Build the perfect Back 4 Blood team
Back 4 Blood features a team of four cleaners who head out into post-apocalyptic Pennsylvania to murder as many Ridden zombies as possible. There are over ten cleaners to choose from, and each has its unique ability. Players have lots of options when it comes to who they’ll take out into the field. Different combinations of cleaners can result in wildly different runs. And when you add almost 200 cards to build your deck with and an AI Overlord that changes maps every time you play, Back 4 Blood is bursting with variety.
But when it comes to choosing your party’s dynamics, it pays to think ahead. You can fulfill traditional roles: tank, rogue, and healer. But there are unique builds that Back 4 Blood encourages players to experiment with: grenadier, scout, and supplier. Then there are the new cards added with DLCs that can easily break the game when used in specific builds, like Expired T5 and Experimental Stun Gun.
With each of these builds, I tried to keep most cards part of the standard list of active cards in Back 4 Blood; there’s no need to purchase the DLCs to build them. The last build is almost exclusively DLC cards, and you’ll see why.
While part of the fun of Back 4 Blood is building unique decks that play to your strengths as a player if you ever find yourself struggling with greater difficulties, working with a specific build might alleviate your problems.
The Best Tank Build
The tank’s primary purpose is to absorb damage and keep standing. The tank build is meant to be the last person standing when all the hordes attack. For this reason, the responsibility of reviving fallen teammates goes to the tank. They can take more damage, taking a few hits while reviving fallen teammates and not flinching.
The tank build won’t deal that much damage and won’t move quickly, but they will be a solid foundation for your team. And they will still be alive when everyone else is dead.
“Prophet” Dan is a great choice for this build since he comes with increased damage and knockback resistance while reviving teammates and generates random buffs for the team.
- Smelling Salts – + 200% Revive Speed
- Superior Cardio – + 20% Stamina + 20% Sprint Efficiency + 5 Health
- Motorcycle Jacket – + 5% Damage Resistance + 5 Health
- Padded Suit – + 10% Damage Resistance + 5 Health – 20% Stamina Efficiency
- Hydration Pack – + 35 Health – 15% Ammo Capacity
- Canned Goods – + 45 Health – 25% Stamina
- Vitamins – + 25 Health
- Durable – + 15% Trauma Resistance + 10 Health + 20% Fire Resistance
- Body Armor – + 20% Trauma Resistance
- Well Fed – 10 Team Health
- Scar Tissue – Take 1 less damage from all Ridden + 50% Acid Resistance
- Pep Talk – While Reviving teammates, take 3 less damage from all Ridden. Teammates recover an additional 10 Health when you revive them.
- Ammo Pouch – + 25% Ammo Capacity + 2.5% Bullet Damage
- Large Caliber Rounds – + 7.5% Bullet Damage + 200% Bullet Penetration
- Combat Training – + 5% Bullet Damage + 1.5 Bullet Stumble Damage + 7.5 Melee Stumble Damage
The Best Rogue Build
We aren’t talking about a stealth rogue here. We’re talking about a damage-dealing powerhouse here. The glass canon of the team. Someone who can’t take damage well but can deal it exceptionally well.
The rogue build is meant to put down large enemies quickly. With increased weak spot and regular damage output, they should single-handedly take 70% of a Breaker’s health. The rogue build should have the most kills and damage output at the end of a map.
Jim and Walker are the only two people you should consider for this role. Based on their abilities and skills, they synergize well with this deck.
- Line ’em Up – + 10% Effective Bullet Range + 15% Recoil Control + 25% Bullet Penetration + 25% Aim Speed
- Fresh Bandage – At the start of each level, recover 15 Trauma Damage, then restore any missing Health.
- Confident Killer – When you or your team kills a Mutation gain 1% damage (up to 15%) until the end of the level.
- Patient Hunter – Every 0.75 seconds you Aim Down Sights increases your Bullet Damage by 10% (up to 3 stacks).
- Tactical Vest – + 30% Rifle Ammo Capacity+ 10% Damage with Assault Rifles and LMGs
- Down in Front! – While crouching you neither take nor deal Friendly Fire damage. + 10 Health
- Combat Training – + 5% Bullet Damage + 1.5 Bullet Stumble Damage + 7.5 Melee Stumble Damage
- Large Caliber Rounds – + 7.5% Bullet Damage + 200% Bullet Penetration
- Silver Bullets – + 10% Bullet Damage + 15% Effective Bullet Range
- Cold Brew Coffee – + 15% Reload Speed + 25% Aim Speed + 25% Weapon Swap Speed + 25% Use Speed
- Ammo Pouch – + 25% Ammo Capacity+ 2.5% Bullet Damage
- Suppressing Fire – Damaging Ridden with LMGs and Snipers has a 40% chance to slow Ridden near the target by 50% for 5 seconds.
- Dash – + 5% Move Speed + 5% Sprint Speed
- Cross Trainers – + 20% Stamina + 20% Stamina Regen + 3% Move Speed + 5 Health
- On Your Mark… – When a horde is triggered, your team restores 7.5% Ammo and gains 10% Move Speed while firing, 15% Reload Speed, and 25% Swap Speed for 30 seconds.
The Best Healer Build
We’re all going to take damage no matter how skilled we are. And that’s why we all need healers. With trauma mechanics in Back 4 Blood, your goal should be to keep your health maxed as much as possible. Take too much damage, and trauma starts to creep in.
As the healer, you should aim to keep your team as healthy as possible. If shit hits the fan, you can absolutely hold your own and manage your teammates. But your primary function with this build is to keep everyone as green as possible.
Why would you pick anyone other than Doc?
- Dash – + 5% Move Speed + 5% Sprint Speed
- EMT Bag – + 50% Healing Efficiency
- Energy Bar – + 30% Stamina Regeneration + 5 Health
- Combat Knife – Turns your Bash into a Knife that counts as a melee weapon.
- Down in Front! – While crouching you neither take nor deal Friendly Fire damage. + 10 Health
- Group Therapy – When you use a Medical Accessory, all teammates heal for 8 Health.
- Amped Up – When a horde is triggered, your team gains 20 Health.
- Durable – + 15% Trauma Resistance + 10 Health + 20% Fire Resistance
- Fresh Bandage – At the start of each level, recover 15 Trauma Damage, then restore any missing Health.
- Field Surgeon – When you use a Medical Accessory, it also heals 3 Trauma to the target.
- Antibiotic Ointment – + 25% Healing Efficiency. When you use a Medical Accessory, the target gains 20 Temporary Health.
- Charitable Soul – Healing a teammate also applies 50% of the effect to you.
- Support Scavenger – You can sense nearby Support Accessories. More Support Accessories spawn.
- Experienced EMT – When you use a Medical Accessory, the target gains + 10% Maximum Health, Stamina, and Stamina Regen until the end of the level.
- Well Fed – 10 Team Health
The Best Flex Build
A different kind of support, the flex build is meant to keep everyone supplied and dangerous. They are like a portable merchant on the team, a supplier. Ammo is life in Back 4 Blood, so generating ammo for your team is a blessing. Generating grenades, extra copper, and stronger weapons is downright heavenly. The flex build buffs the other classes and makes the run smoother. They are a professional scavenger.
Hoffman is the obvious choice for this build. After the latest update, Heng’s abilities make him a solid choice as well. But the Hoff is our go-to.
- Cross Trainers – + 20% Stamina + 20% Stamina Regen + 3% Move Speed + 5 Health
- Suppressing Fire – Damaging Ridden with LMGs and Snipers has a 40% chance to slow Ridden near the target by 50% for 5 seconds.
- Ammo Pouch – + 25% Ammo Capacity + 2.5% Bullet Damage
- Large Calibur Rounds – + 7.5% Bullet Damage + 200% Bullet Penetration
- Silver Bullets – + 10% Bullet Damage + 15% Effective Bullet Range
- Avenge the Fallen – When you or your teammate becomes incapacitated, all teammates gain 30% Damage, 20% Reload Speed, and Unlimited Ammo for 10 seconds.
- Ammo For All – + 10% Team Ammo Capacity+ 3.5% Team Damage
- Ammo Scavenger – You can sense nearby Ammo. 1 Additional Ammo crate spawn.
- Weapon Scavenger – You can sense nearby Weapons. More weapons spawn.
- Confident Killer – When you or your team kills a Mutation gain 1% damage (up to 15%) until the end of the level
- Offensive Scavenger – You can sense nearby Offensive Accessories. More Offensive Accessories spawn.
- Bounty Hunter – When you or your team kills a Mutation, gain 10 Copper (up to 300 per level).
- Saferoom Recovery – Your team recovers 15 Health, 7 Trauma Damage and refills 10% Ammo at the start of each level.
- Well Fed – 10 Team Health
- Copper Scavenger – You can sense nearby Copper. More Copper Piles spawn.
The Best Explosive Expert Build
The demolitions guy. Lover of gunpowder and things that go boom. In Back 4 Blood, there are many offensive items for you to throw at enemies, and the explosives expert is meant to be a professional with all of them.
This build makes your grenades extremely powerful, gives you a much larger carrying capacity, and generates more grenades on each map. With this build, players should take down bosses with ease.
Once again, Hoffman is an excellent choice.
- Belt Clip – + 1 Quick Slot Inventory + 10% Use Speed
- Copper Scavenger – You can sense nearby Copper. More Copper Piles spawn.
- Money Grubbers -Each time your team loots Copper, you gain 3 additional Copper, up to 25 times.
- Highwayman – Kills with Secondary guns have a 5% chance to spawn ammo, Molotov, or a Bait Jar.
- Ammo Stash – Your secondary weapons have unlimited ammo. Your secondary weapons reload 20% slower.
- Offensive Scavenger – You can sense nearby Offensive Accessories. More Offensive Accessories spawn.
- Grenade Pouch – + 1 Offensive Inventory + 25% Swap Speed – 5% Offensive Accessory Cost
- Double Grenade Pouch – + 2 Offensive Inventory
- Demolitions Expert – + 50% Accessory Damage – 15% Ammo Capacity
- Grenade Training – + 25% Accessory Damage
- Pyro – + 100% Fire Damage. Gain 3 Temporary Health for each kill with fire. You can sense flammable objects nearby.
- Bomb Squad – + 25% Team Explosive Damage + 25% Team Explosive Resistance + 1 Additional Frag Grenade spawns in each map.
- Canned Goods – + 45 Health – 25% Stamina
- Superior Cardio – + 20% Stamina + 20% Sprint Efficiency + 5 Health
- Fire In The Hole! – When you throw an Offensive Accessory, gain 20 Temporary Health and 25% Sprint Speed for 5 seconds.
The Best Muscle Build
As the melee fighter of our team, the muscle almost exclusively uses melee weapons. And of those melee weapons, they should only use the fire axe and the claws. This build makes every swing of your weapon stagger enemies–including mutations. It heals you for every kill, heals your teammates, and increases your offensive capabilities. With Down In Front!, you can crouch and swing away and not worry about hurting teammates.
Sharice is the best choice for melee, with no competition. With her ability to add extra armor and her fire axe, she’s the best muscle in Back 4 Blood.
- Slugger – + 5 Health + 10% Melee Efficiency + 20% Melee Attack Speed
- Meth Head – Every Melee swing grants 5% Melee Attack Speed and 5% Melee Stamina Efficiency for 6 seconds, stacking up to 10 times. Your Melee Attacks no longer stick to tough enemies. DISABLES: Aim Down Sights
- Brazen – + 15% Melee Stamina Efficiency + 20% Melee Attack Speed
- Vanguard – Melee kills heal 1 Health to yourself, and teammates within 10 meters.
- Down In Front! – While crouching you neither take nor deal Friendly Fire damage. + 10 Health
- Amped Up – When a horde is triggered, your team gains 20 Health.
- Mean Drunk – + 40% Melee Damage Your Melee Attacks cause cleave through enemies dealing damage in a large area.
- Spiky Bits – + 15 Melee Damage + 20% Damage Resistance while using a Melee Weapon – 15% Ammo Capacity
- Durable – + 15% Trauma Resistance + 10 Health + 20% Fire Resistance
- Heavy Hitter – Melee hits always Stumble Ridden the first time they are hit. This effect can only occur once per target.
- Battle Lust – Melee kills heal 1 Health and 0.125 Trauma.
- Fanny Pack – + 1 Support Inventory + 15% Trauma Resistance
- Double Grenade Pouch – + 2 Offensive Inventory
- Food Scavenger – You can sense nearby Food Items. Adds a moderate amount of Food Items to the world. Food Items restore an additional 3 Health.
- Copper Scavenger – You can sense nearby Copper. More Copper Piles spawn.
The Best Scout Build
Also used as the speedrunner build if tweaked slightly, the scout build is all about speed. Speed, speed, and more speed. Unlike the speedrunner, the scout is still a team player and doesn’t leave their fellow cleaners behind. They do, however, run ahead more often than not. But their movement forward is to clear obstacles, birds, sleepers, and bear traps, and report to the team what they should expect.
You know, like a scout.
But the scout needs to handle themselves on their own. If they’re away from the team and get pounced on by a snitch, no one is coming to help. At least not for a while.
Karlee is built for this role. Her ability to sense potential traps and sleepers is a godsend. But Evangelo, with his insane speed, is also a great choice.
- Cross Trainers – + 20% Stamina + 20% Stamina Regen + 3% Move Speed + 5 Health
- Energy Drink – + 15% Stamina + 25% Weapon Swap Speed + 15% Move Speed while firing + 10% Slow Resistance
- Dash – + 5% Move Speed + 5% Sprint Speed
- Breakout – Breakout: Hold E to free yourself from Grabs. + 50% Breakout Cooldown Reduction. (Base 60 seconds).
- Speed Demon – + 4% Move Speed while using an SMG. + 35% Reload Speed while using an SMG.
- Hellfire – + 45% Move Speed while firing. + 3% Move Speed while not firing.
- Mandatory PT – + 10% Team Stamina + 10% Team Stamina Regen
- Mag Carrier – + 30% Pistol/SMG Ammo Capacity. + 10% Damage with Pistols and SMGs.
- Ammo Pouch – + 25% Ammo Capacity + 2.5% Bullet Damage
- Front Sight Focus – + 20% Accuracy + 10% Weakspot Damage + 15% Aim Speed + 15% Recoil Control
- Silver Bullets – + 10% Bullet Damage + 15% Effective Bullet Range
- Large Caliber Rounds – + 7.5% Bullet Damage + 200% Bullet Penetration
- Energy Bar – + 30% Stamina Regeneration + 5 Health
- Cold Brew Coffee – + 15% Reload Speed + 25% Aim Speed + 25% Weapon Swap Speed + 25% Use Speed
- Utility Scavenger – You can sense nearby Quick Accessories. More Quick Accessories spawn.
The Best New Guy Build
So far, I’ve tried to keep the decks to the standard cards so anyone can make these builds, no one needs the extra DLCs. The new guy, however, is nothing but DLC cards. And they may or may not break the game at times.
With the latest DLC, Children of the Worm, Back 4 Blood introduced experimental weapons that replace an item slot and cost ammunition, not stamina or consumables. These new experiments are overpowered, period. And you’ll need copious amounts of bullets to activate them regularly. But adding this new, experimental guy to your team gives one hell of an advantage. This isn’t a standard build; it’s more of a build utilizing all the latest stuff the developers put in Back 4 Blood. But that results in a deck that decimates Ridden and makes bosses minor encounters.
Evangelo is usually our cleaner for this build. Coupled with his high speed and stamina, he becomes a little too powerful.
- Food Scavenger – You can sense nearby Food Items. Adds a moderate amount of Food Items to the world. Food Items restore an additional 3 Health.
- Out With A Bang – When a teammate is incapacitated or dies, they drop an active Pipe Bomb.
- Suppressing Fire – Damaging Ridden with LMGs and Snipers has a 40% chance to slow Ridden near the target by 50% for 5 seconds.
- Ultrasonic Wound Therapy – Heal 6 Health over 7 seconds to nearby teammates.
- Expired T5 – Create a powerful blast that deals 20 Fire Damage to Weakspots. After the initial blast, continue to deal 1 damage per second for 7 seconds. Gadget Cost: 75 REPLACES: Support Slot
- Experimental Stun Gun – Enhance Bash to stun nearby enemies. Refreshes after 10 seconds. Gadget Cost: 30 REPLACES: Quick Slot, FRAGILE
- Experimental Stimulants – Create a cloud that grants 20% Damage and 30% Reload Speed. Gadget Cost: 40 REPLACES: Support Slot
- Crippling Frequency – Reduce incoming Damage by 1 for nearby teammates for 7 seconds. Gadget Cost: 30 REPLACES: Offensive Slot
- Well Rested – 20% Team Overheal + 5% Team Healing Efficiency
- Stealthy Passage – Allows disarming of door alarms, car alarms, and birds. The target will trigger if you are interrupted. DISABLES: Quick Slot. Gain 25 Copper per success.
- Sadist – When a teammate within 15 meters receives 5 or more damage, gain 20% of the damage as Temporary Health. Can only trigger once per second.
- Ammo Scavenger – You can sense nearby Ammo. 1 Additional Ammo crate spawn.
- Fit As A Fiddle – 20% Team Bolstered Health + 5 Team Health
- Ammo Pouch – + 25% Ammo Capacity + 2.5% Bullet Damage
- Ammo Belt – + 50% Ammo Capacity + 15% Reload Speed
Put it all together
Different builds on a team together produce wildly different results. The traditional builds always work well together, and having a healer on your team should be standard. But experimenting with different roles and strategies is what makes Back 4 Blood exhilarating.
Have a tank, an explosives expert, a melee, and a flex on your team. You may be hurting when it comes to healing, but your flex will be generating endless grenades for your explosives expert; and since your melee isn’t using a gun, the tank can take all the extra ammo scavenged. You’ll be damage dealers.
Or, build a team with a healer, a tank, a new guy, and a flex. The flex can generate healing items, the healer can apply them since they’ll have more buffs, the new guy will kill all common Ridden before they even attack, and everyone can focus their attacks on bosses and mutations.
So many choices!
Practice makes perfect
If you feel these aren’t the definitive best builds for Back 4 Blood, experiment on your own. Build your own tank, which prioritizes maximum health instead of maximum defense. Create a healer that also uses experimental technology. Build a hybrid flex/explosives deck and see how many Molotov cocktails you can throw in a single map.
There are almost 200 cards in Back 4 Blood and ten different cleaners to choose from. Get out there and see who you are.
