Turtle Rock Studios’ Back 4 Blood, much like its predecessor Left 4 Dead, handles “bosses” in a unique way. Many of them are Special Ridden that have a lot more health than their counterparts (like the Tallboy or Reeker). They’re also less common, often appearing in specific cases, and can deal a fairly large amount of damage if one isn’t careful.
Certain chapters also have you facing more than one Special Ridden at a time. Let’s take a look at all of them and how to survive. Spoilers for the final boss follow so be warned.
- Ogre – A massive hulking Ridden that has a fairly large health pool, they move slow but hit hard. Along with slamming the ground, they also create fleshy projectiles and throw them at players (though these can be shot before they’re thrown). Ogres will also attempt to grab players, even if they’re hiding inside of buildings. They can’t enter the buildings themselves though so it’s worth keeping in mind when beating a hasty retreat. The weak spots for Ogres can be found on their chest, neck and back in the form of fleshy spots. Destroying them deals a good chunk of damage. When an Ogre can’t reach players or has been heavily damaged, it will burrow underground and retreat. It may reappear later with some of its health restored.
- Breaker – Though not as large as the Ogre, the Breaker still poses an extremely potent threat. It’s covered in rocky-looking armor, and thus has a fairly strong amount of damage resistance. Much like the Tank from Left 4 Dead, it will charge players and attempt to bash them to death. It possesses good speed and agility but it’s still possible to kite it when necessary. The best solution is to keep a high damage weapon, Molotov cocktails and explosives (especially if you have Cards in those categories), have one player kite it while the others deal damage and break its armor before targeting its weak points.
- The Hag – Functioning much like Left 4 Dead’s Witch, the Hag will mostly wander around until a player shoots it. It will then focus on that player and attempt to devour them whole. Once the player is inside the Hag’s stomach, it will start burrowing and try to escape (if successful, the player within it dies). On top of dealing damage to it while it’s focused on the other player, it’s advised to target the weak spot on its back once it starts burrowing. The Hag will also try to burrow away if it’s severely wounded, which presents another good opportunity to kill it. Explosives are very effective so liberally toss them when a Hag is aggroed.
- Ogre and Breaker – In Chapter 7.2, you’ll encounter an Ogre and a Breaker. Don’t worry though – the Ogre will attack first and you’ll have enough room to maneuver around and kite it. There’s also a turret for quickly mowing it down. After it goes down, the Breaker will arrive next. Use explosives and the turret to quickly tear away its armor and dispatch it as well. Other Special Ridden like the Tallboy may show up to cause trouble as well so be prepared.
- Two Breakers – In Chapter 7.3, you’ll battle two Breakers. Unlike the Ogre + Breaker battle, however, they’ll both attack at the same time. The area is fairly open with hedges and crypts providing cover, so try to weave in and around structures, breaking line of sight whenever possible while pumping in damage from a distance.
- Ogre (2nd Battle) – Encountered in Chapter 9.4, this is more of a test for the T5 Grenade than a proper boss fight. Throw it on the Ogre and its health will go down real quick.
- Abomination Tentacles – Before tackling the Abomination to cap off the campaign, you’ll need to battle four of its tentacles. They’re not too far apart and easy enough to dispatch – when a tentacle opens its maw, shoot the glowing red weak spot to quickly kill it. Just be careful when it suddenly slams down. Both normal and Special Ridden will assail you while attempting to slay the tentacles so they must be managed as well.
- Abomination – The battle with the Abomination starts out with having to shoot the weak spots in its mouth while being assaulted by the Ridden. It also has tentacles around its head which spew out toxic goop so avoid that. The fight starts with two tentacles with two more emerging after the boss suffers a decent amount of damage. Once the spots in its mouth have had their health depleted, the Abomination will recede into its pit and start slowly turning around while a timer counts down. Check its side, back, and underbelly for glowing red weak spots and shoot them. You’ll need to move around the arena and avoid the goop that its tentacles spew while also battling other Ridden.
Check out the video from Jaba Play below to see the different Special Ridden and boss encounters in action. Back 4 Blood is currently available for PS4, PS5, Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One and PC. Check out our review here for more details.