7 tips to help you survive Back 4 Blood

If you're looking for Back 4 Blood tips, you've landed in the right place. Left 4 Dead's spiritual successor from Turtle Rock Studios is out now, and you may be wondering what to expect when you jump into the Ridden-infested mayhem. 

Much of the structure and gameplay will have L4D veterans feeling right at home. There are still some differences, though, and the most notable of these is the card system. But whether you're familiar with this type of gameplay or you're jumping in for the first time, this Back 4 Blood guide should get you started. 

Back 4 Blood tips: How to survive against the Ridden 

Get to high ground

Many of the areas you'll be fighting your way through will present plenty of choices when it comes to getting to higher ground. There are many points throughout the campaign where you'll have to perform an action that will call the horde, and making the most of the environment can make all the difference. 

Whether you choose the roof of a shipping container or the top of a stairwell, Ridden are generally much easier to deal with if they have to climb to get to you. Using choke points is helpful, too, combined with a well-timed Molotov.

Stick together

Resist the urge to run ahead or explore areas alone. When the horde comes down on you—and it will, frequently—you don't want to be far from your teammates. As well as covering each other's backs, you can share ammo and other consumables and even heal and resurrect each other if things don't go quite to plan.

Explore, but be ready to fight

It pays to explore in Back 4 Blood: you'll find weapons, ammo, and other valuable items. But, be wary of birds. You often see them gathering to feed on corpses, and startling them can bring a flood of Ridden right to your location.

Try to be aware of your surroundings at all times and be extra careful when breaking through doors. The noise itself can alert nearby Ridden of your presence, but the real danger is that some of these doors are alarmed, and once triggered, the horde will come right to you. Make sure everyone is healed up and ready to fight before taking the chance.

Use your melee attack when carrying items

You're going to be reloading your weapon often, which means being vulnerable for a short period. As well as having teammates cover you, you can use your 'bash' melee ability—bound to 'V' by default—while reloading to push enemies away from you.

During the campaign, there are also various points that require one of you to carry an item from one location to another. This leaves the carrier vulnerable and unable to fire weapons, but again, the bash ability can help you out here if your teammates are having trouble keeping the Ridden off you.

Use the ping system

There are plenty of useful items to be found in Back 4 Blood and you can help out teammates by pinging the location of things you find. To ping an item, simply hover your reticule over the item or area to which you want to draw attention and press 'Q'.

Keep money back for first aid stations

You'll find first aid points located at various points during missions, so it's worth keeping back some extra cash. 400 copper is required on Veteran, though it's possible the amount varies, depending on the difficulty. 

While pain pills, bandages, and first aid kits are helpful on the run, use first aid stations as much as possible so you can save these consumables for emergencies. These stations also heal trauma damage, so if your character's health is looking a little worse for wear, take advantage of them.

Build your deck in order of importance

Back 4 Blood uses a card system, which offers you various buffs to stats or abilities. You can customise your deck when playing the campaign, and you'll get to choose from these cards in order. 

Your first card will always be your starter card, and as all drawn cards persist throughout the campaign, make sure it's a good one. Each time you reach a safe room and complete a mission, you'll get to choose another card from your selection before embarking on the next. As corruption cards are also in play, it makes sense to try to counter these with your choice as often as possible.