Back 4 Blood Has Battlefront 2-Style Cards, But They Can't Be Unlocked With Real Money

A new trailer for Left 4 Dead developer Turtle Rock's new shooter Back 4 Blood has arrived, showcasing the game's new rogue-lite card system. The studio has also confirmed important details about this system as it pertains to microtransactions (more on that below).

This card system is part of what's known as the "Game Director," which is an under-the-hood system that watches your actions, health, and choices. The Director then responds by "choreographing" the game world specifically for how you're playing. Turtle Rock says this allows for each playthrough to be different.

When you start a mission, Back 4 Blood will "deal" you a set of Corruption cards that are mutators that can do things like turn out the lights, add special challenges, and dispatch particularly lethal zombies to come attack you. Players then play their own cards in response to what they were dealt by the game director. You can choose a pre-made deck or customize your own based on your interests and skills.

Since Back 4 Blood is a co-op game, building out a deck suited for the fight at hand will add a level of strategy to the shooter as players work together to figure out what works best.

Cards can be earned through gameplay by completing special challenges to earn Supply Points. You can also unlock new cosmetics like skins by spending these points.

A FAQ posted on Turtle Rock's website clears up the details around the card system and microtransactions. The card system sounds similar to the one from Star Wars: Battlefront II, which was controversial, but there are some key differences. "Cards will not be available for purchase via any in-game storefront or first-party storefront," the studio said. "We will likely include some cards in post-launch paid content drops, but we are doing so in a way that ensures those drops will not be pay-to-win. We will also release new cards post-launch that everyone can earn and enjoy, whether you’ve bought content drops or not."

The skins shown off in the trailer can be unlocked through progression. At some point after release, Back 4 Blood will add a cosmetics shop, but the items available there "have no gameplay associated with them."

"So there won't be any pay-to-win scenarios. These items are 100% opt-in and are only for looks," Turtle Rock said.

Back 4 Blood launches on October 12 for PS5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC, as well as PS4 and Xbox One. The game is published by Warner Bros.