Dead Island Wiki
Register
Advertisement
Dead Island Wiki
For the enemy of the same name in Dead Island: Retro Revenge, see Walker (Retro Revenge).
For the enemy of the same name in Dead Island 2, see Walker (Dead Island 2).

The Walker is the first class of zombie that is encountered in Dead Island, Dead Island: Riptide, and Dead Island: Epidemic. They are less of a threat than their faster counterparts, the Infected.

Overview[]

Being the first zombie type encountered in Dead Island, walkers are very common in the game. They resemble and behave like a stereotypical zombie would, suggesting that Walkers have fully undergone the zombification process, as opposed to the Infected, who are likely still living humans undergoing the start of the zombification process.

Walkers are slow, roaming the island of Banoi looking for "fresh meat" to satisfy their hunger. Walkers are most dangerous in groups where their speed is less of a disadvantage. Like many other zombies in pop culture, their heads are their most vulnerable spot, and damaging the head substantially can kill any Walker almost instantly.

Appearance[]

The Walkers are those who have undergone the full zombification process. They sport various stages of decay, depending on when and how they died and how long they have been dead. Pale bones often show through the decay and some have bloodshot eyes; others may bare exposed intestines or are missing large chunks of flesh. They sometimes carry and wield weapons, possibly from jobs they were working when they were still among the living or when they were trying to fend off the zombies. (This is probably due to rigor mortis freezing the hand grasping the weapon.)

Behaviour[]

Grab

A Walker grappling Xian Mei

Walkers are tricky enemies to deal with. They will remain motionless, giving the appearance of being truly dead until the player gets up close to them or kicks/damages them (throwing weapons is not a viable strategy since the player can't lock-on to the target, and even if the weapon did hit the zombie, it has no effect as the zombie is considered dead until disturbed). If the player gets close enough to a fake-dead corpse, they will get up and attack the player. Walkers faking death while sitting tend to jump up at the player very quickly, making them more of a threat; but when found laying on the ground, they're generally slow at getting up making the best time to attack when they are feeding on corpses or getting up from the ground. Always examine corpses to guarantee that they are dead. Any body with something to be looted is dead and not a waiting Walker.

Walkers will follow the player, but can be outrun fairly easily. Walkers will shamble toward the player, but if given enough of a run up they will start jogging. If a Walker sees the player, it will follow them if the player doesn't outrun it. If the player attacks the walker, it will gradually increase speed while walking toward the player. Walkers can go in and out of buildings and buses and can traverse stairs and walk through panes of glass, but cannot open doors or climb ladders. They can use melee weapons and even throw them.

Strategy[]

Di-Diamond-Bungalows-District-Walkers-001
  • When faced with a group of Walkers, lure them into a source of water, such as a swimming pool or beach. Knock them down and continue to stomp them as they try to stand up. The water acts as a weapon by drowning them. You will continue to receive XP as the water finishes them off for you, and you can loot them afterward. This is also helpful for conserving ammo or weapon durability. When faced with a group of Walkers not near a water source, it is best to either run and set up a better attack point, or (if using weapons with enough force) attack them, thus knocking them down for a stomp.
  • Walkers can use melee weapons and even at times throw them, so be careful when near ones that are armed.
    • Thrown weapons by Walkers often do ungodly amounts of damage for some reason (likely one hit killing you or leaving you on one bar of health). Dodge to the side whenever you see a Walker pulling back its arms to throw something.
  • Walkers are vulnerable to fire based attacks, such as exploding containers (e.g. Propane tanks) or any type of grenade like weapon (e.g. Molotov Cocktails).
  • Another easy way to kill Walkers is to simply run them over with a vehicle. Keep in mind, however, that they can still attack you through the windows if you are driving too slowly or stop.
  • Generally, it is considered a waste to use guns to kill Walkers. Being the second weakest enemy in the game, many players consider it better to conserve ammo for stronger enemies.
  • An easy way to kill most Walkers is to break or cut off both of their arms, and then kick them over, which instantly kills them because they cannot get up.
  • Kicking their legs is an effective strategy to knock them down, giving the player a chance to run away or go for the easy kill.
  • A Walker's speed can vary slightly, anywhere from a slow shuffle to a steady jog.
  • Performing a jump-kick will always knock down Walkers, allowing for an easy head stomp. However this uses a lot of stamina.
  • Using bone-breaking weapons (such as blunt weapons and the fists) on a downed Walker's arms can lead to repetitive "Break"-age XP points.
  • Before attacking, they will sometimes quickly stagger toward the Hero, as if over balanced. These attacks are sometimes stronger than average, but they can be easily dodged, or deterred with a kick.

Variations[]

WalkerToxic

Variations can mix depending on Chapter/Level/Zone. For example, in Moresby, there are lots of wide-shouldered zombies with armored or masked body parts.

  • On Fire — Usually move faster. Fire does a lot of damage to Walkers, usually leaving them burnt to a crisp and almost unrecognizable.
  • Wide Shouldered — Have more health than regular Walkers.
  • Tall — Can attack you when you're higher up or out of reach.
  • Long Arms — Attack range is extended.
  • Armored/Masked — Have more Health/Resistance to certain hit areas based on armored/covered body parts.
  • Feigners — Play dead, waiting for an unsuspecting person to wander by.
  • Toxic Fume — When in fumes, health does not regenerate. When hit by a fire modded weapon or a fire projectile, it will catch fire and quickly burn to death, however it can deal fire damage if one gets too close.
  • Armed — Attack with or throw their weapon, dealing small/moderate damage. Cutting off their arm or knocking them down will make them drop their weapon.
  • Frenzied — Have higher health than most Walkers. They are found in Dead Island Riptide during the zombie horde attack on the roof of Old Town Cinema with some Frenzied Infected.
  • Mutated Scientists — A version of the Walker in Dead Island: Riptide that only appears in Dr. Kessler's Biosphere, Japanese Tunnels, and Henderson Military Base. Their limbs can't be removed unlike other Walkers.
  • Runner — A Walker that first appeared in Dead Island: Epidemic. Unlike Infected they're fast Walkers.
  • Crawler — Cut zombies in Dead Island and Riptide. They're Walkers who crawl if their legs are removed.

Notable Walkers[]

Co-op Difficulty Scaling[]

Players Enemy Health Enemy Damage
2 x1.25 x1.1
3 x1.75 x1.2
4 x2.25 x1.3

Health[]

Level Health
1 100
3 300
12 620
20

1110

25 1600
50 4000

Glitches[]

  • Sometimes, when a Walker follows you, they will freeze and start using the animation associated with you being in a higher area than them.
  • Occasionally, a Walker will appear to be armed with a machete, but when killed drops a wooden plank.
  • If you cut a Walker's limb off as it is attacking you, the attack may still hit even though the limb is no longer there.
  • Sometimes, a Walker with a male model will make female Walker sounds and vice versa.
    • This is probably because: The model got accidently replaced sometimes with a male walker zombie model instead of a female zombie, The sounds got mixed and replaced with the female sounds instead of the male sounds, or something happened during development causing the sounds to be replaced by mistake.

Trivia[]

  • Walkers were originally going to be called Vessels.
  • Walkers share the same nickname (among others) as the zombies from The Walking Dead.
  • Unlike the Infected, Walkers don't have their skin torn off their hands, despite clawing survivors.
  • In the cutscene for the Beach House attack the walker that hits you makes a Thug roar than a walker sound.

Gallery[]

Advertisement