Want to know who the best characters are in Back 4 Blood? The characters in the zombie game have been dealing with the Ridden in their world for a while now, earning the job title of Cleaner. Cleaners are professional survivors, each equipped with their own set of skills to help them tackle the zombie infestation. There are eight characters to choose from at launch, but the devs are planning on releasing more via the annual pass.
Not every character is available during the open beta period, however, we do know every ability ahead of Back 4 Blood’s release date. It’s important to note that your team composition has more to do with the people you play with rather than the characters themselves. For example, if you have a teammate that always gets caught by the Ridden, it may be worth picking Evangelo as he can break out of grabs.
That being said, while you should be able to get through the game picking anyone you want, it’s starting to become clear that some characters are better than others. Tackling Nightmare difficulty is no easy task – you’re going to want to pick the best of the best. Here’s everything you need to know about the best Back 4 Blood characters, including what their abilities are, team synergies, and more.
The best Back 4 Blood characters
Determining which characters are the best in Back 4 Blood largely depends on your chosen difficulty. If you’re playing on Survivor, you should be able to pick any character you want without feeling hindered in any way.
Not all of the characters are available from the start, but we have some steps to follow if you want to unlock Jim, Karlee, Doc, and Hoffman in Back 4 Blood.
Here are all of the characters and their abilities in Back 4 Blood:
Hoffman
- Has the chance to find ammo after killing a Ridden
- One additional offensive inventory slot
- Max team ammo capacity increased by 10%
Doc
- Heals each teammate for 25 health once at the beginning of the level
- Healing efficiency increased by 20%
- Team trauma resistance increased by 25%
Holly
- Recovers ten stamina after killing a Ridden
- Damage resistance increased by 10%
- Team stamina increased by 25
Evangelo
- Can break out of grabs once every minute (Breakout speed increased by 75%)
- Stamina regeneration increased by 25%
- Team movement speed increased by 5%
Jim
- Defeating Ridden with precision kills increases damage by 2.5%. This damage stacks until he takes damage
- Aim down sights speed increased by 25%
- Team weak spot damage increased by 10%
Karlee
- Able to sense hazards and mutations nearby
- One additional quick inventory slot
- Team use speed increased by 50%
Mom
- Instantly revive one incapacitated teammate per level
- One additional support inventory slot
- One additional team extra life
Walker
- Precision kills grants Walker 20% increased accuracy for five seconds
- Damage is increased by 10%
- Team health is increased by 10
When playing on Nightmare difficulty, the best characters to select are: Doc, Hoffman, Karlee, and Mom. Doc’s ability to heal critically damaged characters without items is crucial, and this ability doesn’t have any cooldowns or limits. Ammo can be scarce, especially on Nightmare difficulty, which is why Hoffman’s ammo abilities are so useful. Karlee is the only character that can sense hazards, which means you can avoid triggering swarms. Finally, Mom can single-handedly save a run by reviving a key teammate quickly when things get difficult.
And that’s everything you need to know about the best Back 4 Blood characters. Wondering how long each act is? Check out our latest guide which explains how many levels are in a Back 4 Blood act. If you’re looking to hone your shooting skills, you may want to look at our best FPS games to test your abilities against various robots, aliens, and demons.