Published , by Sam Chandler
Published , by Sam Chandler
Back 4 Blood is knocking our socks off and with the open beta having arrived, we’ve got some tips for the cards you absolutely need in your deck. For those not in the know, Back 4 Blood features a deck building system, and if you play your cards right (pun intended), you can quickly gain access to some cards that will significantly improve your chances of survival. So load your shotguns, prepare your first aid kits, and believe in the heart of the cards.
When you first start the Back 4 Blood Open Beta, you will receive a starter deck with a handful of cards to get you on your way. While this deck is enough to get you through the game, the build variety with the cards is where the real details and strategies begin to shine.
It’s worth noting that while your deck can be comprised of 15 cards, each segment of an act will draw five random cards from your pre-chosen draft of cards. From these five, you can pick one card to take into the game, which gets added to a pre-made deck. Each segment will continue this; selecting five cards from your draft and letting you pick one. If you die, you will still get to keep your cards and pick more.
After you complete The Strip, you’ll be able to gain access to a few “skill trees” called Supply Lines. Each of these has several cards for you to unlock using Supply Points. These Supply Lines are called Paul’s Alley, The Clinic, and The Crow’s Nest. By unlocking new cards on each line, you’ll walk away with some of the best cards in the beta.
By unlocking these five cards, you will give your deck a nice boost to your health, stamina, the damage you deal, and your ability to avoid being damaged. Of these, probably the most critical are the cards that benefit your stamina stat. In Back 4 Blood, your stamina determines your sprint and your melee, which means the more stamina you have, the more you’re able to relocate and dish out the pain to the Ridden.
Another standout card is Superior Cardio. This card grants you +20% Stamina, +20% Sprint Efficiency, and +5 Health. This further improves your ability to continue running and using melee weapons – which, by the way, are rather powerful in Back 4 Blood.
Above is an image of a deck from our time with the Back 4 Blood open beta so far. As you can see, we’ve tried for a good split of cards across the various affinities (Reflex, Discipline, Brawn, and Fortune). Perhaps your playstyle will be different and you’ll want more cards that belong to the Fortune affinity.
Regardless of your playstyle in Back 4 Blood, these are some cards you should unlock and put into your deck as soon as you can. They set a good foundation on which you can build more advanced decks as you progress. Let us know in the Chatty thread below how you’re going with Back 4 Blood and the cards you’re using in your own decks!