Become the mutation master
Back 4 Blood, the fast-paced zombie shooter from Turtle Rock Studios, has a myriad of enemies for players to face. There are variations of the common Ridden, sleepers, mutations, snitches, and bosses. And that’s not including monstrous or ferocious versions of those mutations. A few tips would prove more than useful for new players and certainly reduce frustrations. And that’s why we’re here.
If you have the standard version of the game, then you only have to worry about the standard Ridden, which is bad enough. But if you’ve unlocked the Tunnels of Terror or further expansions, you have warped Ridden to worry about. Luckily, all enemies in Back 4 Blood fall into three categories: common, mutations, and bosses.
And today, we’re talking about tips for managing mutations.
1. Know your enemy
All mutations fall into three categories: Tallboys, Stingers, and Reekers. Every mutation you come across will be a variation of these three categories. It’s imperative you know what you’re looking at when it appears, as each variation has a different ability.
Let’s break down each mutation, so you know what you’re looking at.
Tallboys
The Tallboy category has Bruisers, Crushers, and Tallboys. The warped mutation in this category is the Ripper.
- Tallboys slam the ground once with their massive arm.
- Bruisers lunge toward an area and slam their arm multiple times to deal AOE damage.
- Crushers look to grab players and squeeze them to death; any players in their grasp will need a teammate to rescue them.
- Rippers slam their arm into the ground when they’re still far away and create spiked ripples that shoot out at players.
Reekers
The group of Reekers consists of Exploders, Retches, and Reekers. The warped Ridden for Reekers is the Shredder.
- If a Reeker dies close enough to a player, the player will be covered in guts and summon a horde.
- Exploders charge players and try to explode next to them, causing massive damage and knockback.
- Retches have acidic projectile vomit that burns the ground and players alike.
- Shredders pull players towards them with an anti-gravity effect, making them easier to attack.
Stingers
The category of stingers is made up of Hockers, Stalkers, and Stingers. The warped Ridden in this category is the Urchin.
- Stingers cause damage with their acidic spit, and they’re hard to hit as they jump around the map.
- Hockers spit an adhesive glob of phlegm at players, damaging and slowing their mobility.
- Stalkers immobilize players by leaping at them and wrapping them up in their four arms.
- Urchins spit a spikey projectile at the ground or wall near players, which damages and slows any character too close.
2. Tallboy tactics
The key to dealing with Tallboys and their like is speed. Move in the opposite direction of their overgrown arm, and you can easily dance out of their attack range. Especially crushers. When they lunge forward and reach out for you, dance to your right, their left, and you should escape every time.
Rippers, Tallboys, and Bruisers are no different. Their right arm, the overgrown one, is their attack arm. If you can circle around to their left, they won’t get a good fix on you. They’ll keep circling around after you until they get a good fix, or they’ll just attack nothing. That’s a win-win right there.
Another easy tip for surviving Tallboys is to climb the environment. Rippers can’t attack you up on a balcony or roof. And since it takes a while for Tallboys to climb, you have plenty of time to lay down fire on them from your raised vantage point.
3. Reeker response
The Retch is a unique mutation to look out for since his puke can target individual characters or the ground they walk on. Shooting at him while strafing to one side or another is a way to avoid the puke stream while taking him out. If you don’t have the room to run, hiding behind obstacles and peeking out to shoot him is the safest best. Just watch the ground for acid because your health will disappear quickly.
There is no distance a Shredder can’t grab you from, so don’t waste time running away. Shoot. Shoot all the bullets. Also, Shredders sometimes have this death animation that will play before they actually die. You’ll think you bagged the bastard, only to watch him gather your teammates for the slaughter. Shoot. Shoot all the bullets until the creature falls to the ground.
Even if a Reeker or Exploder is right next to your teammate–or you–and it’s bashing away at your health bar, do not kill it. Whatever’s left of your health will disappear like that mutation’s grotesque body if it dies next to you. Either have a teammate kite it away from the team or climb obstacles to put distance between yourself and the mutation before you blow it to hell.
4. Stinger strategies
Dodge. Dip. Duck. Dive. And Dodge.
It’s easier to avoid the spit from Urchins, Hockers, and Stingers than it may seem at first. We’ll admit, we died a handful of times before we got the timing right. Wait for the Stinger, Hocker, or Urchin to spit, THEN move. The glob of death is hurling at a point that you’re no longer standing in. Of course, the timing is harder to pull off when a horde is killing your friends, but it can be done.
When it comes to Stalkers, use the fists God gave you and bash the !@#$ out of them. Yes, you can punch them out of the air. Again, timing is everything. But if you’re facing that spidery-looking SOB when it leaps, punch like your life depends on it. There’s a good chance you’ll deck that thing right out of the air. A melee weapon only increases your chances. The timing might be different than your fists, but swinging a big baseball bat in front of you is a reliable way to stop a frontal assault from anything.
5. Do the math
The card Knowledge Is Power allows players to see the damage values they inflict on enemies. This is extremely helpful for figuring out how much damage it takes to kill mutations versus how much damage you’re outputting.
If you’re struggling too much with mutations, throw Knowledge Is Power in your deck and go on an information-gathering mission. Find out if your regular play style is too weak, and experiment with different weapons and attachments to determine the biggest damage dealer.
If one team member has this card in their deck, the whole team gets to see their damage values. This can help the rest of the team figure out their role in any given situation.
6. Bring better cards
Maybe you’re focusing on the wrong attributes when you head into the field. Maybe you’re more concerned with healing efficiency or movement speed. Perhaps you’re fixated on having Breakout, Down In Front, and Money Grubbers in every deck you build.
You’ll need to be flexible if you want to survive the bloody horror of Back 4 Blood. Confident Killer is an excellent card to buff your damage every time you kill a mutation. It makes every level progressively easier and encourages players to take on mutations instead of running away. True Grit is a card meant to counteract heavy hits from Ridden and mutations and can mitigate a large chunk of damage.
Of course, one of the best tactics for dealing with mutations is always having an offensive item on you. Grenades, Molotovs, and flashbangs can save your life when a Reeker ambushes you out of nowhere. But ensuring you always have an offensive item is a feat in and of itself. Unless you bring the right cards. Offensive Scavenger, Grenade Pouch, and Surplus Pouches all contribute to make you the demolitions guy.
Bring the right cards for your run, and you won’t worry about mutations ever again.
In conclusion
Managing mutations sucks, but it’s necessary. We all hate going up against the Ogre, the Breaker, or the Hag; man, I hate the Hag. But nothing ruins your perfect run like a Stalker you didn’t notice who’s now dragging you away from your team to die a pitiful death.
Mutations are plentiful, strong, and come in multiple variations. You will have a bad time if you don’t overcome them early in your Back 4 Blood career. Put the time in now to utilize these tips and become the mutation master.
