While exploring the various ruined locales of Hell-A inDead Island 2, you might come across different types of quests, including investigation quests marked by red markers. These red quests are usually one of two types: the follow-the-marker type that you’re used to, and one where you have to do some detective work since no marker will help you.

Fool’s Gold is the latter, and will take you up and down Santa Monica Pier following the trail of some larcenous lifeguards in order to find where they stashed their treasure.

A map of Santa Monica pier. An orange dotted line maps the route for Fool’s Gold and the orange numbered dots mark the order to approach each location

When Is This Quest Available?

you’re able to’t do this quest until you reach a certain point in the story. At some point, you’ll be sent to Santa Monica Pier after some questing in Ocean Avenue (the Serling Hotel). Follow the quest “Boardwalking Dead” until you see a cinematic of you running through a crumbling pier. If you’re on the step“Deliver the Blood Drive to Dr. Reed,”this quest will unlock.

A Totally Legit Letter

Once you’ve unlocked the quest, there’s a few steps to it you’ll have to clear.

Finding A Totally Legit Letter

Make your way to the Lifeguard HQ safe zone. On your way there, you’ll encounter a Crusher by the name of Dante. Once you kill him, he’ll drop Randy’s Key and a journal called “A Totally Legit Letter.”

You’ll find a lot of letters like these in the quests of Dead Island 2. The parts that are highlighted in red and underlined are the most important part and if you’re ever stuck on a quest, attempt to decipher the meaning of the red text in the related journal entries.

The Crusher named Dante’s corpse. In addition to materials, there’s also a phone near him, a red quest marker indicates it in Dead Island 2

Finding Randy’s Locker

Reading the document reveals two characters in correspondence, Randy and Dante about a package for a “retirement fund” was stashed by Randy.Dante had the key and now you have it. Go to Randy’s locker, which is nearby.

Finding The Two Halves Of The Code

Opening the locker gets you the “Deep Sh*t” journal, which reveals some important facts:

Step 4 - Let’s Go To The Pier!

Opening Randy’s locker spawns an ambush by a Screamer. You can fight it or just flee the scene. Either way, your next destination is clear: you have to go back to the Pier proper.

you may look for the remaining parts of the code in either order, but let’s assume you’re going for Randy’s part first.

A map of the Santa Monica Pier in Dead Island 2 Circled in orange is the Lifeguard HQ and where the Fool’s Gold Quest starts

Ice Cream

The trip through the pier will likely be uneventful. Take the stairs that are past the CDC checkpoint and head up the pier towards the ocean.

Funfair Fracas

“The Wheel” that Randy is referring to is of course,the Ferris Wheel at the pier funfair.There’s an ice cream shop right behind a boat ride (not the big swinging one). The Ice Cream shop is a Fuse door, but that’s not what you’re looking for. There will likely be a small group of zombies here, including a Screamer. Dispatch them quickly so they don’t multiply and become a problem.

Ice Cream And Numbers

Go behind the Ice Cream shopand you’ll end up in a dead end, between a bench and the ocean. On that bench is a phone with the journal “Meeting of the Minds” and half of the numbers you need for the full code.

Above is a picture of what you’re looking for. If it’s not there, something went wrong or you missed a step.

A journal entry in Dead Island 2 called “A Totally Legit Letter”

Frozen Yogurt

Back To Land

Go to the opposite end of the pier (in other words, back on land) there are some shops in a row. Facing away from the ocean, make a left and head to the end of the row of shops. On the right is a frozen yogurt shop (it has a blue awning).

Trash Pickup

Immediately past the yogurt shop makea right into an alleythat leads to a dead end with a pile of garbage, in that pile is another phone. There may be some zombies too. Pick up the phone to get the last two digits of the code and the “Flaws in the Plan” journal.

The picture above shows where the phone is located in the alley, assuming you did not disturb the garbage while fighting. Picking it up might trigger some zombies to pop up, but they should be easy to run from.

An orange arrow points to where Randy’s locker is.

Acquiring The Treasure

You have everything you need to collect the treasure! You’ve got a fight coming up ahead, so make sure your weapons are repaired and you’re at full health.

Safe At Least

Return to the Lifeguard HQ. The safe is on the other side of the building from the direction you’re likely coming from, next to the fence. Interact with the safe.

Beachside Brawl

You’re almost there,but attempting to open the safe triggers an ambush.Fight off the hordebut stay around the chest, sincestraying too far from it will lead to a failing the quest, forcing you to start the ambush over. Once the zombies are dead, interact with the safe again to collect your prize.

This encounter is not difficult, but keeping close to the chest means you’re fighting in relatively close quarters on all sides. It’s mostly the normal mix of runners and walkers, butnear the end, a Butcher joins in the fray.

The journal entry called “Deep Shit” in Dead Island 2

What Do You Get For Completing Fool’s Gold

Your reward for completing Fool’s Gold are some EXP, a Superior Liquidator mod, and most importantly, the Blood Rage Military Knife. This is the “cool as sh*t” weapon that Dante and Randy were referring to and it lives up to the hype.

The Blood Rage is likely the first Legendary weapon you’ll get in the game. It has a fast attack speed and as a Headhunter-class weapon, headshots guarantee critical hits. It comes fixed with the Superior Puncturator Mod which gives it big bleed damage.

Randy’s locker, which can be opened with Dante’s Keys in Dead Island 2

It also comeswith the Puncture Wound and Infectious perks,the former of which deals bonus damage and bleed on successive crits and the latter whichspreads bleeds to nearby zombies. For customizability,it has two empty perk slots to mod as you wish.

A pier full of attractions and rides during sunset. On the left is an ice cream shop with a clown logo. On the screen are the words “Find Randy’s burner phone” in Dead Island 2

The player aiming a rifle at a burnt up Voltaic Screamer on the pier in Dead Island 2

A map of the Santa Monica Pier. Circled in orange is the location of Randy’s Phone