Back 4 Blood Won’t Be Getting A Campaign-Style Versus Mode, Early Access Beta Now In Full Swing

The first round of the Back 4 Blood early access beta test is in full swing, and like it’s spiritual predecessor, the Left 4 Dead franchise, the game features both cooperative Campaigns and team-based Versus modes. But unlike Left 4 Dead’s Versus mode where Survivors run through the campaign maps while Infected-controlled players try to stop them, the Versus mode in Back 4 Blood is more like a wave-based arena and where players try to survive three rounds against the opposing Ridden-controlled team.

Personally, I enjoyed the campaign-style versus mode found in the original game and apparently a lot of players did as well. And now that they’ve tried their hand at the new Versus mode, there’s been questions on whether the team will be releasing a similar game mode in Back 4 Blood. Unfortunately, Turtle Rock Studios Chris Ashton answered with a definite “no”, saying that a defense-style Versus mode just worked better with the game’s mechanics.

“We have a lot of defensive equipment and our specials are good at ambushing,” explained Ashton. “Defending worked far better for our game than running from A-B.”

Anyone who’s played in the open beta will have to admit that the Special Ridden’s playstyle and abilities work a lot differently than Left 4 Dead’s Special Infected. Hopefully, with enough feedback and requests, we’ll eventually see a Versus Campaign added to Back 4 Blood in the future, but as for now we can still enjoy the game for what it has to offer.

The open beta kicked off earlier this week and will run until August 9 at 12nn PDT, which gives you a little over a day to take the game for a spin for this round. To get in, all you have to do is pre-purchase the game on Steam for $59.99. If you’d rather wait, the team will be running a free open beta test from August 12-16 with cross-play and cross-gen support between PC and consoles. The game itself is scheduled to launch on October 12.

More information can be found on the Open Beta FAQ and the Back 4 Blood Steam Page.