Dead Island 2: Nikki’s Prize Key Location

While Dead Island 2 players move through the main storyline, they will unlock side quests or encounter mini-puzzles or trials to get high-level weapons and mods. A common find is lockboxes all over the map that require keys or a keycard to access.

Some lockbox keys in Dead Island 2, such as Nikki’s Prize Key, can only be found after a certain point in the storyline. However, it is worth backtracking for the Superior Weapon and other rewards inside Nikki’s safe. The journey after Nikki’s Prize Key is challenging, so here’s everything players need to know to find it and take Nikki’s Bounty Reward in Dead Island 2.

Updated May 31st, 2024 by Jacob Buchalter: Hunting down all the best weapons, mods, and general gear in Dead Island 2, whether it’s on the Epic Games Store or on Steam, takes a lot of time. In fact, it takes even more time now, given that the Haus and SoLA DLCs for the game add a whole bunch of new areas and weapons. For example, just to get inside Nikki Gutte’s safe, you’ll need to progress the main quest quite a ways past the quest where you actually break into Nikki’s home and then return here to find the Butcher enemy holding her ‘Prized’ key. It’s a bit involved, and there are some specifics that are worth mentioning, so let’s break down how exactly you’re meant to get the key to open this mysterious safe.

Nikki’s Bounty Reward Location

In Classic Dead Island 2 Fashion, it’s a Locked Safe

Players will first see Nikki’s Bounty Reward safe in Dead Island 2 during the Justifiable Zombicide mission with Sam B. During the mission, players go to Nikki Gutte’s house with Sam B and Ronnie (who apparently has some history with her) to steal all her guns. However, once they get there and get into the backyard, Nikki reveals herself not only as another unfortunate victim of Hell-A who became a Walker, but she’s also your introduction to Screamer Apex Variant Walkers.

After Nikki uses her, well, screaming abilities to break her glass door, she promptly puts an end to poor Ronnie. From here, the game will have you ‘Avenge Ronnie’ by taking out literally every Walker in the backyard. It takes a bit and things get pretty chaotic, but once you clear them all out you can finally head inside Nikki Gutte’s estate. Explore her home before heading into the gun room to meet up with Sam B, and you should stumble across Nikki’s Bounty Reward safe at the bottom of her closet in her bedroom.

At the moment the safe is locked, but keep this location in mind as you’ll return here with the key after completing a mission further along the main story called Boardingwalking Dead. You can then head into the gun room with Sam B and get an Uncommon Sporting Rifle off the wall before finishing up the quest by killing more zombies using said Sporting Rifle.

Nikki’s Prize Key Location in Dead Island 2

Found Surprisingly Close to Nikki’s Actual House

Now, you don’t actually get Nikki’s Prize Key from the Boardwalking Dead quest, but rather you have to at least get past this mainline quest for Nikki’s Prize Key (and the associated Butcher Walker) to even appear at all.

Once you get all the way through the Boardwalking Dead quest and fight the horrifying clown Butcher Apex Variant, you’ve officially been introduced to the Butcher Walkers (just like how Nikki was the introduction for Screamer Variants) and can now hunt down the Butcher holding Nikki’s Prize Key.

Hunting Down ‘Target Practice’ & Claiming Your Prize

To find the Butcher in question, you’ll want to go back to Nikki Gutte’s house and head out the front of it through the small gate with the black truck parked right next to it. Follow this hiking trail down the hill. At the bottom of this hill is a Butcher named Target Practice, kill him and grab Nikki’s Prize Key from his remains.

Now it’s one thing to simply say ‘Kill the Butcher and grab the key’, but actually fighting Butchers in Dead Island 2 can be pretty rough. These guys are fast, hyper-aggressive, deal a lot of damage with their Wolverine-esque bone claws, and can even regain health by eating any nearby corpses and/or Walkers. Guns work best and explosives work even better, but if you don’t have access to either, you’re going to want to take your time with a melee weapon, using Heavy Attacks to break the Butcher’s guard and get a couple of hits in before backing off and waiting for your next opportunity.

Once Target Practice is down, it’s time to take Nikki’s Prize Key back to her safe and see what goodies await inside. To spoil the surprise a bit, what’s waiting inside the safe is:

• The Superior version of the Ranged Liquidator Mod
• A Superior Demolition Handgun called Extinction Event

The Ranged Liquidator Mod is one that allows you to convert the damage type of whatever gun you slap it on to Caustic Damage while the Extinction Event is a fantastic Handgun (sadly not Legendary) that also deals Caustic Damage and has the Acid Rain Perk and the Ranged Liquidator Mod already installed into it by default. As a Heavy Revolver, the Extinction Event alone is worth hunting down Nikki’s Prize Key, but the Ranged Liquidator Mod also makes Caustic builds a lot better as well.

Dead Island 2

Franchise

Dead Island

Released

April 21, 2023