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Dead Island 2’s Santa Monica Pier is a small area with lots of variety to mix up the backdrop to your zombie-slaying fun. The CDC medical area features hazmat suit-wearing walkers and eerie remnants of science experiments. It’s a stark contrast from the equally eerie Santa Monica Pier, where tourists have transformed into brain-eating zombies but the amusements still remain.
Related:Dead Island 2: The Complete Guide To Venice Beach’s Collectibles And Side Quests
There is a ton to do in Santa Monica Pier. While it may not have the most Lockboxes or Fuse Box areas, it does have many Side Quests to complete. Walking away from this area with all Side Quests complete will reward you with valuable legendary weapons, weapon mods, and even a code to unlock a secret stash in the Ocean Avenue Area.
Santa Monica Pier Fuse Box Locations
There areonly three Fuse Box locationsin the Santa Monica Pier. However, they are well worth unlocking if you are in the mid-game.
If you have completed the main story, then theZomproof Slayer Hoard lootwon’t be as powerful as weapons picked up from Side Quests andLost and Found quests.
How To Get To The Fuse Box
Lifeguard HQ Fuse Box
You’ll find thisFuse Box on the first floorof theLifeguard HQby walking through the entrancefacingthebeachand turning right tocrawl through the blocked corridor.
Funland Arcade Fuse Box
You’ll find this Fuse Box on thefirst floorof theFunland Arcadein the “Staff Only” room. It’s very easy to get overwhelmed by zombies in this area due to being an area whereVoltaic Screamers spawn. Moreover, zombies are locked within the Fuse Box area.
Pier Edge Fuse Box
You will find thefinal Fuse Boxon thevery edgeof the Santa MonicaPier, in theice cream parlorpassed theFerris Wheel.
Santa Monica Pier Lockbox Locations
Santa Monica Pier only contains three Lockbox Locations. However, they are well worth unlocking as you’ll be able to complete theSafe Cracker Exploration challenge.
Moreover, you’re able to quickly unlock all three lockboxes once you’ve completed theBoardwalking Dead MainStory Quest.
Where To Find The Lockbox Key
Lifeguard Kit Box
The Lifeguard Kit Box is found in theLifeguard HQ safe houseand fast travel area of the Pier.
To open the Lifeguard Kit Box, you will need theLifeguard Kit Box Keydropped by TheBeach Hulk Crusher Zombie.
The Beach Hulk can be found outside theCDC top entranceandsouthof theLifeguard HQ. The area is marked by adigger, and severalred explosive barrels.
Suspicious Container
TheSuspicious Containercan be found by walking through ashipment containernear theshorelineandentrancetoVenice Beach.
To open the Suspicious Container, you will need theCDC Disposal Key.
You can acquire the CDC Disposal Key by killing theCDC Viscera Cleaner, which can be found on theshoreline oppositethebeached row boat.
The CDC Viscera Cleaner will spawn after you’ve completed theBoardwalking Dead Story Mission.
Famiglia Storage Box
TheFamiglia Storage Boxcan be found in theLugi’s Pizza store bathroomlocated at the very north of the Santa Monica Pier map.
You’ll have tobreak into the storeto get in, causing a swarm of zombies to spawn and a Crusher.
To open the Famiglia Storage Box, you will need theLuigi’s Famiglia Key.
you may acquire Luigi’s Famiglia key bykilling Luigi Jr. Who can be foundunderneaththemiddle sectionof thepier.
Santa Monica Side Quests
There are five Side Quests to complete in the Santa Monica Pier location. All require you to have completed theBoardwalking DeadMain Story Quest.
We recommend that you return to the Santa Monica Pieronce you’ve completed the main campaign and complete all side quests in the Venice Beach and Bel-Air areabefore taking on these side quests.
You should tackle each Side Quest in the order below, as you won’t be able to start theRed Tide Side Questuntil you’vecompletedtheHero’s Journey.
Like And Follow!
The Like And Follow! Side Quest is picked up inSanta Monica Pierafter completing the main story andClickbait!Amanda Styles' previous Side Quest.
To start the Like and Follow! Quest,walk along the pier by the bumper cars, and you will find Amanda Styles standing on top of the building opposite, surrounded by zombies.
Amanda traveled to the Pier hoping to record some zombie-slaying footage for her social media. This is where you come in. Like in the Clickbait! Side Quest Amanda will ask you toslay zombies in specific ways, starting with electrocution.
How To Complete
Use electricity to zap 16 zombies to death
You can easily complete this objective byspilling waterover theBumper Cars arena.
SeveralHydration Zombieswill spawn in the area that you may use to flood the ground with water. Moreover, you can use theWater Cansandconduct thelive wire found in the arena.
TheChem BombandElectric Starcombo is excellent for this situation; however, be careful not to electrify too much of the area as you risk taking damage to yourself.
Decapitate 12 zombies
Once you’ve killed 16 zombies with electricity, Amanda will walk along the rooftops further into the pier. She will ask you todecapitate 12 zombiesin the area before outside the Ferris wheel.
This objective is a bit more tricky as a mix ofcrushers,slobbers, andRiot-Gear Walkerswill attack you. We recommend using amaiming weaponor arifleasheadshotsandhead stomps count.
Yeet 14 zombies off the edge of the pier
Lastly, Amanda Styles will ask you for one final zombie slaying scene. For her footage, she will ask you tokick 14 zombies off the pierby the destroyed part of the pier that fell during theBoardwalking Dead Main Story Quest.
To complete this objective, you must equip thejump kick ability,as this increases the power of your kicks and sends zombies flying.
Once you’ve completed the objective, return to Amanda to claim your prestigious reward:
The Hero’s Journey
The Hero’s Journey can only be picked up once you’ve completed the main story and theCoast Guardian Side QuestatVenice Beach.
Walk by the shorelineunder the pierto trigger The Hero’s Journey Side Quest and the conclusion of Burt the lifeguard’s story; now, what mess could he have got himself into this time?
Follow the cries for help.
The first objective in The Hero’s Journey is to follow the cries for help. Simply walkunderneath the pieruntil you get to the pier wall and find Rita and Burt trapped by a swarm of zombies.
You’ll have to kill all the zombies in the area before talking to Rita and Burt.
Clear an escape route for Burt and Rita.
Climb up onto the ledge and talk toBurtandRita, who will reveal that they’re trying to escape to theLifeguard HQwith the other survivors. You will need to kill all the zombies in the area.
Burt will ask if you may fetch hislucky torp,located at thepublic toiletsnear theCDC area.
Rescue Burt’s Lucky torp behind the public toilets.
To findBurt’s lucky torpyou must fight your way to theCDC. Be wary of the shipment containers on either side of the entrance as a dozen zombies andScreamercan spawn here.
Once you reach thepublic toilets,destroy thewooden boxin between a narrow walkway separating the two toilet blocks.
Burt’s lucky torp is found in thesand at the back of the toilet area. Be careful, as picking up the torp will cause aCrusher Apex Zombie to spawnin the narrow walk way.
Rescue Burt.
After saving Rita from a crusher, you will return to theLifeguard HQto discover thatBurthas taken refuge in thelifeguard huton thebeach.
Quickly run to the lifeguard hut and clear all thezombies surrounding the hut. You will have to facecrushers,slobbers, andbutchers.
Finally, give the lucky torp to Burt. You’ll be rewarded with the following items for completing The Hero’s Journey Side Quest:
Message In A Bottle
To pick up the Message in a Bottle Side Quest, walk along theshore opposite the beached row boatto find abottleto start the quest. This quest works very similarly to a Lost and Found quest.
Using the journal entry, you mustvisit key locations to discover what happens to the arrogant food critic.
Go to the Bucket O' Fish
The first entry shows that the food critic visited theBucket O' Fishfor a bite of seafood. You’ll find the Bucket O' Fish passed the army quarantine area and at the back of the Pier Grill.
To find the"Review: Bucket O' Fish: One Star"journal entry, you must descend into the Bucket O' Fish and navigate throughshotgunandelectricity traps.
The journal entry is found on a crate guarded byelectrified water. To get to the review,climbontop of the crateson the left and thenthrow a weaponat theelectric boxtocut the power.
Go to the Pier Grill
The food critic was not happy with the Bucket O' Fish and hinted at his next destination — the military had set up alanding pad next to the grill, and there was anoutdoor seating area. This is hinting at thePier Grill, as there iscrashed Chinook helicopterby the seating area.
You will be swarmed byCrushersandRiot Gear zombieswhen approaching the Pier Grill.
The"Review: Pier Grill: Two Stars"journal is found on theback tableof theoutdoor seating area.
Go to the Hot Dogs Shack
Once again the food critic was not happy with his food, and states in the journal that he needs “something, greasy, unpleasant and most importantly FAST! The kind of meat whose origins nobody could possibly determine!”
The food critic can only refer to theHot Dog Shackbehind theLifeguard HQ. This time, however, you will need to killA.R. Oliver, who has transformed into a slobber. Killing A.R. Oliver is easy enough. However, you will beswarmed by large groups of zombiesthat spawn in the area.
Pick up the “Review: Hot Dog Shack: Twelvteen Strs"journal to complete the quest and earn3,000 XP.
Dez And The Mother Of Satan
To pick up the Dez and the Mother of Satan Side Quest, you must first completeBoz Makes a Bang Side QuestandBoardwalking Dead Story Quest.
If you meet these requirements,Hanawill contact you via a radio that can be accessed at any Safe House location, explaining that she needs your help tracking down another VCLA student.
Find the source of the noise.
Your first objective is to find the source of the noise in the CDC area. You must fight throughswarmsofzombiesthatspawnfrom theshipping containersbefore reaching Dez at theCDC Main Dome balcony.
Speak to Dez up on the CDC Dome’s Balcony.
Dez is standing on top of theCDC’s Main Dome Balcony. She will explain that she is testing anexperimental explosiveand needs your help securing the area by killing any zombies that survive the explosions.
Search the Quartermaster’s records for where Mother of Satan is stored.
Once you’ve defeated a few waves of zombies,speak to Dezto get your next objective.
You must retrieve theAutophage Taxonomy journal, “Autophage:Vectory Mechanics journal, and the “Quartermaster’s Records"journal,which can be found by walking through the small tents that loop to the Main Dome security keypad entrance.
Return to Dez at the CDC Dome Interior.
With all journals accounted for, you’ll learn thelocationof theMother of Satan chemical.
Enter theMain Domeand clear out all the zombies in the area. You will have to kill a uniqueVoltaic Screamer named Project:Juliet. It’s a good idea to activate yourFury Modein theMain Dome area, as you can easily be overwhelmed by the zombies spawning from the Voltaic Screamer.
Once you’ve killed all the zombies, talk to Dez to finish up the quest and claim your rewards:
Red Tide
Red Tide is the final side quest to complete in Santa Monica Pier and is picked up from theLifeguard HQby talking toCarmen. However, you must have completed theRage Quit Story QuestandThe Hero’s JourneySide Quest.
Carmen explains that she may have found a way out of Hell-A by recovering CDC documents that a boat had been requested, and she wants you to find this boat; what could go wrong?
Red Tide is the toughest quest in Santa Monica, so make sure to befully stocked on Med Kits, and haveFury Mode ready.
Pick up Cooper’s trail at the CDC HQ.
Carmen will give you the documents she found revealing that the boat was requested by aCDC employeenamedCooper, who worked at theCDC tents.
With a lead, head to the CDC area and enter the tent marked by a red sign reading “Remember Your VEC!”
Investigate the CDC tent for clues to the location of Cooper’s boat.
You will need tofind three journalsto find the boat’s location.
The “Cashing Out"journal is in theyellow binto therightof thedoor.
The “Change of Scenery"journal is found in thebiohazard binin thedark corridor.
“Paging Doctor Whom,“The third and final journal, is found on thedeskby the entrance of the tent.
Enter the CDC main dome.
Discovering that Cooper managed to acquire a boat, you will need toentertheCDC Main Dome.
Entering theMain Domewill trigger a swarm ofButchersandVicious Butcher Apex Zombiesto spawn. We recommend that youactivate Fury Modeduring this fight, as butchers can unleash attacks in quick succession making it hard to dodge all of them at the same time.
Once you’ve killed the butchers pick up the"Huang’s Warning"journal. It reveals that the boat is located near the pier.
Search the beach for Cooper’s Boat.
There are two beached boats in the Santa Monica Pier area. Ignore the beached boat on the shoreline and instead walkunderneath the pierandshorelineto findCooper’s Boat.
Pillage Cooper’s Shipwrecked Boat.
Now that you’ve found Cooper’s Boat, you will need tosearchthethree red containers. However, the area is swarming with zombies, so kill the zombies before searching the containers.
We recommend that youturn offthegeneratoron the beach so you can search for the container by the boat.
Kill all the zombies in the area.
Once you’vesearchedallthree containers, you mustkill allremaining zombiesin the area.
Several zombies will spawn alongsideCooper, aMutator,and Screamer. We recommend that youreactivate the generatorto electrify the water as several zombies spawn.
Once you’ve killed all the zombies in the area, the quest will conclude, rewarding you with3,000 XP.
Santa Monica Lost And Found Side Quests
There is onlyone Lost and Found questin theSanta Monica Pier area,but completing it is well worth it! Like most of theLost and Found quests, you will be rewarded with alegendary weapon.
Fool’s Gold
Fool’s Gold can only be picked up after completing theBoardwalking Dead Main Story Quest. It’s obtained by returning to theLifeguardHQ Safe houseand killingDante,theCrusher lifeguard.
Ransack Randy’s Locker
Once you’ve killed Dante and picked up the “Totally Legit Letter"journal, you will need to searchRandy’s Lockeron the first floor of the Lifeguard HQ.
Find Dante’s Burner Phone
Opening the locker, you will find the “Deep Shit"journalhinting for you tosearchthefrozen yogurt stores.
You will findDante’s Burner Phonein thealleyto the left of the frozen yogurt store.
Find Randy’s Burner Phone
With the"Flaws in the Plan"journal in hand, your next objective is to travel to theice cream parlorat the end of the Santa Monica Pier to collectRandy’s Burner Phone.
Find the Buried Safe!
Once you’ve picked up the final half of thesafe codereturn, toLifeguard HQ, and walk down the narrow strip of sand located right of the safe house.
TheBuried Safecan be found here, but itwon’t be revealeduntil you’vekilled all the zombiesin the area. Use the narrow area to your advantage by spreading elemental obstacles like electrified water using the chem bomb and Electric Star, or use a weapon with aTear N' Sear perk.
Once all zombies have been killed, you can open theburied safeand loot theBlood Rage Legendary Headhunter knife.
