Back 4 Blood is a thrilling and intense co-op zombie shooter that evolves the formula with a dynamic card-based loadout system and modernized shooting mechanics.
The gameplay of Back 4 Blood is largely similar to Left 4 Dead; both are 4 player cooperative games and 8 players in a PvP mode with a focus on multiplayer and replayability. A new feature of Back 4 Blood is cards. At the start of each level, players need to build their deck with cards that adjust various elements of gameplay, such as modifying the player's health, damage, and stamina. Along with player cards, the AI Director will also use Corruption cards against the player to hinder their progress. The AI can spawn extra enemies, activate a fog effect, and increase the size of the horde.
Characters
The best characters in Back 4 Blood are Hoffman, Mom, Doc, and Holly. If you’re struggling to beat Nightmare or even Veteran difficulty, this combination is your best bet. Resources are incredibly scarce in Back 4 Blood, and this team will help you survive when your inventories are empty and things are looking bleak.
Hoffman, Doc, Mom, and Holly have some very potent abilities that benefit the whole team in all situations. For starters, the ammo dropped when Hoffman kills a Ridden can be picked up by the whole team. Ammo is very scarce in Back 4 Blood, even relative to Left 4 Dead, so keeping your team stocked up is massive on higher difficulties.
Mom and Doc, meanwhile, are great for just keeping the team alive. You are going to be getting hit and going down on higher difficulties; it’s just inevitable. An instant pick-up, extra lives, boosted Trauma resistance, free healing, and extra healing items are all invaluable. The only way to beat Back 4 Blood’s campaign is to stay alive. Mom and Doc make that a lot easier.
Holly is a big help for that too, albeit in a less obvious way. You need Stamina to sprint and use melee attacks in Back 4 Blood. The game’s special Ridden are all incredibly dangerous up close, so reliably having the stamina to turn and run is massive. Plus, if you run out of ammo, you’re going to be swinging a melee weapon a lot. Running out of stamina gets you killed more than you might think so that extra boost for the team is a big deal.
Every character in Back 4 Blood has strengths, and you can absolutely beat Nightmare difficulty with any one of them. However, at least for the moment, Hoffman, Mom, Doc, and Holly look like clear leaders of the pack.
Mom
Can instantly revive one downed teammate per level
+1 support inventory slot (for healing items like Med Kits and Painkillers)
One additional team life. This means every team member can be downed an extra time before dying. It is NOT an extra continue.
Doc
Can heal low-health teammates without using healing items
Improved healing efficiency
Increased team Trauma resistance (Trauma is the decrease you take to your maximum health as you take damage during a campaign)
Hoffman
Ridden Hoffman kills have a chance to drop ammo
+1 offensive inventory slot (for pipe bombs, grenades, etc.)
+10% team max ammo capacity
Holly
Recovers 10 stamina on kill
+10% increased damage resistance
+25 team stamina
Walker
Precision kills (headshots on normal Ridden, glowing red weakspots on special Ridden) grant Walker 20% increased accuracy for five seconds
Walker deals 10% increased damage
+10 team max health
Karlee
Can sense nearby hazards
+1 quick inventory slot (this is the slot where things like ammo pouches and defibrillators go)
+50% team use speed (opening crates, interacting with medical cabinets)
Jim
Precision kills increase damage by 2.5% (this stacks until you take damage)
+25% Aim Down Sight speed
Increased team weakspot damage
Evangelo
Can break out of Special Ridden’s grab effects once per minute, and has 75% increased breakout speed
25% increased stamina regeneration
+5% team movement speed
Special Ridden
As you'll know if you've caught even the barest glimpse of Back 4 Blood, this is a game that is absolutely filled to the brim with zombies. Or Ridden, as they're known in-game. Most of these infected enemies are your straightforward lumbering zombie, and their only real strength is in their sheer numbers. But the other variants, known as Special Ridden, are far more dangerous. Let's go over them one by one and how to deal with each one effectively.
Snitchers
Snitchers have a comically descriptive name. These mutated monsters unleash a piercing shriek a few seconds after they spot you, which alerts the horde to your presence. You need to kill Snitchers as soon as possible to avoid getting overrun by the horde. They have a weak spot on their neck so with some precise shots you can be rid of them before they cause a problem. Just keep your ears open for their telltale screech.
Exploders/Retches
The twin Exploder and Retch are big but surprisingly fragile. However, they’re almost more dangerous when you kill them. There are two versions of this enemy. The Exploder, as the name implies, explodes on death, dealing massive damage and knocking players back. If one gets in close, run away before you start shooting. The other version, the Retch, spits a deadly acid. Much like Left 4 Dead’s spitters, they also explode and leave behind a pool of acid when they die. Be careful when you see these guys in choke points. They can kill your whole team very, very easily.
Bruisers
Also known as Tallboys, the Bruiser is a big damage threat up close. These monsters have one enormous, club-like arm that they will pound the crap out of you with. Letting a Bruiser get close is often a death sentence on higher-difficulty settings. Their weakspot can be tough to hit too. It’s on their right shoulder, where their giant club arm connects to their torso. Bruisers are smart enough to protect their weak point though, and will keep it turned away from their target. Get behind them while their attention is elsewhere to save your teammates before it’s too late.
Stingers
Stingers seem unthreatening at a glance. They bounce around on the walls rather than attacking directly, have fairly low health, and have an easy-to-hit weakspot on their stomach. However, they are extremely dangerous if left unattended. They spit a sticky goop that locks players in place. If you aren’t playing Evangelo or using a Breakout card, you will need a teammate to rescue you. Getting stuck like this with no teammate nearby will almost always leave you incapacitated. Don’t ignore them just because they’re up on a wall and not right next to you. Stingers are killers.
The Ogre
The Ogre is a boss of sorts in Back 4 Blood. This monster is absolutely massive and can soak up tons of bullets. Mercifully, you don’t actually have to kill him to beat the campaign. You can evade him and survive much more easily. Just stay on the move.
Keep an eye out when you are out in the open around the Ogre. He can throw massive, meatball-looking projectiles that deal a ton of damage. If you get caught off guard, it can be the end of the road for you.
Hag
Hags are powerful special ridden in Back 4 Blood and appear to be in the boss class of ridden alongside the Ogre, not much is known other than they are optional to fight and they are very powerful being able to devour enemies, kidnapping careless players by releasing hands from its mouth to drag cleaners inside. Once a player has been devoured the Hag will then run away and start to dig a hole to try and escape, if successful the kidnapped Cleaner will count as Dead. However the same character may be encountered later in the stage wrapped in a cocoon from which they can be freed.
They are around the size of a Bruiser being notably smaller than the Ogre but still fairly large in terms of enemies.
Breaker
Breakers are powerful Ridden in Back 4 Blood and appear to function similarly to the Tanks in Left 4 Dead charging at players and pummeling them to death if not killed.
Despite their large size being around the largest Ridden so far they are shown to be very agile leaping after enemies.
Abomination
The Abomination is the largest and most powerful Ridden in the game (as of launch) and is the final boss of Back 4 Blood
The creatures appearance is of that of a long torso with a monstrous head and multiple tentacles coming from it which it can extend and act as separate entities when fought, they themselves have their own set of mouths, the creature propels itself by using its arms to pull itself around
Supply Lines
Cards are one of the biggest elements that set Back 4 Blood apart from its spiritual predecessor, Left 4 Dead. However, the beta provides a pretty limited explanation of how cards and Supply Lines work. If you’re looking to learn the system and build the best deck to take on Nightmare mode, look no further than our guide to Back 4 Blood Supply Lines and cards.
How do Back 4 Blood Supply Lines work?
You start the Back 4 Blood open beta with a preset deck containing some basic cards. To unlock more cards, you will need to progress your Supply Lines. Supply Lines are sort of like a Battle Pass; you earn progress through a set track of rewards through gameplay. Right now, there are really no secrets to this. You earn Supply Points for finishing campaign levels, so get out there and play the game to progress. Then, interact with one of the two NPCs marked on your HUD in Fort Hope to spend your Supply Points.
At the start, every player will work through a single Supply Line that includes some cosmetics and a few basic cards. After that, you are presented with three different Supply Lines you can progress individually. Starting a new Supply Line doesn’t commit you to it, either. You can unlock the first two cards in Paul’s Alley, go out and earn more Supply Points, then spend those on the first card in The Crow’s Nest, for example.
In addition to the challenges, Corruption Cards include dangerous modifiers that unpredictably alter the difficulty of the campaign. Modifiers range from simple weather changes, like the Mist card, to specific bonuses for Ridden, like the Armored Bruisers card. You need to pay close attention to the Corruption Cards active on each level so that you aren’t caught off guard.
Drawing and using player cards
After Corruption Cards are drawn, each player will draw five cards from their deck. You must choose one out of the five to activate for the rest of the campaign. The rest are shuffled back into your deck.
Because your cards remain active for the duration of the campaign, you have a lot of opportunities to build synergies as you go. Back 4 Blood’s campaign grows ever more difficult as you progress, so boosting your power as you push forward is key. If you can’t beat the much more difficult second half of the campaign on your first go don’t fret. You can spend those Supply Points, unlock new cards, and build a better deck for the next run. It’s a neat little roguelike-inspired system that shakes up the gameplay a lot.
Deck Building
The Card system starts in the Fort Hope lobby area with deck building. You can access the deck builder through the same two NPCs mentioned above. You start with a preset deck and can build new ones with the cards you unlock via Supply Lines.
Each deck contains a maximum of 15 cards. No duplicates are allowed either, so you can’t stack a card like Cross Trainers to become incredibly fast. Some cards have independently powerful bonuses, like Breakout, which allows you to break free from grabs on a cooldown. Others work synergistically. For example, you can combine Energy Bar, which increases stamina regeneration, with Run and Gun, which lets you shoot while sprinting, to enable a more, well, run and gun playstyle. Play around with different combinations to find a deck that fits you.
One important thing: the top card on your deck will automatically be active for the entire campaign. Make sure to put a powerful card at the top to maximize your efficiency.
Corruption Cards
At the start of every level, Back 4 Blood’s AI director draws Corruption Cards that modify the difficulty of the campaign. This is especially impactful in the second half of the campaign, where the Director draws five cards instead of two. It’s a big component of the difficulty, and it’s easy to get caught off-guard if you aren’t paying attention. If you missed an Armored Bruisers draw at the start of a level, you may find yourself dumping ammo into a protected weak spot to little effect. That’s a great way to get crushed and die. Read the Corruption Cards carefully so you know what to expect.
Now you’re ready to take on Nightmare mode and push for completion. It’s a big challenge, but we believe in you.
Weapon Attachments
More Left 4 Dead differences! Back 4 Blood has more complicated weapons, which include attachment slots you can modify over the course of a campaign. Attachments can be purchased at the buy station in each safe house or found over the course of a campaign. Most of these are straightforward and include descriptions of the stats they provide.
Some weapons found on the ground will also have broken attachments that have stat penalties instead of bonuses. Keep an eye out for red attachments; these are the broken ones. Unfortunately, you can’t just pop them off either. If you find an attachment for the same slot though, you can replace the damaged part. I’ve seen a lot of players wondering how to remove weapon attachments in Back 4 Blood, and this is the only way right now.
Copper
More Left 4 Dead differences! Back 4 Blood has more complicated weapons, which include attachment slots you can modify over the course of a campaign. Attachments can be purchased at the buy station in each safe house or found over the course of a campaign. Most of these are straightforward and include descriptions of the stats they provide.
Some weapons found on the ground will also have broken attachments that have stat penalties instead of bonuses. Keep an eye out for red attachments; these are the broken ones. Unfortunately, you can’t just pop them off either. If you find an attachment for the same slot though, you can replace the damaged part. I’ve seen a lot of players wondering how to remove weapon attachments in Back 4 Blood, and this is the only way right now.
Pick The Right Team
Another key difference from Left 4 Dead is the character system. Back 4 Blood’s cast has more than just witty quips up their sleeves. Each character brings unique abilities to the table to help themselves and their team. Every character is solid, and you can play to their strengths through deck building. However, on Nightmare difficulty, you’re going to need the best team you can get. We’ve got a guide to the best characters in Back 4 Blood to help you and your team stay alive.
Be a Rogue-Light
The biggest key to avoiding frustration with Back 4 Blood’s difficulty is understanding how its design differs from Left 4 Dead. You aren’t meant to beat this campaign on Veteran or higher difficulty on your first try, even if you’re the most grizzled of Left 4 Dead veterans. Back 4 Blood uses a deck building system, similar to what you’d see in many roguelite games. The first time you face the campaign, and particularly the much more difficult second half, you’re likely to run into trouble. The default, prebuilt deck will only get you so far.
Thankfully, you can use Supply Lines to unlock more cards and build better decks. After that, you can restart the campaign from the last level you reached with a fresh set of continues and an improved deck. Push as far as you can, upgrade your deck, and go again. Eventually, you’ll make it to the end of the campaign, unless you get dealt a particularly brutal Corruption Card.
Versus
In Versus mode, if you play as a Ridden (the zombies) your goal is to kill the Cleaners (the human characters) as fast as possible. If you’re on the Cleaner team instead, your goal is to stay alive for as long as possible. Each team consists of four players, and the roles are randomly assigned.
However, the roles will be reversed when the next round starts. If you played as a Cleaner during the first round, you have to make sure the new Cleaners don’t stay alive longer than your team did. If they can’t beat your score, you win. The first team to win two rounds is the winner.
If you start on the Ridden team, the first thing you need to do is choose your zombie type. There are three species of Special Infected to choose from, and each has three subclasses. Here’s an overview of each playable Ridden class in Back 4 Blood Versus Mode:
Stinger
This four-armed creature is a small, but highly mobile Ridden. Stingers can cling to walls, jump over long distances, and perform a ranged projectile attack. The Hocker variant can also perform a ranged harpoon attack, but is more vulnerable. The Stalker variant, on the other hand, exchanges its ranged projectile for two melee attacks.
Reeker
A bulky and slow Ridden type that specializes in suicide attacks. He has a melee attack which can be used to force a Cleaner to kill you up close. If a Reeker gets killed, he’ll explode and harm the vision of all nearby Cleaners. This explosion will also alert a horde of Common Infected. The Exploder variant has a weaker melee attack but is able to trigger the explosion at will, while the Retch variant gets an additional vomit attack.
Tallboy
A bit slow, but deadly in close range. This massive Ridden tank has an equally massive right arm, which he uses as a club to knock down Cleaners. He can perform short forwards bursts to get closer to his targets. The Bruiser variant can also use a massive melee-range slam attack, and the Crusher can use an additional squeeze attack.
However, choosing a Ridden class is not the only thing you must do before the match starts: It’s also important you spend your Mutation Points on Ridden upgrades. You can either upgrade one of the three classes mentioned above, or strengthen the Common Infected. You’ll gain more Mutation Points by damaging (not necessarily killing) the Cleaners.
If you start your Back 4 Blood PvP round as a Cleaner, pick your human character. They're the same characters from the campaign. Next, you pick a preset PvP card deck and select your cards (you’ll get new draws at the start of each new round).
This spawns you on the Versus map. But don't fret: this is just the preparation phase. Use this time to open crates, choose the best weapons, and set up your defenses (barbed wire, traps, etc).
Now you just have to kill the Ridden players and try to stay alive. Beware that the Special Infected are accompanied by the horde (Common Infected AI). As the players usually go all in from the start though (while the Horde is a bit slow), it’s them you should look out for the most.
Back 4 Blood’s versus maps shrink over time, making it increasingly difficult for the Cleaners to stay alive. If Cleaners go outside the safe zone (similar to those in most battle royale games), they’ll get hurt by insect swarms. The swarm can’t hurt the Ridden, though.
If you’re on the Cleaner team, stick together. A lone player tends to end up a dead player. As for the Ridden, you should always be on the lookout for easy single targets.
If there’s more than one type of Special Infected in a team, spending Mutation Points on that Ridden type will upgrade all of them.
If you play as a Ridden, don't underestimate the horde. If you only spend Mutation Points on Special Infected controlled by you and your teammates, it might be hard to overwhelm the Cleaners. A strong horde will distract them, making it easier to land some kills.
