Back 4 Blood tips - 9 things to know before you start

You might want to arm yourself with these Back 4 Blood tips, along with a fire axe, if you're diving into Back 4 Blood anytime soon. It's not easy surviving this zombie apocalypse and a lot of mistakes can be learned the hard way if you dive in unprepared. So here are 9 Black 4 Blood tips and things to watch out for when you're playing this brand new co-op zombie shooter that just so happens to be a spiritual successor to Left 4 Dead. 

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1. Avoid startling the birds

Dislodging a flock of birds in Back 4 Blood is almost as big a mistake as showing a seagull your sandwich. Doing anything to disturb them from their dinner will cause the horde to descend on you. So creep past, don't shoot them, and you'll save your squad plenty of bullets.

2. Watch out for alarmed doors and cars

It's not just birds that will raise the horde though, because there are alarms everywhere in the world of Back 4 Blood. Watch out for doors with big security alarm warnings on them. Don't open them, but shoot or melee them to shards instead. And generally try and avoid shooting vehicles too - the last thing you need is a car alarm cutting through the silence. 

3. Listen out for the sounds of Retch

You can use audio cues as much as the Ridden though - aka the in-game zombies. There's one particular undead beast that alerts you to his presence with the sound of dry-retching. Handily named the Retch, this Ridden will vomit acid all over you to cause serious damage. Shoot him so he blows up before he can blow chunks on you. 

4. Don't disturb the Sleeper pods

If you can hear the sound of cute sleeping noises, be extra on edge because there's a Sleeper nearby. These tiny Ridden sleep in jaw-like sack pods on walls and other surfaces, and the moment they spot you, they'll pin you down. Horror movie scenes, folks. 

5. Make sure someone's stockpiling Tool Kits

When you're restocking at the Safe Room store, make sure someone on your squad has at least one Tool Kit. These funny little items are actually the things you'll need to open up locked doors or caches, which always contain good ammo stocks and other useful items to help you through each Act. 

6. Communicate always and stay together

It should go without saying but always stay together if you want to succeed in Back 4 Blood. Like the OG Left 4 Dead series, if you get downed or otherwise incapacitated miles from your squad, you're a goner. Stick together, communicate, talk through card selections and other purchases… it might just save your Cleaner bacon. 

7. Don't forget to invest your supply points

For completing various tasks and working your way through the campaign acts, you'll earn supply points. When you head back to Fort Hope, head over to the picnic table to spend them on new cards. Collected in Supply Lines, these cards will offer up a range of items - not just cards to add to your deck, although they are the main draw. There are gun skins, new customization options for your characters, and more to obtain. Get spending!

8. Play your cards right

A lot of the fun with Back 4 Blood is about building a custom deck that matches the character you've decided to invest your time with. So once you've started collecting a good selection of cards, you'll want to build your own custom deck. If you like melee attacks for example, make sure you have the card that gives you two health points for every melee kill, and the one that turns your punch into a knife for additional slashing options. But you can dial into these specialisms further, like with cards that increase your stamina but limit the amount of ammo you can carry - again, good for those wielding a bat rather than an AK-47. Play around with the cards and find the ones that work best for you. 

9 .Look out for optional objectives

Some of the enemy-played cards will actually be optional objectives that you can complete for additional supply points. That might be anything from ensuring all your Cleaners survive the act to finding some supplies and carrying them all the way through to the next safe house with you. Whatever they are, they can be pretty lucrative if you're card collecting.