

And since everyone's doing it at the same time, you organically get a few-minutes-long buy phase before everyone is comfortable leaving the room. For one, the beginning of a level (while you're still in the safe room) is the only time you can really buy stuff and micromanage your kit. Turtle Rock made a few smart design choices with its customization and looting that keep it from bogging things down. Do I spend the last of my Copper on a suppressor that grants a sneak attack bonus on zombies that don't see you, or outfit my shotgun with armor-piercing rounds that can penetrate a bunch of zombies at once?

I wasn't sold on the idea of fiddling with my weapons at first, but the upgrades are so varied and transformative that they won me over. At the start of each level, you can spend Copper found in the world to purchase healing items, grenades, guns, attachments, and upgrades that apply to the whole team. Wait, buying and looting in my Left 4 Dead sequel? That's right, better guns aren't always handed to you at the midpoint of a level in Back 4 Blood.
