
▶Stacking the Deck
Skill Cards come from leveling, quests, exploration, and certain enemies. Pick up visible cards and keep completing quests.
The achievement unlocks when you have collected 30 Skill Cards. A completion-focused run normally reaches this without a dedicated collectible route.
▶The Truth, Patton, and Hollywood Boulevard
Proceed through The Search for Truth, Rage Quit, The End of the Line, and Hollywood Ending.
▶Can't Handle the Truth
Complete The Search for Truth. The achievement unlocks when the story reveals the truth about your condition.
▶Humanity Distilled
The Search for Truth gives you access to Numen Skill Cards. Equip your first Numen card in the Numen slot.
The achievement unlocks when the first Numen Skill Card is equipped.
▶Down with the Sickness
Once you own at least three Skill Cards marked as Autophage skills, equip three simultaneously. Each equipped Autophage card raises the infection tier by one, and three cards reaches the maximum tier.
The achievement unlocks as soon as you reach the highest Autophage tier. You can immediately change your build afterward if you do not want to keep the penalties.
▶Like Riding a Bike
Continue through Rage Quit and reunite with Patton. The achievement unlocks when that story quest is completed.
▶Not Even My Final Form
Mutators become a normal late-game enemy. For this achievement, kill one while it is still disguised as an ordinary-looking zombie and before it completes the transformation.
The Metro has a Mutator Hotspot once this enemy is in the world. Approach quietly and use a high-damage firearm to kill the disguised target before it reacts. The achievement unlocks on the pre-transformation kill.
▶A Patton Emerges
Complete The End of the Line and emerge from the Metro onto Hollywood Boulevard. The achievement unlocks with story progression.
▶Zombologist
Zombologist10G
The base Zompedia has 31 zombie types: 20 common types and 11 Apex Variants. You need just one kill of each type to unlock its entry; the other Zompedia pages aren't required. The story alone won't necessarily cover every type, because some only appear in Side Quest and Lost & Found areas. Keep killing whatever you meet, and finish this in post-story cleanup.
▶Our True Nature
Our True Nature100G
Complete Hollywood Ending. The achievement unlocks when the final base-game Story Quest is finished.
There is no alternate-ending achievement. After the credits you can continue the same save in free roam, so do not delay the finale for fear of losing side content.
▶Ooh, Shiny!
Ooh, Shiny!10G
This unlocks when you obtain your first Legendary, orange-rarity weapon. If you have not earned a Legendary from side content already, completing the base story awards Emma's Wrath and gives you a guaranteed route to the achievement.
▶Base-Game Post-Story Cleanup
▶Achievement Side-Quest Chains
Do the named chains first because they open later side content and contribute to all three non-Story Quest achievements. If Go, Bobcats! is still locked, finish Hana's three radio quests in order now as well.
▶Internet Famous
Finish Amanda Styles' three-quest chain:
- #Clickbait
- Like And Follow!
- Going Viral
#Clickbait can be done during the campaign in Bel-Air. Like And Follow! and Going Viral only become available after you beat the story. The achievement unlocks when Going Viral is completed.
Do Going Viral before trying to finish Sarah and Sebastian's final quest. Their post-story positioning can depend on Amanda's chain being resolved.
▶Make it So
Make it So10G
Finish Sarah and Sebastian's three-quest chain:
- It Came From Monarch Studios
- The Terror of Sound Stage 7
- Beacon of Hope
Do the first two whenever they're offered, during the campaign or after it. Beacon of Hope is a post-story quest at Hollywood Boulevard and is one of the last Side Quests to appear.
If Sebastian is not at the Re-Aging Clinic for Beacon of Hope, finish Amanda's chain through Going Viral first. The achievement unlocks when Beacon of Hope is completed.
▶Gore Horse
Gore Horse10G
Return to Francesca in Beverly Hills and complete the full Body Art quest chain. These quests ask for parts from progressively later zombie types, which is why post-story is the cleanest time to do the chain.
Zombie parts only begin dropping after the Autophage tutorial in The Giant-Slayer. At this point every required base-game enemy type is available, so turn in each Body Art request, accept the next one, and continue until The Unveiling is complete.
The achievement unlocks at the end of Francesca's Body Art chain.
▶Finish the Non-Story Quest Count
Now clear the remaining blue Side Quest markers. Finishing all remaining Side Quests is the simplest route because some Lost & Found quests are gated behind Side Quest progress, and the experience also pushes you toward level 30.
Side Quests, Lost & Found Weapon quests, and Missing Person quests all count as non-Story Quests.
▶Making Your Mark
This unlocks when you complete your 10th non-Story Quest. It may already have unlocked during the campaign or co-op session.
▶Rising Star
Rising Star40G
This unlocks when you complete your 20th non-Story Quest. Keep clearing Side Quests and Lost & Found quests; no special quest type is required.
▶LA Influential
LA Influential100G
This unlocks when you complete your 40th non-Story Quest.
The base game contains more qualifying quests than the 40 required, so you do not need literal 100% quest completion for this achievement. The recommended route still clears the ordinary Side Quests first because that reliably opens the Lost & Found set and removes prerequisite guesswork.
▶Lost & Found Cleanup
Once the Side Quest map is mostly clear, work through the Missing Person board at the Serling Hotel and the unmarked Lost & Found Weapon quests. Lost & Found quests are scavenger hunts: once one starts, read its Journals under Journals > Lost & Found for the next clue, and the final stash or chest usually appears on the map once you have its key.
▶Sole Survivor
Accept Missing Person cases from the board at the Serling Hotel and complete all nine base-game Missing Person quests.
The achievement unlocks when the ninth Missing Person quest is completed. These quests are not missable and remain available in post-story free roam.
▶Sharpest Tool in the Box
Complete any five of the six Lost & Found Weapon quests. They aren't marked on the map until you start them; each starts when you pick up a specific Journal, either lying in the world or dropped by a uniquely named zombie. Some are gated behind story or Side Quest progress, but none are missable, and all six are available in post-story free roam. If you skip one, [REDACTED] has the strictest unlock, though it gives the best reward.
The Clean and the Snatch (Beverly Hills). At the pool of Rikky's villa, the Beverly Hills safe house, a black lockbox sits in the water. Destroy the electrical box on the left side of the pool to cut the power, then take the Journal A Parting Gift beside the lockbox. Collect three more Journals at Beverly Hills pools: Dave's Phone on the sunbeds at a pool in the east, north of Rikky's; Note for Michael in the empty pool at Michael's villa, north-middle; and Obi's Phone beside the toxic pool of the central villa, which has high-level enemies. Then go to the GOAT Pen villa in the south of Bel-Air (the one with fake grass on the roof). Kill Obi the Pool Guy in its pool near the pizza-shaped float, take Obi's Key, and open the lockbox back at Rikky's pool for the Electrocutor Officer's Sword.
My Mailman Was A Zombie! (Bel-Air). On Alpine Drive, next to the parked delivery truck just before the GOAT Pen entrance, take the Journal Signature Required; a locked weapon crate sits beside it. If the Journal isn't there, finish the Bel-Air Side Quests #Clickbait and The Death of the Party. Check the delivery boxes at the three addresses on the Journal: the garage of Colt Swanson's villa at the top of Alpine Drive (the first villa you reached at the start of the game), the right side of the GOAT Pen's entrance door, and the gate at Glitterati Corner. Wayne the Mailman, a Slobber that spits Caustic bile, appears at whichever address you check last; if he doesn't, restart and pick Continue. Kill him, take the Mailman's Keys, and open the crate by the truck for the Raven rifle.
Jo's Rainy Day Stash (Venice Beach). Slightly northwest of the Blue Crab, smash a window of the Jo's Rentals shop with the shark statue (the alarm draws zombies). Take the Journal Jo's Secret Stash from the counter and Jo's Staff Room Key from the other side. Head southeast to the second Jo's shop with the same shark statue and take Jo's Beloved Baby from its counter. In the parking lot behind it, next to Jo's red truck, kill the named zombie Jo's Shambling Body for Jo's Final Farewell; a Crusher may be there too. The stash is now marked on the roof of Marla's Tapas & Tacos, just northeast. Climb onto the rooftops from the dumpster behind the shops, cross to Marla's pink roof, and jump over or disarm the tripwire at the fenced area's door. Avoid fire near the gas cans. Kill the named walkers Nick and Scotty and open the crate for the Primed Crowbar.
Fool's Gold (The Pier). Dante, a uniquely named Crusher, can appear by the Lifeguard HQ (the fast-travel building) near the end of Boardwalking Dead and is reliably there after the story. Kill him and take A Totally Legit Letter. Open the left locker by the gym equipment inside the Lifeguard HQ for Deep Shit. Then take Flaws in the Plan from the trash bags in the alley among the restaurants to the northwest, and Meeting of the Minds from the bench behind the ice cream stand at the far end of the pier, through the gate near the big wheel. The buried safe is in the sand beside the Lifeguard HQ and is marked when you get close. Kill every wave of zombies that spawns, then dig it up for the Blood Rage dagger and a Superior Melee Liquidator Mod blueprint.
Drunk And Disorderly (Ocean Avenue). After the story, take the Serling Hotel stairs down to the ground floor of the mall. The restroom door by the stairs, marked with a gold 1, is now unlocked; take the Journal Dudes Who Chug beside the corpse inside. In Venice Beach, kill Grant, a named zombie inside Rose's Tattoo Parlor near the Blue Crab (press the gate button and get through before it closes), for Dudes Who Get Inked. Then kill Cole outside the Gang Green and Lenny's shops northwest along the promenade for Dudes Who Get the Munchies. At The Pier, take Dude, Interrupted from a table outside the Pier Grill. This spawns Jordan, a named Firestorm Slobber, nearby to the east; kill him for Jordan's Car Keys. Back on Ocean Avenue, go down from the mall's bottom floor through the back of the shops to the underground parking garage. Open the trunk of the white SUV near where you enter (it's marked on the map) for the Party Starter brass knuckles. The car alarm brings a horde.
[REDACTED] (Venice Beach). After the story, with the Venice Beach Side Quest Cremains of the Day complete (finishing every Venice Beach Side Quest is the safest way to make sure), find Lt. Ford, a named zombie in a barracks tent in the Venice Beach military zone. Kill him and take his document. There is no waypoint, so read each Journal for the next container number. Container 78 is on the beach next to container 75: break the boxes inside 75, climb onto its roof and cross the planks to drop into 78 for Damaged in Transit. Container 58 is outside the lifeguard tower past the airlock tunnel; a Crusher bursts out, and after killing it you'll find Special Delivery inside. Container 66 is behind the lifeguard tower toward the Cremains of the Day pits, between containers 67 and 63. Kill the zombies outside, turn off the generator behind 67 or jump across the electrified puddle, and open the Priority Asset case for the Bodycount assault rifle. One of the zombies there also drops Delgado's Supply Case Key for an optional pistol in the lifeguard tower.
The achievement unlocks when your fifth Lost & Found Weapon quest is completed. Its first completion also covers the Zombie Pirate Exploration Challenge.
▶Keys, Level, and General Cleanup
▶Jumbo Keyring
By now you should have many keys from named zombies. Open Lockboxes that match the keys you already own, then use map Lockbox markers to find any remaining easy targets.
The achievement unlocks when you open your 10th Lockbox. You do not need to open every Lockbox in the game.
▶Max Headroom
Max Headroom50G
Reach level 30 on your normal Slayer. Story completion alone may leave you short, but the Side Quest and Lost & Found cleanup above provides the intended experience without an enemy grind.
The achievement unlocks as soon as level 30 is reached.
▶Combat and Challenge Cleanup
Do this only after the story and quest cleanup. By now every relevant base-game Challenge is unlocked and much of the work is already complete. Open the Challenges menu and use the in-game first-tier checkmarks as the final authority for what remains.
▶Donk!
Donk!10G
Use an actual melee weapon for this so the same throw also satisfies the Impressive Aim Combat Challenge. A light spear, pole, or similar straight-flying melee weapon is easier to judge than a heavy weapon.
Find a stationary zombie in an open area, back away beyond 35 meters, and throw the melee weapon so it physically hits the zombie. A kill is not required.
The achievement unlocks on the qualifying 35+ meter melee-weapon hit.
▶Perks of the Job
Blueprint Challenges begin tracking after the Autophage Perks tutorial in The Giant-Slayer. Complete any five Blueprint Challenges fully.
The available tasks revolve around actions such as heavy attacks, applying Bleed, Fire, or Shock status, melee kills, knockdowns, and collecting zombie parts. Pick the five that are already closest to completion rather than grinding all of them.
The achievement unlocks when the fifth Blueprint Challenge is completed.
▶Zombologist
Zombologist10G
After all Side Quests and Lost & Found quests, open the Zompedia under Collectibles and look for blank entries among the 31 base types. Use the map's Apex Hotspots for any missing Apex Variant, and revisit the quest areas for any missing common variant. The achievement unlocks when every zombie type has been killed at least once.
SoLA enemies such as the Clotter and Whipper have their own Zompedia entries, and it isn't confirmed whether they count. If Zombologist is still locked once every base entry is filled, kill each SoLA enemy type during the SoLA section, which this route visits anyway.
▶On Safari
On Safari50G
Complete the first tier of every Zombie Challenge currently shown in the base-game challenge set. If On Safari is still locked after every base Zombie Challenge has its first tier, also finish any SoLA zombie challenge during the SoLA section; whether DLC challenges count for this achievement isn't confirmed.
Most are kill counts for specific zombie variants. Use the map's Apex Hotspots for anything still short, especially late variants such as Mutators, Butchers, Voltaic Screamers, Inferno Crushers, and specialized Slobbers.
The achievement unlocks when the last required Zombie Challenge receives its first-tier completion checkmark.
▶Variety is the Spice of Death
Complete the first tier of every Weapon Challenge.
Check the menu before grinding. You will usually need to top up kills with weapon archetypes you ignored, especially rifles, handguns, shotguns, Curveballs, or particular melee weapon profiles.
For weapon-kill Challenges, make sure the weapon itself lands the killing blow. If a status effect from a mod kills the zombie afterward, that kill may progress the elemental Challenge without progressing the intended weapon-class Challenge.
The achievement unlocks when every required Weapon Challenge has at least its first tier complete.
▶Bucket List
Bucket List50G
Complete the first tier of every Combat Challenge.
Most should already be done. Pay special attention to the odd requirements that normal play can miss:
- Impressive Aim is covered by the same qualifying melee throw used for Donk!.
- Ninja requires one Shuriken throw to dismember three zombies. Group weak zombies tightly and aim across their legs.
- No Time to Grow is covered by killing a Mutator before it transforms.
- Perfection requires correctly timed perfect defensive moves.
- Mostly Armless requires maiming Crusher arms.
- Dinnertime's Over requires interrupting Butchers while they feed.
- Shut Up requires interrupting Screamers while they scream.
- Dangerous DNA requires 25 kills while three Autophage Skill Cards are equipped. It only tracks after the Autophage tutorial in The Giant-Slayer.
- Trick Kick requires knocking down several zombies with a single Jump Kick. Sources disagree on whether the number is three or four, so follow the requirement shown in the Challenges menu, and group at least five zombies tightly before jump-kicking so either number is covered.
- Hey, Catch! requires killing five zombies with exploding Grenadier zombies. Hit a Grenadier's vest when it's next to other zombies.
- Cooling Off requires making 25 zombies Soggy with water, for example from the water canisters lying around.
- Splash Zone requires killing five Slobbers with melee attacks.
- Hazards Pay (10 environmental-hazard kills), Zombie Space Program (launch 25 zombies, easiest with Impactor heavy attacks), Speed Freak (10 multikills) and Live Long and Prosper (25 kills without dying) usually finish on their own.
With SoLA installed, two SoLA challenges, Bad Blood and Gut Check, also appear in the Combat tab. Players report they aren't required for Bucket List. If Bucket List is still locked once every base Combat Challenge has its first tier, finish those two during SoLA.
The achievement unlocks when the final required Combat Challenge reaches its first tier.
▶Survival Skills
Complete the first tier of every Survivor Challenge.
The co-op Revival Act tier should already be complete from I Am the Resurrection. Revival Act's first tier needs only one revive. The remaining unusual requirement is Hollywood Rich List: amass $1,000,000. It tracks all the cash you've ever earned, so you don't need to hold the whole amount at once. Sell unwanted high-level weapons and excess loot as you finish quests instead of hoarding everything. If you're still short at level 30, buy weapons from a trader, sell them straight back, and repeat at the next trader; the resale money counts. Purple weapons from Lockboxes and Apex Variants sell for roughly $10,000 each at level 30.
Also finish any first-tier requirements still showing for crafting mods or perks, scrapping weapons, using Med Kits, looting containers, collecting resources, and zombie parts.
The achievement unlocks when every Survivor Challenge has its first tier complete.
▶Smorgasbord
Smorgasbord50G
Complete the first tier of every Exploration Challenge.
The quest route above already covers travel to every base region, Missing Person progress, Lost & Found Weapon progress, Journals, Skill Cards, and Lockboxes. Open the Challenge menu and finish whichever first-tier checkmark is still missing rather than collecting everything in the game.
The achievement unlocks when the final Exploration Challenge reaches its first tier.
At this point the 45 standard base-game achievements should be complete; the other two base-list achievements on Windows are the New Game+ pair. If one cumulative combat achievement is still missing, finish it now before entering the story expansions; there is no benefit to carrying a nearly finished base requirement into New Game+.
▶Haus
▶The Invitation and the Cul-De-Sac
Start Haus from the orange expansion marker (the invitation) outside Emma's mansion. It's available from after The Chosen One, but doing it after the base game avoids its story spoilers and gives you a complete combat build.
During The Invitation you enter the suburban Cul-De-Sac and perform the three required Rites of Passage.
▶Lawn and Order
While you are in the Cul-De-Sac during The Invitation, use gardening equipment such as the Shovel found in the area. Stand in the tall grass, let zombies spawn and approach, then target their legs.
Maim ten zombies with gardening equipment while fighting in the Cul-De-Sac's tall grass. The achievement unlocks on the 10th qualifying maim.
This is recoverable later if you move on, but doing it during the story avoids an unnecessary return trip.
▶Whatever It Takes
Complete all three Rites of Passage during The Invitation while playing solo. They are mandatory story objectives.
The achievement unlocks when you complete the third Rite of Passage, just before the end of The Invitation.
▶The Deeper
▶Wilhelm
Wilhelm10G
During The Deeper, the underground area contains bottomless pits. Equip Drop Kick or use regular kicks, lure zombies close to a pit, and knock them over the edge.
Send 15 zombies into the bottomless pits. The count is cumulative, and the area can be revisited after the mission if you come up short.
The achievement unlocks when the 15th zombie falls to its death.
▶Dinner Date and the Crossbow
At the beginning of Dinner Date you obtain the K-Prototype Crossbow. Keep it.
▶Pork Chopped
Pork Chopped30G
Defeat Long Piglet at the end of Dinner Date. This is a mandatory story boss and the achievement unlocks when Long Piglet dies.
▶Top That, Tisha!
After obtaining the Crossbow, get five Crossbow headshots in quick succession. Use a dense group of ordinary zombies so you can line up the five shots without repositioning.
For an easy setup, return to the Blue Crab area in Venice Beach, gather a group against the fence, and shoot through the line while they are safely bunched together. A reload-speed perk on the Crossbow gives you more room between shots.
The achievement unlocks immediately after the fifth qualifying rapid headshot.
▶Haus Finale
▶One of Us
One of Us60G
Continue the Haus story through The Ark of Ascension. Finish the final encounter, interact with the Ark when prompted, and complete the closing sequence.
The achievement unlocks when the DLC story gives you Konstantin's gift.
If Haus is now at five of six achievements, revisit the Cul-De-Sac, The Deeper, or your Crossbow setup. None of the three miscellaneous Haus achievements requires a second DLC run. If a Haus achievement didn't appear when you met its requirement, fast travel out of Haus to another region before assuming it failed.
▶SoLA
▶Arrival, Utopia, and the First Clotters
SoLA becomes available once you reach Beach Offensive. Enter it by choosing SoLA on the fast-travel board, for example at the Blue Crab in Venice Beach. Follow the DLC story through its opening missions. If a SoLA achievement doesn't appear when you meet its requirement, fast travel out of SoLA to another region before repeating anything.
▶Festival Clean Up Simulator
When Utopia is open, find the fenced Caustic-X spill by the food-stall area. Read the note at the gate, stop the active spill at its source, and use water to wash away the remaining Caustic-X.
The achievement unlocks when the large spill has been cleaned. Do this on your first convenient pass through Utopia rather than leaving it for the end.
▶Three's a Crowd
Continue through Shit Hits The Fan. At the end of that mission you fight the first pair of Clotters.
Defeat both Clotters and finish the encounter. The achievement unlocks when the story sequence is completed.
▶Dance For Me and the Ram Skill
During Dance For Me, pick up the Ram Skill Card from the corpse on the route toward the Main Stage and equip it in the ability slot.
▶The Direct Approach
Use Ram on a dense group and make one continuous charge connect with five zombies before it ends.
The open crowd encounters during Dance For Me are ideal. Lure at least five basic zombies into a loose line, give yourself enough run-up, then charge straight through the group.
The achievement unlocks as soon as one Ram hits five zombies in the same charge.
▶Saving Grace and The Sound Of Violence
▶No Encores
No Encores30G
Continue to Saving Grace, the penultimate SoLA Story Quest. Survive the Main Stage waves and reach Grace.
The achievement unlocks when you successfully save Grace at the end of the mission.
▶Drop The Beat
Proceed into The Sound Of Violence and fight The Dirge. The boss only becomes vulnerable through the story's Orgone Ball mechanic, so clear the resonating zombies around each mood speaker, take the charged Orgone Ball, and use it to overload The Dirge before attacking.
Repeat the required phases until The Dirge is defeated, then return to Grace and finish the closing dialogue. The achievement unlocks when the final SoLA quest completes.
▶SoLA Weapon Cleanup
The final story quest awards the Sawblade Launcher, so Rip 'n' Tear cannot be completed earlier. The Ripper is sold in the vending machine in the SoLA safe area where Grace is, and you can buy it any time you have the cash. After you speak with Grace at the end of the story, the same vending machine also sells the blueprint for Sawblade Launcher ammo.
▶Rip 'n' Tear
Rip 'n' Tear30G
You need two separate five-kill conditions.
Use the Ripper until its blade reaches the supercharged state, then kill five zombies while it is supercharged. Keep landing hits in quick succession on weaker enemies; the red meter on the weapon fills and sparks fly once it's supercharged. A heavy attack in this state triggers a special finisher. Doing those finishers on your five kills covers both readings of the requirement.
Then use the Sawblade Launcher to bisect five zombies. Hold the trigger to charge it (the blade on the launcher lifts when it's fully charged) and release to fire. Players reported that normal shots didn't count, so use charged shots aimed through the torso so the zombie is cut in two.
The achievement unlocks when both counters have reached five.
SoLA can still be freely explored after its story, so any missed miscellaneous requirement can be cleaned up without restarting the DLC.
▶New Game+
▶Preparation and Export
Do not start New Game+ until your normal Slayer is at least level 30 and has a strong set of fully modified weapons. The official NG+ guidance recommends level 30 before entering.
Before exporting the Slayer, move every base-game weapon you want available at the start of New Game+ out of the Storage Locker and into that Slayer's carried Inventory. Your level, Skill Cards and Inventory carry over, but keys, Journals and weapons left in the Storage Locker don't.
From the Main Menu, open Slayers and export your completed character into the NG+ slot. Your normal campaign remains a separate mode; NG+ is not a difficulty toggle on the existing world.
Be careful about exporting that original Slayer again after you have begun progressing the NG+ copy. Re-exporting the original character overwrites that character's existing NG+ slot.
If you play NG+ in co-op, both players must be on NG+ saves, and the player further ahead joins the one behind. A player who fought every Revenant as a co-op client has reported getting no credit, so kill every Revenant in your own NG+ save, as host or solo.
New Game+ skips the original prologue and begins the campaign in Bel-Air. It raises the difficulty, increases the level cap, and introduces ten named Revenants. Kill the first nine Revenants as their regions open. Leave The Flayer on Hollywood Boulevard until after the NG+ finale.
▶Revenant Route Through the Story
▶Revenant Hunt
Kill all ten Revenants on this NG+ save. Kill the first nine in this region order as each region opens, so the hunt follows the campaign rather than becoming a second map sweep:
- Bel-Air: The Hellfire, a Firestorm Slobber in the first garage in the Bel-Air starting area.
- Halperin Hotel: The Maw, in the underground parking garage.
- Monarch Studios: The Mauler, a Crusher near the main entrance and the camper trailers.
- Beverly Hills: The Impaler, near the northern Bel-Air checkpoint gate.
- Brentwood Sewer: The Banshee, a Voltaic Screamer at the storm-tank entrance.
- Venice Beach: The Ravager, in the quarantine corridor of the military compound.
- Ocean Avenue: The Bile, a Slobber in the sewer sinkhole.
- The Pier: The Wail, a Screamer on the beach at Santa Monica.
- The Metro: The Hellborn, along the story route through the Metro.
The tenth, The Flayer on Hollywood Boulevard, comes after Hollywood Ending; see the end of this section.
Some Revenants sit slightly off the mandatory story line, so do not assume campaign completion alone will kill all ten. Each is significantly stronger than its normal Apex counterpart; use your strongest status-compatible weapons, Fury, Curveballs, and environmental control rather than trying to force one favorite damage type through every fight.
The achievement unlocks when the 10th unique Revenant is killed, which on this route is The Flayer after the finale.
▶Finish the NG+ Campaign
You do not need to repeat the base-game Side Quests, Lost & Found cleanup, Haus, or SoLA for the NG+ achievement. Stay on the Story Quest line except when detouring for one of the first nine Revenants.
▶Groundhog Slay
Complete every base-game Story Quest in New Game+ through Hollywood Ending.
The achievement unlocks when the NG+ story is completed.
▶After the NG+ Finale
▶Shoulda Stayed Dead
After Hollywood Ending, return to Hollywood Boulevard and kill The Flayer outside the Re-Aging Clinic. If you killed the other nine as their regions opened, this is the 10th Revenant and Shoulda Stayed Dead unlocks. If it doesn't, check which of the nine regions above you missed and go back for that Revenant.
This should leave the full Windows list at 59 of 59 achievements and 1,340 of 1,340 Gamerscore.