How to manage bots in Back 4 Blood – hints and tips for playing solo

Here’s something you’ll be glad to learn: you can play solo in Back 4 Blood. In fact, you’ll have bots to watch over you. Sadly, they can be a little annoying to deal with. Here’s our guide on how to manage bots in Back 4 Blood when you’re playing solo or if you’re lacking a full squad.

In Back 4 Blood, any character in your four-person squad that isn’t controlled by a player will automatically be controlled by the AI. If you’re playing an online campaign and it’s a public match, then anyone can join in and replace the bot. However, if you’re just playing solo, then you’ve got no choice but to rely on your computer-controlled teammates all throughout. Worse, there are also some issues that block progression.

Still, there are some upsides when you have the computer handling your companions. Firstly, bots in Back 4 Blood like to ping enemies, weapons, ammo, and healing items. Compared to human teammates, they’ve got keener senses to help keep you informed of your surroundings. They’ll also automatically engage most hostiles, drop ammo, or heal you when needed.

The downside is that the AI has extremely poor navigation skills. Because bots in Back 4 Blood automatically follow you, they risk getting trapped or falling off ledges. This can be a serious problem in missions where you’re traversing rooftops or cliffsides. For instance, if a bot needs help and you can’t reach it, that means your other AI-controlled companions also wouldn’t be able to (since they’re probably next to you anyway). You’re likely to end up rescuing your teammates in another part of the level because of this.

Another tidbit to consider is that bots won’t automatically complete important mission objectives (i.e., destroying Nest Nodes or carrying bombs to blow up a ship). You’ll have to do those on your own, and they’ll simply provide support.