Escape Dead Island Achievement Guide & Road Map

Escape Dead Island
Escape Dead Island Achievement Guide

Overview:
- Estimated achievement difficulty: 4/10
- Offline: 50/50 [1000/1000]
- Online: 50/50 [0/1000]
- Approximate amount of time to 1000: 10-15 hours
- Minimum number of playthroughs needed: 2
- Missable achievements: Several
- Does difficulty affect achievements?: No
- Unobtainable/glitched achievements: 1 ["Midair Mutilation" is somewhat glitchy].
- Extra equipment needed?: None

DLC: Underwater Labs
- Difficulty: 3/10
- Time to 245: 1-2 hours [depends on how far you are in the main story].
- Unobtainable: None

Special Thanks:
Jack Frost - Siren locations
Plasma SKX - collectables videos
Deranged Asylum - "Conviction" achievement video

Introduction:
Well to Escape Dead Island! The game takes place after the first Dead Island on a neighboring island of Banoi. When a group of friends set out to find out what happened on the islands, they uncover more than they bargained for. You play as Cliff Calo, a guy who only wants to get the story of a lifetime just to get the approval of his father. The game is bit different than the other two Dead Island games, but with the help of this guide you'll get an easy 1000.

Story Playthrough:
A majority of the achievements are story-related so there aren't too many that you'll have to focus on. Right from the start you'll want to follow a collectables guide. There aren't too many collectables and the maps aren't all that big compared to the other Dead Island games. Also while going for the miscellaneous achievements, make it a point to especially concentrate on the "Oh Shut Up!" achievement by killing 5 Sirens while they are screaming.

New Game+ Playthrough + Mop Up:
If you've found all the collectables in your first playthrough then you can fly through the second playthrough. If you didn't then no worries. All of your stats carry over and you'll only have to collect the ones that you've missed, including the "kill" achievements. Also mop up any of the miscellaneous achievement during this playthrough to prevent from having to start the story a third time.

Underwater Labs DLC
(Full G&RM HERE)

Special thanks to Jack Frost for the setup strategy and achievement help.

Introduction to DLC:
Even though this DLC was somewhat unexpected, the underground lab doors gave us a clue about it. The time it takes to get all the achievements isn't all that long. We're given two new weapons, one new zombie, and of course, more collectables. But we can't really complain about some free gamerscore, right?

DLC Setup:
In order to play the underground labs you'll have to progress far enough through the main game to have obtained the flashlight and you'll need the gas mask in order access the lab near the Marina. I continued a previous game which was near the end of my third playthrough and was able to access all of the labs. However, if you miss any of the logs or just don't pick up the assault rifle before finishing the first underground lab, you'll have to replay the entire game again to access it again. It is recommended to progress far enough into the story to have several weapon upgrades to make your DLC playthrough less of a hassle.

Jack Frost suggests this:
"I played the game up through the GeoPharm Labs sequence and then went to the Marina. I entered the Lab there, got the 11th Audio Log and then back tracked to the entrance near the Geopharm labs and started the main part of the DLC.

I recommend doing this even the first time around (if you're playing from the beginning) because if you search thoroughly, you'll have 3/4 melee weapon upgrades, the katana, the shotgun and the silenced pistol all before you enter the labs which can mitigate some of the difficulty.

In short: play up until you can get the audio log in the marina, then back track to the Lab door near the GeoPharm Lab entrance, and once you go inside - BACK OUT OF THE GAME AND MAKE A BACKUP SAVE."

Playing Through the First Underground Lab:
There's only one lab that you really have to focus on playing through and that's the one near Geopharm Labs. While playing through this lab be sure to grab the assault rifle and work on getting 100 kills with it. Also be sure to grab the 10 Ronald logs and be aware of doors that you have to button mash to enter because once you enter them you can't go back.

The Other Labs:
With the other three labs all you really have to do is enter them and explore a bit for it to register that you've found it. The lab near the helipad has the walloper that you'll want to grab and work on getting 10 long range kills with.

DLC Conclusion:
The DLC isn't long at all and not difficult. The setup is horrible but at least the DLC is free.

Conclusion:
If you've played the other two Dead Island games you'll notice this one is shorter and easier. There aren't any achievements that are too difficult and pulling off the completion will be easy.

[XBA would like to thank Skorpion XBA for this Roadmap]

The Narapela Massacre

25
Kill 100 zombies in total.
This will come naturally during your first playthrough. If by some chance you didn’t kill 100, all of your stats carry over in the New Game+.
Learn The Ropes

10
Acquire the rope.
Story-related and cannot be missed.
Zombie Killing 101

10
Kill 50 zombies with a melee weapon.
This should come with natural progression of the game. Just make sure to use your melee weapon often. If you don't get this at the end of the game, you can get this on your New Game+ as all your stats carry over.
Dead Is Dead

10
Execute 25 downed zombies.
(1)
When you hover over adowned zombie, the game will notify you to press in order to execute it. I used to do a strong attack which gives a better chance at knocking zombies down. You can also do this on some zombies that are crawling out of the ground or out from under objects. Just do this 25 times and the achievement is yours.
Deadly Arts

10
Stealth kill 25 zombies.
A stealth kill is when you approach a zombie from behind while crouched down and you’ll see the icon letting you know you can get a kill without being noticed. If the “!” above their head turns completely red then you won’t be able to pull it off, so do this without taking a lot of time.
Deadeye

10
Kill 25 zombies with pistol headshots.
Like the achievement description says, just get 25 headshots with the pistol. It usually takes 2-4 shots to the head to kill a zombie. If you get the upgraded pistol you can shoot from a distance without zombies finding out your position as the gun has a silencer.
Bloodsplosion

10
Kill 10 zombies with close range shotgun blasts.
Simply enough, just kill 10 zombies at closerange with the shotgun. Headshots will take out the weaker zombies in one shot at close range.
Midair Mutilation

15
Kill an airborne Bouncer.
(1)
This achievement seems to be somewhat glitchy. I killed three bouncers in the air before the achievement popped for me and I’ve read several other people having problems with this.

I got this achievement in the labs. After you get the gas mask, you’ll fight some zombies on the lower level of that area and then a door will openand you fight a few more. Then you’ll get to the door that you have to mash to open. Once you open the door, you’ll be in a long-ish hallway and the door on the other side has a Bouncer inside. There are two zombies in the room,the Bouncer is the one on the left. What I did was open the door and remained inside the hallway. I shot the Bouncer four times with the pistol with bodyshots because headshots will kill him and you don’t want to shoot off his arms or he won’t pounce at you. Then aim a bit in the air, wait for him to pounce, then shoot him. You can switch to the shotgun if you’d like, but I got it with the pistol. If you mess up or the achievement doesn’t pop, you can kill yourself and you’ll spawn at the end of the hallway again.
Right Back At Ya!

15
Kill 10 Spitters with a ranged weapon.
This will probably come naturally. You will see your first Spitter right after you get the pistol. Just kill 10 with ranged weapons and you’ll get this. Make sure to move a bit to prevent from getting hit from it’s “spit.”
Oh Shut Up!

15
Kill 5 Sirens while they are screaming.
(6)
I recommend going for this for each Siren you come across as there aren't too many within the game. What I did for each Siren was pop off a few headshots and get it down to less than half of it's health. Reload quickly and wait for it to scream again and fire away.

You have to be somewhat quick about doing this. Sirens will only scream when there are other zombies around for it to warn, and they only scream about 2-3 times. I believe if you dismember a Siren it will no longer scream.

Jack Frost has some good locations for Sirens HERE.
NOTE: Some of the locations may be based on the New Game+ playthrough.
Anchorman

10
Acquire the grappling hook.
Story-related and cannot be missed.
Through The Mist

10
Acquire the gas mask.
Story-related and cannot be missed.
Lightbringer

10
Acquire the combat flashlight.
Story-related and cannot be missed.
Shutterbug

10
Acquire the camera.
(2)
Story-related and cannot be missed.
The Butcher Of Narapela

10
Kill 10 Butchers.
(1)
This will come naturally as long as you don’t run away from them all. I found the best way to take out Butchers is to run up close and spam until they block. When they block, back up a bit until they do the spinning attack which is usually followed by a delayed slash attack. Run up close and follow the same process until you kill it.
Voice Com

10
Acquire the two-way radio.
Story-related and cannot be missed.
Super Sleuth

25
Collect all lost stories.

See “What Happened, Happened.”
Horror Stories

25
Collect all research logs.

See “What Happened, Happened.”
The Puppet Master

25
Collect all Charon's logs.

See “What Happened, Happened.”
Card Collector

25
Collect all postcards.
(3)
See “What Happened, Happened.”
What Happened, Happened

25
Collect all snapshots.
(2)
For the collectable achievements you will need:

- Lost Stories (12)
- Research Logs (12)
- Postcards (12)
- Charon's Logs (16)
- Snapshots (86)

NOTE:
There are also Geopharm Files (28) that you can collect, but aren't attached to an achievement.

Plasma SKX has created collectable videos HERE for each mission and has listed which ones are in each.
Locked And Loaded

10
Collect 25 ammo packs.

This should come naturally in your first playthrough. Ammo packs are scattered all throughout the island and there are more than enough for this achievement. If you’ve already acquired the pistol and/or shotgun, when you die in the same checkpoint a few times, you’ll spawn with an ammo pack for each gun.
Conviction

50
Kill 5 enemies in 2 seconds.
(1)
A great place to get this is when Xian Mei gives you the pistol. You are asked to hold off the zombies while she tries to get inside the building. There will be five zombies present. Shoot a few rounds into each zombie to weaken them and lure them near a barrel. Shoot the barrel to ignite it and will blow in just a few seconds.

Thanks to Deranged Asylum for the video:
Wow Very Ninja Much Sneak

50
Kill 10 enemies in a row without being detected.
(8)
There are many places to get this, as long as you're not seen. Take your time, look out for any zombies, and sneak up and stealth kill 10 in a row without being seen. I'll also add that all zombies, including Sirens, Bouncers, Butchers, and Spitters, will all die in one hit from the stealth kill.

A great place to get this is in the big elevator there will be zombies falling from the ceiling. Stay crouched and watch where they land to stay hidden until you can sneak up behind them.
Thrillseeker

25
Recover to max health from minimum health.
You will probably get this without even trying. You don't have a health bar to go by, so you'll have to estimate the best you can. When you're hurt and the screen starts to go red, that means you're about to die. At that point you either need to run away or fight off what zombies you have in order to regain your health. You can also do this with the green gas (before you get the gas mask) and there are a few barbed wired places in the map where you can deplete your health and let it regenerate.
The Smorgasbord

50
Injure a single zombie with your melee weapon, the pistol and the shotgun, then stealth kill it.
(4)
I got this right after you get the shotgun from Xian Mei. As soon as you enter the labs you'll want to run up to the zombie and hit him with a melee attack. You'll attract two more zombies so you may want to kill them before going any further. Then shoot the zombie with a pistol and then the shotgun. Don't aim for the head for obvious reasons. Run back and "hide" behind the small wall on either side. The zombie shouldn't follow you all the way back to this point. After the zombie heads back the other way, and the "!" isn't red anymore, sneak up behind it for the stealth kill.

There are many opportunities to get this, but you'll want to get this before you "upgrade" all of your weapons.

What A Trip!

50
Complete the game.
Story-related and cannot be missed.
And Back Again

50
Complete new game+.
(2)
Story-related and cannot be missed.
Undercover

25
Complete the prologue.
Story-related and cannot be missed.
Bon Voyage

25
Complete Mission 1 - Smooth Sailing.
Story-related and cannot be missed.
Welcome To The Jungle

25
Complete Mission 2 - One Less Boat.
Story-related and cannot be missed.
Hard Rain

25
Complete Mission 3 - Echoes.
Story-related and cannot be missed.
A For Effort

25
Complete Mission 4 - Marathon.
Story-related and cannot be missed.
Live Together, Die Alone

25
Complete Mission 5 - A Fighting Chance.
Story-related and cannot be missed.
Sign Of Good Faith

25
Complete Mission 6 - Stories of the Dead.
Story-related and cannot be missed.
Autodefenestration

25
Complete Mission 7 - Beauty and the Beast.
Story-related and cannot be missed.
On The Rocks

25
Complete Mission 8 - Devan.
Story-related and cannot be missed.
Showdown

25
Complete Mission 9 - Father's Day.
Story-related and cannot be missed.
Crossing The Rubicon

25
Complete Mission 10 - Faith.
Story-related and cannot be missed.
Mind Over Mind

25
Complete Mission 11 - Deliverance.
Story-related and cannot be missed.
Blunt Trauma

10
Acquire your first melee weapon.
You will get to part early in the story where containers start to fall from the sky. When you wake up in a container, look to the right on a table right before exiting the container.
Hatchet Man

10
Upgrade your melee weapon.
When you have to look for card keys, you will get to a villa. There will be several zombies, including a Spitter once you get there. Down to the left of arriving you will see the workbench with the axe on it. By "upgrade" they mean "find a better weapon."
A Real Weapon

10
Upgrade your melee weapon again!
When you have to go the helipad you'll get to the large elevator that takes you up. In the room with the elevator you'll see a forklift. This is the room with the upgraded axe.
Top Of The Line

10
Upgrade your melee weapon for the third time. Yeah!
When you have to go back to the marina where Devin is with the boat, you'll get inside again and you have to pick this advanced axe to progress in the story. This axe can also open up doors that have yellow X's on them.
Improvised Assassin

10
Acquire your first stealth kill weapon.
You will get this early when you make it into the marina. It’s part of your objective so you can’t miss it.
Cutting Edge

10
Upgrade your stealth kill weapon.
After the scene where Linda is bitten, follow your objective marker. Right after the scene you will go down two ladders and the up another one. As soon as you climb up the ladder you will notice paper on the ground. To the right and through the bushes is the path you want to take to find the combat knife.
Armed And Ready

10
Acquire the pistol.
Xian Mei will give this to you right after you “save” her. This is where you are introduced to the Spitter.
Silent Death

10
Upgrade the pistol.
After you get the gas mask and fight off some zombies, you'll get to a hallway where you can see inside another room but you can't get inside yet. Go to the end of the hallway and kill the Bouncer and other zombies. Use the key card to the left of you and once you get inside the room, it'll flip. The controls are a bit awkward, but you only have to make it to the other room. Inside is the silenced pistol.
Buckshot Ballet

10
Acquire the shotgun.
Just like the pistol, Xian Mei will give this to you right before you enter the labs.
Power To The People

10
Upgrade the shotgun.
This can be found at the Crown residence. Once you get upstairs you'll see a biohazard door. Inside will be a shadow Butcher and the upgraded shotgun.

There are 10 achievements with a total of 245 points

Deep One

25
Find all the underground secondary areas
(5)
There are four underground areas you'll have to venture to. You will need to have progressed far enough in the story to have obtained the flashlight to enter these areas.
- Geopharm Labs - near the lab is an entrance. If you're facing the entrance to the labs, the path is behind you to the left.
- Helipad - this is in an obvious spot right before you get to the helipad.
- Beach - on the beach near where you first start out on the island
- Marina - down near the water you'll see a body pinned against a pole by a car. Right there is a hole in the fence you can duck down through and find the last entrance. NOTE: You'll need to have the gas mask in order to reach the Marina.
Lab Rat

25
Find the underground labs
(2)
Once you reach the bottom of the ladder in the underground lab near Geopharm labs and proceed forward the achievement will unlock.
Praise The Light!

50
Complete the underground labs
(3)
This will pop once you complete the underground lab near Geopharm Labs. The other three labs are really just supply rooms and aren't needed for this achievement.
Lil Slugger

10
Acquire the walloper
(1)
You will find the walloper in the underground labs near the helipad. There isn't much to explore so there shouldn't be a problem finding it.
Duty Calls

10
Acquire the assault rifle
(1)
You will find the assault rifle in the underground labs near Geopharm Labs. In the same area as Ronald's log #3 is where you'll find it. You actually see this area beforehand when you get to the room with a switch that turns on a light behind a glass wall. You'll see the dead man in a chair holding the gun. Be sure to get this gun before you go through the door you have to button mash or you'll have to start the area over again.
Hail Mary

25
Kill 10 enemies at long range with the walloper
First off, this gun only shoots one bullet before you have to reload and the reload speed is extremely slow. And secondly, hitting a target at "long range" isn't as easy as other guns. It takes pistol ammo so you shouldn't have a problem finding ammo for it.

The reason that it's more difficult to hit a target is because it has such big sights. Not to mention what is defined by "long range." As long as enemies are far enough away not to fill the sights you'll be OK. You can weaken enemies with other weapons if you'd like, as long as the kill shot is with the walloper.
Blaster From The Past

25
Kill 100 enemies with the assault rifle
Once you get the assault rifle you can start grinding this out. I advise going for headshots and possibly weakening enemies with other weapons first. Even though it's an assault rifle, it uses shotgun ammo. Try to get this before the end of the game or you'll have to travel down the labs all over again to get the gun.
Memorial

25
Collect all of Ronald's logs
(2)
There are only 11 logs you'll have to collect and they have a yellowish glow to them so they're easy to spot.

Underground lab near Geopharm Labs (10 logs):

- You'll get to some stairs that go down, but before going down check the room to the right for the first log. NOTE: This is the only log you can miss in this lab and still come back to get as this is prior to the door closing.

You will get to a door that you have to button mash to open. Be sure you have the first log before proceeding.

- When you get to the cutscene introducing the Dweller, there is a log straight ahead in the corner to the right.
- After you come to another Dweller you go upstairs and find another log. This is in the same area as the assault rifle.

You will get to another door that you have to button mash to open. Make sure you have the first three before proceeding.

- After going down the stairwell where the water falls through the ceiling, you'll go through a vent and find a ladder to the left. Go up the ladder and you'll get to a room with a yellow valve. In the next room you'll find the log.
- You'll get to a room with a switch and a ladder going down. Go down the ladder and go to the vent on the left side and find the log in that room.
- You'll get to a second area with a ladder and switch. Go down the ladder and through the vent between the crates. The next area will have the log.
- Go back through the vent you just came out of and go through the other vent in the room to find another log.

There will be yet another door that requires you to button mash to open. Once again, make sure you have the seven logs before proceeding.

- After the room that is surrounded by water with the lever, you'll proceed and duck under some pipes and straight ahead is the room with the next log.
- You'll come to a room with a tree in the middle. On the lower level you'll find the log.
- After getting the door open with a switch you'll find the last log in this area in the next room.

Underground Lab near the Marina

- The last log you need will be in the lab near the Marina. Very hard to miss.
It's Super Effective!

25
Kill a Dweller using an environmental hazard
(1)
The underground lab near Geopharm Labs is the only area that has Dwellers. I did this on the first Dweller you meet. You'll get a cutsceen introducing the Dweller and they can hear you even if they can't see you. When you approach the area you'll notice an electric current on the ground. I ran up to get the Dweller's attention, ran back behind the current and watched as he electrocuted himself. I popped off some pistol rounds to dwindle down his health. The first time I attempted this I didn't use any other weapons and he eventually broke free. They have plenty of health so I'd advise weakening him somehow just as long as the electric current is the what finally kills him.

There are other opportunities later in the level with electric current and explosive barrels that you can get this, but I recommend the first location to avoid other enemies.
Apex Predator

25
Stealth kill a Dweller
(2)
Dwellers are hard to sneak up on, if not entirely impossible. In order to achieve this, the only thing I've noticed is to create a distraction to get a Dweller to run up to it and sneak up and attack while it is distracted. I got this in the same location as "It's Super Effective!" which is the first Dweller you come across (where you get the cutscene introducing the Dweller). After getting one achievement, you can kill yourself and go for the other achievement. Of course there are other opportunities to get this, but there will be more zombies to deal with. When you enter the area the Dweller is on the left side and there will be one of Ronald's logs in the back corner to the right. I clicked the log to turn it on and the Dweller came running. I slid back a bit to hide in the shadows, snuck up behind it and got the stealth kill.

Here's another suggestion by Jack Frost:
"I used the first one (Dweller introduced by the cutscene) to get "Apex Predator" by using the Audio Log, and I didn't die. The very next sequence you come to is the intersection with the two Spitters and the electrical floor with the switch that you must hit in order turn off the electricity to move on. Just passed that is the room with the second set of Dwellers and the Screamer (the room where you pick up the Assault Rifle).

I just fired a few rounds into the air and that second Dweller started to chase me. I'd run back and turn on the switch. If I didn't hear the Dweller start to sizzle, I'd fire another round or two and he'd run right into the electricity."