Back 4 Blood: Every Character And Their Abilities
Turtle Rock Studios had a lot to live up to with Back 4 Blood thanks to the massive success of Left 4 Dead. Many fans and critics knew it would be difficult for the developer to one-up the iconic multiplayer horror survival game, especially if they strayed too far from the formula. Thankfully, many of the elements that made the Left 4 Dead series such a powerhouse success are present in Back 4 Blood.
But the creators also managed to slide in some innovative mechanics (compared to Left 4 Dead) that help give the title more depth. A great example are the Cleaners that players can choose from, different characters that come packaged with their own unique abilities. This gives players more choice and helps teams build better strategies. Here's a look at all of the Cleaners present in Back 4 Blood and what each one of them can offer the team.
Walker
Special Abilities
- 10 percent flat increase to damage.
- Precision kills boost accuracy by 20 percent for 5 seconds.
Team Ability
- Gives the team 10 additional health.
Those that are looking to rack up as many infected kills as possible will want to give Walker a spin. His ability allows him to quickly and effectively increase his accuracy during combat, so long as players can manage to hit a precision kill (a headshot on common infected or the glowing weak spot on special infected. The five-second accuracy boost is easily refreshed so long as players are seeking out headshots and his flat damage boost of 10 percent automatically gives him a slight edge against other Cleaners in terms of damage output.
Mom
Special Abilities
- One additional Support Item slot.
- Is capable of instantly reviving a downed ally once per level.
Team Ability
- Each ally gets an extra life (one extra incapacitation).
Mom is easily one of the best support characters thanks to her ability to instantly revive downed teammates. It's important to note that this ability can only proc once per level but getting a player back to their feet quickly can mean the difference between victory and defeat, especially at higher difficulty levels where it's easy for hordes to corner teams and pick them off. Her Team Ability is great for increased difficulties too, giving each Cleaner an extra life, allowing them to be incapacitated one more time than normal. Last but not least, she has an extra support inventory slot, allowing her to carry extra bandages or Medkits.
Doc
Special Abilities
- Healing items are 20 percent more effective.
- Has the ability to heal a player for 25 health, once per level.
Team Ability
- Teammates get an additional 25 percent Trauma Resistance.
Those who are looking for someone a little more "healing-oriented" should try out Doc. Whereas Mom focuses on allies that have fallen out of the fight, Doc's main abilities allow her to keep her allies on their feet. Her increased healing efficiency means players will receive more health when she uses bandages and Medkits on them, and she even has the ability to heal other players for "free" (without having to use an item) once per level, giving struggling players a little more health to help get them through difficult stages. Perhaps her best ability is her Team Skill, which gives all other players a 25 percent increased resistance to Trauma effects.
Hoffman
Special Abilities
- Comes with an extra Offensive item slot.
- Increases the chance to find extra ammo after killing an enemy.
Team Ability
- Team gets 10 percent additional ammo capacity.
Hoffman is easily one of the most useful Cleaners to have on a team, if not the most useful character currently in the entire game. Ammo consumption is a big deal, especially in higher difficulties. Players will often find themselves running low on ammo after wasting shells blasting through tough hordes of enemies. Not only does Hoffman increase ammo capacity for the entire team, but he has an increased chance to find additional ammo through killing enemies. With the hordes of common infected rushing players, teams should see this extra ammo drop often. To top things off, he comes with an extra offensive inventory slot, giving him access to additional explosives.
Karlee
Special Abilities
- Can carry an extra Quick Slot item.
- Has the ability to sense hazards that may alert a horde.
Team Ability
- Increases Team Use Speed by 25%.
Karlee is all about increasing speed and avoiding dangers. Her Team Ability will increase the use speed for all players by 25 percent. This means it's faster to complete some objectives and players can open locked doors and chests quickly. She's also able to sense nearby dangers, like crows, snitches, and alarm doors. This can be a godsend in a pinch, especially on higher difficulties, when alerting a horde means certain death. She can also carry an extra quick slot item (like a stun gun or defibrillator), making her hard to catch or a helpful support in a pinch.
Jim
Special Abilities
- Aiming down the sights is 25 percent faster.
- Gains a 5 percent damage boost for each precision kill, stacking up to 50 percent, but loses the buff when he takes damage.
Team Ability
- Team gains a 10 percent damage increase to enemy weak spots.
Those that enjoy sniping or dishing out a ton of single-target damage will instantly fall in love with Jim thanks to his firepower-boosting abilities. Consider him the boss-killer, thanks to his stacking buff that increases in strength as long as he doesn't take damage. Jim will receive a 5 percent flat damage increase (up to 50 percent maximum) for each precision kill he lands. That buff stays active so long as Jim doesn't take any damage, meaning he's best to sit back behind the line and take shots from long-range. His team skill increases all players' damage to weak spots by 10 percent. The coup de grace is his additional 25 percent Aim-Down-Sights (ADS) speed, making it even easier to land precision shots quickly.
Evangelo
Special Abilities
- Can regen stamina 25 percent faster.
- Has the ability to break free of grabs once every 60 seconds.
Team Ability
- Makes the team move 5 percent faster.
Players who are looking for a fast-moving character with great mobility will want to pick up Evangelo. His abilities make him slippery, escaping the grasp of Ridden and keeping his feet moving throughout each scuffle. Once every 60 seconds, Evangelo gains the ability to break free of a grab, meaning Ridden that excel at stunning players will have no effect on him from a crowd control standpoint. It's important to keep in mind that Evangelo will still take the damage aspect of the grab, just not the stun. He also gains an increased stamina regeneration rate and gives the entire team a small 5 percent movement speed boost.
Holly
Special Abilities
- Has a flat 10 percent damage resistance increase.
- Will recover 10 stamina for each Ridden she kills.
Team Ability
- Gives everyone on the team an additional 25 stamina.
If there's such a thing as a "melee specialist" in Back 4 Blood, it's Holly. She's got the right abilities and skillset to create melee havoc, giving her the ability to move swiftly and cleave through hordes of the undead. She's a bit harder to take down thanks to her flat 10 percent increased damage reduction and she recovers 10 stamina for each infected she kills, making her a prime candidate to swing melee weapons endlessly. She can even give the team a bit more stamina, with her Team Skill increasing everyone's stamina by 25.
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