Fists are the Hero's hands, used as a weapon whenever the Hero is not holding a proper weapon or useable item such as a Medkit or Alcohol.
Overview[]
Fists are the Hero's "default" weapon, one which does not degrade with use (infinite durability) and which they cannot be stripped of under any circumstances. Should the Hero run out of weapons to use, they will still be able to punch zombies with their bare fists.
The listed stats for the Fists are 20 damage and 25 force. However, unlike other weapons in Dead Island, the actual stats for Fists change with the Hero's level. Against a same-level enemy, the damage dealt by Fists is equal to (Level × 3) + 20. For example, a level 1 Hero will do (1 x 3) + 20 damage, which is 23 damage per punch, while a level 50 Hero will do (50 x 3) + 20 damage, making it 170 damage per punch. This change is not reflected in the Weapon Wheel, nor when comparing weapons, both of which use the listed damage value of 20.
Despite the damage amount increasing with level, Fists quickly become inferior sources of damage as level increases. Compared to same-level Brass Knuckles, Fists do 85% of the damage at level 1, but drop to less than 50% by level 9. Because of this it is preferable to use almost any other weapon if possible.
Skills[]
In Dead Island: Riptide, John Morgan serves as the game's Hand-to-Hand weapons specialist, which includes Fists. Almost all of John's damage-boosting abilities apply to Fists, making it possible to inflict in excess of 400 damage per bare-handed punch at level 50.
No characters in Dead Island have any skills specifically relating to Fists. Fists are neither categorized as Blunt weapons nor Sharp weapons, and as such no skills available to Logan Carter, Sam B or Xian Mei increase their stats. However, Purna's "Hard Knocks" skill does apply to Fists, as they are classified as a Melee weapon. Combined with her "Boost Aura" skill, Purna can provide a total of an 18.75% boost to the damage done by Fists.
Notes[]
- Though not listed, Fists use 5 units of stamina per swing. This is the same amount used by most Brass Knuckles.
- Even though the fists have no real aiming capabilities, the player will still see aiming reticles.