Players are struggling with the “Nightmare” mode of Back 4 Blood . Many give up – and are extremely frustrated.
The Nightmare mode in Back 4 Blood is tough. Only a tiny fraction of players on Steam – specifically a minuscule 0.2 % – have been able to complete the game at this difficulty level. However, this level of difficulty frustrates many players, as they feel it’s all about luck, “cheese” strategies, and exploiting glitches.
Only a few players make it through the Nightmare: When you look at the achievement statistics for Back 4 Blood on Steam, it becomes clear at first glance: Only a small number of players manage to make it through the Nightmare mode unscathed:
- 0.5 % of players have completed Act 1
- 0.3 % of players have completed Act 2
- 0.2 % of players have completed Act 3
- 0.3 % of players have completed Act 4
So only 0.2 % of players on Steam have mastered all maps.
What is the problem with the Nightmare mode? There is not just one problem, but several. For one, it’s the sheer difficulty. All zombies deal significantly more damage. Exploders can kill Cleaners with a single attack, and Tallboys need only 2 – especially when enhanced by Corruption Cards.
The Corruption Cards, which are essentially the “negative affixes,” are another point of criticism. While they provide great variety, they also create simply unfair combinations. For instance, if a boss fight comes along with a gas card accompanied by an abundance of Snitches, you might as well give up.
Which cards are selected depends on chance. This can lead to situations where the Corruption Cards perfectly counter the players’ decks, causing highly specialized players – like melee fighters – to suddenly lose their value drastically.
This element of randomness leads to frustration when the effects are too severe.
Cheese strategies are popular: Players who have conquered the Nightmare so far share their experiences and report on “cheese strategies.” For example, they have left a player to die at tactically important points. Because of the zombies’ pathfinding, all zombies are attracted to that player, allowing the others to escape.
In other areas, the game mechanics are absurdly exploited, as players create “sprint decks” that focus solely on racing through the map as fast as possible. This allows them to outrun many zombies and completely bypass most of the gameplay. While this is efficient, it hinders the essence of the game and a style of play that requires tactics and coordination.
Bots make the game easier: Particularly frustrating for fixed 4-player groups is the fact that bots make the game easier. While the bots are quite dumb at times, getting stuck or not moving at all, they bring many other advantages:
- Bots have unlimited ammo and share it with the player.
- Bots cannot cause “friendly fire” and shoot efficiently through players or throw a Molotov cocktail that burns zombies but ignores players.
- Bots do not die immediately in Nightmare mode, but have bonus lives.
- Bots can mark special zombies, making them visible through walls and fog.
Furthermore, many players feel that the game distributes more resources (grenades, copper, weapons) when bots are present and generally fewer harsh Corruption Cards are played.
Too hard at the beginning: It is often criticized that the campaign is almost characterized by a “reverse learning curve” in Nightmare. The first missions in Act 1 are by far the hardest. Players have hardly any cards to choose from and must navigate through the map with virtually no resources. If they pass the first maps, it generally becomes easier.
Moreover, there are only 2-3 respawn points per act. If you do not complete at least 4 or 5 maps in one run, you must start over.
Frustration is guaranteed here.
This is how the community discusses it: In the subreddit for Back 4 Blood, the difficulty of the Nightmare mode is frequently a topic of discussion. Many players appreciate that the mode is meant to be challenging and does not forgive mistakes – however, the element of chance and the necessity to rely on “cheese” strategies or small exploits are not so well received.
Especially the spawn of several special zombies of the same type in a short period can be overwhelming. In Nightmare, the battle against Tallboys and their variants (Crusher, Bruiser) resembles small boss fights. When three of them storm a room at once and you get caught between them, it can dismantle the entire team in just a few seconds.
Fundamentally, there is hope that the developers will adjust the difficulty and improve the balancing.
Have you already ventured into Nightmare? Or are you hoping that the balancing of this difficulty will still be adjusted?
