There are definitely some obvious similarities between Back 4 Blood and its spiritual inspiration Left 4 Dead, but there are also some crucial differences that make the latest entry from Turtle Rock Studios a wildly different experience. With an emphasis on deck-building and roguelite elements, Back 4 Blood demands a strong understanding of the game's card system to progress through the higher difficulties. If you're struggling to finish Veteran or Nightmare difficulty and want some excellent builds to get you through, here's a collection of the best decks we've created in Back 4 Blood.
Best melee deck
This devastating deck is designed for players who prefer getting up close and personal with the undead. The curated cards included below will provide outrageous attack speed, life regeneration with melee kills, high movement speed, and unwavering stamina. While there are some detriments to your overall firepower capabilities, you should have no problems hacking and slashing your way to victory.
| Deck | Best melee build |
|---|---|
| Recommended Characters | Holly or Evangelo |
| Cards | Berserker: Gain 10% Melee Damage, 10% Melee Speed, and 5% Move Speed for each melee kill in the last 4 seconds.Battle Lust: Melee kills heal two health.Brazen: +30% Melee Stamina Efficiency, +3-% Melee Attack Speed, -5% Damage Resistance.Cross Trainers: +20% Stamina, +20% Stamina Regend, +3% Move Speed, +5 Health.Dash: +5% Move Speed.Fleet of Foot: +10% Move Speed, -5% Damage Resistance.Superior Cardio: +50% Sprint Efficiency, +5 Health.Evasive Action: Gain a 20% Movement Speed boost for three seconds you take a hit of 10 or more damage.Wounded Animal: Kills while at Critical Health recover 1 Health.Durable: +15% Trauma Resistance, +5 Health.Meth Head: +40% Melee Sttack Speed, +40% Melee Stamina Efficiency. Your melee attacks no longer stick in tough enemies. Disables Aim Down Sights.Slugger: +5 Health, +10% Melee Stamina Efficiency, +20% Melee Attack Speed.Mugger: Melee kills have a 2% chance to spawn ammo.Batter Up: +50% Melee Damage, +5 Health. |
| Recommended Weapons | Any melee weapon and shotguns. |
Best support deck
In Back 4 Blood, pure offensive power isn't always the best approach. It's crucial to balance your squad with important support roles as well. This deck is designed to offer additional Copper potential to help you and your teammates purchase necessary items and upgrades. This build also provides plenty of offensive and supportive items slots, which grants clutch healing as well as strategically tossed pipe bombs when necessary.
| Build | Best support deck |
|---|---|
| Recommended Characters | Karlee, Mom, or Hoffman |
| Cards | Fanny Pack: +1 Support Inventory.Shoulder Bag: +2 Support Inventory, -10% Damage dealt.Copper Scavenger: You can sense nearby Copper. More Copper piles spawn.Compound Interest: Gain 10% of your total Cooper in each saferoom.Lucky Pennies: Whenever your team loots Copper, you have a 35% chance to find an additional 35% Copper.Grenade Pouch: +1 Offensive Inventory.Second Chance: +1 Extra Life, +5 Health.Offensive Scavenger: You can sense nearby Offensive Accessories. More Offensive Accessories spawn.Confident Killer: +1% Damage, up to 15%, every time you kill a Mutation until the end of the level.Ammo for All: +10% Team Ammo Capacity.Inspiring Sacrifice: All teammates heal for 25 Health over twenty seconds if someone is incapacitated.Charitable Soul: Heals granted to a teammate will also apply 50% of the effect to you.Multitool: +75% Use Speed, -5% Damage Resistance.Ammo Pouch: +25% Ammo Capacity.Stimulants: Pain meds grant =10% Movement Speed, +10% Reload Speed, and +10% Weapon Swap Speed for 30 seconds. |
| Recommended Weapons | Mid to long range assault rifles and SMGs |
Best speedrun deck
If you have the need for speed, this deck is for you. Designed to deliver maximum stamina and movement speed, these cards allow you to blaze through the stages in Back 4 Blood with ease. Take advantage of the remarkably high Sprint Efficiency and the ability to shoot while running to dash your way to the saferoom quickly. There isn't much in the way of damage or sustainability here, but with a well-coordinated team, you can power through stages in record time.
| Build | Best speedrun deck |
|---|---|
| Recommended Characters | Evangelo, Karlee, or Walker |
| Cards | Cross Trainers: +20% Stamina, +20% Stamina Regend, +3% Move Speed, +5 Health.Buckshot Bruiser: When using shotguns, gain temporary Health for each pellet that hits.Evasive Action: Gain a 20% Movement Speed boost for three seconds you take a hit of 10 or more damage.Shell Carrier: +30% Shotgun Ammo Capacity, +10% Damage with shotguns.Superior Cardio: +50% Sprint Efficiency, +5 Health.Run and Gun: You can shoot while sprinting.Reload Drills: +30% Reload Speed.Dash: +5% Movement Speed.Fleet of Foot: +10% Movement Speed, -5% Damage Resistance.Rolling Thunder: +6% Movement Speed while using an SMG, +35% Reload Speed while using an SMG.Run Like Hell: +15% Movement Speed. When you take damage, your Accuracy is reduced by 20% for three seconds.Breakout: Allows you to free yourself from grabs. +50% Breakout Cooldown Reduction.Pep in Your Step: Precision Kills grant +10% Movement Speed for five seconds.Olympic Sprinter: +30% Sprint Efficiency, -5% Damage Resistance.Mandatory PT: +15% Team Stamina. |
| Recommended Weapons | Shotguns, SMGs, and melee weapons |
Best sniper deck
Being a successful sniper in Back 4 Blood isn't easy. It takes a great deal of skill and precision, but if you're up for the challenge, this technical deck can help rapidly take down the tougher enemies. These cards are specially designed to take advantage of Jim's unique and powerful passive, which grants him a 2.5% damage increase for every weak spot kill. This stacks seemingly infinitely until he takes damage. If your teammates can keep you from getting hit, this deck will be a destructive force of long-range damage.
| Build | Best sniper deck |
|---|---|
| Recommended Characters | Jim |
| Cards | Ridden Slayer: +20% Weakspot Damage.Reload Drills: +30% Reload Speed.Tunnel Vision: +50% Aim Speed, -5% Damage Resistance.Sadistic: Gain 5% Weakspot Damage for each precision kill in the last 10 seconds.Ammo Pouch: +25% Ammo Capacity.Confident Killer: +1% Damage, up to 15%, every time you kill a Mutation until the end of the level.Inspiring Sacrifice: All teammates heal for 25 Health over twenty seconds if someone is incapacitated.Widemouth Magwell: +30% Reload Speed, -5% Damage Resistance.Reckless Strategy: +30% Weakspot Damage, -5% Damage Reistance.Hi VIS Sights: +30% Aim Speed.Guns Out: +50% Weapon Swap Speed, -5% Damage Resistance.Optics Enthusiast: +30% Accuracy, -20% Stamina Efficiency.Large Caliber Rounds: +75% Bullet Damage, +100% Bullet Penetration, -20% Stamina Efficiency.Combat Training: +5% Damage, +50% Bullet Penetration.Front Sight Focus: +20% Accuracy. |
| Recommended Weapons | Sniper rifles and handguns |
Best medic deck
This is another deck crafted with a specific character in mind. Doc is an essential squad member for higher difficulty levels, and these cards will make her healing capabilities even more effective. Similar to the support deck we shared, this isn't about dealing damage but instead supporting the damage-dealing members of your team and doing everything in your power to keep them in the fight. Medics are truly the unsung heroes of any good party.
| Build | Best medic deck |
|---|---|
| Recommended Characters | Doc |
| Cards | Charitable Souls: Heals granted to a teammate will also apply 50% of the effect to you.Avenge the Fallen: When you or a teammate becomes incapacitated, all teammates gain 30% Damage, 20% Reload Speed and unlimited ammo for 10 seconds.Inspiring Sacrifice: All teammates heal for 25 Health over 20 seconds if someone is incapacitated.Poultice: Teammate gains +20 Health over 30 seconds when healed.Well Fed: +10 Team Health, -20% Stamina Regen.Smelling Salts: +100% Revive Speed.Breakout: Allows you to free yourself from grabs, +50% Breakout Cooldown Reduction.Combat Medic: Teammates healed by an additional 20 health when revived, +50% Use Speed.Mandatory PT: +15% Team Stamina.Stimulants: Pain meds grant +10% Movement Speed, +10% Reload Speed, and +10% Weapon Swap Speed for 30 seconds.Utility Scavenger: You can sense nearby Quick Accessories. More Quick Accessories Spawn.EMT Bag: +40% Healing Efficiency, -20% Stamina Efficiency.Large Caliber Rounds: +75% Bullet Damage, +100% Bullet Penetration, -20% Stamina Efficiency.Shoulder Bag: +2 Support Inventory, -10% Damage.Fanny Pack: +1 Support Inventory. |
| Recommended Weapons | Assault rifles and handguns |
There are dozens of incredible cards to choose from in Back 4 Blood and this opens up nearly endless possibilities for customization that caters to your preferred playstyle. Our collection of decks is based on my experience with over 30 hours in the game so far. I'm incredibly excited to unlock more cards and experiment with more unique decks in the coming weeks. If our team discovers any combinations that trump these remarkable decks, we'll be sure to include them. Back 4 Blood is now available through Xbox Game Pass, so now's the time to dive in and try these decks for yourself.
Slay hordes of Ridden!
Back 4 Blood is a brand-new, cooperative, zombie-slaying, first-person shooter title from Turtle Rock Studios, the creators of the critically acclaimed Left 4 Dead titles. Gather your crew and prepare for blood.
