Yesterday, Turtle Rock Studios launched the second expansion for their Left 4 Dead spiritual successor, Back 4 Blood: Children of the Worm. The latest paid DLC—included in the game's season pass—provides a new Cleaner, tools, weaponry, cards, and cosmetic skins, as well as a new Act in the game's story. And even veteran Back 4 Blood players will find a challenge in the expansion's centerpiece; a new faction of enemies known as Cultists, or the titular Children of the Worm.
Game ZXC recently met with Turtle Rock Studios' Community Manager, Rose Ty, to discuss Back 4 Blood's recently announced and newly released addition. The following transcript has been edited for clarity and brevity.
Q: Please introduce yourself by sharing your favorite Back 4 Blood Cleaner and weapon combo.
A: Hi! I’m Rose, the Community Manager at Turtle Rock Studios. My favorite Cleaner is Karlee, I’m fond of her outfits and attitude. My favorite weapon combo has to be Scar and Deagle; I like having the flexibility of a strong horde clear and single target damage. However, if I’m rolling as Hoffman or Heng, I prefer to run an offensive item build.
Q: For those who have yet to hear about it, can you provide a brief overview of what Children of the Worm will be bringing to Back 4 Blood?
A: Our upcoming DLC expansion, Children of the Worm, introduces an all-new Act, weapons, accessories, cards, Cleaner, “Prophet” Dan, and a new enemy threat–The Cultists also known as the Children of the Worm. The new Act, Act 5, is one mission with six chapters. In th campaign, players will get up close and personal with the four different Cultist members: Pusflinger, Slasher, Sniper, and Crone.
Q: How will the new campaign act mix up the established Back 4 Blood formula? And roughly how long will it take players to complete?
A: There is a new enemy (The Cultists), new Corruption Cards, new items, and new weapons. You’ll probably want to keep an eye out for the new consumable items–food. These will be exceptionally helpful for when players find themselves pretty hungry during their campaign run, some might even say they’re ravenous. I always advise players to take the game at their own pace. This new Act might take longer for some than it will for others.
If you’re a completely new player and this is your first rodeo with Back 4 Blood, I would encourage you to play through Acts 1-4 first to get a feel of the game on either Recruit or Veteran Difficulty. You’ll really want supply points to build your deck and get familiar with the Ridden variants. For example, Sleepers (disembodied torsos attached to walls with fleshy webbing) will call a Horde on Veteran and higher difficulties, but they won’t on Recruit.
Q: What new threats will players encounter in Children of the Worm?
A: In addition to our new Cultists, there are a few items that will keep Cleaners checking their feet. Bear Traps, Dusters, and Bait Jars are new to Back 4 Blood. Dusters are traps set by The Cultists that, when an unaware Cleaner walks/runs through it, will cover the Cleaner with “dust” and call a Horde to swarm the Cleaner that tripped it. Bait Jars are jars filled with Reeker bile and are thrown by Pusflingers. Cleaners hit with these Bait Jars will be slowed and Common Ridden will swarm them. Bear Traps immobilize a single target and apply a bleed debuff. Bait Jars and Bear Traps are also items that the Cleaners have adapted to their arsenal of accessories and can be purchased from the vendor crate.
Q: The Children of the Worm trailer, and the name of the new cleaner seem to tease 'faith' as a theme of the new expansion. Can you tell us how this will play into the story of Back 4 Blood?
A: We gotta keep some secrets! The mystery and narrative of this expansion is one we are really excited for players to experience themselves.
Q: Did any existing zombie stories or other zombie media affect the development of Children of the Worm's campaign?
A: Rather than looking back at past zombie stories or media, we’ve focused on pushing the narrative forward by exploring what people are capable of doing, or willing to do, when pushed to the brink. Cross too many of those lines, and you’re not much different from the Ridden.
Q: What insights can you share about the new Cleaner, The Prophet?
A: The Cultists aren’t the only ones who will keep you on your toes, “Prophet” Dan’s Cleaner perk is more than meets the eye.
Q: Can you give us a rundown of some of the new cards arriving with Children of the Worm? Do you have any personal favorites?
A: Do you like Damage Resistance? You might want to take a gander at Crippling Frequency. It’s a new gadget type card—this one takes up your offensive item slot and replaces it with a gadget that uses SMG ammo in order to trigger an effect. In this case, you’ll reduce damage taken by yourself and nearby teammates. I selfishly pair this with my melee build.
How about if you or your teammates drop a live pipe bomb when they get incapacitated so that Common Ridden rush over? One might say at least you’re going Out with a Bang. Jokes aside, this card is one of my favorites for either running with a full squad or if I’m rolling in offline mode.
Q: How is the Back 4 Blood arsenal expanding in Children of the Worm? Can you talk about some of the challenges associated with balancing and integrating new weapons into the game?
A: The hardest part about adding new weapons is making sure they feel significant. We want every weapon to have its own place in the meta or to fit within a player's style.
Q: Children of the Worm is also adding new Cleaner skins. Can you tell us roughly how many skins will be arriving with this expansion?
A: Owning Children of the Worm grants an exclusive weapon skin theme pack for twelve weapons and eight exclusive Cleaner skins. The update also includes a new item in Act 5 called the Duffel Bag, which can contain new Skins, Cards, Banners, Emblems, and Sprays.
Q: Are there any plans for Back 4 Blood after Children of the Worm that you can share?
A: We are currently working on the third DLC Expansion for our Annual Pass. If folks think that we did some crazy cool stuff with Children of the Worm, wait until you see what we have cooking for everyone in Expansion 3.
Q: Is there anything else you would like readers to know?
A: Our team is extremely grateful to our community for sticking by us and returning to try out new features. We hope that Expansion 2, Children of the Worm, is as much fun for our players as it was for us to develop.
[End]
Back 4 Blood: Children of the Worm is available now for PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, PC, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X|S.
