Summary
- Dead Island 2's first story expansion, Haus, takes players to a new post-apocalyptic area to confront a mysterious cult, offering new weapons and skill cards for assistance.
- The Haus expansion for Dead Island 2 will be released on November 2, 2023, as part of the $29.99 expansion pass, which also includes additional content such as a new weapon and character pack.
- Haus expansion will be available on all devices that Dead Island 2 was originally released on, including PlayStation 4 and 5, Xbox One, Series X and S, and PC as an Epic Games Store exclusive.
Dead Island 2's publisher Deep Silver and developer Dambuster Games have revealed the game's first story expansion, Haus. The expansion will see players venture to a completely new post-apocalyptic area to deal with a mysterious cult and will include completely new weapons and skill cards to aid them on this mission.
After a turbulent nine-year production that saw the zombie-slaying sequel change multiple developers and thus go through various iterations, Dead Island 2 launched in April 2023 and was better than most expected it to be. Gone were the vast open-world maps of the series' previous entries, with Dead Island 2 homage to Hollywood B-movies instead treating players to smaller explorable areas of a zombified Los Angeles through its missions. The combat was also largely improved with more visceral mechanics making each weapon's impact feel different as players carved their way through hordes of the dead.
The following article contains spoilers for Dead Island 2.
Dead Island 2's Haus Expansion Release Date & Price
Although it would have been a perfect fit for October and the Halloween season, Dead Island 2's Haus expansion will launch just after. The DLC's release date will be November 2, 2023. Haus doesn't seem to be available separately but is part of Dead Island 2's $29.99 expansion pass.
The expansion pass also includes the "Red’s Demise Katana" weapon and the Premium Character Pack, which are currently available to use. As for future content after Haus, a second story DLC titled SOLA Festival is expected to arrive in the second quarter of 2024.
Every Platform Dead Island 2: Haus Will Be On
Unlike some titles such as Horizon Forbidden West or Cyberpunk 2077, which only released their DLCs on current-gen consoles, Dead Island 2's Haus expansion will be available on all devices that Dead Island 2 originally launched on.
Dead Island 2 launched across both last and current-generation consoles, meaning that PlayStation 4 and 5, Xbox One, and Series X and S will receive the DLC. The title also launched on PC as an Epic Games Store exclusive.
Dead Island 2: Haus - New Weapons And Skill Cards
Dead Island 2 featured many weapons, both standard and crafted, to use to fend off the hordes of the undead across "Hell-A". These included both ranged and melee weapons, with each delivering realistic real-time damage to opponents due to the game's unique FLESH system. Haus will introduce three new weapons to the roster: the long-ranged, extremely powerful "K-ROSSBOW", the flame-spewing, bladed "Hog Roaster", and something called "Dead Islands", which allows players to "take the weight off [their] shoulders whilst [they] smash undead enemies into oblivion".
Dead Island 2 also included a skills card mechanic that wasn't seen in either of its predecessors, Dead Island and Dead Island: Riptide. These cards enhance a player's combat capabilities once equipped, and could be unlocked by leveling up, completing quests, or exploring specific locations. Certain cards could also be combined to form enhanced, more powerful variants that deal more damage. Haus will be including eight new skill cards for players to earn, although exactly what these cards are has yet to be revealed.
Dead Island 2: Haus Story Details - Setting, Characters, Plot
According to the official synopsis for Haus, the expansion will give players an entirely new storyline surrounding a billionaire’s secret techno-death cult as they fight to survive in the zombie apocalypse. As part of Haus's story, players will visit the cult’s leader, Konstantin's 1960s modernist villa, allowing players to visit yet another post-apocalyptic Californian location: Malibu.
This villa is described as a "deranged labyrinth of biomes where rational architecture is subverted by expanding narrative spaces". Konstantin believes the brutal battles that take place within it make it the "paragon of a new future", acting as both a sanctuary and a place where "the boundaries of morality are pushed".
While it's yet to be confirmed whether Haus takes place after or somewhere during the main game's campaign, Dead Island 2's ending was open enough to allow for this to be the case. The game ended with a cliffhanger as the player's character - regardless of who they chose - opted to stay behind to search for Tisha as the other members of the group fled on a helicopter, and allowed players to continue to complete any outstanding side quests, Lost & Found missions or tie up any other loose ends after the credits rolled.