Dead Island Definitive Edition’s best hidden rewards are scattered across Banoi rather than marked with convenient icons: search the Lifeguard Tower, investigate Moresby’s church and sewers, leave the jungle roads, and comb the prison after the story opens it. You’ll find rare weapon blueprints, developer easter eggs, colored-skull rewards, mod ingredients, named weapons, and locked rooms packed with high-level loot.
This guide focuses on secrets you can actually collect in the remastered version, not vague “check every corner” advice. The world layout is unchanged from the original Dead Island, but the Definitive Edition’s sharper lighting can make interactable objects easier to spot—and its rougher collision still means some jumps need a manual save before you try them.
Start at the Lifeguard Tower for the easiest secrets
The Lifeguard Tower is your first reliable treasure hub. Before rushing away after the opening quests, search the tower’s upper deck, the small side rooms, and the storage area below. The reward is not one single legendary chest; it’s a repeatable supply loop containing cash, alcohol, medkits, flares, repairable weapons, and crafting components. Return after loading a new chapter or fast-traveling and the area can refill with useful early-game equipment.
Check the tower and the beach shacks
Walk the full perimeter of the tower instead of following the quest marker. The beach huts and lifeguard stations frequently contain blunt weapons, food, batteries, and alcohol. Alcohol matters because it is used for Molotov cocktails, and Molotovs are dramatically stronger than improvised melee weapons against groups of Walkers. Keep at least two bottles in your inventory before entering the hotel.
The nearby wrecked vehicles also hide cash and weapon spawns. Search trunks only after clearing the immediate beach: infected can interrupt the opening animation, and a Thug’s ground pound will knock you out of range. Sam B’s Heavy Hitter skill is particularly efficient here because it improves blunt damage and knockdown potential, while Xian Mei can save durability by attacking limbs from behind.
| Secret area | What to search | Reward type | Best use |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lifeguard Tower upper deck | Side rooms and lockers | Medkits, cash, weapons | Early survival supplies |
| Beach shacks | Tables, beds, storage corners | Alcohol and components | Molotov crafting |
| Wrecked cars | Trunks and rear compartments | Cash and random weapons | Repair money |
| Coastline paths | Dead ends beyond quest routes | Lootable corpses and crates | Extra ammunition and food |
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View on Steammoz Store →Find Moresby’s hidden loot before clearing the city
Moresby is where the game starts hiding rewards behind vertical routes. The safest approach is to clear a block, then inspect balconies, roofs, fenced courtyards, and alley dead ends. Don’t assume a locked front door means the building is inaccessible. Many interiors are reached through a back window, a broken roof section, or an adjacent building’s upper floor.
The church and its surrounding buildings
The church district is worth a full sweep after the story sends you there. Search side rooms, the courtyard edges, and the buildings around the church rather than leaving immediately after the objective. You’ll find cash, alcohol, medkits, and weapon spawns that scale better than the resort’s early loot. The church also acts as a useful landmark when you’re hunting the colored skull-related secrets later.
Use a firearm or a thrown weapon to pull infected away from narrow doorways. Moresby’s biggest danger is not individual damage; it’s being trapped between a Floater, a Walker, and a charging Thug. A Stun Bomb or Deo-Bomb creates breathing room, while Logan’s Boomerang skill can return thrown weapons and reduce the number of melee exchanges you need.
Search rooftops instead of fighting every street pack
Several Moresby rewards sit above street level. Look for climbable awnings, parked vans, staircases, and low walls. Jumping from a vehicle roof onto a balcony is often safer than pushing through a mob. The game’s loot tables can produce strong versions of baseball bats, machetes, knives, and pistols here, especially once your character level passes 15.
Keep your best weapon repaired before opening suspicious rooms. Named or orange-rarity drops are not guaranteed, and many “secret” rooms contain random loot rather than a fixed legendary item. That distinction matters: revisit them after leveling if you want a better roll, but don’t reload for hours expecting a guaranteed weapon that is not part of the location’s fixed reward table.
Use the sewers to uncover skull and developer secrets
The Moresby sewer network is more than a story shortcut. Its dead-end tunnels, maintenance rooms, and side chambers hide collectible clues and the routes used for several developer-related rewards. Bring a flashlight, repair kit, and at least one explosive. The confined corridors make a Ram’s charge difficult to dodge, and a Butcher can shred a low-durability weapon before you reach an exit.
How the colored skull rewards work
The colored skulls are hidden collectibles placed around Banoi. They are easy to miss because they look like ordinary props until you pick them up. Carrying one to the correct altar or drop-off point unlocks a special developer reward, but the game does not clearly explain the color-to-location relationship. If a skull does not trigger anything, you have probably found the item without reaching its matching ritual spot.
Search elevated ledges, rooftops, drainage channels, and areas behind environmental clutter. Crouch-walk near ledges and use the camera to inspect shelves; the skull pickup prompt can be obscured by darkness or foliage. Make a manual save before attempting awkward jumps. Falling into an out-of-bounds gap can force a reload or respawn you far from the collectible.
| Secret category | Where to look | Reward | Important warning |
|---|---|---|---|
| Colored skulls | Hidden ledges, sewers, jungle routes | Developer crafting rewards | Each color belongs to a specific delivery point |
| Developer rooms | Behind unusual walls or hard-to-reach routes | Blueprints and special weapons | Some entrances require story progression |
| Sewer side rooms | Maintenance corridors and dead ends | Components, cash, random weapons | Expect cramped infected encounters |
| Roof access routes | Vans, awnings, balconies | High-level random loot | Clear nearby enemies before climbing |
For a broader look at weapon ranking logic, compare the approach in Steamoz’s Borderlands 2 weapon ranking guide. Dead Island is less loot-saturated, so preserving a reliable weapon can matter more than chasing rarity.
Leave the marked jungle path for the rarest finds
The Jungle is the game’s best secret-hunting zone. Once the river village and surrounding map open up, drive slowly and inspect every side trail, abandoned hut, wreck, and cliff edge. The main road points you toward quests; the valuable surprises are usually one turn away from it.
River village and abandoned huts
Search the river village’s outer huts and raised walkways, including rooms behind quest NPCs. Some buildings contain workbenches, alcohol, food, and weapon spawns, while others hide access points to higher ground. During escort sections, don’t sprint blindly ahead: the jungle’s infected often spawn behind you, turning a hidden-loot trip into a rescue failure.
The jungle also contains easter-egg areas inspired by other games and developer jokes. These are usually environmental discoveries rather than progression-critical rewards, but they can contain crafting materials and unusual loot. Look for paths that appear to terminate at a rock face or river bend. If the camera reveals a narrow gap, try approaching from a different angle rather than forcing a jump.
Hunt the jungle’s named and high-level weapon rolls
By the time you reach the Jungle, your character should be around level 20 or higher. Loot generated here is consequently more valuable than early resort drops. A machete or knife with high damage and a useful elemental effect can outperform a slower, rarer weapon because durability and attack speed decide many fights against Butchers.
Use a vehicle to reset dangerous encounters, not to flatten every infected you see. Driving into a named enemy can kill it quickly, but the vehicle takes damage and may be unavailable for the return trip. A better routine is to park near the objective, clear the nearest threat with a firearm, then search the side buildings with a full stamina bar.
Exploit the prison’s locked rooms and late-game loot
The Prison is the final major secret-hunting area, and its rewards are strongest when your character is properly leveled. Search every cell block, guard office, storage room, and corridor branch after the story grants access. Some doors only become reachable during later missions, so a first pass is not enough.
Armory routes and security offices
Pay attention to keycards and named guards. If an office contains a corpse, desk, or card reader, inspect the entire adjacent hallway before moving on. The armory and security areas can provide firearms, ammunition, cash, and weapon drops that are valuable for the final missions. Don’t waste every bullet on ordinary infected; save guns for Butchers, Rams, and boss encounters.
Prison interiors punish careless movement. Walkers can emerge from cells, and a Thug can pin you against a railing. Lead enemies into wider rooms, attack limbs, and keep an escape route open. Xian Mei’s Blade Fighter skills make knives and machetes excellent for dismemberment, while Purna’s group buffs and firearm-focused abilities make the prison’s gun-heavy encounters much easier in co-op.
| Character | Secret-hunting strength | Recommended skills | Combat plan |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sam B | Durability and crowd control | Heavy Hitter, Maintenance | Stagger groups, repair often |
| Xian Mei | Fast dismemberment | Blade Fighter, Deeper Wounds | Attack limbs and flank |
| Logan | Safe ranged utility | Boomerang, Sharp Expert | Throw weapons, recover them |
| Purna | Firearms and team support | Inspiring Kick, Group Fury | Save guns for elites and bosses |
Craft the hidden rewards instead of selling them
Developer blueprints and unusual collectibles are easy to mishandle because crafting materials compete with repair costs. Keep batteries, bleach, deodorant, metal scraps, alcohol, and household items until you know which blueprint you’re building. The developer rewards are novelty weapons or powerful crafted variants, not mandatory upgrades, but they’re among the most memorable secrets in the game.
Left Hand of Glova is a famous example: it turns an ordinary-looking quest item into a shock-based melee weapon after the relevant hidden chain is completed. Its electrical effect is excellent against clustered infected, but it still needs repairs and does not replace a dependable machete or firearm. Treat it as a tactical sidearm, not permission to ignore weapon durability.
For crafting survival ideas, Steamoz’s survival-tool ranking covers the same principle: the best tool is the one that solves the next dangerous encounter without draining your entire inventory.
Make every secret run count
Use the official Dead Island Definitive Edition Steam page as your version reference, then keep a simple checklist by area: resort, Moresby, sewer, Jungle, and Prison. Finish side quests before leaving a map, revisit workbenches after a chapter change, and save before risky platforming.
In co-op, split the search by landmarks but stay close enough to revive one another. The game’s loot and enemy scaling can become unpredictable with multiple players, so communicate before opening a locked room or triggering a boss. If the remaster stutters while you’re scanning dense jungle foliage, lower shadows and ambient occlusion first rather than sacrificing texture quality; those settings usually deliver the clearest performance gain. Steamoz’s PC fixes guide has useful troubleshooting steps for unstable older PC ports.
Finally, don’t confuse a secret location with a guaranteed legendary drop. Dead Island Definitive Edition mixes fixed collectibles, blueprint rewards, random weapon rolls, and respawning supplies. Mark the fixed objectives first—colored skulls, developer quests, named easter eggs, and story-locked rooms—then revisit random chests when your level rises. That route gives you the real payoff: stronger gear, more crafting options, and a Banoi map that feels deliberately designed rather than merely full of zombies.