On its original release, Back 4 Blood didn't really support the solo player base. Gamers looking to play alone were given every card from the get-go, and there was no sense of progression. As the game has evolved, Back 4 Blood has now received solo progression. Players can jump into an offline campaign and play with the cards they have unlocked, but won't have access to everything from the start.
While the scenarios and campaigns are identical plotwise and level-wise for both offline and online players, there are plenty of important differences to note. On harder difficulty settings, Back 4 Blood can be very challenging, even for coordinated groups of players. Playing solo will require a different approach, but it can still be just as fulfilling and rewarding as playing online. Here are a few key things solo players should know before firing up an offline campaign run.
Updated April 23, 2022, by Joe Barbieri: Back 4 Blood has gotten its first massive DLC update with the "Tunnels of Terror" DLC. This update offers players tons of new cards and items to unlock alongside two completely new playable characters! Sharice can make armor for the team while Heng is the ultimate looter, providing extra supplies and spotting loot across the map. The update also provides new enemy types for players to contend with and an entire difficulty setting: No Hope. Players playing solo can access all of this in offline campaigns so long as they own the DLC. It should be noted, however, that the new characters can be unlocked through competing in the online Swarm PvP mode for players without the DLC.
12 New Items & Cards Can Be Unlocked Offline
For players that own the "Tunnels of Terror" DLC, all the new content can be obtained in the campaign game mode. This means that even solo players in offline campaigns will have access to all the new supply lines, cards, items, and characters without being forced to play online. This is certainly a welcome addition for solo players and gives the entire community more to unlock. However, only the best of the best should tackle the "No Hope" difficulty alone, as the AI teammates aren't exactly known for their incredible plays or fantastic teamwork!
11 Tunnels Of Terror Cosmetics & Characters Can Be Accessed
Solo players looking to expand their wardrobes with the new "Tunnels of Terror" DLC will be glad to know that all the new cards, cosmetics, and characters can be accessed in offline campaigns so long as the DLC is owned. Like supplies and other items gained in offline campaigns, the new cosmetics and characters can be transferred to online campaigns. This is a nice quality of life feature for solo players looking to grind gear and cosmetics before they hop into the online scene.
For players without the DLC, the new characters can still be unlocked! Players will have to go online and participate in the Swarm PvP mode, but this is a small price to pay for two completely new playable characters. This feature ensures that there won't be as large of a gap between DLC owners and non-DLC owners online. Unfortunately, offline players will have to purchase the "Tunnels of Terror" DLC or find a way to play online if they want access to the new characters.
10 The Difficulty Doesn't Change
Solo players expecting a scaling down of the game's difficulty for offline mode will find no mercy. Those playing on the game's medium difficulty (Veteran mode) or above may find certain parts of the campaigns to be incredibly challenging. The game focuses on communication between the four cleaners, and having no one to set up traps with or ask for assistance can lead to some tough spots.
The solo player will be assisted by three bots controlling other characters in the game. These bots don't add unique cards to the active deck, and players obviously cannot communicate with them in the same capacity as another human. These two factors alone jack up the difficulty, especially for new players learning the campaigns.
9 Friendly Fire Still Applies
When playing on difficulties with applicable friendly fire, solo players should definitely still be wary of damaging teammates. The bot cleaners in offline campaigns can and will take damage from player attacks. This can often be frustrating as the bots have a mind of their own, and are more often walking forward into gunfire than taking strategic positions. Trigger discipline is important in both offline and online game modes.
The good thing is that bot companions often don't like to stray too far from the player. This means they won't go running off alone to die from a mob of special ridden after the player has accidentally already damaged them with a hail of rogue fire. Offline campaigns also allow players to practice their trigger discipline in frantic firefights, so that they might damage their human companions less if they choose to play online next time.
8 First-Aid Cabinets Have Two Free Charges
The changes to First-Aid Cabinets are an interesting addition to offline mode to help alleviate the often punishing swarms of enemies on harder modes. These little red healing stations can be found across certain areas on each level of a campaign. They are often tucked out of sight, so players should be careful to search each zone once they've cleared it out. Normally, the First-Aid Cabinet has one free charge, and subsequent uses require the cleaner to cough up 400 copper.
In offline play, the player will have access to two free charges instead of just one. This helps the player stay in tip-top shape while still being able to purchase upgrades in the safe rooms. The bots won't use up the free charges, so solo players should take advantage of every First-Aid Cabinet they find.
7 Bots Have Infinite Ammo
Unlike their health pools, the bots in offline campaigns have access to infinite ammo. This is great news for solo players, as managing a computer-controlled character's inventory and ammo is almost never fun.
With this in mind, solo players should feel free to use whatever weapon they please. In online play, all four cleaners using one ammo type can lead to some sticky situations, with people arguing over resources. Solo players can wash this concern from their minds, and blast away with whichever weapon will wipe out the ridden quickest.
6 Ammo Cannot Be Requested
While the bots may have access to bottomless pits of ammo, they certainly aren't about to share it with the player. In online play, players can request certain ammo types from other players in the party. Players will have to be careful in their ammo consumption, especially in the middle of a level where loot might be scarce.
It's best to avoid using two weapons that consume the same ammo type. Solo players should try to have a melee weapon or stick to using two different ammo types in case they run out during a fight. Luckily, all of the loot in each level goes to the player. Bots won't be eating up ammo chests, seeing as they have their own infinite reserves.
5 Bot Pickups Go Directly To The Player
Online campaigns can kind of feel chaotic sometimes, with players all racing to get the loot for themselves. During online play, copper reserves aren't shared, and ammo most certainly isn't. When a weapon crate opens with the best shotgun, the player who nabs it first is the only one who will have it, at least for a while.
Luckily, this isn't the case with offline play. Solo players won't have to worry about their bot companion taking the best sniper rifle they've found. Bots will often ping guns and pickups for the player to see, but they will not take guns for themselves. Because of their infinite ammo reserve, they will also refrain from gobbling up all the bullets. Bots will pickup copper when they stumble across it; however, ll of this goes directly to the player's bank, so they won't need to manage the bots' bank accounts at each safe room.
4 Offline Play Is A Good Place To Learn
Many players will be stuck playing offline due to any number of restrictions. The recent changes to offline progression are a great step for making Back 4 Blood feel more like a normal video game for players stuck in offline mode. That said, players with online access shouldn't completely ignore offline campaigns either. Solo players can step into the offline campaigns to grind out extra supplies or test out new decks. They can also learn maps in offline play.
Oftentimes in randomly made parties online, there will be a player who knows the game like the back of their hand. They'll know every strategy to beat every zone in the most efficient and cost-effective way possible. There's little time to explore the maps or learn anything new. Offline campaigns offer a great chance for players figure things out for themselves.
3 Certain Zones Will Need To Be Played Differently
It goes without saying that bot teammates play a lot differently than human teammates. Online teammates will often have open lines of communication. This means that plans can be made, traps can be set, and resources can be split. The bot teammates assigned in offline play have little to no planning capability, and act more as drones with weapons. As a result, areas that normally wouldn't be hard can become a lot more difficult.
Certain areas will require completely new strategies to beat. While the bots can use items and heal, they won't always do these things at opportune moments and it can feel impossible to set up good traps for the ridden with the lack of communication. Players shouldn't feel too discouraged though. Instead, let it be a learning moment on how to play a zone in a totally different way.
2 Offline Campaigns Carry Over To Online Play
Players looking to play some Back 4 Blood solo can start a campaign alone and save it for friends later. This is a great feature, as it allows solo players to gather resources and supplies in their own time, but still, continue a promising run with friends later.
Like dropping into a regular ongoing campaign, new players will find that they have lackluster loot upon joining, but this will surely be remedied quickly. Solo players shouldn't be shy to share their offline campaigns with the online world if possible.
1 Supplies Gained Offline Carry Over To Online Play
The most important change made to offline play was giving solo players a sense of actual progression. They get supplies and have to unlock cards just like online players now. Even better, they can bring what they've built offline easily into online campaigns.
Everything carries over quite painlessly. No headaches, no new accounts, nothing too complicated. Offline players who have been stuck playing solo should know that all of their hard work can easily be transferred to online play should they want to switch over.
Back 4 Blood is available on PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, and PC.