Back 4 Blood Character Tier List: Best and Worst
By Jack O'Dwyer
We’ve compiled a list of the best and worst player characters currently available in Back 4 Blood.
There are eight characters on the roster at the time of writing that players can jump in and use on campaign missions. They are called “Cleaners”—a morbid joke made, in part, due to their profession focusing on “cleaning up” the area of infected individuals.
Below, we’ve explained our ranking of the best and worst cleaners in Back 4 Blood.
Back 4 Blood Character Tier List
S Tier
- Mom
No matter what your team composition ends up being, you’re going to want a Mom. Her abilities are focused on team longevity and making sure players can get the most out of their time in the field. Mom allows players to take advantage of a full extra life, a free teammate revive, and an extra healing/support skill slot.
Basically, add a Mom or you’ll be calling for yours.
A Tier
- Hoffman
- Walker
Hoffman’s abilities also come in handy in most situations—like Mom. His are further geared toward offense rather than support, however, so we’ve listed him below her. Dealing damage is important, of course—but you can’t deal damage if you’re dead.
Walker’s placement follows a similar philosophy. He’s a good amalgamation of the two so it stands to reason if you can’t have a Mom or a Hoffman, you’ll want a Walker.
B Tier
- Doc
- Holly
Doc features more healing capacity than Mom, but less damage utility, so we’ve placed her in the B-Tier. She can heal players without healing items and provides an extra buff against trauma damage simply by being around.
Holly’s abilities are less geared toward supporting the team, but she is a decent all-around choice. Her bonus to team stamina and that nice damage resistance boost make her a decent choice in most compositions. She just doesn’t have enough power to put her in competition with the others.
C Tier
- Jim
- Karlee
Jim may be useful in the moment, but his abilities are finicky, unreliable, and require either a well-skilled player holding the controller or a team dedicated to centering their gameplay around him. His weak spot damage buff can be a nice boon at higher stages, however.
Karlee's abilities don’t hold water when compared to her teammates. Her increase to use speed is, like Jim, a more useful perk at higher stages. Every second counts between combat, after all. She can also carry an extra tool kit or support item which has saved her from the bottom rung.
D Tier
- Evangelo
It’s not that Evangelo is a bad pick—he’s just not nearly as useful as the others. Breaking from grabs is a nice bonus for those looking to take off alone and have some fun. Unfortunately, since Back 4 Blood is a co-op game, this skill doesn’t have many chances to come in handy. His most impressive perk is the faster movement speed for his team. Otherwise, there are plenty of other cleaners to choose from.