Dead Island 2: How to slay a Mutator before it transforms

As you make your way through the Dead Island 2 campaign, you are going to encounter 31 different species of zombies. You will face off against your fair share of Common zombies, and you will have to defeat Apex zombies as well. Apex zombies are a little bit tougher to defeat and often pose more of a threat than Common zombies.

One of the Apex zombie types you won’t encounter until near the end of Dead Island 2 is a Mutator. Mutators may look like Common Walker zombies, but they are extremely different and are much more difficult to kill. They are one of the strongest Apex zombies in all of Dead Island 2. However, if you can kill Mutators before they transform into their more sinister self, they won’t pose as much of a threat to you.

Mutators are usually shirtless and have cargo shorts on. Even if you are aiming down at a Mutator, it might say it is a Walker, until it is aggravated. That is why it is always better to kill Mutators before they get aggressive. If you shoot at a Mutator and don’t kill it or make too much noise when near one, it will get aggressive and transform into a zombie with a clawed hand and open ribcage.

The key here is to be silent around them and act a bit stealthy when near them. If you are looking to kill some Mutators, you can find them fairly easily by traveling to the Mutator Hotspots in The Metro, Bel-Air, or Beverly Hills. The Hotspot in Bel-Air and Beverly Hills doesn’t spawn until you have beaten Dead Island 2, but you can always find some Mutator zombies hanging out in The Metro if you don’t feel like waiting until the end of the game.

Killing Mutators before they transform is really easy. When you visit these Mutator Hotspots and locate a Mutator from a distance, take out a rifle from long range and aim for the head. One headshot should do the trick and upon killing the Mutator before he transforms, you will unlock the Achievement/Trophy “Not Even My Final Form.” If the Achievement/Trophy does not pop up, there is always a chance that you have gotten this earlier in the game naturally, without even realizing it.

These Mutators can get very annoying after having to defeat them over and over again when roaming the streets of Los Angeles, but they become much easier to handle when you kill them before they transform.