Developer Note - The December 2021 Update is focused on bringing some new, highly anticipated features to you as well as taking a pass at improving the experience with our Veteran and Nightmare difficulties. Various adjustments to our card system, Ridden, spawning systems, weapons, and Cleaners detailed below contribute towards these difficulty improvements. As we previously mentioned, we'll continue to improve the Back 4 Blood experience and look forward to your feedback on our December 2021 Update!
A reminder that our December 2021 Update goes live on Thursday, December 16th at 10am Pacific Time. As some of you may know, a draft briefly went live earlier this week, but they're ready now. Huge shoutout to the community for helping us with a couple text edits!
Follow along with our Trello board (http://bit.ly/B4BTrello) to track upcoming new features, balance changes, and major bug fixes. Note that our Trello Board, and this list of fixes, are not exhaustive.
New Features
- Offline Campaign with Progression
- New Supply Lines - Roving Merchants
- Time-limited track added that provides new unlocks to spend Supply Points on
New Card Type - Burn CardsNew card type added that is available through the Roving Merchants Supply LinesThis card type can be played in each Saferoom to gain temporary effects like instant healing, currency boosts, increasing resistances, and moreHoliday Seasonal EventHoliday decorations added to Fort Hope and the Firing RangeUnlockable seasonal character skins, weapon skins, emblems, and sprays addedNew (non-Burn) CardsBelt Clip-Increase Quickslot Inventory by 1Utility Belt-Increase Quickslot Inventory by 2. -10% Damage DealtTool Belts-Increase Team Quickslot Inventory by 1Ridden Practice Area added to Fort HopeOption added to play as a Ridden while in Fort Hope to practice fighting and exploring Mutation abilitiesBots that accompany the player in Solo Campaign are randomizedUltrawide improvementsStat tracking now enabled in TrainingNotable bug fix:Fixed an exploit that allowed players to duplicate offensive utility itemsNotable bug fix:Fixed an exploit that allowed players to select duplicates instead of one card
Campaign Updates
- General
- Developer Note: We made the following changes to make the controls on PC feel more snappy.
- Increase player acceleration to 2100 (was 1900)
- Brake friction to 7 (was 6.5)
Player starts with max ammo when beginning a runCleaner hitboxes are more accurate, reducing accidental friendly fireAim assist when targeting armored commons is improvedFriendly fire damage no longer increases with each weapon tierHealing Efficiency now improves temporary healingBots now keep their existing inventory and upgrade their weapons with each mapMade improvements to saving individual matchmaking settings in Quickplay, Campaign, and Training runsAdded clarification to the "Leave Game" prompt while in a partySmoothed out player collision near the Ogre's spawn pointsZWAT achievements now also grant the ZWAT Team titleAdded one additional card draw to Acts 2 and 3Improved the navigation of large Special Ridden between the first and second objectives on Search and Rescue: A Clean SweepThe jukebox can no longer be damaged after the last bus is loaded on Search and Rescue: Bar Room BlitzThe remaining research boxes will be highlighted after a certain amount of time has passed on Dr. Rogers' Neighborhood: T-5Improved navigation for Special Ridden inside of the saferoom on Dr. Rogers' Neighborhood: Garden PartyMade improvements to collision around the mortuary for Ridden and Cleaners on Remnants: A Friend in NeedAdjusted the waypoint for the gate objective on Remnants: The Road to HellAdded additional spots for Ridden to enter the quarantine area if the one way door is closed on Remnants: The Road to HellReadjusted the appearance of an NPC in Job 10:22 : Heralds of the Worm, Part 1 for consistency in Campaign and Training modesConfirmation is now given immediately after reporting a playerChanges have been made to the CreditsSpeed Card Updates Developer Note: We noticed that the use of speed running decks was creating tension between players as a single player would utilize a speed running deck to separate from the rest of their team to rush ahead to finish the level. We made the following changes to bring speed running more in line with the viability of other strategies and builds. Evasive - Speed reduced to 15% (from 20%)Fleet of Foot - Move Speed bonus reduced to 8% (was 10%)Fleet of Foot - Damage Resistance trade off increased to -7% (was -5%)Mad Dash - Stamina Efficiency reduced to -40% (was -30%)
Olympic Sprinter - Damage Resistance trade off increased to -7% (was -5%)Pep in your Step - Move Speed bonus reduced to 8% (was 10%)Rhythmic Breathing - Stamina bonus reduced to 40% (was 60%)Rhythmic Breathing - Now +40% Stamina, removed drawback -20% slow resistanceRun Like Hell - Changed to remove the Move Speed buff for 3 seconds when getting hitRun Like Hell - Move Speed bonus reduced to 12% (was 15%)Speed Demon - Move Speed bonus reduced to 4% (was 6%)
Stimulants - Card Refactored. No longer gives move speed. Now gives 20% stamina regeneration, increased reload to 15% (was 10%), & increased swap speed to 15% (was 10%)
Combat Card UpdatesDeveloper Note: We received feedback that players did not feel that slow and steady combat was as viable as other strategies. Additionally, we wanted to balance the changes to speed running in general. We've refactored and buffed the following combat cards to make combat more viable.
Cold Brew Coffee - Now ADS Speed +25%, Weapon Swap +25% ,Use Speed +25%, Reload Speed +15%Combat Training - Removed 50% bullet penetration. Added +1 bullet stumble and +5 melee stumbleCombat Training - Now +5% bullet damage, +25% Bullet Stumble
Energy Drink - Stamina reduced to 15% (was 40%), Removed -5% damage resistance, Added Weapon Swap +25%, Move speed while firing +15%, Slow resistance +10%Highwayman - Tooltip update to include all secondary weapons, ammo chance increased to 3% (was 2%), now has a chance to spawn MolotovsLarge Caliber Rounds - Now +7.5% bullet damage damage, +200% bullet pen, penalty removedLine 'Em Up - Now Range fall off +10%, Recoil Control +15, Bullet Pen +25%, ADS speed +25%. No longer requires ARsMarathon Runner - No longer disables sprintDeveloper Note: Intent with this is to enable kiting.Mugger - Ammo chance increased to 3% (was 2%), now has a chance to drop razor wirePatient Hunter - Reduced time per stack to 0.75 (was 1)Power Swap - Effect can no longer be stackedPower Swap - Weapon swap window increased to 1 second (was 0.75)Power Reload - Reload window increased to 1 second (was 0.75)Silver Bullets - Now +10% bullet damage, +15% to range falloff, penalty removedSteady Aim - Added a stacking buff while ADS with that gives 10/20/30% recoil reduction over 2.25 secondsTunnel Vision - Added stat that increases weak spot damage the longer player is in ADS 5/10/15% over 2.25 secondsTeam Ammo (Vendor card) - Now also gives +1% increased damageWell Fed - Removed 20% stamina efficiency
Healing Card UpdatesDeveloper Note: In addition to the combat card buffs, we've made the following changes and buffs to healing cards.Fresh Bandage - Now heals 15 health at the start of each levelFresh Bandage - Trauma recovery increased to 15 (was 10)Developer Note: This was buffed to mitigate the loss of trauma heal on Experienced EMTGroup Therapy - Heal increased to 8 (was 5)
Life Insurance - Life reduced to 1 (was 2), Now reduces team incap trauma by 15%, Remove copper lossNeeds of the Many - Health penalty reduced to -10 (was -20%)Pep Talk - Now gives 3 flat damage resistance from all sources while reviving & grants 10 health to the revived targetSaferoom Recovery - Now also heals 15 health and trauma recovery up to 7 (was 5)Developer Note: This was buffed to mitigate the loss of trauma heal on Experienced EMTGeneral Card UpdatesThe cards Share the Wealth, Box O' Bags, Surplus Pouches, Experienced EMT, and Saferoom Recovery no longer apply their effects an additional time after a team wipeDeveloper Note: We identified a bug where a number of cards were applied more or not as intended after a team wipe. Team ammo cards on the vendor now give a 1% damage increaseAdrenaline Fueled - Card Refactored. No longer gives bonus stamina, no longer reduced stamina regen, no longer gives instant stamina, fueled stamina regen now stacks 5 times and gives 7 stamina over 7 seconds
Ammo Mule - No longer disables support items, but lowers move speed by 5%Bounty Hunter - Updated text to mention contributing team killsExperienced EMT - Card Refactored. Bonus Health reduced to 10% (was 20%), now also increases Stamina and Stamina Regen 10%Card was refactored to make it usable in more situations. Experienced EMT - No longer heals traumaDeveloper Note: Due to the bug fix where this card was applying its effect more than intended, this ended up healing trauma which was not intended. We have buffed other cards such as Fresh Bandage and Saferoom Recovery to mitigate this change as well as adding a free first aid cabinet recharge to Nightmare.Energy Bar - Stamina Regen increased to 30% (was 20%)Hyper-Focused - Adjusted penalty to -40% move speed while shooting or melee attacking (was -75% ADS move speed)Wooden Armor - No longer increases explosion damage taken
Corruption Card UpdatesCorruption Boss cards will no longer appear at the start of an ActDeveloper Note: These cards were causing a difficulty spike in all difficulties. We want players to have more time to prepare for bosses and later chapters. Hag will no longer spawn with The Fog corruption cardDeveloper Note: The Hag was stacking with boss objectives, causing a difficulty spike in all difficulties.Fog's maximum density reduced for Gloom and The Fog corruption cardsBreakers removed from all difficulties of Search and Rescue: Book WormsBalance UpdatesAll guns set to have the same Aim Assist snap length-durationAim Assist now locks onto the center of Sleeper base instead of the bodyAim snap time reduced to 0.1 seconds (was 0.25)Made Aim Assist feel smoother when aiming at targetsBird's health reduced to 1 (was 10)Flash Grenade damage reduced to 1 (was 5)M16's damage increased to 16 (was 14)Burst M9's damage increased to 12 (was 10)Razor Wire is now a Quick Slot itemMP5 - Fire rate increased to 50%Developer Note: decreased functionality was not intended, the MP5 is now in line with expectations.870 - Fire rate reduced to 0.40 (was 0.55)Combat Knife - Increased combat attack widthLightweight Stock - Blue attachment movement speed buff reduced to +7.5% (was +10%)Lightweight Stock - Purple attachment movement speed buff reduced to +10% (was +15%)Nightmare and the shooting range in Fort Hope now multiply base friendly fire damage values by 2xBalance Updates - Difficulty Specific
Developer Note: One of our goals this patch is to decrease the disparity between the various difficulties so there isn't as much of a jump from Recruit to Veteran to Nightmare.Recruit:Player base damage resist increased to 25% (was 20%)Continue currency bonus increased to 300 (was 250)Continue Heal bonus increased to 75 (was 25)Continue Trauma heal bonus increased to 25 (was 20)Veteran:Rescaled friendly fire valuesSleepers no longer call hordesPlayer base damage increased to 120% (was 100%)Player base Health increased to 115 (was 100)Player Base ammo capacity increased 120% (was 100%)Trauma heals per safe room +5 (was 0)Continue currency bonus increased to 200 (was 150)Continue Heal bonus increased to 25 (was 15)First aid cabinet free use increased to 2 (was 1)Nightmare:Rescaled friendly fire valuesFirst aid cabinet free use increased to 1 (was 0)Special Ridden damage reduced by 35% (was 75%)Common damage reduced by 50% (was 100%)Nightmare extra trauma from incap reduced to 5 (was 10)Reduce nightmare stumble resist on nightmare 25% (was 40%)Reduced nightmare Special Ridden health buff to 7.5% (was 15%)Continue currency bonus increased to 100 (was 0)Continue Heal bonus increased to 10 (was 0)Continue Trauma heal bonus increased to 5 (was 0)Continue Card draw bonus increased to 1 (was 0)Continue Ammo bonus increased to 15% (was 0)Extra incap trauma reduced to 7 (was 10)Spawning UpdatesDuring endless Hordes and back-to-back hordes, all Horde Special Ridden are limited to 2 of a given type and a maximum of 4Added a Horde Special Ridden cooldownDeveloper Note: This helps avoid the doubling of Special Ridden when multiple hordes are triggered.Timed Hordes made to have a longer minimum resume time of 60 seconds (was 30) with the exception of custom events.Developer Note: If you triggered a horde while having a timed horde, it was possible to have the timed horde trigger too soon after the initial horde.Roaming Special Ridden max count now 4 (was 6)Developer Note: Limits the potential Special Ridden counts in certain situations.Reduced chance for all Tallboy variants on Veteran and Nightmare difficultiesIncreased Roaming Special Ridden minimum spawn distance to 30m (was 20m)Increased Wander Special Ridden minimum spawn distance to 10m (was 5m)Ridden AI UpdatesBlighted Ridden no longer deal instant explosion damage when they dieSpecial Ridden's defense against bullet penetration to weak spots has been reducedSleepers will more accurately connect with their targetsTallboy & Bruiser hit boxes are more accurate and their weak spots are easier to hitDeveloper Note: we cleaned up the Tallboy's hit boxes to make them easier to hit. It should now be possible to hit their weak spot from the front if you have a precise weapon.Developer Note: The following changes make their attacks a bit more forgiving to dodge.Tallboy & Bruiser Overhead attack damage radius reduced to 200 units (was 250)Tallboys have less ability to turn during a Burst traversalDecreased Crusher squeeze attach distance for squeeze attack to 200 units (was 300)Retch's effective range in meters decreased to 22 (was 25), tracking and ramp up time adjusted to work betterRetch will rotate slightly slower and will track the target for slightly longer during vomit attack (2.25 seconds from 1.6)Retch projectile spray starts at a lower velocity now (75% of max instead of 90% of max) and ramps up to max velocity over a longer period of time (0.75 seconds instead of 0.4 seconds)Exploder's explosion radius is now visible to the Ridden playerDeveloper Note: With the following changes, the Hocker's ability should not be used as much, should be easier to dodge, and you should not take as much damage if an attack landed.Hocker pin projectile speed reduced to 2500 (was 3500)Hocker pin miss cooldown increased to 8 seconds (was 0)Hocker pin hit cooldown increased to 8 seconds (was 2)�Hocker initial damage reduced to 5 (was 10)Hocker damage over time increased to 3 (was 2)Hag health reduced to 7500 (8200)Hag weak spot multiplier increased to 2.25 (was 2)Stinger projectile cooldown while perched increasedDeveloper Note: When the Stinger was perched, there was no cooldown on her projectile so she was able to rapidly attack Cleaners.
Swarm PvP Updates
- General
- Facial icons now appear when Ridden players ping Cleaners
- All Cleaner dialogue for pinging Special Ridden is now audible to Ridden players
- Survivor nameplates are visible to Ridden players
Card UpdatesInspiring Sacrifice - Sound effects volume reduced when effect is activeBalance UpdatesGeneral
Added leaver penalty warning popup in Fort Hope after leaving a PvP match
CleanersCleaners now start each round with full ammoRiddenMutation Points from players that disconnect in Swarm mode are now redistributed to their remaining teammatesEach player's Mutation Points are now visible on their party framesHocker pin duration reduced back to 7 seconds (was showing 9999 on some pins)Hocker pin damage reduced initial damage to 5 (was 10), increased the damage over time to 3 (was 2)
Controller Updates
- Aim Assist Strength slider has been replaced by two separate sliders for Aim Assist Friction and Aim Assist Magnetism for Gamepad in the Options menu
- Added options for Camera Acceleration (On/Off), Camera Movement (Linear/Exponential), and Player Movement (Linear/Exponential) to the Gamepad tab in the Options menu
UI/UX Updates
- Cleaners being pursued by a Hag will now see a corresponding screen effect to indicate this
- Can now easily duplicate decks in the Deck Manager
- "Camera Smoothing Duration" has a slider added in the Options menu
- Field of View options sliders separated for Cleaners and Ridden in the Graphics Options menu
- FOV settings better support Ultrawide/ Multimonitor configurations
- Added an option to toggle Blood / Vomit / Mud Drench in the Options menu
- Added an option to set "Audio Input Device" in the Audio Options menu
- The "Mute All" option is now toggled off automatically when you return to Fort Hope
- Toggling VOIP on/off in options will enable/disable the other voice-related options & volume sliders. Warning message will say why it's disabled
- Improved the contrast and brightness of graphics on Xbox Series X
- Jukebox tracks are now controlled by the Music slider instead of the SFX slider
- Subtitles are now off by default
- Social menu can now be brought up by selecting a player's own banner in the Campaign menu
- Updates to NVidia DLSS requires NVidia Driver 471.11 or later
Bug Fixes
Fort Hope
- General
- Fixed an issue where players were not able to rejoin a private party from another player's Fort Hope
- Fixed an issue where damage numbers did not appear after changing characters in Fort Hope
- Fixed an issue where the target dummy wouldn't show consistent damage numbers in Fort Hope
- Fixed camera view not resetting properly after dying while aiming down sights in Fort Hope
- Fixed an issue where using the "Toggle Active Cards" key could disable the player's HUD in Fort Hope
- Fixed an issue where weapon skins were not always displaying properly in first person at Fort Hope
Campaign
- Cards
- Fixed Avenge The Fallen card showing an infinite amount of items in the offensive slot when active
- Fixed Inspiring Sacrifice card not playing its sound effects for the correct duration of time
- Fixed Buckshot Bruiser reducing normal heal when temporary health decayed over time
- Fixed Evasive Action card's effect not triggering when the player was stomped by an Ogre
- Fixed Field Surgeon card not applying the proper amount of negative use speed
- Fixed Life Insurance card subtracting more copper than intended after a team wipe
- Fixed Money Grubbers card having a discrepancy with the card values
- Fixed Multitool card not applying -5% Damage resistance
- Fixed Rousing Speech card having an incorrect incap trauma resistance of 80% instead of 20%
GeneralFixed an issue where a late joining player's ownership of a character could be lost if another player late joined the gameFixed an issue where the The Lightning Strike skin for the Hatchet did not appear in 3rd personFixed an issue with the Combat Pro skin not displaying correctly on the Beretta M9Fixed an issue where precision kill buffs were not activated from player and deck cardsFixed an issue with all melee cards that did not function properly after a kill activationFixed an issue with Molotov flames not doing the right amount of damage to RiddenFixed an issue where jumping while sprinting wouldn't consume additional staminaFixed an issue where Gunfire sound effects persisted on splash screens when the party host left the gameFixed an issued where the player's camera may snap up to 180 degrees when entering ADSFixed damage numbers appearing twice when shooting at Ridden weakspotsFixed the missing low ammo indicator when the clip is low, but ammo pool is infiniteFixed certain weapon upgrades increasing damage by 25% when it should have been 20% and adjusted tier 1 weapon damage to compensate for this changeFixed an issue causing players to aim down sights if the "Hold to ADS" option was off while healing a teammateFixed an issue where the "Give Up" prompt that was not properly displaying when the player was incapped a second time after taking over an incapped botFixed an issue where bots were able to free each other remotelyFixed an issue where bots would lose their accessories after a level transitionFixed an issue where AI character cards stopped working after a team wipeFixed an issue where NPCs took friendly fire damage on Recruit difficultyFixed an issue where NPCs in saferooms are killable by playersFixed an issue where the secondary objective timer could stop counting down after accessing the vendorFixed an issue that could result in 5+ players in a match when a player late joinedFixed an issue with shotgun reload animations playing multiple timesFixed an issue where players did not receive act achievements and accomplishments if a player died before reaching the saferoomFixed an issue with player shadows when illuminated by flashlights during The Dark and Gloom corruption cardsFixed an issue where player loadouts were not being saved when they leave and rejoin after a map transitionFixed an issue where players could still shoot while grabbed by the OgreFixed an issue where the completion date could disappear from completed achievements when browsing the Accomplishments menuFixed icons for accomplishments that were not updating properly in the Accomplishments menuThe Devil's Return: ResurgenceFixed a rare issue where the bridge lacked collision
The Devil's Return: The CrossingFixed an issue causing Coach to not give C4 instantly to players that were all gathered at the bridge
Fixed an issue where Coach was not giving players the C4 charges when players were more than halfway across the bridgeSearch and Rescue: Book WormsFixed an issue that was preventing players from rescuing teammates from a rescue pod located on the second floor of the library
Job 10: 22: Heralds of the Worm, Part 1Fixed an issue where more than one Ogre card played per map after a team wiped
Dark Before the Dawn: Special DeliveryFixed an issue where the supply box could disappear in the saferoom
Blue Dog Hollow: Bad SeedsFixed an issue where the kill feed was reporting the incorrect source of damage when players died in the river
Blue Dog Hollow: AbandonedFixed an issue preventing bots from reaching the tow truck
Blue Dog Hollow: The Sound of ThunderFixed collision issues with Ridden on the Howitzer
Plan B: The Broken BirdFixed an issue causing the helicopter to be misaligned
Dr. Rogers' Neighborhood: Farther AfieldFixed outlines for NPCs remaining on screen after the player was an appropriate distance away from the saferoomDr. Rogers Neighborhood: Cabins by the LakeFixed an issue that caused the game coach to repeat after delivering the battery to the gate
Dr. Rogers' Neighborhood: Blazing TrailsFixed an issue causing the Ogre to become stuck and unresponsiveDr. Rogers' Neighborhood: T-5Fixed a crash that could occur when the player quit to Fort HopeRemnants: Making the Grade
Fixed an issue causing Holly to not have a deckFixed an issue where players could lose the battery if it was dropped in certain areasRiddenFixed an issue where the Hag played the wrong animation when affected by a flash grenadeFixed Ferocious Stalkers not healing while dealing damageFixed an issue where Stinger death sound effects did not always playFixed an issue where Hocker sound effects could still be heard after its deathFixed an issue that was allowing bots to continue moving while they were pinned by the Hocker's Impale attackFixed Blighted Ridden sound effects, which now only play while the Blighted card is activeFixed an issue causing Ridden corpses to be missing half their body upon deathFixed an issue where fire effects did not display on Hags hit with a molotovSwarm PvP
RiddenFixed an issue where Ridden spawn visual effects did not appearFixed Tallboy's Tier 3 Utility upgrade to reset properly after each overhead attackFixed an issue where playable Reekers and their variants could become stuck inside collision when charging and mantling over objectsFixed the Stinger's Kill Frenzy effect to last 10 secondsAccessibility
GeneralFixed the red text on incap when players have Protanopia selected as the colorblind settingsUI/UX
GeneralFixed an issue where players were unable to replay the tutorial from the main menuFixed HUD not displaying properly on Ultrawide resolutionsFixed an issue with the look of loading screens on Ultrawide resolutionsFixed the available amount of resolutions when in windowed mode when using a 21:9 monitorFixed Supply Lines and Character Selection screens not displaying properly on Ultrawide resolutionsFixed an issue with the contrast levels of the contrast sliderFixed an issue where weapons did not automatically swap from the primary to the secondary when out of ammo while "Auto Switch Weapons On Depleted Ammo" was toggled on in the options menu
Muxy - Twitch Extension
- Features
- Name a Ridden feature has been augmented to allow the Broadcaster to see visible nameplates in-game for viewers who have used bits to name a Ridden
- Broadcasters can disable nameplates in the configuration page of the extension
- Added more options for Bits
Broadcasters can now see how many people have voted in a card pollBug FixesFixed a bug preventing viewers names being associated with Ridden who killed Cleaners in the kill feedFix for Windows Store Builds that was preventing Authentication with the ExtensionFixed a bug that was causing the Name a Ridden feature to have duplicate names for a single viewer transaction
To view all patch notes click here (Latest News - Back 4 Blood).If you find a bug, please report it here (https://bugs.back4blood.com/).