This guide will show you the 11 best cards in Back 4 Blood, so that you can quickly assemble a powerful deck and jump into the action.
Back 4 Blood best cards
There are over 150 cards in Back 4 Blood, and most of them are great. However, the best cards are those that will offer a significant advantage with few drawbacks. If you have empty slots in your deck, or you just want to know the best cards in the game, we’ve got you covered.
Ridden Slayer
Description: +20% Weakspot Damage. When slaying zombies and the various Special Ridden in Back 4 Blood, damage really is the name of the game. With that in mind, Ridden Slayer slots perfectly into any deck. The 20% damage increase to weakspots is crucial when fighting mutations, especially if you are on Veteran or Nightmare difficulty. This is one of the first cards in our Walker build, which focuses on increasing damage as much as possible.
Broadside
Description: Precision Kills have a 20% chance to cause Ridden to explode, dealing 15 damage to other Ridden within 4 meters. Explosives are pretty useful when fighting zombies, but Broadside lets you turn Ridden into the thing they fear most. Each time you kill a Ridden, Broadside gives it a 20% chance to explode, damaging all other nearby enemies. 20% might not seem very high, but it’s really powerful when mowing down a horde. Check out our Jim build to see this card in action.
Marked For Death
Description: Mutations you ping are highlighted and your team deals 10% increased damage to highlighted enemies. Just like the other cards above, Marked For Death increases your damage again. However, it also helps you mark Special Ridden for your teammates by highlighting them, which is necessary if you want to kill mutations before they attack and leave your team in an injured shambles. You can find Marked For Death in our Karlee build if you want to create a scout deck.
Knowledge Is Power
Description: +10% Weakspot damage. Allows players to see values for damage they deal and enemy health bars. Okay, this is the last damage card. I promise. Other than the extra 10% weakspot damage, which you’ll be grateful for when fighting an Ogre or a Hag, Knowledge Is Power allows you to see damage numbers and health bars on enemies, which helps you spot which weapons are worth using (and scratches the Destiny part of your brain). Watching those damage numbers fly around might also be the kick you need to start properly aiming for weakspots, as you’ll be able to see just how much extra damage you can deal if you are precise.
Breakout
Description: Breakout: Hold E to free yourself from Grabs. +50% Breakout Cooldown Reduction (base 60 seconds). Damage is very important, but you can’t fight the Ridden if you are pinned to the ground. Whether you’ve been trapped by a Hocker’s spit, or a Stalker has pounced from the shadows, you usually need a nearby teammate to free you. If your teammate is distracted with a horde or other Mutations, you’ll take a lot of damage whilst waiting and could go down very quickly. Breakout gives you an easy escape in these situations, allowing you to wrestle out of the Ridden’s grasp. This fits into most decks, but it’s worth noting that Evangelo already has a similar ability. Check out our Evangelo build to see which cards you should use with him instead.
Lucky Pennies
Description: Whenever you or your team loots Copper, you have a 35% chance to find 35% additional Copper. Whilst the other utility cards mentioned also focus on dealing increased damage, Lucky Pennies takes a different path. Copper is the currency you use to buy weapons, items, ammo, and team upgrades during a run. Back 4 Blood doesn’t give you first aid kits and weapons in every safe room for free like in Left 4 Dead, so if you want to live to fight another day, you’ll need as much copper as you can find. This card applies to your whole team, so you should always ensure that one player has it active.
Cross Trainers
Description: +20% Stamina and Stamina Regen +3% Move Speed + 5 Health. Back 4 Blood is filled with frantic moments where sprinting is usually the best option. Whether you are running from a horde, or making the final dash to a safe room, extra stamina and stamina regen are crucial. With extra little boosts to move speed and health without a single negative, Cross Trainers really is one of the most valuable cards in Back 4 Blood.
Superior Cardio
Description: +20% Stamina and Sprint Efficiency + 5 Health If you want to increase your stamina even further, take Superior Cardio. Like Cross Trainers, this card has no negative effect, but you’ll be able to run for longer and take another hit from Ridden. That could be the extra push you need to survive another level and unlock a new starting point on your run. Of course, our Holly and Evangelo builds both drastically improve stamina, but Superior Cardio and Cross Trainers are best for everyone, as they offer lots of bonuses and don’t require a specific playstyle or build.
Run And Gun
Description: You can shoot while sprinting. Speed is important, but that doesn’t mean you should have to sacrifice your firepower. Sprinting usually leaves you defenseless in Back 4 Blood, but with Run And Gun equipped, you’ll be able to charge towards a horde with guns blazing. This lets you protect yourself when you’re dashing to the saferoom, giving you those epic action movie moments.
Inspiring Sacrifice
Description: When you or a teamate becomes incapaciteated, all teammates heal for 25 health over 20 seconds. Inspiring Sacrifice makes the most of a rough patch, healing everyone by 25 health when someone on the team goes down. Like Lucky Pennies, this applies to everyone on the team, so only one person needs to have it equipped. To see Inspiring Sacrifice used in a support deck, take a look at our Mom build.
Charitable Soul
Description: Healing a teammate also applies 50% of the effect to you. If you want to make the most of every bandage, Charitable Soul is one of the best defense cards around. Whenever you heal a teammate, this card applies 50% of the effect to you. This means you’ll get healed every time you use a bandage or painkillers on a teammate. This will boost your health and help you save healing items, as you should be able to get by without needing to heal yourself. Just wait for a teammate to lose health, and then jump in to heal them and get some sweet health points back for yourself.
Full Back 4 Blood card list
If you’re in need of a complete list of every card in Back 4 Blood, then look no further. Regardless of which character and build you are using, the cards above will fit into almost any deck and provide a huge boost. If you are looking for more help surviving the Ridden hordes, check out our tips and tricks for surviving Nightmare mode! If you aren’t sure how to get new cards in Back 4 Blood, take a look at our Supply Lines guide. If you want to try out different characters, take a look at our guide on how to unlock all of the cleaners in Back 4 Blood.
