Back 4 Blood features bots in solo mode and as a replacement for human players in the campaign. Historically, AI partners haven’t made the greatest substitute for human teammates in multiplayer games, so people are wondering if the bots are terrible in Back 4 Blood.
Is the bot AI in Back 4 Blood bad?
The bots in Back 4 Blood are actually really good. That is, as long as you understand their limitations. In fact, we found playing through the game on Survivor (normal) difficulty a more enjoyable experience with bots than random players. Matchmaking can be so-so right now, so players shouldn’t be surprised if they end up finishing an act with bots as human players drop out.
The biggest issue with bots in Back 4 Blood is that they do have certain limitations, and some of their behavior is odd compared to that of a human player. The AI tends to group way too close together, which can be detrimental in some levels. The upside to this behavior is that they’re excellent at cutting through regular Ridden. When playing with three bots on Survivor difficulty, we rarely got a chance to even kill any rank-and-file zombies.
Bots in Back 4 Blood are also incredibly selfless. Moreso than almost any human player we’ve encountered. They’re constantly using callouts to point out weapons, ammo, and items, and they’ll continually chuck the ammo types players need out of their reserves. Again, this can have a negative effect because they prioritize the player’s well-being. If a Cleaner is downed, they’ll always come running, even if the better move would to be to stay back and thin the horde.
While bots are incredibly effective in Back 4 Blood, they currently also have some glitches. We’ve seen bots get hung running in place, and they tend to fall off ledges a lot more than human players. They also can’t complete most objectives, so setting the explosives in 1-4, for example, is all on the human players.
Overall, the bots in Back 4 Blood aren’t terrible, and those who realize their strengths and weaknesses will find them to be a decent substitute for human players, at least on Survivor difficulty. However, on Veteran and Nightmare, they perform worse, and there’s no replacing a good human partner there.
