Back 4 Blood starts the open beta – and everyone can join in. We have 10 tips for you to give the zombies a proper fight at the beginning.
After the closed beta test took place last week, the open beta for Back 4 Blood is now available. Therefore, everyone can try out the new zombie co-op shooter and decide whether the game is worth the full price. But to avoid being identified as a noob and getting infected by zombies right away, we have 10 tips for you that will make survival significantly easier.
When can you play the beta? The open beta begins on August 12, 2021. Until August 16, all interested players can check out Back 4 Blood for free. No pre-order is required; everyone can download the beta client, for example on PC via Steam.
On which platforms can you play Back 4 Blood? Back 4 Blood will be available on current and last generation consoles as well as PC. All supported platforms are:
- Xbox Series X|S
- Xbox One
- PlayStation 5
- PlayStation 4
- PC (Steam, Epic Games Store, Microsoft Store)
To ensure you are not overrun by hordes of zombies in the beta right away, here are some useful tips and tricks to help you through your first campaigns.
1. Use different weapon types in the group
Back 4 Blood has a fairly small selection of weapons, and they all share 4 types of ammunition. Since ammunition is limited and you rarely get new ones during a level, you must manage your ammunition wisely.
This also means you should use 2 weapons that use different ammunition. For example, when you have emptied your Uzi, it’s good to have an assault rifle in reserve. If your secondary weapon is a melee weapon, this doesn’t apply, of course.
The same applies across the entire team. It’s good if all players use different weapons to prevent ammunition shortages. If all players use only assault rifles, there probably won’t be any bullets left halfway through the map.
Always pay attention to your teammates’ announcements. The different characters have special voice lines that they play when they have less than 2 magazines for their current weapon. In that case, you can simply open your overview window (Tab on PC) and click on the various ammunition types. You can then drop this ammunition so that other players can pick it up. Mark your ammunition piles with the ping system to ensure nothing is overlooked.
2. Friendly Fire can be deadly
At the lowest difficulty, this is not a problem, but from the “Veteran” level onward, friendly fire becomes a real danger. Ensure you don’t hit your teammates, as this can quickly deplete their health points, which can lead to the whole group failing.
This also means that you should not run in front of other players. Pay attention to your teammates’ positions, and if you are at the front lines, crouch down so that your teammates can shoot over your head at the zombies.
3. Use the ping system
Back 4 Blood has a fairly simple ping system that allows you to mark certain things in the world for everyone. Did you find a strong weapon, see a special zombie in the distance, or a med-station? Just mark them with a key press (default: Q). The corresponding object will then be displayed for everyone in the group and usually also verbally described by your character.
4. Stick together – and always
For old “Left 4 Dead” veterans, this is old news, but newcomers need to learn this. Back 4 Blood is not a game where one person can be the big hero. Only as a team will you be successful. If you think of yourself as the biggest zombie slayer under the sun, charge in alone, or explore isolated places by yourself, you will sooner or later be surprised by a special zombie. Whether it’s a sleeper, a lurker, or a tallboy – many zombies have special attacks that can hold and ultimately kill a survivor alone for an infinite amount of time.
5. Melee is your best friend
Melee attacks can be extremely effective if you have a strong melee weapon (like a large axe) or have equipped the combat knife card. Most normal zombies die with a single attack.
It is particularly important that a melee attack in Back 4 Blood does not interrupt the reloading of your weapon – it is only paused briefly and then resumes from the same point in the animation.
If you don’t have a melee weapon, you can at least push zombies away from you to buy some valuable seconds.
6. Copper is a team resource, use it that way
Copper is the currency in the game that you can use to buy items in safe rooms and at med stations. Although each player has their own supply of copper, you should think of it more as a team resource.
This is especially important for the various upgrades that apply to the whole team. They usually cost 1,500 copper, which a single player must pay. It’s best to pool your resources to ensure everyone benefits from the bonuses.
You can also drop copper – just like ammunition – on the ground so other players can pick it up. Use this to equip your whole team.
It’s also worth noting that it is very rarely worthwhile to save copper if you are not fully equipped. Every Molotov bought and every pack of pills could save your life or your team’s life. Copper that you don’t spend is simply of no use to the team.
7. Always have a tool kit with you
Make sure there is at least one tool kit available in the group on each map. Almost every time there is a locked “bonus room” or some locked weapon crates that can only be opened with a tool kit.
Especially the bonus room is always worth opening. You will usually find copper there – more than the tool kit cost. Additionally, you’ll often find ammunition, bonus cards, or a med-station where you can heal for free or for 400 copper (depending on difficulty). This even alleviates some of the annoying trauma damage.
8. Edit your deck as soon as you can
After completing your first games and unlocking new cards through the “Supply Lines” in the game, you should edit your deck. You can do this in Fort Hope and it’s quite simple.
What is important to know is that the order in which cards are arranged in your deck also determines the order in which you draw them in the game. Therefore, place particularly important cards at the beginning to have them at the start of a round.
9. Pay attention to bonus missions
At the beginning of most missions, the AI director plays so-called “Corruption Cards” that make the game harder. Some of these are challenges, such as a time limit or the requirement to arrive at the goal with all cleaners alive. You should always try to master these challenges, as they are rewarded with 500 copper – which means 2,000 for the whole team. This is more than the cost of a team upgrade.
10. Heal other players when you can
Unlike the original Left 4 Dead, in Back 4 Blood, it is possible to provide other players with all healing items. Whether it’s a med kit or pills – if you target another player, you can “force” the medication on them and heal them. This is particularly useful when the other player has a strong weapon with which they can keep the zombies at bay. This way, the injured player can keep firing while you bandage them.
Have you checked out Back 4 Blood yet? What is your opinion on the zombie shooter and what tips do you have to offer?
