How to complete Dead Island 2's Message in a Bottle side quest
We've seen your SOS.
![Dead Island 2 Message in a Bottle side quest Dead Island 2.](https://images.immediate.co.uk/production/volatile/sites/3/2023/04/Dead-Island-2-Message-in-a-Bottle-side-quest-e373804.jpg?quality=90&resize=980,654)
There are loads of side quests to tackle in Dead Island 2, and it’s worth completing them if you want to see everything the zombie-slaying game has to offer. This guide focuses on the Message in a Bottle side quest.
Completing this side quest should earn you a cool 3,000 XP and a Slayer Card, so it’s definitely worth the hassle.
If you’re looking to 100 per cent complete the game too, and earn all of its trophies/achievements, you should try to unlock and finish every side quest.
Read on below to find out how to complete the Dead Island 2 Message in a Bottle side quest, including discovering the bottle’s location and where to find the food critic.
How to complete Dead Island 2 Message in a Bottle side quest
To unlock the Message in a Bottle Side quest, you will first need to complete the Boardwalking Dead main story mission. Once this is done, you can find and pick up the message in a bottle on the shoreline of the beach beside the Santa Monica Pier.
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Once the side quest has been activated, follow the map to the Bucket O’ Fish building on the pier and head inside. Now inside the Bucket O’ Fish, you’ll need to head downstairs to pick up the critic’s review of the establishment. You should spot this on top of a crate in the electrified room (turn the water pipe valve to clear a path).
Now you have this first review, you’ll need to find the critic’s second review (the Pier Grill). Head outside the Bucket O’ Fish and towards the crashed helicopter. You should find the critic’s Pier Grill review on the table just behind the helicopter.
Now it’s time to head to the Hot Dog Shack (a small red and white building right at the entrance of the pier). This is where you’ll come across the zombie remains of the arrogant critic, AR Oliver. This minor boss battle will be tough, so make sure you have a good selection of weapons to hand!
Defeat the critic and the other surrounding zombies, pick up his final review (Hotdg Shak: Twelvteen Strs) and you’ve completed the side quest. Our best advice is to have Fury Mode ready and waiting for the boss, as this will make him a lot easier to defeat.
It’s a simple quest to complete, really, but it is somewhat time-consuming when you’re running around looking for everything. Again, it's worth doing as you will get a nice new Slayer Card and 3,000 XP for your troubles.
If you’d rather see it all in action, we’ve got you covered. Check out GuidingLight’s YouTube video below to see precisely where every review is and how to defeat the zombie critic bloater:
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