How to not alert birds in Back 4 Blood

Back 4 Blood serves as a spiritual successor to the beloved Left 4 Dead games, taking many elements from those FPS classics. In many cases, the game has similar gameplay elements represented by new concepts.

Birds serve as an obstacle that, if alerted, will fly away loudly and send a wave of Ridden towards the players. They fulfill the same purpose as Left 4 Dead's car alarms and must be dealt with carefully to avoid increasing difficulty.

---

Birds in Back 4 Blood

Back 4 Blood hides flocks of birds in selective locations, ensuring that players must keep their heads on a swivel and avoid running in blindly. Once players spot some birds, there are a couple of simple solutions to reduce the risk of enraging the horde.

The obvious method of handling birds is stealth. The game doesn't have much to do with sneaking mechanics, but its way of moving silently should be familiar to any FPS player. Crouch and move slowly, keeping a distance and an eye on the flying creatures.

If players can spot birds before they move past them and move with slow purpose, they shouldn't have much trouble getting past them. Birds primarily respond to any attack near or against them, but sneaking past is still the easiest move.

However, more aggressive players can find a more proactive approach to flocks of birds on the path.

---

Killing birds in Back 4 Blood

Back 4 Blood features a few semi-reliable ways to handle birds before they sound the alarm. These are risky and use resources but are often more fun than simply sneaking around the avian threats.

Players can swiftly and effectively throw a grenade or a pipe bomb into the dead center of the flock. With good aim and quick reflexes, players can kill off most or all birds present. If players kill all but a couple of them, they'll fly off without causing a horde attack.

Players can also use a propane tank to deal with them if they trust their teamwork. A perfectly tossed propane tank can be blown up with a single shot, and if thrown into the flock, it'll erase them from the map almost instantly. It's a substantial risk, but it's a lot of fun to pull off.

Finally, players can place themselves in a semi-circle around the birds and blast them with a shotgun in unison. The interlocking spread shots should vaporize the flock swiftly.

Getting into position requires more stealth skill than sneaking past them, so it's undoubtedly labor-intensive. Players may feel fed up with the birds' antics and want to kill them out of sheer spite.

Back 4 Blood's birds are a solid way to increase tension and force players to be innovative. Thankfully, Cleaners have a few different ways to handle them without being overrun.