A high-skill combo survivor who excels at chaining kills for infinite cooldown resets via Lights Out. Bandit's Backstab passive guarantees critical strikes from behind, making positioning the foundation of everything he does. His skill ceiling is among the highest in the game - in skilled hands, a single Lights Out kill chains into an endless sequence of resets.
Bandit's entire kit is built around one principle: get behind enemies for Backstab crits, then kill with Lights Out to reset everything and do it again. Smoke Bomb is your repositioning tool. Serrated Dagger or Shiv is your Hemorrhage applicator. Burst is your crit damage delivery. Lights Out is the chain-starter.
Bandit is unlocked by completing the Warrior challenge. It is one of the easiest character unlocks in the game. If you already had Huntress unlocked when the Anniversary Update released, Bandit was added to your roster automatically.
Play as any survivor - the Warrior challenge does not require you to already have Bandit.
Reach Stage 3 (Abandoned Aqueduct or Rallypoint Delta) and activate the teleporter.
Complete the teleporter event - survive the full charge time and defeat the boss - without dying.
Completing this finishes the Warrior challenge and permanently unlocks Bandit.
Lower the difficulty to Drizzle for a safe attempt. Clear all chests before activating the teleporter so you have more items for the boss fight. Huntress is recommended - her superior mobility and ability to attack while running make surviving the teleporter event straightforward.
Bandit's item build centers on amplifying his guaranteed backstab crits. On-crit effects are his best item category since Backstab makes every attack from behind a crit without needing crit chance items. Burst's 5 pellets multiply the value of every on-crit item by five per shot from backstab position.
Attack speed makes Burst reload faster, Lights Out fire quicker, and increases the rate at which you can reapply Hemorrhage with Serrated Dagger or Shiv for stacking purposes.
Each Burst pellet independently procs Predatory Instincts' crit-based attack speed buff. Five pellets from behind means five guaranteed crit procs per shot, stacking attack speed rapidly.
Backstab attacks hit fresh or full-HP enemies before you cycle them low. Smoke Bomb into backstab Burst hits Crowbar consistently on opening attacks.
Movement speed lets Bandit reposition behind enemies faster for Backstab crits. More speed means more guaranteed crit windows without relying on Smoke Bomb.
On crit: causes enemies to bleed. Bleed stacks with Hemorrhage independently. Burst's five crit pellets from backstab proc Shatterspleen five times per shot, stacking both DoTs simultaneously.
Doubles damage on critical hits. Combined with Backstab's guaranteed crits from behind, every Burst pellet and Serrated attack from backstab position deals double damage.
18% chance on kill to drop an ammo pack that resets all cooldowns. Stacks with Lights Out cooldown resets - in groups with many weak enemies you can chain resets without even using Lights Out.
Adds an extra Lights Out or Desperado charge. With two charges and a kill, you immediately reload both and can fire again. Dramatically increases the window for chaining cooldown resets.
Adds an extra Serrated Dagger or Shiv charge. Two consecutive Hemorrhage applications without waiting for cooldown, useful for stacking to 20 for the Sadist challenge or rapid DoT application.
Bandit's core loop: use Smoke Bomb to reposition behind an enemy, hit with Burst for backstab crits and Hemorrhage stacking, apply Serrated Shiv for more Hemorrhage stacks, then finish with Lights Out when the enemy is low to reset all cooldowns and immediately start over.
Primary: Burst for the 5-pellet on-hit item multiplication. Secondary: Serrated Shiv once unlocked for ranged Hemorrhage application. Special: Lights Out - keep default, the infinite cooldown reset mechanic is Bandit's defining strength and harder to replicate with Desperado.
Infinite reset chain: With enough weak enemies nearby, a single Lights Out kill starts a chain. Kill something, all cooldowns reset. Use Smoke Bomb to reposition, Burst to kill another weak enemy, use Lights Out again, repeat. With Bandolier adding additional reset chances on kills, the chain becomes even easier to sustain.
Hemorrhage management: Each crit application adds a fresh 15-second stack and refreshes all existing stacks. Apply Hemorrhage repeatedly within 15 seconds to keep all stacks active and growing. On a tanky boss, stack Hemorrhage first, then step back and let the DoT work while you deal with other enemies.
Smoke Bomb jump: Use Smoke Bomb in the air to gain upward momentum as an extra jump. Exit it early with a skill for a further momentum boost. Useful for map traversal and reaching vantage points for backstab positioning.
Lights Out on barrels: The explosive tar pots in Abandoned Aqueduct count as valid Lights Out kill targets. Shooting one with Lights Out resets all cooldowns. Use this to reset early in Aqueduct stages for free cooldown chains.
Complete the Warrior challenge by finishing the Stage 3 teleporter event without dying. Any survivor can attempt this. Bandit was also automatically unlocked for players who had Huntress before the Anniversary Update.
Lights Out is generally stronger and more forgiving. The infinite cooldown reset on kill chains your entire kit together and is Bandit's defining mechanic. Desperado can theoretically deal more damage with enough stacked tokens, but tokens reset between stages and the playstyle requires more consistent kill chains to maintain. Start with Lights Out and switch to Desperado only after mastering the kit.
All attacks hitting an enemy from behind are guaranteed Critical Strikes. The check uses lateral direction only - vertical angle does not matter. You do not need to be directly behind the enemy, just attacking from their rear arc. Smoke Bomb lets you reposition behind enemies while they are locked onto your previous location.
Prioritise Soldier's Syringe for attack speed and faster Hemorrhage stacking. Predatory Instincts stacks attack speed buff from each of Burst's 5 backstab crit pellets. Shatterspleen adds Bleed on crit for additional DoT alongside Hemorrhage. Laser Scope doubles crit damage making backstab hits enormous. Lysate Cell gives extra Lights Out charges for more reset opportunities.
Burst is better in most situations. Five pellets each procing on-hit items and each critting from backstab position multiplies item value far beyond Blast's single hit. Blast is marginally better at very long range where Burst pellets spread and miss, but Bandit is most effective at mid-range where Burst lands all pellets cleanly.