Back 4 Blood Solo Progression Explained

The topic of Back 4 Blood solo progression has been a popular point of discussion following the release of the latest first-person shooter zombie game. Back 4 Blood has a single-player mode included, but it is a shell of its multiplayer counterpart. The Back 4 Blood solo progression is just not up to par - and here’s why.

• Looking for some tips on how to beat Back 4 Blood’s harder difficulties like Veteran and Nightmare? Check out our Back 4 Blood tips.

Back 4 Blood Solo Progression Explained

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When starting up the Back 4 Blood solo campaign, players are informed of the following:

• Earning Supply Points is disabled.
• Stat tracking is disabled.
• Earning progress towards Accomplishments is disabled.

This is a massive blow to anyone that wants to give Back 4 Blood a go in a solo environment. Supply Points are a core feature of Back 4 Blood, because players use Supply Points to progress through Back 4 Blood Supply Lines. Advancing through Supply Lines is the only way to unlock Cards, Cleaner skins, and other various rewards.

Accomplishments, also known as achievements or trophies, are a big part of why some people play games. Achievements offer players something to strive for and a goal to work towards. Disabling achievements for solo players deprives them of the trophy hunting experience.

Back 4 Blood is advertised as a co-op game AND a solo game. Not everyone can or wants to play with others. Some people prefer a solo experience. The fact that Back 4 Blood does not support solo progression is baffling and misleading. And as we’ll get into, solo play can be a dreadful experience, making the absence of solo progression even more frustrating.

Back 4 Blood Solo Progression Problems

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Not only is Back 4 Blood solo progression not possible, but it’s not exactly the best experience either. The Back 4 Blood A.I. Cleaners that accompany the player through the campaign are some of the worst in recent memory. You might as well be alone because your A.I. teammates are useless. Don’t even consider trying the harder difficulty levels like Veteran and Nightmare when accompanied by these A.I. colleagues.

Some of the Special Ridden like Crushers and Stalkers will grab you and squeeze you to death. If a fellow Cleaner does not free you from their grasp, you will die. A.I. bots will almost never assist in these situations. They’ll get stuck somewhere and watch you as you slowly lose all of your health.

The mounted turrets available in select Back 4 Blood chapters are like magnets to A.I. bots. If an A.I. Cleaner gets a hold of one of these mounted turrets, they will never let go. The bot will sit on that mounted turret for eternity, refusing to follow you to the objective or do anything productive.

The A.I. bots aren’t just incompetent gameplay-wise, they don’t even come equipped with the best Back 4 Blood cards that human players have access to. Solo players will not receive any of the boosts or benefits one would normally be granted when playing with real teammates.

All of this is to say, the A.I. bots in Back 4 Blood are the worst in the business and make Back 4 Blood solo progression a brutal experience. In a game with such an emphasis on teamwork and communication, the A.I. bots in Back 4 Blood cannot even hold a light to an average human player.

• Interested in the best Back 4 Blood builds for each Cleaner and the best weapons to pair them with? Check out our best Back 4 Blood builds and best Back 4 Blood weapons guides.

Back 4 Blood Solo Progression: Will It Get Fixed?

Thankfully, the Back 4 Blood developers are aware of the concerns surrounding Back 4 Blood solo progression and have announced that a fix is on the way.

Turtle Rock Studios, the developers behind Back 4 Blood, wrote on Twitter, “we have heard your frustrations about progression in solo mode and are discussing ways to address the issue.” They ended the statement with, “we'll have more news as we strategize on potential ways to make it happen.”

It would be nice if we had a timetable for when these changes would be implemented — or some of the potential ways they plan to resolve the issues with solo progression — but at least the developers have publicly acknowledged the problem and plan to address it in a future update.

All things considered, the solo progression is a clear afterthought in Back 4 Blood. Solo players cannot earn rewards, accumulate stats, or progress towards achievements. Combine this with the lack of competent A.I. bots to accompany you through the solo campaign, and Back 4 Blood is a horror game in more ways than one for anyone that wants to play through the first-person zombie shooter alone.

The silver lining in all of this is that the Back 4 Blood developers claim adjustments to solo progression are on the way. But until then, partnering up with a couple of friends or some randoms is the only viable way to play Back 4 Blood.