Back 4 Blood offers its players plenty of excellent ways to mow down hordes of the undead. From shotguns to snipers to automatic pistols, no matter what type of shooters players prefer, they'll likely find a weapon that best suits them. What's more, the seemingly endless number of attachments that players can modify their weapons with can make for some pretty overpowered firearms. In Back 4 Blood, some weapons are simply better than others without needing any special attachments and, as many players will find, sometimes a base weapon without any attachments can be more viable in certain situations than a fully decked-out gun simply based on the inherent traits of each firearm.
This tier list should help newcomers to Back 4 Blood decide what to keep and what to discard when getting ready to face off against the Ridden. It's important to note that this list only covers the primary weapons offered in the game and that different players will likely get different mileage out of each weapon based on their own personal preferences and playstyles, but due to the sheer number of guns available, there are some that are just outclassed by others.
S-Tier
- M249
- M4
- SCAR
- Super 90
- Ranch Rifle
- UMP45
The S-Tier weapons are usable in any situation and are incredibly versatile. As there are plenty of different situations to deal with and Ridden to dispose of, Back 4 Blood's Cleaners need to be able to count on their weapons to get them out of trouble. The M249 LGM outputs plenty of damage and holds a lot of rounds in its chamber at once. The only downside to the machine gun is its lengthy reload speed, but, if paired with the proper cards, it can be turned into a seemingly never-ending bullet storm. In terms of other automatic weapons, the M4, SCAR, and UMP45 all have high damage outputs compared to the other weapons in their classifications and they're lethal at medium to close range. The UMP45 stands out as the best SMG in the game closely followed by the MP5.
The Ranch Rifle is a semi-automatic gun that's useful at long range but also packs a punch in closer quarters. The only downside to it is that it's not the most useful weapon for when a Cleaner is surrounded, but it takes care of any special infected with relative ease. The Super 90 shotgun is the clear winner when comparing it to the rest of the shotguns that Back 4 Blood has to offer. It's got a high damage count and a fast rate of fire. What's more, it doesn't need to be pumped between shots and reloads one shell at a time meaning that the animation can be interrupted to take care of additional Ridden if they outlive the initial rounds.
A Tier
- RPK
- M16
- AA12
- Barrett M95
- M1A
- MP5
A-Tier guns are certainly nothing for a player to turn their nose up at. While they might not be as powerful or as useful as the S-Tier weapons, everything listed in the A-Tier is worth holding on to if given the proper attachments and paired with the proper card deck in Back 4 Blood. The RPK is the other LMG in the game and certainly gives the M249 a run for its money. The major difference between the two is that the RPK has a much slower rate of fire and doesn't have the same high magazine capacity as the M249. The slower rate of fire isn't a dealbreaker, especially when used at medium to long-range, but it certainly means that, if surrounded, the player may take more damage as it'll take them longer to get the horde off their back.
The M16 fires in short bursts which means it's great for taking out individual targets and staying aimed at a mutated Ridden's weak point, but can't be used to take down rows of Ridden in the same way that its fully automatic companions can. The AA12, on the other hand, is the only fully automatic shotgun in the game and is perfect for clearing out rooms and taking down mutated Ridden at close range. The only drawback to it is that it has a nasty recoil that makes it pretty inaccurate. If accuracy is what a player is looking for, however, then the Barrett M95 is what they should grab. The sniper has the highest damage output in the entire game, but it comes at a cost: the M95 only holds a few rounds in its magazines and has a slow rate of fire. It can't be used to properly deal with hordes, but it can take out most special infected in a single, well-placed shot.
The M1A and the MP5 are two weapons that simply have better versions on the S-Tier list. The M1A deals slightly more damage than the Ranch Rifle does, but it's got a bigger recoil and a much slower rate of fire meaning that the Ranch Rifle has an edge in most situations. The MP5 is an excellent SMG but deals less damage than the UMP45. It has slightly better handling, but, at the end of the day, in life or death moments against Back 4 Blood's hordes, the damage output is going to matter much more over slight differences in handling.
B-Tier
- AK47
- 870 Express
- Phoenix 350L
- UZI
The B-Tier weapons are good guns to start a run in Back 4 Blood with, however, they should be swapped out as soon as possible in favor of something with a little bit more versatility. The AK47 is a hard-hitting automatic rifle, but it's far too inaccurate to be useful in the long term with just how hard its kickback hits. When compared to other automatic rifles, it's clearly at the bottom. Anyone looking for a hard-hitting, fully automatic rifle would do much better with the RPK. The 870 Express is a pump-action shotgun that does moderate damage but compared to the AA12 and the Super 90, it's too slow to be on the same level as the two higher-tiered weapons.
The Phoenix 350L is an interesting gun because it rides the line between hitting hard, but not as hard as the Barrett M95, and firing fast, but not as fast as the M1A. It just doesn't lean heavily enough into what makes sniper rifles and semi-automatic weapons useful to be used in any long-term capacity. The UZI isn't a terrible choice in terms of SMGs, but it's greatly outclassed by the UMP45 and MP5 in just about every way. It fires faster than the higher-tiered SMGs, but that also means it unloads its magazine much faster as a result.
C-Tier
- TAC14
- Vector
In just about every scenario, players should pick other weapons over the C-Tier guns. Luckily, they're still usable, they just don't have the same advantages as the rest of Back 4 Blood's arsenal. The TAC14 has the highest damage output for all the shotguns in the game, but only keeps a few rounds in its chamber at any given time. Even with magazine attachments, the maximum number of shells that can be loaded into the TAC14 is five meaning that players will be hitting hard, but be hit even harder. Despite the high damage output, it's best to take other shotguns over the TAC14.
The Vector has a similar magazine issue: it doesn't hold enough bullets to be useful since it's able to unload so quickly. The UZI fires fast, but the Vector outclasses it in speed meaning that the player can only focus on a small handful of enemies at one time before needing to reload. It can deal a lot of damage if encountering mutated Ridden, but players will spend too much time reloading to make it a viable option in the finales of any given Act.
Back 4 Blood is available now on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
