The old skill tree from the first Dead Island game has been replaced by a Skill Card scheme in Dead Island 2, which effectively lets you build your own skill tree. This page will cover how Skill Cards work, the various Skill Slots into which Skill Cards can be equipped, and information about finding new Skill Cards.
What Are Skill Cards in Dead Island 2?¶
Instead of spending skill points on an assortment of static skills as you climb your way up a skill tree, you now earn Skill Cards that you can equip in various Skill Slots. Skill Cards have various effects, from granting you access to new abilities, to modifying said abilities, giving buffs when certain actions are taken (performing a well-timed dodge, maiming enemies, killing enemies, etc.) and perhaps most interestingly, altering basic gameplay elements. Needless to say, a great deal of the RPG elements in Dead Island 2 are wrapped up in your Skill Cards, and what Skill Cards you have equipped effectively constitutes your build.
(1 of 2) Many Skill Cards can be unlocked by progressing the story and leveling up.
Many Skill Cards can be unlocked by progressing the story and leveling up. (left), You can also find a few lying about. (right)
Where to Find Skill Cards in Dead Island 2?¶
Your primary source of Skill Cards will come from completing story quests and leveling up, and the two often go hand-in-hand, due to the vast sums of XP you earn for completing story quests. These new story-based Skill Cards usually serve to modify some fresh gameplay element introduce during a story quest, like [Fury Mode], [Numen Skills] and [Autophage Skills], all of which will be covered in detail on their own pages. You can also earn new Skill Cards by completing Side Quest (they tend to be thematically linked to the Side Quest in which they’re earned), by defeating different types of zombies (usually apex variants, where you’ll gain Skill Cards related to the abilities exhibited by the zombie) and in some cases, you find just find Skill Cards lying about as you explore.
Long story short, just about anything you do can earn you Skill Cards… but they’ll mostly come from story quests and level progression.
(1 of 2) Every character has two Innate Skills, which are always equipped to the right of the screen.
Every character has two Innate Skills, which are always equipped to the right of the screen. (left), Each Slayer shares two “paired” Skill Cards which they share with one other character - Dani and Jacob, for example, share the same paired Skill Cards. (right)
Character Specific Skill Cards¶
Some characters have access to unique skills. These come in two forms - Innate Skills and paired skills. Innate Skills are always equipped and unique to each character. For example, 
Jacob has the following Innate Skills:
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Feral: Jacob gets a stackable minor DAMAGE boost when attacking in quick succession. -
Critical Gains: Jacob’s CRITICAL HITS when stamina is low get a moderate CRITICAL DAMAGE boost and regain STAMINA.
Paired Skill Cards are, as the name suggests, shared by two - and only two - characters. These Skill Cards have to be equipped like any other Skill Card, the only difference between them and other Skill Cards is the limited pool of characters who have access to them. For example, 
Dani and Jacob both have access to the following:
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Hack and Dash: (Dani and Jacob only) Their loss is your gain! MAIM a zombie for a boost to your ATTACK SPEED. -
Group Therapy: (Dani and Jacob only) Work through your anger! Slay zombies in quick succession to regain STAMINA.
Skill Cards and Skill Slots¶
There are around sixty Skill Cards in Dead Island 2, give or take a few, but you can only have fifteen Skill Cards equipped at a time. To further complicate things, there are four categories of Skill Slots into which only certain Skill Cards can be equipped. For example, only “Survivor” Skill Cards can be equipped in the “Survivor” Skill Slots, and you have at most four Survivor Skill Slots, and seventeen Survivor Skill Cards completing for those slots. To get even more granular, each of the five “Abilities” Skill Slots are their own subcategory - the first Abilities Skill Slot is reserved for Defense Skill Cards, the second for Jump Kick Skill Cards, etc. The different Skill Slots categories will be discussed in more detail below.
The Abilities Skill categories consist of five separate subcategories, usually with very few options for each Skill Slot.
Abilities Skill Card Slots¶
You can equip up to five Abilities Skill Cards at a time, and unlike the other Skill Slot categories, the Abilities Skill Card Slots are each an exclusive subcategory unto themselves. From left to right you have the following Abilities subcategories: Defense Skills, Jump Kick Skills, Special Attack Skills, Fury Skills and Fury Special Skills. There are only two to four Skill Cards for each of these subcategories, making these choices somewhat simpler than other categories.
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Defense Skills: These come in two flavors -
Block and 
Dodge. You’ll get one automatically near the beginning of the game - which one depends on the character you are playing - and you’ll unlock the other when you reach Lv.9. Both are decent, albeit in different circumstances: check out the page How to Block, Dodge and Counter in Dead Island 2. -
Jump Kick Skills: Consisting of the
Drop Kick and Jump Kick Skill Cards, these abilities consume stamina. The former has great Force while the latter deals heavy Damage - the difference between knockback/Stability damage versus pure physical Health damage. You’ll unlock both of these as you advance through the story quests. -
Special Attack Skills: A tertiary ability you can use by pressing the
War Cry, 
Ground Pound and 
Dash Strike abilities. -
Fury Skills: All the Skill Cards in this category provide alternative means for generating Fury.
Blood Rush causes you to gain Fury by Counter attacking enemies, 
Surgical Focus gives you Fury when you maim enemies, Street Brawler builds Fury when you damage enemies, and Served Cold will boost your Fury when you block attacks. Assuming Fury Mode is part of your strategy, picking a Fury Skill Card that suits your playstyle is a good idea. -
Fury Special Attack Skills: Monkey see, monkey do - these Skills Cards emulate the abilities of various apex zombies.
Overhead Smash emulates the 
Crusher, 
Scream copies the 
Screamer (no points for guessing that one) and 
Spitting Cobra mimics the 
Slobber. All of these can only be used in Fury Mode.
Survivor Skill Cards generally modify your equipped abilities.
Survivor Skill Card Slots¶
You can equip four Survivor Skill Cards, and there are twenty of these Skill Cards in total. More Skill Slots will unlock as you level up and progress through the story. Survivor Skill Cards primarily modify the functionality of equipped Ability Cards, causing you to gain Health when you perform a well-timed block or dodge, inflict debuffs when you execute a Drop Kick or 
Flying Kick, alter the efficacy of Overhead Smash, Scream or Spitting Cobra abilities. There are also some generalist Survivor Skill Cards, as well, like modifying your slide maneuver with 
Shin Shrapnel, knock enemies back when you use 
Med Kits with 
Safe Space and automatically slip enemy grapples with Greased Pig.
Slayer Skill Cards give you various boons under specific conditions.
Slayer Skill Card Slots¶
Like the Survivor category, the Slayer category has four Skill Card Slots that open up as you advance through the game. Competing for these Skill Slots are twenty-five Skill Cards. These Skill Cards generally modify various attacks, maneuvers and abilities, albeit often conditionally. Boosting damage, force or attack speed, recovering health, adding elemental effects are all common boons you’ll gain when you maim, knock down or kill enemies, fight in Fury Mode, score headshots or satisfy other conditions in combat. Slayer Skill Cards synergize with your weapon preference and general gameplay strategy perhaps more than any other Skill Card category.
Numen Skill Card Slots¶
These unlock near the end of the game, and you only have two Numen Skill Card Slots to equip five potential Numen Skill Cards. Their effects and conditions are quite varied and generally pretty powerful, reflecting some unusual characteristics your slayer picks up via late game plot developments…
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