Back 4 Blood Best Characters Tier List (March 2024): All 8 Cleaners, Ranked


Back 4 Blood Best Characters Tier List

Picking the best Back 4 Blood characters on any run can make the difference between surviving another day and bringing the whole team down. Each character has three unique abilities, including one team perk, though some have more broadly applicable uses than others. We’ve ranked each of Back 4 Blood’s characters.

Read More: Back 4 Blood: The Best Cards for Your Deck

Back 4 Blood Best Characters Tier List: All 8 Cleaners, Ranked

Our character tier list is based on Cleaner perks, weapons, overall usefulness and which situations you’ll likely want each character for.

1. Mom

Back 4 Blood Mom
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+ 8

Perks

  • Can instantly revive a fallen party member once per stage
  • +1 support/healing slot
  • Grants 1 extra life for the team

Mom is a support character on paper, but one of the best Cleaners in practice. Unlike Doc, her perks smooth some of the campaign’s more challenging obstacles, but don’t risk telling the Game Master to crush you. Her Belgian sidearm suffers from slow reload times, though her secondary weapon — a standard, but powerful rifle — means she can handle most threats with ease.

2. Hoffman

Back 4 Blood Hoffman
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+ 8

Perks

  • Chance of finding ammo after killing a Ridden
  • Extra slot for offensive items
  • Increases team ammo capacity

Hoffman ties with Mom as the most useful character. His solo perks make him perfect for frontline action and clearing out the Horde when it inevitably swarms, but the party perk is one of Hoffman’s most useful contributions. You’ll run out of ammo fast on Veteran difficulty and higher, so any boost in that area is a welcome one.

3. Walker

Back 4 Blood Walker
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+ 8

Perks

  • Precision kills increase accuracy by 20% for five seconds
  • 10% increased damage
  • +10 health for team members

Walker is Back 4 Blood’s all ‘rounder and an excellent choice for newcomers. Increased damage and higher party health alone make him easy to recommend, but his precision perk means Walker is invaluable in tougher stages with strong Ridden.

4. Jim

Back 4 Blood Jim
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+ 8

Perks

  • Precision kills increase damage output by 10% up to a max of 50%. Resets when Jim takes damage
  • 25% faster movement while aiming down sights
  • Increases team’s weak spot damage by 10%

Jim excels at support and dealing damage from afar. His solo perks might not offer broad utility as Mom’s and Doc’s do, but he’s perfect for dealing with difficult Ridden such as Tall Boys and Stingers. Don’t stick to sniper rifles for Jim, though. Outfitting an assault rifle with a good scope and stock lets him deal heavier damage faster, but you’ll need to keep Jim safe to retain his damage bonus.

5. Holly

Back 4 Blood Holly
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+ 8

Perks

  • Recovers 10 stamina with each kill
  • 10% damage resistance
  • +25 team stamina

Holly is another good starter character, but a bit too limited for later stages and higher difficulties. Increased damage resistance is always a solid choice.

6. Doc

Back 4 Blood Doc
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+ 8

Perks

  • Can heal teammates without using support items
  • Higher healing efficiency
  • Buff against team trauma

Doc is a difficult one to rank thanks to Back 4 Blood’s Game Master mechanic. Having a competent healer on the team increases chances of survival, obviously. Heal too much, though, and you’ll start facing more — and stronger — Ridden. Her primary weapon is a sidearm, which also makes Doc slightly less useful in early stages.

You might find yourself getting stuck at certain points in the game. If this happens, you should take a look at some of our other guides in our walkthrough hub.

7. Karlee

Back 4 Blood Karlee
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+ 8

Perks

  • Senses hazards
  • One additional Quick inventory slot
  • +25% Use speed

Karlee’s team perk is her best asset, especially since opening supply crates and interacting with some vital objects in later stages takes a fair bit of time. Having an additional Quick slot means she can carry two Defibrillators or tool kits, making her a good support choice. However, she struggles to excel in a specific niche, an issue her starter weapon, an automatic pistol with low damage, only exacerbates.

8. Evangelo

Back 4 Blood Evangelo
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+ 8

Perks

  • Break free from grabs
  • Faster stamina regen
  • Faster party movement

Evangelo’s perks have more situational advantages than others. You won’t need better stamina regen on most stages, for example, and the benefit to team movement seems negligible at present. Sleepers show up frequently in later stages, so breaking free from grabs has its uses. However, Evangelo’s biggest detriment is his loadout.

He starts with a machete you can’t replace for a while and a submachine gun with low ammo capacity. The last thing you want on higher difficulties is long reload times and a weapon that forces you closer to Ridden.

If you're still getting familiar with how Back 4 Blood works, check out how to heal, the best way to use cards, and some of our top tips for beginners.

For more articles like this, take a look at our Back 4 Blood and Guides page.