Back 4 Blood DLC can be played by all members of a party if the party leader owns it.
This new detail was quietly unveiled yesterday through the official Back 4 Blood website, shortly before an E3 2021 presentation dedicated to the game's PvP component took place. As it turns out, in the PvE portion of Back 4 Blood, all players will be able to play through DLC if the player in charge of the party owns said DLC.
It's a really nice new detail, that's aimed at keeping the Back 4 Blood player base together by stopping the player base being split between those who own PvE DLC and those who don't. As the official website for Back 4 Blood mentions, DLC will include new maps and new campaign content for the co-op side of the game.
On the PvE side of Back 4 Blood, things work a little differently. Although there will be paid DLC, including new playable characters, items, and more, all of this content can be earned through in-game progression. It's a relief to know that we'll be able to earn all the new content that developer Turtle Rock wants to bring to the PvP side of the game after launch later this year.
If you're unfamiliar with the PvP portion of the upcoming game, it revolves around one team playing as humans, and the other as 'the Ridden'. Both sides take it in turns, seeing how long they can stay alive for as the humans, while the Ridden players attempt to kill them through playing as elite infected. The side that manages to stay alive as the humans for the longest amount of time wins the game.
It's a simple premise, but then again, that's what worked so brilliantly for Left 4 Dead all those years ago. Additionally, players in PvP will have access to the same Skill cards, so there's no need to worry about a pay-to-win element taking over Back 4 Blood.
Back 4 Blood launches later this year on October 12 for PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X, and Xbox Series S, and it'll be available as a day one Xbox Game Pass title for both console and PC. An open beta will be kicking off for all players on all systems on August 12, but if you pre-order Back 4 Blood before then, you'll be able to jump in a whole week early on August 5.
If you're still trying to get your hands on PlayStation's next-gen console, head over to our Prime Day PS5 deals guide for more.
