Spoiler-free FAQ & Walkthrough ,-~'Ż'~-. by Shotgunnova (P. Summers) ____________________,' /ŻŻŻ| '.____________________ / ___ / /) | ___ \ \ |Ż| | _|ŻŻŻ|ŻŻŻŻŻ| / /_| |_ |ŻŻŻ\| _|ŻŻŻ|ŻŻŻ\ / } | |_| _| Ż|Ż| |Ż (____ _| | [} } _| Ż | [} } ( / |___|___|_|Ż |_| | | |___/|___|_|_|___/ \ \____________________ ( | ____________________/ // // (( \\ '._ \| _,' )) )) (( \\ (( // \\__)) '-._.-' (( // \\__)) _\\_// ),_.\ _\\_// ),-.\ /,-. / (( )) /,--.( (( )) // )) )) // // // \\__)) _____________//___//______//_((____________//___((_____________),-.\___________ ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ| INDEX |Ż ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ I. CONTROLS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . CNTR II. TH' BASICS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . THBS Terminology ...................................................... TRMN Menu Overview .................................................... MNOV Enemies .......................................................... ENMY Weapons .......................................................... WPNS Tips N' Tricks ................................................... TPST III. CAMPAIGNS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . CMPN 01) No Mercy ..................................................... WK01 02) Death Toll ................................................... WK02 03) Dead Air ..................................................... WK03 04) Blood Harvest ................................................ WK04 IV. ACHIEVEMENTS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ACHV V. FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . FAQZ VI. UPDATES & CONTRIBUTIONS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . UPDT VII. LEGALITY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . LGLT _______________________________________________________________________________ ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ I. CONTROLS [CNTR] _______________________________________________________________________________ ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ ___ ___ L. Trigger -> /___\___ ___/___\ <- R. Trigger L. Bumper -> /\___/ \___________/ \___/\ <- R. Bumper / ___ ___ _ \ / /,-.\ _ /_ _\ _ _(Y)_ \ <- Y-Button L. Analog -> / (( )) {_} ( _/_ ) {_) (X)Ż(B) \ X-Button ( \'-'/ \___/ Ż(A)Ż ) A-Button | ŻŻŻ _,-._ ___ Ż | B-Button ( /_|Ż|_\ /,-.\ ) D-Pad -> \ (|_ _|) (( )) / <- R. Analog \ \ |_|_/ \'-'/ / \ Ż'-'_,-------._ŻŻŻ / \ _,~'Ż Ż'~._ / '-'Ż Ż'-' L3 and R3 buttons are accessed by pressing the left and right analog sticks downward, respectively. Nonfunctional buttons aren't listed below. ___________ _______________________________________________________________ | BUTTON | FUNCTION | |ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ|ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ| | D-Pad | Select medkit, pills, throwable weapon, or flashlight | | Start | Toggle main menu / Submit "yes" vote when prompted | | Select | Toggle status screen / Submit "no" vote when prompted | | Y-Button | Toggle primary weapon and pistols | | X-Button | Use/Pick Up button | | A-Button | Jump button | | B-Button | Reload weapon | | R Bumper | Fire weapon (survivor) / Primary attack (infected) | | R Trigger | Fire current weapon | | R Analog | Controls camera POV | | R3 Button | Zoom-in (hunting rifle only) | | L Bumper | Toggle crouching | | L Trigger | Melee attack (survivor) / Secondary attack (infected) | | L Analog | Controls character's movement | | L3 Button | Vocalize (such as pointing out pills if looking at them) | |___________|_______________________________________________________________| _______________________________________________________________________________ ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ II. TH' BASICS [THBS] _______________________________________________________________________________ ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ TERMINOLOGY [TRMN] ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ If you hear anyone talking about L4D, chances are they know this jargon. This section's a head's-up for those newcomers to the game. [For any important terms missed, drop me an email.] • AI DIRECTOR: This feature governs the level's randomized features, such as where guns, ammo, zombies, SIs, and miscellaneous items spawn. Campaigns have some constants, however, such as map design and particular crescendo events to go through. Basically, the Director is meant to ensure that each replay is at least a little different, giving a player reason to continue replaying. • BOOMING: [AKA Barfing, Puking, etc.] Describes a Boomer using his vomit to cover survivors, automatically summoning a horde of infected to attack them. • BOOTING: [AKA Kicking] The term for when a team calls a vote to kick an ally in-game, or when the host removes a player(s) from the lobby before starting. This can be used to get rid of annoying team-killers or horrible greenhorns; on the flipside, it can be abused to remove people at a host's whim, or let a team of friends screw off and attack the odd man out. Either way, no one likes boot-happy people, so don't call a vote if y'don't mean it, eh? • CRESCENDO EVENT: Although this can technically apply to events like a car alarm triggering, it's mostly meant to describe particular instances where the survivors can only proceed by making loud noises, fighting off the horde while they wait for the door to open (bridge to lower, etc). During this time, 2-3 hordes will appear from the surrounding area, so it pays to have a gameplan before continuing. • HEADSHOT: Almost self-explanitory -- when a survivor's bullet hits a foe's head. This instantly kills normal infected, but SIs may take more than one to die (tanks especially), and the weapon and range may affect performance of this. Headshotting a witch is called crowning (or cr0wning), and in the hands of a skilled player, these nuisances are easily bypassed. • IDLING: When a player-controlled survivor doesn't press any buttons for a while, they go on "idle," and the computer takes over until do press some buttons. This is done so absent players don't screw up the mission for the rest of the party, and it's important to know that idling players reappear back at the 1st safehouse if the player doesn't intervene quickly. [This'll come into play if you use the Jesus Room trick, where there's lots of just standing around. In these cases, keep crouching, etc. to prevent idling.] • INCAPPED: [AKA Incapacitation] When an SI dies, they disappear from the map temporarily, but when a survivor's health is brought to zero, they become "incapped," and a bleed-out life gauge replaces their normal one. During an incap, a survivor cannot use their primary weapon (only pistols) and is unable to move from the spot where they fell. Teammates can help the person back up, which restores their previous function except they move slower than before. Survivors who bleed out, or are incapped three times without being healed with a healthpack, die! Any kind of damage can incap a person, so if you were thinking about leaping off a precipice, don't bother. :) • PINATA: Tongue-in-cheek term for a smoker's prey hanging off a ledge, which lets normal infected wail on them mercilessly. Note that if SIs try to gang up on the survivor, s/he may be freed from the smoker's grasp. • SAFEHOUSE: Describes the rooms at the level's beginning and end, which are (as y'may expect) a haven from enemies. Its steel door prevents SIs from breaking inside, and there's always guns and health pack(s). Note that foes can break into the safehouses if their doors are left open, which allows SIs to hide in the level's final one to attack stragglers, etc. • SMOKING: The term used to describe a Smoker ensnaring a victim, preventing them from escape and requiring the prey to rely on teammates' assistance. • SPAWNING: When an SI dies in campaign or Versus mode, they eventually respawn -- or appear back on the map -- after a set amount of time. This means vigilant teams who kill SIs quickly can proceed faster without worry (for awhile), so teamwork is always key. The only applicable "spawners" are hunter, boomer, and smoker -- often at a 2-1-1 ratio, respectively, although that's not necessarily the case as the game proceeds. [Witches cannot be played, while tanks are only playable on a random basis in certain parts of the maps, such as final chapters.] Survivors respawn in closets, but only during campaigns -- in Versus mode, if y'die, that's game over, man! • SPECIAL INFECTED: [AKA SIs] Describes any of the enemy characters -- the Boomer, Smoker, Hunter, and Tank. The Witch fits into the group as well but isn't playable in any capacity, so an environmental hazard (of sorts). • SURVIVOR: Describes any of the human characters, being Zoey, Bill, Louis, and Francis. This is done to distinguish them from the SI characters. • VOTING: This applies to games with human teammates. Someone can call a vote (own team only) to boot a player, return to lobby, or restart campaign. The situations are all governmed by "majority rules," so whatever decision is agreed upon by the majority, that goes for everyone. MENU OVERVIEW [MNOV] ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ |ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ| 1: Displays primary weapon and remaining ammo, | | as well as # of pistols (1-2) held | [1] | | | 2: Held item display. Starting at "12 o'clock" | . | and going clockwise: Flashlight, medkit, | -2- | pills, molotov/pipebomb. If an optional item | ' | is held, it's lit up and selectable. | | | []--- []---3[]--- []--- | 3: Displays teammates current health. Whoever's |__________________________| rightmost is the player's survivor. ENEMIES [ENMY] ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ Who dares step into the ring against the four survivors, with their armfuls of munitions and (hopefully) minds full of teamwork? The grotesque cast makes its appearance. [Hunters, Smokers, Boomers, and Tanks are applicable for multiplayer versus modes.] All special infected (SIs) can throw punches in addition to their normal specialized offense. Additionally, any SI eventually dies if set on fire, which is especially helpful against the Tank. HORDES ŻŻŻŻŻŻ The hordes were once ordinary florists, milkmen, and housewives until the day they turned into braindead flesh-eating murderers. They often appear in large groups/waves at select points of the game, and are often lounging on the main path the survivors follow. Their climbing skills are only equalled by their running skills, and they come fast and often, once spooked. In essence, these are the most frequently seen baddies, and they have no qualms about bumrushing their targets, hoping to get in a few scrapes while the survivors are preoccupied with reloading, etc. Naturally they're also the weakest. HUNTER ŻŻŻŻŻŻ These cloaked fiends, eerily reminiscent of Altair from Assassin's Creed, are voracious killers. Once in a blue moon y'may see them just walking about like normal, but when they're crouched, they can do death-defying jumps -- over fences, onto roofs, etc. -- in search of fresh blood. Should the hunter find his mark (tackling a survivor), he'll start sloughing flesh off his prey until a teammate intervenes or a kill's made. The telltale sign a hunter's nearby is a low growl (if walking) and a hideous shrieking (if pouncing). Although guns work well on these brutes, if one is spotted jumping toward "you," meleeing them in midair can cause them to stumble, providing an easy opportunity to blow 'em away. [Hunters can deal additional damage if they land on a survivor after pouncing from great heights, what this walkthrough calls "momentum damage".] SMOKER ŻŻŻŻŻŻ The new face of nicotine mutation, the Smoker is both a long- and close-range killer: first it uses its extraordinarily long tongue to latch onto targets, then pulls the constrained victim in closer for a beatdown. These foes aren't quite as strong or fast as hunters, but will nevertheless be huge annoyances (especially in multiplayer) since they have the longest range. The telltale sign they're around is coughing noises and/or green smoke emitted from its person. [Like hunters, there is a small window of opportunity to evade a damaging outcome. Supposing the ally is facing the smoker when it casts its tongue out, it's possible to get a few shots off at the buffoon before a teammate's assistance is required.] BOOMER ŻŻŻŻŻŻ Slow, fat, and disgusting, the Boomer is actually a highly prized monster... if used right. Its main method of attack is spewing slimy bile over its foes, which causes no damage in itself, but summons a horde of zombies who single- -mindedly attack whoever was "marked." Naturally, the more targets barfed on, the larger the horde and damage outcome! Additionally, the bile targets have their vision temporarily obscured, so not only can the hordes get in more damage than usual, but SI teammates can capitalize on the opportunity and perhaps inflict more damage than usual, too. [An example would be a hunter pouncing on unaffected prey while the other barfed-on survivors stumble around without being able to quickly help.] Did I mention that, when shot, the boomer explodes and can cover survivors in bile? Yeah, it's a bilefest up in the hizzouse. When playing as survivors, it's always wise to melee the creature first -- creating some distance -- and then fire, so as to avoid any of its goopy remains. [Telltale signs: gross digestion noises, heavy groans.] TANK ŻŻŻŻ This mutated beefcake is all brawn and no brains, which explains its rather slow galloping walk and high strength/health. In fact, it's the deadliest of all playable monsters, which its appearance is randomized (in Versus, an SI is chosen to be this monster). Its punch will send anyone, friend or foe, in its way flying, which is helpful on maps with cliffs/dropoffs; its secondary attack throws an earthen slab, intent on striking medium-range targets upside the head. Although it lacks a constraining/continuous damage attack, it more than makes up for its shortcomings with pure muscle. [Telltale signs: different 'boss' music plays, galloping sounds, unnerving screams. Many people wisely choose to catch it on fire and flee, letting the burning do most of the work.] Also notable is that tanks can break through scenery that normally ain't possible. For instance, some objects, like forklifts and cars, can be batted aside -- if they hit any survivors, it's an instant incapacitation. Always search the area for one of those, which are infinitely more useful than the slab-throwing attack (which is slow and easily evaded most of the time). BE WARNED though: hitting a car alarm vehicle disables the alarm! WITCH ŻŻŻŻŻ Although unplayable, the witch still manages to be an annoying opponent. In her natural habitat, she sits inert, crying and moaning (see: L4D opening sequence). When loud noises or flashlights hit near her, she turns her fury on the agitator -- in lower difficulties, this is an instant incapacitation, but in Expert it's an instakill! Her constitution is rather poor however, and with teammates peppering her face with lead, it's quite possible to score a kill without being incapped. Because the witch could really care less about survivors if they're not bothering her, it's always a good idea to simply tiptoe by (flashlights disabled, natch) and let her good cry continue. WEAPONS [WPNS] ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ In L4D, weapons are a man's best friend. Most weapons available early in the campaign can be upgraded to something better, and all the things that come with that: upgraded ammo, higher stopping power, faster reload times. There's no reason to keep an un-upgraded weapon if you can trade it in, so always be on the lookout for caches sitting around. [The game's AI director changes the locations they may be found at in campaigns, although there's a finite number of areas they can be placed at.] PISTOLS ----: A player carries one by default but can find another. Since pistols have infinite ammo and take up no useful space, it's always good a pair. Contrary to what one may think, pistols're rather powerful, but don't have great long-range capabilities, which reduces some of their usefulness. [UPGRADE: ---] SMG --------: The handheld SMG is a bullet-sprayin' nightmare for the enemy, and while each individual bullet doesn't do that much damage, a stream definitely will...if it hits its mark. These aren't that great for clearing crowds (at ground level anyway) but it always helps to have someone using one, since it's got decent range (for hitting faraway enemies, that is). [UPGRADE: Assault Rifle] PUMP SHOTGUN: While it totes the slowest reloading time of any weapon, this mean single-barrel will rip apart enemies at close range. Since it has a spreading effect, it's great for blowing away groups of infected, but is bad at mid-range and horrible at long-range, so don't try to snipe anything with it. [UPGRADE: Auto Shotgun] SNIPER RIFLE: A mainstay of any shooting game, the sniper rifle is the only weapon with a zoom function, useful for blowing off faraway foes' noggins. Although you'd think it'd be horrible when the horde closes in, sniper slugs have infinite penetrating power, meaning they'll blow through the first enemy and any behind it with the same force. Unless you know what you're doing, it may be best to stick with something else, though. [UPGRADE: ---] TIPS N' TRICKS [TPST] ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ • UNIFIED WHOLE! Wanna know the number one cause of mission failures? Lack of teamwork. It's amazing how many people play this game without realizing that, if even one person dies, it can damn the entire team. To rectify poor situations: (1) keep a close proximity, for assisting incapped and damaged allies (2) keep the communication flowing, such as telling where molotovs or health packs are, or just to organize the scenario a bit (3) protecting allies is obviously important, especially when monsters attack from behind or their flank; be their guardian angel! Being smart knows when doing the right thing is the WRONG thing. Helping teammates is well and good, but if they're being devoured and you can bolt to the saferoom, do it. Also, boomers absolutely love allies in close proximity, so be vigilant. It's important to remain aware and not turn shoddy teamwork into a liability. • TACTICAL RELOADING: This is a common strategy for shooter games. Basically, constantly reload, even after expending only a few rounds, to have better preparedness for future enemies. [Switching weapons does not automatically reload the weapon, remember!] It only takes a few instances of reloading in a boomer-bile swarm or crescendo event to do this every time. Weapons like the pump shotgun have such horrible reload times that, without doing this tactic, it only brings PAIN. Practice it, use it. • THE SAFEST ROOM: Each mission segment involves seeking out this haven, and it has special properties: (1) it always starts with the door open, so you know if any special infected are in there, provided the door's closed (2) in multiplayer, enemies cannot spawn in here (3) all living survivors must be in the saferoom to win the map (4) monsters cannot get into the safe room by force! • MELEE MASTERY! Blowing off foes' heads is great and all, but at some point, you'll have to reload (exception: machine-gun emplacement). Melee with the L-Trigger to smack enemies away, which causes them to stumble a bit and miss their chance to attack. This is useful for fighting generic hordes, but it really leaves Hunters/Smokers open to a hot lead injection, too. As it's possible to melee WHILE reloading, be sure to make good use of this tactic! [Want to melee an oncoming baddie without taking damage? As it nears, approach a bit and melee while back-stepping, which make hit it with the weapon while maintaining distance.] • SAVE THE ENVIRONMENT! No, not tree-hugging -- the urban jungle! All around the place are things the survivors can use to their advantage. Doors can shut out enemies or shoot at them (through door holes) from a safe vantage. Those red gascans are essentially one-time molotovs, and strategically placing them, especially in standoff finales, is just good thinkin'. Some wooden bridges can be destroyed by gunfire, preventing enemies from walking across (although jumping across is possible usually) but simultaneously preventing allies easy access back. Some street cars will blare alarms if shot, summoning the horde to the location -- check yo' fire, son! • FRIENDLY FIRE BEGONE! Although a player may try his/her darndest to not shoot an ally in the face, it's going to happen, perhaps a lot if you're a disorganized bunch and love walking into each other's trajectories. The AI-controlled allies don't tend to do this as much, so it always helps to (1) communicate with other players (2) form a game plan! If you know where the enemies are coming from, pick a place to hole up and cover the exits, ensuring no one is waltzing into a bullet's path. [Allies constained or pinned by enemy attacks cannot be damaged by friendly fire, luckily.] • RE-RESPAWNING! During Versus matches, the special infected players respawn after 'x' amount of time (correlates to how long they're alive, how well they perform, how many AI-controlled allies there are). However, sometimes one's presence is betrayed and advancing towards the survivors can be a bad idea -- an example would be a boomer following a team in the final subway cars during No Mercy. A player has to gauge when it's best to make a quick attack or force a re-respawn by moving far away from the prey. • FREEZE! In Versus mode, when the survivors move around, the SIs see them through solid objects via a green aura. However, what some don't know is that by standing perfectly still, the enemy gradually loses sight of where that survivor is, which can be helpful in drawing out an SI who's been following the team. _______________________ |Ż|Ż|______________________________________________/ III. CAMPAIGNS [CMPN] |_ |Ż| | |ŻŻŻ\ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ | |_ | [) ) NO MERCY [WK01] |___| |___/____________________________________________________________________ |_|ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ I. The Apartments II. The Subway III. The Sewer IV. The Hospital V. Rooftop Finale _________________ ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ I. THE APARTMENTS _________________ ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ A: Apartment Complex BILL --: Shotgun B: Back Alley LOUIS -: SMG C: Dead-End Street FRANCIS: Shotgun D: Discount Store ZOEY --: SMG E: Garage F: Subway Entrance G: Saferoom ___________ _____ _|###########|_ | @^ | POSSIBILITIES LEGEND | |###########| |_|_ _|____ ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ | ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ E_ | x - Gun Assortment _______ ___|C ______ |_____|#| __| * - Pills | | |###| | |$*|###| |#######| | $ - Medkit | x |____|###| | __|ŻŻŻ| |#######| | ^ - Molotovs | *A@ | |###| |D __ Ż |#######| |__ ! - Ammo Only | ^ |_ _|###| |^|__|@| | |#####|Ż| | @ - Pipe Bombs |_ _ _| |###| | Ż | ŻŻŻŻŻ ____| # - Building (Can't Enter) |_____ B |###| |_|______|____ F @ | / | x ŻŻŻ |G | |ŻŻŻŻŻ A.C. ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ|_|____|_|______| Unit A: Apartment Complex ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ The apartment is a four-story complex with each floor connected by one stair, except at 2F, where the team has to jump through a floor hole to the bottom (this is one-way). Generic infected walk the halls and rooms and it's really not too difficult overall...although if y'dawdle around, there's a chance that a horde will appear to annoy everyone. But, for the most part, the small passages work to the team's advantage and anterooms can be avoided, generally. One of the 1F walls near the pit can be broken down by the horde during a raid, so be careful not to fall in then. Keep an eye out for the possibility of... 4F - Rooftop supplies (starting point) 3F - Pipebomb/Molotovs (bedroom) 2F - Pills (bedroom), Molotovs/Pills (kitchen pantry) A cool thing about the apartment is that it's possible to hit the alley ("B") without doing the generic descent through the dwelling. To do this, stand on the roof's ledge and face the dead-end part of the alley -- there should be an air conditioner affixed on a building to the other side of the place. To reach it with minimal health loss, RUN off the edge, don't jump (by contrast 17 HP is lost instead of 60+). Of course, the AI-controlled allies will go down the normal way so don't leave yourself unguarded. [The "A.C. Jump" will needlessly damage the player, so there's no reason to do this in normal play.] VERSUS: Tight corners, lots of hiding spots, dark spaces...it's quite easy to get the jump on teams here. Teams who are incommunicado should take what they can get, generally -- don't let anyone proceed through without attempting an attack. A notable attack centers around the hole to 1F -- when three humans jump down, constricting the 4th from afar pulls them out of attack range, generally securing a kill without interference. B: Back Alley ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ The small alley connects to the street down the way, and is a good ambush point if the special infected were generally missing in the apartment. Keep an eye out for rooftops here -- if a smoker gets someone as they're passing by the building's edge, chances are it gets in a few free hits before someone melees the ally out of its clutches. A sideroom here has a few zombies but nothing special, generally. A ruined car may carry a 2nd pistol, though, either at the start of end of the alley. En route to the street, by the intersection leading there, a zombie wave may or may not come. If it does, it comes from the street, the impassable barrier nearby, and probably from the apartment area behind, too. VERSUS: Smokers and boomers should stick to the rooftops for a bird's-eye view of stragglers, while hunters wait for opportune moments to pounce, either from the roof also or the empty 2F of the discount store the alley's adjacent to. A witch may spawn in the survivors' path, so keep yer fingers crossed! C: Dead-end Street ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ The cop car/bar nearby may have a 2nd pistol. A horde may come here too, but often depends on the timing or luck -- if one was in the alley, it probably won't occur. Most people wisely choose to enter the discount building nearby as soon as the chance arises. [If a horde spawns, it's usually from said building's 2F, which can't be entered by the survivors.] VERSUS: Mostly the same strategy as the alleyway, given the proximity. D: Discount Store ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ This place has a medkit station in an anteroom, but as the difficulty rises, the likelihood of only a few pill bottles does too. Luckily, by searching the other rooms and hallway, molotovs or extra pills may be found. The windows face the street so it's possible to pick off some of the unassuming horde, or even a Boomer if they're walking around. Either way, this place is a pitstop. VERSUS: The darkness lends itself well to SIs trying to stay hidden, and it's common for survivors to ignore certain offices if they're just passing by. Boomers should probably hide on the building's roof (accessible from alley) rather than inside to avoid wasting their talents. Since E: Garage ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ The Garage area is out-of-the-way and ignored 99 times out of 100, at least in competitive, brevity-minded play. However, there may be a few pipe bombs in this area. Most of the garage's doors are locked and wind back around to the subway station anyway. VERSUS: No one hellbent on surviving is going to take this "longcut" to the subway station, so formulating a strategy isn't important. Seriously. F: Subway Entrance ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ Across the street from the discount store is the subway entrance, which leads to the safehouse. Getting there isn't always so cut and dry, though. A horde often spawns from nearby structures if a team's not quick enough in crossing, and there's always the mini-crescendo of the red alarmed car. Shooting this alerts a large horde to that location -- this can be done on purpose or with good intentions, like shooting enemies in front of it. Best-case scenario, everyone bypasses this malarkey and heads for the downstairs haven. VERSUS: Since this place _is_ easy to bypass, SIs should try to delay the team. Standing in front of the alarmed car is a classic way of sacrificing oneself for the greater good (bad?), as the bullets pierce through oneself and trigger the racket. There aren't really any good perches in this area, although smokers can hide in a building's window (opposite subway entrance) and try to ensnare prey from there. G: Safehouse ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ The safehouse is downstairs and, for the most part, a safe haven. However, since it's below ground level, special infected can spawn in front of it and hide inside, so always check the bathroom for any nasty hunters. VERSUS: This is the last LAST stand before finishing the stage, so any SI who wants to kill a straggler has to do it here -- spawn outside, hide in the bathroom, and wait. Remembers that the survivors don't win unless they lock the door _and_ have no enemies inside, so there's always a chance there! ______________ ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ II. THE SUBWAY ______________ ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ A: Collapsed Landing F: Subway Wreck 3 B: Turnstile Booths G: Turbine Building Basement C: Subway Wreck 1 H: Turbine Building (Crescendo) D: Subway Wreck 2 I: Street Level E: Side Tunnel J: Pawnshop/Safehouse ______ _ | | |Ż|^|___ WEAPON SELECTION _| _|_| ___| | | | ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ | A |2| |1| |2 | |1| BILL --: SMG -> Assault Rifle | ___| |___| | |_| |C| Ż| LOUIS -: SMG -> Assault Rifle | | |___| | | ) ) | FRANCIS: SMG -> Auto Shotgun | |__ __ x|_| | |* ( ( ^| ZOEY --: SMG -> Sniper Rifle | ____ B _ * | ŻŻ| | |ŻŻ |_| | @| | | | __| |__ 1F Stair |_| ŻŻ | _| /Ż) |_ \_____ ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ | | (_/D | | ___________ | | |ŻŻŻ| POSSIBILITIES LEGEND | | |____ __ |ŻŻŻŻ| |__| | ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ | |__ | | __|_| | | x | | | x - Gun Upgrades | | |x|_| |_ | |Ż| |Ż| |_|_ _| |__| |_ * - Pills |E| ) | |_|H|_| *|_ _ |I | $ - Medkit | | | \ ( | ___ ^ | | |^ | | | ^ - Molotovs |__ |Ż\ \ |_|_ _|_|_|___|___|__| _| ! - Ammo Only / | \ \ \ |3| | ____ | @ - Pipe Bombs (_/F/_| \___) |_| | | ( ( | | |_ ___ _| |_ _|_ _| | @^| | | |______ |___ J _| | ____ |_ | | |___| x| | Saferoom-|__|__| |_____|_ G | |3|_ _ | |_____|__| The goal this time is to make it to and through the subway, then resurface at street level to reach the safehouse in a store. And this'll be one of the longer segments, although not _the_ longest (that belongs to Pt. 4 in Death Toll). A: Collapsed Landing ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ Outside of the saferoom is a collapsed landing, essentially a giant pit with stairs leading down to the turnstile area. Random infected loaf here, most underneath the landing's remaining cement platform. Although they can climb up if given the chance, across the pit is a small platform survivors can jump to -- a new vantage to pick them off at. Should any SIs appear here, it's often (1) on the floor above the landing, which has collapsed and often houses smokers and hunters waiting for people to jump down (2) underneath the platform, where boomers may hide. The main way to the turnstile booths is down the stairs -- pretty normal. A semi-alternate way involves going down a parallel air duct, jumping down a level, and blowing off the vent's grate. The latter way is a little more roundabout but, if there wasn't any pipebombs underneath the landing, there may be some in this area. VERSUS: Smokers choose the broken ceiling for a reason -- they can snag some stragglers and maybe get off scot-free if caught. Boomers, surprisingly, can use that same area as well; despite not falling right on the survivors, the humans are often in barf range, so it all works out if their backs're turned. Hunters can jump around between the drop-off, so they can go either way. Any SI can hide in the air duct's dead end if any survivor ventures forward w/o using the buddy system. B: Turnstile Booths ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ The area is a wide-open space, flanked by two stairs leading up to the subway and near a ceiling hole (in a corner) used by the invading horde. A tiny sideroom here may contain pipebombs and the booths may have pills, but the real thing to hope for is weapon upgrades at the nearby table. Either stairway can be taken up to the subway (listed as 1, 2 on map). If a horde spawns, they'll often flank from many sides, so don't stay in the middle. VERSUS: Not much to go on here besides stragglers, opportunistic attacks, etc. Many SIs don't bother too much here and instead wait on the subway stairs, where they can spectate this area and retreat if necessary. Don't waste your spawn for dumb reasons! C: Subway Wreck 1 ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ At the top, a horde bumrush may play, so it helps to have a throwable weapon, 'specially on Expert. The subway wreck is slightly off its rails, and while it can be entered, it's the only way to get to the other side (locally at least). There may or may not be a molotov inside, too. Being inside the train if a horde invades is a good idea, as it has few entry points and it's easy to tag- -team the infected (projectile special infected can make it less pleasant but generally passable, still). Also, one can jump on top of the train by finding a tipped trashcan and using it as a stepping stone. VERSUS: Smokers can snipe through broken windows, while boomers can aim their spew in the same fashion. There's a cement median halving part of the subway tunnel, letting one hide safely for survivors approaching the next area. And don't forget the power of crouching! There's often just enough clearance to hide out of sight by doing this, particularly alongside the broken vehicle -- just watch for the tipped-off opposition! D: Subway Wreck 2 ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ The second wreck consists of two cars, one toppled and one upright (and enterable). A table alongside may have weapon upgrades, so get those when possible. This is really a bad place to be unless y'have a place to hole up in mind, since it has about 6-7 different ways for zombies to get in. Jumping on the toppled subway car may help...just don't get smoked in the meantime. VERSUS: A generally good place for coordinated attack, since a horde almost always spawns here or a little further up the way. There's plenty of wreckage to hide behind, windows to shoot through, and corners to lie in wait. Smokers can also use the fiery pit to mask their presence, since it obscures survivor vision without actually impeding one's aim. [And, it may let one escape down the tunnel!] E: Side Tunnel ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ Near Wreck #2 is a tunnel, half-hidden by flames, that the infected use for guerilla tactics. While it's not important in the least, the team can make their way toward the third wreck without encountering too many foes. In fact, that may be reason to use it in and of itself! Just beware if a tank catches y'in here... VERSUS: Both teams can use it as a reasonably safe path to the next subway car, but generally it's the SIs who'll use it, if anyone. [See: smoker strat above.] F: Subway Wreck 3 ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ The third wreck is a long, mostly intact subway car that leads to the exit landing. There'll almost certainly be random infected inside, but the survivors get the element of surprise. At the end, the lefthand side leads upwards while the righthand has a pipe alcove, maybe containing both types of throwable weapons. Although SIs may only appear in the stairway up, keep an eye out for any hunters on top of the train. If new weapons weren't available before, they may spawn on the bench near the exit door. VERSUS: Hunters can move on top of the subway car, good for getting the jump on stragglers who run ahead. Smokers and boomers will have to make do with hiding around the corner (by the closet/pipeworks) or ignoring it altogether and waiting to strike upstairs. However, if a tank or witch spawns around here, one may reconsider their strategy... G: Turbine Building Basement ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ Up the stairs is the basement of the turbine building. It's quite dark and the many support pillars obscure vision and give normal infected a good hiding spot. SIs may also be here, boomers and smokers especially. A 2nd pistol or weapon upgrades may be on a bench near the next stair, too. Keep your ears peeled for any witch moans -- she may spawn nearby or in the next area up the stairway. [Should a tank spawn, it's best to molotov it and backtrack, keeping together all the while.] VERSUS: Dark, lots of cover, a few corners to hide by...not too shabby. The real kicker to this place is if a tank spawns -- their punches can dislodge segments of the cement pillars, and any survivor hit by the projectile gets an instant incap! H: Turbine Building (Crescendo) ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ If y'hear a witch, it may be right by the entrance into the main hall, so try to sneak by if possible [although with the upcoming event, chances it remains undisturbed are slim]. When the floor's cleared of normal idiots, pick up some of the 100%-spawn molotovs nearby and check the medpack holder by the turret to see what's inside (often pills). To start the upcoming event, someone needs to hit the button kittie-corner to the gun. There's two good ways of doing this: 1) GUN-RUNNING: While one person flips the switch, everyone else remains in the gun room. One person runs the gun, the other two shoot out the windows, and the 4th hopefully takes care of whoever climbs out of the pit (alternately, throw a molotov down there to temporarily curb the invaders). This way's good because special infected lack a great "in" to hit the team. It might be possible for a smoker to entangle someone from the basement and drag them into the pit, though, so be careful. 2) SILLYNANNY CORNER-HIDING: To the right of the minigun is a corner by the door, semi-blocked by an overarching pipe. Everyone can stand here and hide, and face the oncoming horde without much difficulty -- even if everyone is vomited on, there's really only one way the others can attack. Molotovs help out here, as can melee stacking (i.e. one person melees while crouching, one while standing, and doing it at different intervals to keep hordes away). The event ends when the door opens, allowing everyone to get to 2F. There may or may not be a witch here; it depends on if one was found before. In the 2F area are some weapon upgrades although a tank may spawn here as well -- don't burst in without thinking! Search the remaining 2F rooms for throwables and pills, plus any SIs who may be wandering around. VERSUS: How good this part goes depends on where the survivors hole up for the crescendo event: if they scatter around onto the open floor, it's good, but if they go to the turret room, bad. It's bad for a number of reasons: (1) good trajectories for them (2) hiding places that only serve as cover, not for good attack opportunities (3) they're right by healing supplies (4) hunters can't jump up the floor pit by the turret! Only smokers get any chance of decent damage in this spot, really, and that's either by a brazen entanglement in the turret's range or by trying the less-successful (but ultimately more awesome) "pit smoking" method, where one stands in the basement and tries to grab a survivor, dragging them down through the pit. After the crescendo event, survivors move upstairs to the ammo room and often start searching the rooms for miscellaneous pills and throwables. Because there's often only one way in or out of a room, these spots aren't that great for damage opportunities...if the team sticks together. Remember in a boomer bile situation, the horde will run up the only staircase and that's easy to pick 'em off. Two other notes: (1) SIs can stand on the thin ledge on the building's exterior, by breaking a window and inching onto it -- this is a good hiding spot (2) in the event a street-level smoker grabs a survivor from the upper ledge and pulls him/her off, they don't take fall damage. Lame, I know. I: Street Level ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ To get here, there are two main ways: (1) the interior stairway which leads down casually (2) jumping from a 2F window onto the white van, and the far more stylish exit. It pays to snipe a few infected from 2F as sometimes one can get lucky and kill a boomer or other SI (even a tank, which can be molotov'd from above). Note that one can walk on the thin exterior ledge of the 2F windows for extra-awesome trajectories (don't get smoked, or the team may run downstairs to help instead of shooting from above!) Down below, the only way to go is upstreet. VERSUS: The trek to the pawnshop takes survivors upstreet a bit. For smoker placement, try the alley alongside of the building the survivors just exited, or one of the 2F ledges mentioned above. Hunters and boomers should generally be near destination building. J: Pawnshop/Safehouse ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ The pawnshop at the other end has the safehouse, and like the first level, be careful not to set off the parked car's alarm or it'll attract the horde somethin' awful. However, if y'wanna get some of the attacks out of the way, remember y'can climb up the grill of the nearby semi and jump across to its trailer for a bird's-eye view of the area. The hordes typically come from over the chainlink fence near the cop car and the alley right near the pawnshop. [A witch may be in the alley near the safehouse but one has to go out of the way to hit it, so just leave it be.] Attacking the parked car while everyone's on top of the semi can safely "disarm" a situation that'd be much more horrible at ground level...if y'can chance it. VERSUS: The semi gives good ambush cover for any SI, boomers in particular, while the "bait the car alarm" strategy is always viable...if it's done fast enough. There's no point in bothering if the survivors are inside the shop already! ______________ A: Warehouse Alley #1 G: Warehouse Alley #2 ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ B: Restaurant H: Stairway III. THE SEWER C: Gas Station Environs I: Waterworks ______________ D: Ruined Aparment J: Sewer System ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ E: Warehouse #2 K: Hospital Drive-Up F: Warehouse #3 _ _ |ŻŻŻŻŻ| ________________ _|*|^|___| _ | Safehouse |ŻŻŻŻŻ|ŻŻŻŻ| _ _| | | | _ _| | \___ _|___| | |*!@ |Ż | $| | | ^ |$ K |_ | | | | E | |__|__| $ | |_| _| Ż 3 | _| _| | |@B*|\ | | _ __|___| |^ | | _|_| _|A ___ | |___| \ ŻŻŻŻ | | ŻŻŻ ŻŻŻŻŻ|_| _________ |*| | _| _____|\_\ |ŻŻŻ| | |Ż| |Ż| | |^ _____ | |@ | |_ |@^ ŻŻŻ | |_|F|_| | | |_| _| |___ __|_| |___| |___ C |ŻŻŻ| | _ | ___|ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ| | _ _ ___|1 |@ ^| _| ŻŻŻ | | | |Ż| | |_ _ Ż|Ż| | ___| | | |_| |___ |x* _|ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ|x*D^ ___________|_|_|_|_| |_ | | |3|Ż| | |* | |_| | J _ | |__| |_____| / | ___ G ___| | | | _| | | ! ___ | |_| |_ Lift | | | | | | | ___|_| _| | |_ 2_ _| POSSIBILITIES LEGEND | |_______| | | | __ __| | | | |_| | ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ | | | | | | | | | | | | ___| x - Gun Upgrades |H | I |1| | |_| |__| | |_| |_| * - Pills |_|__ __| |___ ____| $ - Medkit |@*| | | | ^ - Molotovs | 2 | |_| ! - Ammo Only ŻŻŻŻ @ - Pipe Bombs A: Warehouse Alley #1 ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ The alley outside the safehouse loops in front of the restaurant, around to a garage on the other side; in-between is a warehouse that may contain pills or throwables. Said garage may contain weapon upgrades, pipe bombs, or nothing (that's the AI Director for you). The real goal is the pizzeria nearby, though, which can easily be made by ignoring everything else. Be careful not too linger too long outside or a horde may spawn from the blocked alley adjacent to the safehouse, or from the restaurant itself. VERSUS: SIs love to camp on the safehouse roof for drop-in opportunities, or the dark warehouse, where it's easy to ambush. Smokers who want to run ahead a bit can use some of the taller buildings -- the sheerer the height a victim is smoked from, the less likely one is to be hit by survivors' attacks! B: Restaurant ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ Pick off any random infected inside and try to kill as many as y'can from this vantage point (shut the door to the alley to see if any SIs're trying to enter). Sometimes the restaurant has a pipebomb or pills near the coffee pots; the bathroom usually has nothing important. VERSUS: Not that good a position to attack from, really. Smokers by the back door can drag kitchen stragglers closer to them -- the bathroom isn't that useful in this case. SIs can use the joint's roof for surprises, but unlike the flat safehouse roof, this one's slanted and less useful. C: Gas Station Environs (Crescendo) ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ Outside is a fenced-off gas station parking lot of sorts, with a semi and a few uncoupled rigs. Said semi can be climbed (the grill is like a ladder) for a bird's-eye view of the surroundings...well, most anyway. The object here is to exit the area via a corner lift, although it can pay to check the building near the gas station if weapon upgrades haven't been found yet. [Destroying the gas pumps isn't necessary to check the building, and isn't conducive to anything, really, except summoning a horde (maybe).] After the lift starts, the crescendo event starts, summoning a huge horde of foes from over the tall building nearby and the fence near the fast food place. This is a manageable nuisance, generally, particularly if the team's got weapon upgrades and sticks together. It's possible to skip the lift crescendo, however. Underneath the awning used to infiltrate the next building, there's a metal door. This is normally opened from the other side, but if a team sits there meleeing it for awhile, it just breaks -- no hassle needed! [This is especially good on higher difficulties.] VERSUS: This is really just a great, expansive place to do some mayhem. Smokers are quite useful here, being able to get on the cafe roof, the roof near the gas station, over the roof with the traversable awning, etc. Perhaps the most useful way to harness smokers is to wait for the survivors to cross the awning for Warehouse #2's window, and pull one down to ground level as s/he crosses the pipe. Smokers and boomers don't get that many good places to attack from once the survivors are on the lift/awning portion, but have plenty of locations to strike from if foes are at ground level. D: Ruined Apartment ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ If the gas station explodes, access to a side apartment's given. While totally extraneous, it can end up as a good idea since there's a bevy of throwables and maybe even weapon upgrades. Also notable, the windows are at such a height that someone can jump onto a camper blocking the alley and get back to the first warehouse's area. While unnecessary normally, if playing on harder difficulties, sometimes one can hazard a chance at collecting left-behind supplies. It's often a good idea to make for the warehouse 2F across the awning, as this horde can be quite...long. [Just watch out for lower smokers who try to drag stragglers down to the ground!] VERSUS: There's supplies here so the survivors may approach, but more often than naught, this place is devoid of good attack opportunities. One cool thing is that the trailer blocking the alley leads back to the first warehouse, so while it may be rare, it's possible to wait for some unlucky person to walk onto there, then be smoked back to the starting region. Maybe someday this pipe dream will be pipe reality... E: Warehouse #2 ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ The 2nd warehouse is accessed by going in through the 2F window, and has a one-way drop into the floor below. Search the top area for pipebombs, then jump down to the ammo dump (100% spawn). It's good to not run around here as a tank may spawn in the small side-room. If that happens, jump out the window (facing restaurant) and lead it on a wild goose chase. If no tank comes, still be on guard -- smokers can drag people out the window nearby! En route to the third warehouse, check the upper floors for molotovs and pills. Downstairs is often less fruitful but does have some survivor closets if things've gone south. Generally it's better to hole up in the 2F area in case a horde or tank shows up. VERSUS: Boomers and hunters should try to coordinate their attacks around the ammo room, which has the great drop-in opportunity from above. Smokers can try to pull survivors from the ammo room window (forcing them to go all the way around, or make someone unlock the metal door nearby to rescue) or wait in the ceiling at the far office, a place that many survivors go to jump into the next area. F: Warehouse #3 ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ The third warehouse is the only way to reach the alley on the other side. There's often a special infected loafing around here, such as a boomer, and to make things worse, a tank may spawn below or in a 2F room adjacent. If there's no annoying obstacles, just breeze through the generic infected to reach the next alley. VERSUS: Nothing too useful -- shelves block a lot of the survivors' view but attacks are staged at ground level, so it's not that useful. G: Warehouse Alley #2 ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ The alley runs by a defunct garage that has a survivor closet, but nothing too special. A boomer often seems to spawn around here, especially in the next corridor leading to the stairway. VERSUS: The dark garage is the only place to hide besides around the alley's first corner (to stairwell). Skip spawning here and go to the tank room below. H: Stairway ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ The stairway down to the gas room isn't that special, but makes a good standoff point for any infected that appear downstairs. If a tank spawns there, one can hide underneath the stairway (crouch, wedge in there good) and get pretty good shots...well, as long as it stays down there. Either way, it's helpful. VERSUS: It's a generic stairway with no hiding spots except at the bottom (under stair). Any SI in here is liable to be blasted to pieces, as any smart survivor will strafe-descend to see what's coming up. The spot under the stair could be useful for boomers if no one checks, however. I: Waterworks ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ Propane tanks give cover here but also make this one-room place a little more mazelike than it needs to be. An anteroom here may have pipebombs and pills, too. Now, the next step is to enter the sewers below, and there are two ways (one-way drops) to go: one near the tankers, one in the anteroom. VERSUS: The tanks here give plenty of around-the-corner attack opportunities but any real efforts in stopping the survivors are done by smokers -- snag a straggling survivor as s/he tries to jump down the hole and no cavalry will be riding to the rescue! J: Sewer System ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ The sewers can be very confusing without knowing where to go, so it'll pay to look at the ASCII map above. When the team first enters onto a hanging pipe structure, the horde advances -- fend 'em off. After that, it's simply navigating the muck to reach the first room, which has some ammo and maybe pills (it's quite easy to run out of ammo if you're not sure where to go!). Past the first "checkpoint", navigate the enclosed storm drain -- watch out for boomers that appear here -- and exit back to the other half of the system. Basically, go uphill to the red ladder and use it to surface on the street. Of course, a horde often spawns here first... VERSUS: It stinks down here...for the survivors. With a quadrillion tiny storm drains to mask one's presence, it's really quite a good place to have fun with the survivors, 'specially if they get lost frequently. Even for a fast team, one can usually get a good attack off down here. Becoming a tank compounds the humans' problems, haha... K: Hospital Drive-Up ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ Once back on the street, the hospital's in sight. Try to make a beeline for it, and check the ambulance for a medkit (there's usually one there). If y'have time, check one of the hospital exam rooms or bathrooms for molotovs and pills. Just watch out -- a witch may spawn around here (even in a stall -- Harry Potteresque, no?] VERSUS: The region surrounding the hospital! Like any opening into a larger area, it's easy to setup a chokepoint and smoke, pounce, or barf on upcoming survivors. Of course, any well-travelled player will be expecting this maneuver so it may not always be effective (such as when only one person comes up; remember pouncing a person on a ladder makes 'em drop right back down!). There's a lot of cars to hide behind so even if Plan A fails, it might be possible to get in extra damage when the horde appears. No car alarms to help, however. ________________ ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ IV. THE HOSPITAL ________________ ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ x - Gun Upgrades ! - Ammo Only * - Pills @ - Pipe Bombs $ - Medkit % - 2nd Pistol ^ - Molotovs # - Zombie-Breakable _ ___|4|___ |ŻŻŻŻŻ|ŻŻŻ|### # | |___ | |#|Ż| _| | ___ |Ż|ŻŻŻŻŻ| |* ___ Ż| |_| |_ | % | | |Ż| | |Ż|Ż|___| |_ | _| _____| ______ |_ |___ | | | |_| | | \ ___|_ | | | 1 | |Ż| |___ | |ŻŻŻ |Ż |Ż | |___| Closet | 1 | | | | ___|_ | | 3 | | | | |ŻŻŻ|ŻŻŻ| | | |___| |ŻŻ| ___| | | | | ___| |Ż|Ż|ŻŻŻ |ŻŻŻ| |___| | | | | | |Ż| | |___ _| |ŻŻŻ| |-Giant Lab | ŻŻŻ| ŻŻ| |_ _|_ | |* | |___ _| ___|_________| ___| | | | | _| B | | | | | @ ___ | ___ |^ A ŻŻŻ|ŻŻŻŻ |_____|_| | |Ż C| |ŻŻŻ | 3 | | |ŻŻ|ŻŻŻŻŻŻ| |END|__ |@ | | x$|-St | | | |_ | |___| ___|_| | |___|_| _| | |___| |___| art |-| | | | | | % |D| | | | | _|_ | |_ | |___|_ | | |_ |___ ___| |ŻŻŻ | | |ŻŻ| |_|Ż|_| |2 | | | 2 | | | | | |Ż|Ż|___ | ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ Ż ŻŻŻ |_____| | |Ż | |_| |Ż | | | |Ż|Ż|___ | |_ ŻŻŻ|ŻŻŻ |_ _| | | A: 1st Floor (Reception) | |_| | Ż| |@| |Ż | B: 2nd Floor (Cafeteria) | | | |^ | C: 3rd Floor (Administration) | Ż|Ż Ż|_ |_|_|__| D: 4th Floor (Crescendo) |___| |4| |___| E: 28th Floor (Construction) | Ż | ŻŻŻŻŻ A: 1st Floor (Reception) ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ The first floor is the easiest, with a few of the anterooms nearby maybe having throwables, but since the starting point has weapon upgrades and health packs, most would suggest just getting upstairs quickly -- this guide does the same. VERSUS: Unless the team goes around checking every room, such as the ones near the elevator shaft, it's usually best to spawn upstairs. B: 2nd Floor (Cafeteria) ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ Likewise, anterooms _may_ have goodies to take but it's easier to just ignore out-of-the-way places and keep ascending, which is really what this level's main strength is: (generally) easy movement to the goal. VERSUS: The cafeteria lobby is a fun room, since the 3F ledges are nearby and lend themselves well to smokers' plans. However, it's often a quick sprint to the 3F stair so it's not that much of a rest stop, unless the infected horde stops by for a visit. C: 3rd Floor (Administration) ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ This tiny "row" of administrative offices have little to snoop around for, and the stairway up is right there. I mean, c'mon! However, provided a tank doesn't spawn around here, it might be worth it to take a peek. VERSUS: Since the stairway to 4F is in the middle of this long hallway, a lot of the potential for here isn't realized (like 1F). However, some railings're missing so any smoker on 2F can drag victims off and at least stall things a bit. Like all places with small rooms/offices, it's good cover for both friend and foe. If a tank spawns around the stairway, then the advantage tips to the SIs a bit. D: 4th Floor (Crescendo) ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ The largest of the floors: the infirmary. There's often nothing special in the siderooms, so making a break to the elevator for the crescendo event is just smart tactics. For said crescendo, there's a few ways to get by: 1) LAUNDRY ROOM CLOSET: With only one entrance in, having the entire team in (or around) there can drastically increase survivability. At worst, the player lives while the allies take most of the damage. With AI-controlled allies, y'can't expect them to hide in the closet. The only thing missing is an ammo stash a few feet away. 2) GIANT LAB: Like before, there's only one way in and the spacious area gives a lot better breathing room -- no friendly fire here! Getting AI-controlled characters to huddle in there is often out of the question, but sometimes they corral in there. 3) ANY OTHER SIDEROOM: Other siderooms can work for the same purposes as those above: one way in and out. The only difference is the infected horde can break through the ceiling in select places, making problems twofold. This doesn't apply to #1 or #2 above, luckily -- they all come from ground level. 4) ELEVATOR LOBBY: There's a reason many people stand in the unbreakable corner of the lobby: the ammo is two inches away and four people should have no trouble fending off the horde, which comes from three directions (discounting the ceiling vent). Just watch out for Boomers in this position, since they may quickly round a corner and exacerbate the horde. When enough time's passed, the horde subsides and everyone can crowd into the elevator for the top floor. VERSUS: The crescendo event is the best time to attack a team, although it can also be the most fruitless -- a team ducking by the ammo, for instance, has almost all bases covered, and even if they're boomed on, it shouldn't be much of a problem. It's when the team fights off the horde elsewhere that they're more vulnerable. Because the crescendo can be generally easy on this end, delaying the team before they start the elevator can be useful. E: Construction ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ The twenty-eight floor is unfinished construction, making it a double-edged sword: shooting through loose walls ensures that the team can get infected who would otherwise by obscured, but there's no railings to the periphery so one can easily fall off the edge. In fact, since a tank may spawn up here, their powerful haymakers can throw someone clean off the building, which is why it pays to know the layout of this place. If a tank appears at the top, break a grate on either side of the elevator for some running room, and try to stay away from the ledgeless extremeties of the tier -- one good punch and a guy is knocked out of the level entirely! If no tank spawns, congrats. That doesn't make this mazelike place any more fun, as there's plenty of vacant antechambers with infected waiting to gut everyone. The above map should help in locating the saferoom, which will start with throwables so there's no need to seek any out here. Oh, and smokers can extend their reach across railless gaps, pulling victims over the edge (so they hang and need assistance) so always try to avoid that situation. VERSUS: The ledgeless periphery of this area is quite precipitous, so making enemies hang off (falling off due to bile blindness or smoker-dragged) or fall off (tank punches) is a very good idea. _________________ ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ V. ROOFTOP FINALE _________________ AI-CONTROLLED WEAPON SELECTION ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ ___________ Bill ---- Assault Rifle (1 Pistol) ___/ _______ \___ Zoey ---- Hunting Rifle (2 Pistol) /___ | ___ | _ | Louis --- Assault Rifle (1 Pistol) ________/ _____| | F | |_| | Francis - Auto Shotgun (1 Pistol) | ______| E | |___| |_____|_ | / ___ |_____| _____ | LEGEND | / |_ | | | ŻŻŻŻŻŻ | ( C _________ | H | | A - Hallway to Elevator [Not Pictured] | |_____| |_ | [] |_____| | B - Roof Access | | D__| [] | C - Helipad | |ŻŻŻŻŻ| |___ |ŻŻŻŻŻ| D - "Jesus Room" | | B | _______ ___ |Ż| | E - E-Building | |_____| _____ | | G | | Ż | F - F-Building |_______ |_____| | ___| | |ŻŻŻ G - G-Building |__ ____|_______| | H - Communication Center |________________| x - Gun Upgrades ! - Ammo Only * - Pills @ - Pipe Bombs $ - Medkit % - 2nd Pistol ^ - Molotovs The final map of No Mercy is rather small, but still able to throw people for a loop with its massive crescendo event, which starts once the team radios for help from the rooftop comm center. Like all finales, the event consists of two normal-infected floods alternating with two tank appearances; after the 2nd tank dies, the helicopter will arrive at the helipad ("C") to extract the survivors. Map overview: A: [Not Pictured] The No Mercy finale will have weapon upgrades, healthpacks, and depending on the difficulty, molotovs & pipebombs. The small hallway outside leads past a small section of dark rooms to an elevator shaft, which then leads to the roof. In campaign, rarely a tank spawns at the shaft, so be careful! However, it usually has trouble getting through the small grate opening, so use that to your advantage. B: The elevator ladder leads onto an isolated roof that, when jumped down from, can't be accessed again (except perhaps by the rare instance a tank punch). It commands a good view of the helipad and surrounding areas, but can't see to the comm station or sunken sidepaths this area has abundantly. C: The helipad isn't used until the very end, at which time it'll be full of zombies swarming in from both exits and climbing up on their own -- hectic. It's quite naked in the middle of the environment, which is why it can be so dangerous. Anyone with a pipebomb is advised to throw it a little before the horde arrives, which should clear a safe path to the getaway chopper. D: Y'may have heard about the "Jesus Room" -- it's an area not supposed to be accessible by the map. The door cannot be opened by survivors, but it's possible to trick a normal infected into doing that. Basically, stand on the roof and wait for a NI to move by the door; standing there should make it claw until it opens the place. Should it climb up, melee; if it keeps on doing that, kill it, run around the building once, and try to rustle up a few more zombies to stand there. One of 'em should work, hopefully. The "Jesus Room" works best if all characters are player-controlled, and no one goes on idle (this can screw everything up). Once inside the room, stand at the wall opposite the door -- after summoning a rescue, of course -- and basically wait out all attacks. The zombies won't be able to target the team because they're underneath the team, and when the tanks arrive, they go there too. Tanks eventually die if all control is lost, so there's no reason to fight them except to expedite things. When both tank events are done, it'll be time to get to the chopper -- go down the stairway, hang a left around the building, and get to the helipad ramp to exfiltrate. E: Just a normal building, connected to "F" by a dual-layer pipe. There's no real reason to go on here except if escaping a tank. F: There may be pipebombs, molotovs, gas tanks, propane tanks, or a combo of the two. These are all good to have set in place before summoning a rescue. This building, which connects to the comm station and E-Building. This is a good vantage point to be in, usually, as it gives plenty of ways to escape a tank, is generally isolated, and smokers can only hit stragglers if they go out into the open or along one of the sides (and for the latter, the smoker has to be on a sunken sidepath for trajectory). G: Like "E" building, there's usually little reason to come here besides a getaway route from the tank. Every so often some molotovs/pipebombs spawn here, however, so it pays to check before radioing the cavalry. H: The comm station has medkits, ammo and gun upgrades, and a closet for any yet-killed survivors (the only one on this level). A covered staircase connects to the roof, providing a good bottleneck for a close-knit team -- zombie outbreaks can be covered with two guns on each door. The same tactic can be done in the closet, generally, with some crouching and some standing to avoid friendly fire. VERSUS TACTICS ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ A: TREK TO ROOF: A well-communicating team can ambush the allies here, but there's little cover and survivors rarely get divided this early (and if they do, it's not hard to hide in an anteroom and just shoot anything at the doorway). There are two good spots here: (1) the midlayer of the elevator's walkway, where a smoker can ensnare someone standing at the large, lower entrance and drag them to the edge -- a teammate'll be forced to help, if it all goes well (2) by the breakable grate, a boomer can stand on a bench and puke on survivors rounding the corner. Veterans may turn quick enough, but this ends up with a high overall success rate. B: HOSPITAL ROOF: Once the survivors are here, an orchestrated ambush ain't gonna happen, but like many things, attacking them as they come up the ladder can work very well. Boomer bile can force them to go back down, while a good hunter pounce can drop the victim back down to the interior walkway (ever shoot straight down? Not awesome). C: HELIPAD: As said, this area is naked and any SI walking around is likely to be shot or at least identified. However, since there are no ledges, it can be quite easy to smoke someone from below, or use the plentiful ramps to launch one last assault before the team makes it to the heli. [A good boomer attack here can be crippling, hilariously...so close.] D: JESUS ROOM: If the team goes in here, they'll probably stand a high chance of surviving. Being a tank can flush 'em out, however. E: E-BUILDING: Naked like the helipad, and not really good for anything besides creating a pinata (a smoker-suspended survivor other zombies beat on) when victory's (al)most assured. F: F-BUILDING: This building's a lot better than its tinier brethren, as it's mostly ledged, high enough that smoker opportunities are minimized, often has molotovs, and an SI has to betray their hiding place to attack. Unless there's a fantastic orchestrated attack (boomer > hunter/smoker), waiting for the mandatory tank occurances could be the best striking time. G: G-BUILDING: Same as F, except there's less cover, survivors are less likely to come here (after radioing), and it's visible from the comm center window, often resulting in early identification. Pretty infertile without stragglers. H: COMM CENTER: The radio building is mostly the same as it is in campaign, except the covered staircase is now bare, opening it up to extra attack opportunities, and there is no closet to hide in. A funny tactic is hiding on the roof and waiting for an ally to come upstairs; since they ascend relatively blind, jump over the ledge and follow behind! Also, the punches a tank delivers can knock survivors completely off the building -- while this can apply in general, the height and railless roof provides the best spot to do this. |Ż|Ż|________________________________________________________________________ |Ż| | |ŻŻŻ\ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ | |_ | [) ) DEATH TOLL [WK02] |___| |___/____________________________________________________________________ |_|ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ I. The Turnpike II. The Drains III. The Church IV. The Town V. Boathouse Finale _____ LEGEND _________________ ___________ | END |_ ŻŻŻŻŻŻ ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ |* _ ^*| |___ | | #: Forestry I. THE TURNPIKE | _ ^D! |@|_|_____ ( A: Roadblock (Start) _________________ |_ |_ Ż E __) B: Broken Overpass ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ | _|%|ŻŻŻ| ŻŻŻ _/ C: Riverside Tunnel ( ( Ż | (Ż) ( D: Generator Room \ ŻŻ\ ( Ż / E: Gorge / )_) ŻŻŻŻŻ ( | |_ | | @| AI-CONTROLLED WEAPON SELECTION |_ |^| ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ |C|Ż Zoey ---- Shotgun ___##| Ż| Francis - Shotgun | _\#|_| |__ Louis --- Shotgun | __Ż B _ \ Bill ---- ??? |_| # |Ż| | )_) # _| POSSIBILITIES LEGEND ##| |# ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ ##| |# x - Gun Upgrades ! - Ammo Only ##) (# * - Pills @ - Pipe Bombs (!A$\ $ - Medkit % - 2nd Pistol \__/ ^ - Molotovs # - Zombie-Breakable A: Roadblock ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ The carwreck starting point serves as the "safehouse" for all intents and purposes, and has default weapons and healthpacks. It's possible to walk on the slanted telephone pole and get a few of the generic infected out of the way before advancing upstreet. Be sure to check (or perhaps blindfire) into the trees, as the AI Director often plants zombies out of sight there. None of the four cars outside the safe zone have alarms but a horde may spawn near the final. VERSUS: The forestry on either side of the road serves as a decent springboard into the middle, as smokers' presence can be masked and boomers can hide close to the advancing survivors. Near the final car, there's a particularly good spot where a tree masks a wall niche -- boomer paradise if y'know about it. Just watch out for people blindfiring into nearby trees, which is often done to kill normal infected but can catch SIs in the crossfire as well. B: Broken Overpass ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ The highway that spanned the ravine is broken now, forcing survivors to descend either side of the highway to reach the other, where the ladders serve as a way up. Exploring the ravine -- which is a dead end on each end -- is a waste of time, and may spawn a horde if one takes too long. Propane tanks may spawn underneath the bridge, although this is of little use in the long term. [Survivors are advised to not try and jump the bridge, as the fall makes one lose about 85+ health.] VERSUS: A smart party will travel together, down one side of the overpass and to the ladder opposite there. Less organized parties can be at the mercy of SIs here, though: (1) anyone who tries to jump the broken highway segment'll lose major health and can be incapped fairly easy after that (2) survivors standing on the broken highway's precipice may think they're safe, but one successful hunter's pounce sends all teammates reeling, and they can be forced off as well! (3) smokers can pull people off ladders, and hunters who jump a climber force them back down as well. C: Riverside Tunnel ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ Riverside Tunnel has few surprises, but with the wrecked cars, side passages, and dumpster niches, there's plenty of places to be ambushed from. Those same niches may also contain throwable weapons or even have gas canisters, so it pays to check 'em. Also pay attention to the numerous gaps and holes ripped in the ceiling, as the SIs will often use them as a drop-down point to boom or smoke the suvivors. A witch may spawn at the end of the tunnel, also. [None of the cars here are rigged with alarms.] VERSUS: Smokers should stick to the ceiling or follow behind the party, while boomers should pick a niche where throwables may spawn and anticipate someone coming inside. D: Generator Room ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ Down the stairs from the tunnel, a large maintenance/generator room is accessible by two doorways. For those willing to make a pitstop, this area can be quite fruitful, as pills and throwable weapons may spawn, not to mention the 100%-spawning ammo stash at the ground level. It really pays to search the nooks and crannies, which aren't too bad to hole up in if a horde spawns. The exit to the great outdoors is via the upper catwalk rimming the room. VERSUS: Well-lit and very easy to bypass completely, if everyone's sticking together. Smokers should try to pull their prey down into the center pit as a general rule, but hunters/boomers shouldn't bother to spawn unless they know for sure the survivors are wasting time here -- that often leaves a weak offense for the outdoors part, what with the SIs having to trail behind and play catchup. E: Gorge ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ The final stretch is a small gorge (oxymoron?) with the safehouse on the hill above it. This area's pretty barren supply-wise, so it helps to heal up before attempting to finish. SIs may be hiding in the semi-fenced-off area, while boomers and smokers tend to love the safehouse's rim, which provides a good vantage point for the survivors below. This safehouse has an explorable 2F (doesn't count as finishing) as well, but is mostly only of use to the enemy. VERSUS: The survivors have to pass the cliff's base before reaching the safehouse atop the gorge, which gives boomers a great drop-in opportunity on unsuspecting survivors. Smokers can also hide around the hill without much danger. As a reader may know, hunters do extra damage if they tackle a survivor after leaping from a huge height -- doing this from the safehouse roof to a survivor just exiting the maintenance room can give a crapload of bonus pain. [Just remember that they have to be hit in the same jump; landing and then tackling is business as normal.] _________________ ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ AI-CONTROLLED WEAPON SELECTION II. THE DRAINS ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ _________________ Bill ---- SMG -> Assault Rifle ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ Zoey ---- SMG -> Hunting Rifle _|ŻŻŻŻŻ|_____ Louis --- SMG -> Assault Rifle EXIT_ E! \ Francis - SMG -> Auto Shotgun |___ |_ _ \ |_| % ) ) POSSIBILITIES LEGEND _ |_____| | ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ _| |ŻŻŻŻŻ\______ ____| D^ | x - Gun Upgrades ! - Ammo Only | _ xB! __ | __ _____| * - Pills @ - Pipe Bombs | | \_ _/__| |*| ____| $ - Medkit % - 2nd Pistol _| |_ _| | Ż| |!| ^ - Molotovs # - Zombie-Breakable /_ A \_ |^@ C $*| ( (___ ___|________|_|Ż ANNOTATIONS \ / ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ |Ż Ż| A: Drain 1 D: Ruined Building | |Ż| |-Start B: Drain 2 E: Train Station |_____| C: Drain 3 A: Drain 1 ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ The starting drainage area is partially railed, and probably won't play host to any SIs (although a cursory glance at the elevated corner helps). Whatever horde is nearby can be drawn through the saferoom's bottleneck and systematically destroyed that way, if safety's the word. This area has two exits, all leading to the same place -- one culvert's leads to the next area's 2F, the other to its bottom. [The latter is probably the safer.] VERSUS: Not much to work with here -- an elevated ledge has machinery smokers can hide by and shoot through, making it a popular hiding spot for them and boomers. Hunters can hide right in plain sight, using the horde and sewage machines to stay hidden. The culverts leading out of the room aren't that helpful, although the longer one (to the next area's 2F) has a climb-up spot that's useful for dropping in on the gang. When it comes down to boomers hiding in the area, this is probably the best. B: Drain 2 ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ The two-story second drainage den is a little more precipitous than the first, as SIs may hide above, and a tank/witch could possibly spawn here. On the flipside, a closet is right nearby and there's always an ammo pile, possibly with weapon upgrades. [A gas tank can also spawn; helpful for tanks.] It's often best to not spend too much time here -- if a horde didn't spawn on the way in, it probably proceeds now. The way to the next chamber is rather simple, passing by a single room (may have pills) en route. VERSUS: Not a bad place for a coordinated attack, with smokers hanging out on 2F, boomers jumping down to barf on the survivors (who almost alway clog together near the ammo pile), and hunters capitalizing on the mess. If a witch or tank spawns here, this could be the final stop for the human team. It's also possible to hide down in the sewage, using the pillars and ledges' blind spots as an ambush point -- it's especially good for boomers, who can hide right in plain sight for an upward barf! C: Drain 3 (Crescendo) ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ Drain 3's area was perhaps a treatment plant in its former life, but is now rancid and scummy. Listen for the witch's cries as she may spawn here (if not earlier), on the lower path or near the miniscule bridge to the walkway- -lowering button. [The green bench may also have molotovs/pipebombs, if luck's on yer side.] The crescendo event starts when the button's hit, and infected stream in from all directions. The best place to remain is near the button, which forces the undead to come in from fewer directions and prevents blindsiding. If playing with human-controlled teammates, the concentrated fire can be even more concentrated. Across the bridge is a small room with ammo and maybe pills/medkits, whose plentifulness depends on the difficulty. The stair into the bifurcating culvert is a relatively safe place, as, when staring down a branch, the opposite end is backlit, ensuring no one lurking within range evades sight. VERSUS: Since the crescendo event's here, it's often best to see who gets any pipebombs/molotovs and try to attack them before they can launch the weapons. Survivors often hole up right by the button (for reasons stated in previous paragraph) so smokers should try to drag the victims down and feed the eager horde. Overall, this place is hit-or-miss -- an organized group can minimize damage here pretty easily. The culverts leading to the next area aren't that surprising either, but as with all blind corners, excellent boomer bile opportunities can await. D: Ruined Building ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ Where the two culverts meet is the basement of a building above, and often where any SIs in the area are lurking (particularly hunters). Search this lower area for any molotovs/pipebombs, because a tank may spawn when the ladder is taken (on higher difficulties this can be a surprise visit, so it pays to not all go up at once -- the punches can trap everyone up there!). The manhole entrance to the floor above may be right beside some throwable weapons as well, if they weren't found below. If a witch spawns here, she's often easily bypassable, luckily. [Falling into the basement through the floor hole can be easily rectified by climbing up the makeshift ladder!] Use a ground- -floor window to reach nature again... [A survivor closet is located on the first story.] VERSUS: As said before, the ground-floor tier is accessible by the manhole ladder and makeshift ladder near the floor pit -- dragging survivors down isn't that much of a nuisance, unfortunately. The witch who spawns here can cause a bit o' trouble but unless it's on a higher difficulty (Expert: instant kill if startled) or the team's already hurting, it's slim pickings. E: Train Station ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ The final stop is the train station, and a possible tank spawn location (beware of tossable cars). Ammo refills may appear on a bench nearby, and searching the small room nearby could reveal a 2nd pistol on the counter. The station is entered by breaking through a window. Inside, it's a quick sprint to the safehouse train car, although if a tank's following -- particularly on higher difficulties -- the lower area is connected and can allow for fleeing or returning fire. VERSUS: The last chance to stonewall the survivors takes place here! With any luck, someone becomes a tank and starts incapping humans with cars and such, while the others attempt to prevent someone from bumrushing the safehouse inside the station. There's almost ALWAYS some player who has a molotov at this point, so it's up to the non-tanks to try and prevent any from being thrown. Tanks should try to avoid being led off towards the previous location -- it's an obvious way to get the threat out of the area, letting the others finish the stage without much difficulty. So, stay local! _________________ ________ ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ |########\ AI-CONTROLLED WEAPON SELECTION III. THE CHURCH __________|_ _ #) ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ _________________ ( _| C^%* |_|___ #| Zoey ---- SMG -> Hunting Rifle ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ | ______________ D | Bill ---- SMG -> Assault Rifle | ##|### #| Louis --- SMG/Shotgun -> Assault R |__ ##|### #| Francis - SMG/Shotgun -> A. Shotgn _| ) ) _ŻŻ)### #( | _,- | [_] |## #_ #\ | ___ | _ |# (Ż\ #\ LEGEND | |x^$|B |*Ax|# )__) #\ ŻŻŻŻŻŻ | 'Ż%@ _ Ż |ŻŻ/#### #\ A: Outbuilding | | | ŻŻŻ|_/###*$ #\ B: Trainyard Tower |_,__,_|_|START|#########) #) C: Trainyard Bldg |#|ŻŻŻŻŻ #######/ #/ D: Forest Outskirts _______) xE* #####/ #/ E: Residence FINISH | /*$ | %!^ | #/ F: Church Grounds _| |___|_ _ ŻŻ|ŻŻ ####/ _| | | |ŻŻŻŻŻŻ ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ | xF! | x - Gun Upgrades ^ - Molotovs # - Forestry | |_____| [ ] | * - Pills ! - Ammo Only |_________)_____| $ - Medkit % - 2nd Pistol Outside of the safehouse, check the building's roof for smokers and be wary of the surrounding area, which has a lot of hiding spots despite being a rather wide-open region (SI's noises really carry here). For a team just starting the chapter here, the tower and outbuilding should be the first stop, since the safehouse only had default weapons and upgrades will be a huge help this early. [If upgrades were gotten in last level, bots will have kept them.] A: Outbuilding ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ The brick building near the start may contain weapon upgrades and should be the first stop, since it's low to the ground and easiest checked. Pills may spawn here, along with explosive/gas canisters. VERSUS: Not much to work with here, unless someone straggler goes inside or it's used as a drop-in point for boomers. The silo-like structures near one of the exits can be used as hiding places, and are often passed by if any goodies (that would mean bypassing the tower) were found within. B: Trainyard Tower ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ The tower is a three-story pinnacle rising above the surrounding landscape, and may contain healing supplies and weapon upgrades, as well as the middle room having throwable weapons. With the huge possibilities, it can end up being a grab bag -- but it's rare that a visit produces nothing of use. The outer stairway isn't fully railed, so watch out for smokers trying to drag stragglers to the ground. VERSUS: The tower is actually a pretty good place to spawn, since survivors on the top floor, although in close proximity distance-wise, don't prevent SIs from spawning in the mid-level room. Either room can be used for a good ambush, although smokers will want to hang around the base and try to snare survivors on the (only partially railed) stairway -- with any luck they plummet to the ground! [This works best if a horde appears, as it often does when the tower's visited.] C: Trainyard Building ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ The railroad tracks lead to a large building, whose middle walkway acts as a way to bypass the fence, to the street. The lower rooms often have gas canisters or molotovs, while the upper rooms may have throwable weapons as well, or pills/2nd pistol. Also of note is an upper room with a vacant freezer -- hiding in here (with door closed) prevents tanks from getting through, while the player(s) can shoot through the door and damage it. A little sketchy but helpful on higher difficulties. Attacking SIs love to drop in from the roof, but smokers can hide in the lower forestry and drag hapless victims back down -- blindfire into the trees and see what's there. VERSUS: Overall, a good place to attack the survivors, with or without a tank appearance. The lower levels aren't often explored, so attack opportunities are few, but the upper mini-rooms are mandatory to bypass and quick stops. Boomers can drop in onto that mid-level walkway for barf/explosions, while any SI can stand on that broken awning for temporary cover. Smokers, like usual, should keep their distance and hide in the foliage by the fence -- this sets up an opportunity to drag stragglers off the platform (forcing 'em to go all the way around again), and in best-case scenario, kill them while their comrades proceed to the boxcars' other side. In any case, smokers should use this attack to delay the advance and that's definitely the best spot to do it from. D: Forest Outskirts ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ On the outskirts of the trainyard is a forest access road flanked by trees; this, of course, lets attacking AIs and other zombies get decent cover and attack on a dime. The first stop of note is a wrecked bus -- listen for boomers who may be hiding on the other side. The 2nd stop is a small hut that may contain healing supplies or, rarely, weapon upgrades, and has a window facing the forest (watch for smokers). A tank/witch may spawn 'round this area. VERSUS: It need not be said that the thickets, trees, and weird boulders lend themselves well to stealth (particularly the smokers, where their smoky skin is almost completely hidden). The road itself is barren, though, so sloppy, uncoordinated attacks don't work that well [even if a tank spawns]. The wrecked bus is a good place for boomers to hide, while that SI and the smoker can team up when the survivors stop at the medical hut (you'll never see anyone run past this part, guaranteed). Hunters will have to take the bile-soaked scraps of the others attacks unless they're able to work in conjunction. E: Residence ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ Residence! This three-bedroom house has ammo and often pills, if y'want to search for 'em. The kitchen may have molotovs, too! Since a horde almost always attacks here, it pays to group together in one of the many bottlenecks -- the garage is a particularly good suggestion, although most any of the vacant quarters'll do the trick. On the other side of this place is a wrecked ambulance that may have healing supplies (medkits typically only on lower difficulties). VERSUS: It's a house with many window entrances to stealthily enter or ensnare from, in the smoker's case. However, close-range attacks typically aren't that effective unless a horde's spawned/summoned. Stragglers looking for supplies in the bedchambers can prove an easy target, though, so it helps to not let this place go completely to waste. F: Church Grounds ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ Time for Mass! The last stop of the stage is traversing the graveyard to reach the church, where the crescendo event starts when someone tries to open the safehouse door. Before this point, it pays to search the area for gas canisters (try tool shed nearby) and place them strategically, which can cut down on a lot of grief when holing up. Speaking of which, a good place to gather is the ammo room, which covers three entrances and cuts down on surprise attacks. [A tank doesn't spawn here, but a witch might, if not encountered earlier.] When the church bells stop tolling, proceed into the safehouse to finish. That "guy" who prevented everyone from getting in easily turns out to be an SI (randomized), but most often a boomer -- watch out if yer tryin' to get the Stomach Upset achievement! An alternate way to end the level is to hide in the dead-end alley behind the church, which narrows the amount of places the horde can come from, but opens the team up to easier SI interference, not to mention drawing the players from the ammo stockpile. If one way doesn't work, the other will -- keep at it... VERSUS: The relatively level graveyard and toolshed are barren opportunity- -wise, so the last stand in the church is the real point of concern. The crescendo event usually starts with the ritualistic "lighting of the gas canisters," so be careful not to get caught ablaze. Excepting the sloppy "everyone splits up inside and just shoots at whatever" strategy the survivors may take, they'll often either (1) hole up in the ammunition room (2) hide in the outdoor alley's dead-end, rarely. The first gives employs few strategies besides a bumrush/smoker tactic and may not work too well, depending on how many entrances the team is watching; the second is a little better for boomers/smokers but hunters may not perform at optimum. AI-CONTROLLED WEAPON SELECTION _________ _____ _____________ ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ ____ _ | _ @ | * | ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ Bill ---- Assault Rifle | | |_| | |_ _| | |Ż| IV. THE TOWN Zoey ---- Hunting Rifle |END _ _|I _____ Ż Ż | _____________ Louis --- Assault Rifle |____| |___| | ^ |_|Ż |Ż ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ Francis - Auto Shotgun ___________|_______| Ż| |_ | x H ŻŻŻ| | MAP LEGEND |_ |ŻŻ | ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ |ŻŻŻŻŻ| |ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ| |Ż |Ż ____ ____ A: The Church | G ^ | _ |_|___|__ _| ' ^ | B: Convenience Store |_| _|___|_| |___| @ | | |_ C_,_ _| C: Warehouse _| |_____/ | |_ |_|__ _ ___ | D: Parking Lot 1 ___| _| ( _| | | B !| | E: Parking Lot 2 |@^ | | ^@ | _ | | | %| | | F: Parking Lot 3 |*!Ż F |ŻŻŻŻ| E |^* | D |ŻŻŻŻ| Ż ŻŻŻ |____ G: Office Building |___| | | | / |_,_| |_ _| ) ' | H: Thoroughfare (Crescendo) | Ż Ż __|_____ __ / / | I: Safehouse Alleyway Ż|_|ŻŻŻŻ|_|Ż|_| |_| |_/ŻŻŻŻŻŻ Ż|Ż\__| ( A ) POSSIBILITIES LEGEND |_|Ż Ż|__/ ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ |START| x - Gun Upgrades ^ - Molotovs ! - Ammo Only ŻŻŻŻŻ * - Pills $ - Medkit @ - Pipe Bombs % - 2nd Pistol A: The Church ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ The safehouse exit is the church's 2F scaffolding, and the area around its base is mostly level, not to mention surrounded by a stone wall. A horde and SIs may spawn here, but usually only if the team lollygags. The nearby street is rather spartan, save for a crashed truck (check for gas tanks) and a few assorted cars. [A tank may spawn on the street, so don't get hit upside the head with a Buick or anything.] VERSUS: Make good use of the survivors setup time to get situated! Almost every SI sets up on the roof for good reason: blind corners, getting close to the humans, easy to ambush the longer they take. One good boomer barf on low ground can start this stage off with a bang, while smokers can use the scaffolding's height differential to get in extra hits on stragglers while the others find a trajectory. All SIs can get outside the normal boundries of the map here, which is quite good for hunters who can hide, clear the wall, and tackle vigilant survivors! [Survivors typically expect SIs to hide on the roof area, so striking from below can throw them a curve.] B: Convenience Store ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ Across the street from the sanctuary is a two-entrance convenience store, which provides a little refuge, plus an ammo resupply. A corpse here will have an auto shotgun, should anyone have second thoughts about their primary weapon. A 2nd pistol may spawn on the counter, and a horde can show up as well -- which is good, since this place good for holding off mobs. If needed already, there's a survivor closet, too. VERSUS: Two entrances and two tiny rooms for humans to hide in if an infected swarm arrives... Generally this place is a "take what you can get" area, with smokers bootstrapping snares through windows, boomers hiding on the roof or in the warehouse, and hunters seeking out stragglers for feastin'. Forcing the team to startle a witch (if she spawns) is also helpful. And of course, if a tank spawns down the street, then there's a few tossable cars to use for Survivor Bowling. C: Warehouse ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ The store's alleyway connects to a small warehouse, which is of little use normally, but may provide a hiding spot for SIs (boomers, particularly) and maybe molotovs. Oftentimes there's nothing here, not even a gascan. VERSUS: Good for temporary hiding, but survivors search it quickly (if at all) and leave. Don't plan on making a crucial play here, 'cause it ain't happening. D: Parking Lot 1 ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ The store's street leads past a small corner office, to a local mall parking lot (the first of three in this level). There are a few small garages to explore here, which could contain throwable weapons...but most of the time, nothing useful in the long term. One gutted building leads to the opposite storefront. VERSUS: Fast teams will blow through this place, leaving SIs little time to strike...that solidarity isn't very helpful! However, survivors who leapfrog from garage to garage, searching for miscellaneous items, can backfire in the grand scheme of things -- it gives SIs more time to set up and can even spawn a horde. Boomers should anticipate the team's speed and try to hinder progress by waiting in the mandatory garage. E: Parking Lot 2 ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ Second parking lot! It's much the same as the first, except there's fewer side locations to explore and a horde probably swamps the team here. Pay attention for sobbing, as a witch may be nearby! Check the storage room across the way and the outside dumpster pen for any usables before going forth. VERSUS: Similar to the first lot, except there's less to explore and a few more places to hide -- smokers can use the building ledges, while hunters and boomers can use the dumpster & truck as cover for ambushing. This is also a possible witch spawn location, so baiting survivors into hitting her is always a delay tactic. F: Parking Lot 3 ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ The final parking lot! If a mob or witch hasn't spawned yet, they probably will here. The building the zombies bust out of also contains some ammo and, perhaps, throwable weapons/pills for the road ahead. Leaving this area is done by using a van to reach a higher ledge, then getting onto a balcony to cut through the next structure. VERSUS: Similar to the 2nd lot, except the visit's shorter (nothing to explore except ammo house) and a little more dangerous: a horde almost always spawns here, and when the office building's entered, someone could become a tank. Since the mandatory exit to this area is on an upper ledge, it's prudent to attack whoever has a molotov(s), giving more longevity to the tank. Play your cards right and this could be "the spot" to nix the survivors' flight outta this city. G: Office Building ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ Time to work late! Not usually important or helpful, besides a few molotovs in the meeting room, but this IS one of the few places a tank can spawn (when entering). On higher difficulties, it can be a dreaded "surprise spawn," where there's no accompanying music to herald its arrival, and the entire team is endangered. The aforementioned meeting room leads out to the adjacent street via awning. [This building has a "closet" bathroom for rescuing fallen comrades.] VERSUS: As said, a tank can spawn here, but there's little else to help (don't put on your party hat yet!). The meeting room that leads down to the thoroughfare isn't one-way, and there's usually at least one molotov that spawns here... Meh. H: Thoroughfare (Crescendo) ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ The thoroughfare here contains the zombie-summoning crescendo event, which starts when a forklift if activated. [If a witch spawns here, take her out first!] It's easy to fight off the horde on lower difficulties, but those who can't risk it on higher ones should retreat to the previous office building to minimize damage -- after all, climbing zombies are harmless zombies! [Molotovs help too, natch.] After 2-3 waves, the excitement ends. The rest of the path is straightforward and uneventful, usually, except for maybe a boomer coming late to the party. VERSUS: SIs can climb on the buildings here, and should capitalize on the crescendo event's chaos, which is easiest if survivors don't run away and hide somewhere (office building, storefront ledge, etc.) If a witch hasn't spawned yet, she probably will here -- but no team with two brain cells to rub together is going to start the crescendo before killing her, so no stalling there. I: Safehouse Alleyway ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ The final stretch is the safehouse alleyway, which starts at the laundromat (an AI-controlled survivor calls it a saferoom, despite it generally having nothing useful there) and the actual saferoom. To reach the destination, one has to go through the alley, use a sidestair to reach a roof, cross the alley via planks, then use the opposite side's roofs to bypass the fence. It's pretty cut-and-dry, but those interested in playing it safe can search the rooms to find pipebombs/molotovs, useful if a horde spawns at an inopportune moment. SI-wise, there's little danger for close-knit teams, except for a smoker pulling someone off a roof -- at best it's a minor inconvenience; at worst, the teammates jumped the fence and can't save the straggler. VERSUS: This two-story area may not be perfect, but can work for ambushes just fine. Boomers should try to drop in on the survivors' pack as they proceed, splashing at least two people -- this lets the smoker and hunter(s) attack the unaffected and hopefully put the kibosh on the chances of finishing. If that doesn't work, there's still hiding places to harness, such as the stairway building's basement. Smokers can also pull survivors back down into the alley if they're crossing the roof plank, and (by snaring) keep them on the fence overlook point, preventing them from jumping and stopping anyone who already jumped from helping. Sometimes survivors will try to play hero and dawdle (helping incapped, healing up, going back for stragglers) or cut the deadweight and run -- both situations can tip the odds in the SIs favor. Note that the between-building planks can be broken by SIs so someone who spawns ahead of the survivors can get to work on that. END ___________________ AI-CONTROLLED WEAPONS _____ |Ż| _ ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ ___/Ż\__| *@ |__| |___/ ) V. BOATHOUSE FINALE Zoey ---- Hunting Rifle ) _ | $G^ | | ___________________ Bill ---- Assault Rifle | |F |_ ! _| ####### | ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ Louis --- Assault Rifle )# [$*] ###### ) Francis - Auto Shotgun ( ###ŻŻ ### | ] ##### / POSSIBILITIES LEGEND |############ [ | ## ,-' ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ ) _________________,~-' x - Gun Upgrades ! - Ammo Only ( (####|__ ####### * - Pills @ - Pipe Bombs \ \_ ####|____ $ - Medkit % - 2nd Pistol \_ E ___ | ^ - Molotovs # - Forestry (Cover) / | *$| |_____ / | | D Ż | LEGEND ( _) ŻŻŻŻŻŻ |ŻŻŻŻŻ |Ż ŻŻŻŻŻ| A: Safehouse Garage | | | B: Blocked-Off Street |_|ŻŻŻ|_|_|Ż Ż|_| C: Residence |*%C$!| D: Riverside Park Entrance ___|_ _|______ E: Park Trail | B | F: Hunter's Cabin |_______ ^ | G: Riverside House | * | Ż|ŻŻŻŻ |Ż A| | |_|_ _| The final chapter in Death Toll brings the survivors | __| through the town outskirts, to Riverside Park, where a | | houseboat can be radioed for extraction. Although this | | is a rather large map on the whole, most of it isn't (or |_____| shouldn't, rather) be explored, since it's a time waste. A: Safehouse Garage ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ The safehouse garage is the nearest stop, and may have some pills in the small closet/booth area. A horde may spawn (from front door) if the team takes too long in exiting, but generally this area sees little action (at least in campaign). VERSUS: Despite the close quarters, it's possible to spawn in a sideroom, which is particularly good for boomers who don't want to wait on the roof. Survivors can hold off summoned hordes rather easily here (only one way in) but that chaos can help the other SIs out some, too. B: Blocked-Off Street ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ Outside is a barricaded street, so only a few of the suburb's houses are accessible. To the "right" of where one exits, there may be molotovs 'neath a lamppost, so always check there! SIs typically show up around here, most often from across the street; rarely, one may be atop the roof of the building just to the left. A horde spawns here if a team takes too long in visiting the lit-up house. VERSUS: This suburban street can be a useful staging area for attack: (1) smokers can hide behind one of the street-end barricades and snag prey, which is particularly helpful for those who look for molotovs (2) any SI can climb onto the safehouse roof and drop down suddenly, so boomers don't have to use the sidewalk for a good shot (3) the foliage & exterior corners of the houses can be good refuge for smokers. C: Residence ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ Only one house is accessible to enter here. It always has ammo and maybe a 2nd pistol (bedroom) and medkit/pills (bathroom). Be wary of boomers who may spawn in close quarters -- summoned hordes arrive from both exits of the house! Luckily, it's quite easy to hole up in a small section of this place and fight them off. The backyard gives less protection, with SIs able to wait on the roof, around the fenced-off corner, and in hunters' cases, leap the fences entirely for spectacular pounces. [The backyard next-door is of no importance] VERSUS: Similar to the previous garage, although there's not much room here, SIs can spawn inside if the survivors are concentrated in the kitchen areas. Boomers, like usual, can use this attempt to get close-range booms; survivors will be listening for their telltale grunts, however. Smokers can get a few shots through windows, but shouldn't bother, generally, unless the humans are playing shoddily. Hunters wisely choose to wait roof-side for those entering the backyard -- their best place to attack -- and can even leap over fences to find their prey. D: Riverside Park Entrance ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ This place may've been a scenic area for picnickers, but now serves as a zombie hunting ground! [A witch/tank may spawn here, so stay away from cars in the latter's case.] The small entrance booth may have some goodies, especially those of the healing variety, so always check there. Additionally, a gas tank often spawns around back, if y'want one. VERSUS: This wide-open parking lot has a lot of forestry and places to hide (by vehicles, around shed, etc.), so spawning typically isn't a problem. A popular spot for an early attack is the burning barrel by the backyard fence, where SIs (smokers/boomers particularly) can hide. It's surprising how many people don't immediately look that way when leaving the residence's area! [A tank spawning here can use the vehicles as projectiles, too, remember.] E: Park Trail ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ Riverside Park's footpath winds underneath a tree-filled cliff before cutting through the forest to a small waterside house & sitting area. There'll be tons of infected to stave off here, most of which can hide in the trees' loving boughs, so be prepared. SIs may spawn at trail level, but it always helps to glance along the cliff's skyline (from afar) or have an ally keep watch (if human-controlled) since any SI who jumps down from the cliff has an easy drop-in on an oblivious team. VERSUS: The trail winds up a small hill before going towards a sitting area, itself near the radio hut. SIs are advised to use the cliff overlook as a springboard to attack lower survivors, particularly those that need the element of surprise (read: boomers). The massive amount of brush and trees gives good all-around cover, so this place is ripe with chances, but the cliff is probably the best. [Just beware whip-smart survivors who toss molotovs up there to pre-empt SI spawning!] F: Hunter's Cabin ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ Nestled in the woods, a small hunter's cabin can provide healing supplies and refuge from the zombies. While a possible location to fight off the main force of infected (during rescue), almost all walls are windowed, the cabin has 2 entrances, and the woods aren't a good place to hide during a tank's appearance (for obvious reasons). Thus, a team bent on surviving should shack up in the main building nearby. VERSUS: Most of the time this place won't be visited, but hurt survivors may try to come here for its meager supplies. In that case, the many windows (on 3 of the 4 sides) and two doors provide easy access for the SIs, not to mention the hiding places nearby. G: Riverside House ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ The largest building in Riverside Park is right on the water's edge, and provides guns/ammo/healing supplies downstairs, and perhaps throwable weapons upstairs. The rescue radio is also here, which makes this the best place to fight off the chapter's final enemies. The main way to proceed is to find somewhere to stay during the horde bumrush -- such as the upstairs portion, which is more dangerous, or the ground-floor closet, which is less so -- and exit outside when the tank comes. Light him on fire, run around a bit, use the turret if y'can, then repeat when he's dead. As usual, the progress is always horde -> tank -> horde -> tank. When the 2nd tank dies, immediately run to the dock and wait for the boat to arrive. Molotov (or use a gastank nearby, if it spawns) to prevent normal infected from getting nearby, and finish off by watching for smokers. VERSUS: The final stop to the level, and the most commonly used by survivors, this is where SIs make their final stand. At worst, a team hides in the upstairs portion, each one in a corner, covering all vantage points. A wall and roof portion can be broken (latter good for smokers & boomers) but it's the tank parts, where the survivors are forced to exit, where real chaos begins. Divide and conquer is the key. Note that SIs can enter the water -- a good hiding spot -- but mostly only smokers can use it to its full advantage. Whoever becomes the tank should remember that going into the water EXTINGUISHES fire, so when someone has a molotov on-hand, keep that in mind. |Ż|Ż|________________________________________________________________________ |Ż| | |ŻŻŻ\ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ | |_ | [) ) DEAD AIR [WK03] |___| |___/____________________________________________________________________ |_|ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ I. The Greenhouse II. The Crane III. The Construction Site IV. The Terminal V. Runway Finale ___________________ AI-CONTROLLED WEAPON SELECTION ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ I. THE GREENHOUSE Zoey ---- SMG ___________________ Bill ---- SMG ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ Louis --- SMG ___ _ _____ Francis - SMG | * | | |_ |ŻŻŻŻŻ|___|_ _|_|_ | |___ POSSIBILITIES LEGEND | D | E ___ _|_ | ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ |_ _|___| | _| % | | x - Gun Upgrades ! - Ammo Only |^ ^*| @ |___ _|_| |__ * - Pills @ - Pipe Bombs |_ | % |ŻŻŻŻŻ|@^ ) ) | $ - Medkit % - 2nd Pistol |_|Ż|Ż| | | * ( ( F | ^ - Molotovs | C | | | _______ |_ | | |___,- -.____| LEGEND |___ | | | _| G |_ ŻŻŻŻŻŻ |* | |_| _ | |_ __| A: Greenhouse | B _ [_] | |_| | B: Rooftop 1 & 2 | |_| _| |_____| | END | C: Apartment Complex 1 | | |_____| D: Rooftop 3 | A | E: Apartment Complex 2 |___ | F: Side Street | | | G: Hotel/Safehouse | @ ^ | |START| This level has basically no ammo pickups, so people using the SMG ŻŻŻŻŻ should try to conserve some of their munitions! A: Greenhouse ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ The greenhouse is the starting point for this level, and has default weapons and molotovs/pipebombs, which should appear even on higher difficulties (but not in versus, to wit). Only normal infected appear in the wide greenhouse floor, which has planter tables interspersed through the area. Survivors can walk on the beams overhead for a bird's-eye view of the place, rather than jumping into the thick of things. Pills may spawn on a table opposite the starting location. Generally, SIs don't bother to enter this region unless the survivors are slow as molassas in proceeding. VERSUS: Sorry to say, but the survivors really get the natural upper hand here -- wide-open spaces, few hiding places besides tables, and it's right by the start, so little time to set up. Any SI (or SI team) should use the survivors' time here to setup on the rooftops. B: Rooftop 1 & 2 ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ Outside, the way forward requires rooftop-crossing, done by a wooden plank stretched between the two. The roofs have tiny rails so smokers can't pull people off, but that doesn't apply when on the wooden plank! Watch out for smokers on the apartment roof (popular place in versus) and one's own carelessness -- falling to the side doesn't take any health off, but it's still embarrassing. As long as y'watch for smokers here, it's not that annoying to cross. VERSUS: The first good place to attack has many options. The greenhouse rooftop can be climbed, so smokers can use the broken ceiling tiles to catch their lunch, while the 2nd rooftop has a large maintenance entrance (can't be accessed normally) that takes up half the space, and is a good hiding spot for hunters. Boomers can use either of these spots as well. But perhaps the best tactic here is standing on the 1st apartment's roof and smoking a survivor who walks across the gangplank between roofs. Since it's railless, any caught survivor will be forced to hang off the edge! [Although since this is a popular strategem, well-travelled players may be anticipating this, so be wary.] C: Apartment Complex 1 ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ Rooftop #2 connects to the top half of an apartment building, which has a kitchenette, a hero closet, and a few other anterooms of no importance. Some goodies may spawn here (molotov, pills, 2nd pistol, etc.) but it's up to chance, like most things. Survivors are often in close proximity by the nature of this place, so it's not that good for ambushes -- still, smokers can pull stragglers back towards the roof, and boomers can hide nearby for quick booms (which helps hunters out, too). [A horde often spawns here.] VERSUS: A short building tier with little to aid SIs, besides blind corners, a few (bypassed) rooms, and the kitchenette where survivors'll typically hole up by as they attack the next area's infected. Being close together and all, boomers can get the best opportunity here, especially if they spawn ahead of the prey (in a closet or something) and wait for a good ambush opportunity. Additionally, any SI can wait on the apartment's roof and drop down in front of the exit windows, giving a good surprise to the humans. [And since they're probably firing guns, boomers can kamikaze and hope for a good splash!] D: Rooftop 3 ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ Rooftop #3 is rather small and plays host to a few normal infected. A ladder nearby lets one get toward the next-door apartment complex, which is rather easily accessed. If there's any problem crossing here, it'll be because of smokers -- the lower roof looks down by an alley, and the SI in question can drag survivors to the edge (even off the ladder), forcing 'em to hang off the edge. Similarly, once up the ladder, a smoker can ensnare a straggler, separating him/her from the rest of the party (if they jumped down already), perhaps setting up an easy kill. [Try to see if any SIs are atop the first apartment building before even going onto the roofs -- the sheer wall gives boomers a good chance to explode one everyone.] VERSUS: This area has a short, lower roof connecting to a higher one by ladder. As mentioned in the normal procedures above, there's basically two good strategies here and the smoker gets 'em all: (1) standing on a far roof, opposite Apartment 1's exit window, so ensnared survivors trying to climb the ladder are pulled off the edge and hang into the alley (2) catching a straggler jumping from the high roof towards the 2nd apartment, which is a one-way drop and seals one's fate if they're caught. Naturally hunters and boomers can use these drop-in opportunities to their advantage as well, but as far as delays go, smokers win hands-down. [They can also use apartment 1's topside, which overlooks these roofs, for a good smoke opportunity too, not unlike #2 above. If a team has a bunch of shotguns, it can usually let one get away scot-free!] E: Apartment Complex 2 ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ The 2nd and final apartment building is of similar layout to the previous, but a little smaller. Generally a close-knit party should have no trouble getting through here! Just watch out for smokers coming up from behind, trying to drag smokers back towards the stairway, and anyone hiding in the downstairs room whose ceiling is blown off -- SIs can hide on the level above. [The exit window also provides a good sniping point on streetside enemies.] Pills (upstairs bedroom) and a 2nd pistol (kitchen) may also spawn here. VERSUS: A few rooms above connecting to a few below, where the street exit lies. It need not be said that anterooms give good ambush chances, although one should pay attention to a downstairs room, where the ceiling is busted -- SIs can hide above and bushwhack any stragglers stupid enough to come in. Also, smokers with the devil's luck can stand street-side and try to ensnare victims through windows -- this is particularly good versus survivors by the kitchen's, although it can apply to the upstairs window as well. F: Side Street ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ To reach sidewalk level, the team must descend via a semi trailer's roof. The blocked-off road is, expectedly, filled with normal infected, so it's not a bad idea to snipe some from the apartment window before crossing. [Although it may not matter since a horde often spawns here.] Be careful not to shoot/melee the red car in front of the semi as its hair-trigger alarm is like a lighthouse beacon for another horde! It's possible to hole up in the ground- -level hotel the semi crashed into, but there's typically nothing there (molotovs maybe), and the safehouse is right across the way. VERSUS: In typical gameplay circumstances, the survivors beeline for the safehouse across the street -- the nooks and crannies around here are lost on 'em! However, SIs can still use these places to their advantage. The semi wrecked into a small hotel which can be used as a waiting place for survivors as they cross the vehicle (smokers can suck enemies down). Additionally, SIs can hide UNDER the semi, so that they're completely concealed from eyes above -- this is particularly good for boomers. And finally, the old "alarm bait" trick still applies, where an SI stands by the red car out front and forces a survivor to shoot at, and through, them to trigger the loud noise. This may not work too well from far, far away so only attempt if the survivors are on the semi already! [And if y'didn't figure it out yet, SIs can hide behind the chain-link barricade, if it comes to that.] On the flipside, a survivor can trigger the alarm from the semi, then run back to Apartment 2 and fight everyone off there -- this robs SIs of their underhanded ambush and minimizes the entrances the horde arrives from. G: Hotel/Safehouse ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ Once the survivors make it to the hotel, the stage is pretty much complete. However, SIs can drop in from the 2F interior balcony and try to cause a little riot, so expedience is key -- rush right in when the coast is clear and lock that door! VERSUS: Chances are, if the survivors are already here, they've sealed the deal, winning the match. However, SIs can still hide in the upper balcony for one last hurrah...although if you're staging an attack here, why didn't you do it on the street? Hurrrrrr... :) ___________________ MAP LEGEND ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ II. THE CRANE A: Safehouse Garage ___________________ B: Back-alley Dump ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ C: Apartment 1 Zoey ---- SMG -> Hunting Rifle D: Apartment 2 Bill ---- SMG -> Assault Rifle E: Crane (Crescendo) Louis --- SMG -> Assault Rifle F: Rooftops Francis - SMG -> Auto Shotgun G: Merrill Law Office H: Safehouse Sidestreet _____ __| |_|ŻŻŻŻŻ| POSSIBILITIES LEGEND _____| | _ %^@ | ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ | | | | | _|_ x - Gun Upgrades ! - Ammo Only | END | %^x |_| | | | * - Pills @ - Pipe Bombs | ___| | @!* | |_ G | $ - Medkit % - 2nd Pistol | _ | |_____| | |Ż | ^ - Molotovs | ^ | H @ | | |Ż | |_____|__|Ż|ŻŻŻŻŻ|_| Ż | ,-------------------------------. | |___ _ | | _______ | |_ _| | |_| | | | _|-' _|F|_ |_____| | |___| |___ _ | |_|ŻŻŻŻŻ| | | | | | | | _ | | _____ _______ | _ _____| |_____|_| E | | | | A _| |___| | |_ |_ | | | B _ _| | | | | | |_ _|___ ___ | |_ _|_| | |___ _____| |_ D x |_ |--' |___ _|START| | | | | ) ^| ___| | | |_____| _|_ |ŻŻŻ| |@ _| | | | | | _|------|__ |_| | |_ ŻŻ|__| @| |___| ( Cx | | |_|___| \__|_|_____| A: Safehouse Garage ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ The small garage adjacent to the safehouse is the first stop in campaign, and, unlike in Versus, sees little action -- a few infected here and there but no spawning SIs (well, unless you wait a heckuva long time). No reason to dawdle, in any case. VERSUS: It's possible to spawn just outside the safehouse, in the metal storage locker (good for boomers) or the shelves around the corner. It pays to not spawn prematurely as these spots may not be useful for fast teams. When playing as survivors, it pays to stand in sight of possible spawnpoints until everyone's ready to leave -- this prevents the SIs from drawing first blood. B: Back-alley Dump ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ Out back, the way forward is by jumping the fence-side dumpster, climbing up a truck's box stack, and ascending the apartment's fire escape. While some normal infected are here, there may not be any SIs -- still, it's good to scan the rooftops, the apartment window high above the garage entrance (smokers sometimes go there), and the open-windowed building opposite the dumpster. [A witch may spawn in this area; hopefully it's not at the bottom of the fire escape ladder, especially on higher difficulties...] VERSUS: There's only a couple good spots to attack from here: (1) when 3 survivors have jumped the fence, someone attacks a straggler to get a few extra shots in; or, best-case scenario, they kill 'em. Remember that jump's one-way! (2) a smoker uses the rooftop for a quick pull, or the apartment window that overlooks the fire escape -- survivors can be snared and pulled back down to the base, which is a good delay tactic. C: Apartment 1 ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ The lower tier of the many-roomed apartment building is actually easy going, although thorough players may be tempted to search the flats for goodies. That nearest the fire escape may have weapon upgrades, but the rest typically aren't that fruitful -- besides, a tank can spawn in one of them around here! As we all know, close-quarters tankdom ain't welcome 'round these parts! A stairway at the hall's end leads up to... VERSUS: Y'gotta take what y'can get here -- a fast team will ignore anterooms and head upstairs, while meticulous gamers can be preyed upon a bit more. Observe the survivors and see if it's worth spawning around here. D: Apartment 2 ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ Upstairs are the rest of the apartments. There's considerably fewer here, and only two are accessible. One is isolated and usually has nothing important, although a throwable weapon may spawn there. The larger suite may contain weapon upgrades, but also check for molotovs and pipebombs -- they spawn by the kitchenette. A low window leads out into the next area. VERSUS: The suite adjacent to the crane rooftop is a pretty decent attack location, and one of the walls, unbreakable in campaign, can be smashed down. This part itself isn't THAT good for attacking normally, but is a good place for smokers (etc.) to wait while the survivors run outside for the next section. It's possible to smoke targets through windows here, so always be on the lookout. E: Crane (Crescendo) ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ Overhead, the crane looms large, and around its base are a few gascans and a fenced area. Unlike in Versus mode, it's quite easy to do this crescendo event -- start the lift, light the canisters by the fence's opening, and pick off the rest. The AI-controlled survivors may get a little singed but that stops about 90% of the horde in their tracks. Most SIs stay away here, but look for smokers in the just-left suite -- they like to snare from the windowsill. VERSUS: The crescendo event is a bit harder than in campaign, technically -- there's no fence to impede the horde, and there's a maintenance entrance taking up part of the roof, so SIs can draw closer than would be possible normally. Survivors will typically still hide on or around the crane, so it helps to pick off stragglers, making the others leave their safety perch to assist. F: Rooftops ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ The crane lowers a dumpster to the rest of the rooftops when all's said and done, so that's the way to continue -- it's rather uneventful. Still, parts of the roofs aren't ledged so smokers can drag their vigilance-less prey off without warning -- although sometimes AI-controlled survivors fall off anyway. [They're dumb like that.] The final rooftop leads into a law building. VERSUS: Three areas are wide-open and have scarce cover, so besides surprise attacks, this area's good for delaying survivors. Well-aimed smoking can drag survivors off the edge of the roof, where most isn't ledged. [Example of this is on 2nd rooftop from crane -- stand on first and drag survivor off as they try to cross wooden plank.] G: Merrill Law Offices ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ This haven for corporate raiders is now decrepit and zombie-filled, and is the most time-consuming part of this stage -- it's about 5 floors of trudging through a sea of cubicles. To start with, a tank can spawn right after entering this building, near where "Merrill Law Office" is written. Beyond, and perhaps symbolically, a desk may have a pistol and booze (molotov) to take before crossing a plank into the adjacent building. By the bathrooms is a lobby where ammo, weapon upgrades, and some healing supplies can spawn -- as well as a tank if one hasn't been encountered yet. The most expedient path through the lower floors is ignoring anterooms and just cutting through the cubicles to the stairway (this is especially good for avoiding witches). Various goodies are hidden throughout the chambers though, if y'want to waste time looking for 'em. Another good thing about the cubicles is that they're low to the ground; standing on one lets a player see throughout the entire floor, useful for locating the taller SIs. VERSUS: A massive multi-story descent isn't that hard on its own, but with tons of normal infected to sort through, and perhaps a witch/tank spawning somewhere, even guerilla tactics can take their toll. Thorough room-checkers may find that compulsion works against them here, as most offices are empty and pills may not even spawn. H: Safehouse Sidestreet ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ Once the law firm's traversed, the team ends up on the street -- and like other stages' finales, the usual tactics apply: (1) stick together (2) don't shoot the red alarmed car (3) be vigilant. There's a back alley that connects to the ground floor of the law firm, plus a garage, if y'want to bother to look (sometimes a pipebomb spawns or somethin'). Across the street's the storage-cum-safehouse, and the final destination in this part. [If SIs attack, it's usually from the law firm's entrance or by the fence near the safehouse.] VERSUS: The final destination is kitty-corner to the law firm's exit, so it's not exactly a hard spot to reach. While a horde normally spawns around here anyway, it pays to hedge yer bets and bait a car alarm (y'know, stand by red alarmed car and let survivor shoot at it -- boom!) to summon even more masses. After such a long stretch arriving here, it's not unheard of for survivors to lose, picked clean by the ravages of zombie anger! ____________________ __________________________ POSSIBILITIES LEGEND | ^@ * | ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ | % ) / \ \| III. THE CONSTRUCTION SITE x - Gun Upgrades |_ |__ _/ _ _ ) __________________________ * - Pills TO | G% |_ _ F | ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ $ - Medkit END-| *^@ | *% |_____| | ^ - Molotovs |_____|____| | Zoey ---- Shotgun > Hunting R. ! - Ammo Only |@x*^! x^ |@| | Bill ---- Shotgun > Assault R. @ - Pipe Bombs |___ E_|_____|Ż Ż Louis --- Shotgun > Assault R. % - 2nd Pistol | | |_ @ | Francis - Shotgun > Auto Shotty _ ____| ^@ |*^%| | LEGEND | | | |____|Ż _ Ż|__ _________ ŻŻŻŻŻŻ | | | | | | | _ |% __ _ | A: Safehouse Alley | |_ _| D |^ |_____| |_ | | | | | B: Construction | |_ _| |_| *xC ___ %*!|___ _____| |__|__| | C: Deserted Street |_______________| | |@ * |ŻŻŻ| ^@| ___ A _____| D: Power Station | _| |_,_|Ż |___|_| | | | E: Power Station Garage |___| | |* | | | | | | F: Metro Int'l Parking Lot | _| ŻŻŻ| % | | |_____| G: Carpark to Safehouse | | | | ___| | ŻŻ |<| |< _| | |Ż|x[ _| | |^@ B | | ŻŻ | A: Safehouse Alley ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ The alley runs perpendicular to the safehouse, with one end looping around a garage (opens from other side) before heading towards the construction zone. The main spots to check for SI activity are on the garage roof and around the far corner, leading towards the construction project. [Possible horde spawn location.] VERSUS: Besides the two aforementioned hiding places, SIs have a climb-up spot right alongside the safehouse door, from which they can simply wait and drop in, or jump from the summit onto a fire escape -- a good place for smokers to lie in wait. Survivors typically stick to the main path here. B: Construction Site (Crescendo) ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ This area consists of much scaffolding and a building's half-completed husk, not to mention an early crescendo -- shooting a special gas canister bundle near a lower barricade causes it to slowly burn down. But before that, it's helpful to scope out the area for throwables, gas canisters of your own, and the hero closet (ground level) if y'need it already. To prepare for the crescendo, it helps to break the wooden plank connecting the scaffolding to the large building, preventing the horde from just walking across, and just holing up on said structure's 2F -- keep overwatch on the pit ladder, since that's really the only place enemies will climb up from. [A gascan/molotov in that pit is quite helpful.] Any SI attacks will typically come from that pit, where the gascans spawned, or in the hunters' case, a surprise jump up from ground floor. The pit isn't ledged so y'gotta be vigilant. [Similar to the car alarm bait trick, crouching by where the gascans spawn can sacrifice oneself to destroy all of them.] The alleyway to the street typically isn't precipitous unless a tank spawns, in which case, RETREAT back to the construction site and fight it off there. The reason for this is the alley is quite cramped and there are plenty of dumpsters (i.e. instant incap projectiles) to hit multiple people with... VERSUS: This place is chock full of good attack spots. Smokers should probably stick to ground floor (for the cover), while attempting to pull survivors off 2F ledges. There are a few places where this can be hilariously awesome, the best of which is probably pulling a foe into the 1st alleyway from the husk's scaffolding -- it requires a survivor going to a certain spot, but it's very annoying (for them) if it works. Don't forget that survivors aren't the only ones who can break that wooden plank between buildings -- doing so doesn't stop them from jumping the gap, but failing to do so is always an option. The alley to the street isn't that bad a place to launch attacks either, with a few anterooms to hide in, smokers being able to hide on the roof overlooking the entire route, and a tank spawn possibly happening there. [Try to hit foes with a dumpster for major hilarity.] C: Deserted Street ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ This lonely stretch of road consists of two accessible buildings (each across from the other), a large crater in the road, and a fenced-off power station en route to the next area. There may be throwables near the cop car, pills or a 2nd pistol in on one building, and always a hero closet in another. This is a possible witch/tank spawn location, so exercise caution... A garage past this area may have assorted spoils, but the witch can spawn here as well. VERSUS: If the survivors hole up in a building, it's a good idea to hide on the roof and ambush 'em as they stream out. Smokers can use the fenced-off portion for cover and easier hidability at long distances. Despite not having a lot to find, people still search the anterooms, so boomers should anticipate where some are going and strike from there. D: Power Station ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ The fenced-off blocks of generators can shelter lots of normal zombies and SIs, so systematically cleaning them helps before proceeding. Besides that, this place is generally wide-open and should allow most survivors to see who's coming long before they're in attack range. [Possible witch/tank location.] Horde zombies typically come from over the fence boundary, too. The grassy lawn leads to a garage nearby. VERSUS: Besides the fenced-off areas providing decent cover for SIs, smokers can use the roofs around here to strangle stragglers -- this is particularly helpful against shotgun-carrying teams. If a tank spawns, survivors typically stay in the area rather than retreating, which should be good news for any slower SI -- no anticipating their next move! E: Power Station Garage ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ There's usually some goodies here to take -- healing supplies and throwables -- plus an ammo pile or weapon upgrades. The garage adjacent may have molotovs and the small corridor leads out into the airport parking lot. This area's generally pretty safe to travel through, with any SIs getting their attacks in at ground level (although there are a few spots of elevation, such as over a door frame). A horde may spawn around this area. VERSUS: Not much to go with besides peekaboo tactics -- if y'can, spawn in the next area instead. Of course, if the team's already weak, keep up the pressure... F: Metrol Int'l Parking Lot ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ Once it housed cars of all degrees, but now it plays hosts to rubble and burning debris. A small office near the start may contain pills/2nd pistol, but the real destination is navigating the junk to reach the carpark. A horde often spawns near the end of this walk, and a witch/tank sighting is also a possibility, 'specially if one hasn't been encountered yet. VERSUS: Besides the junk mounds one can hide behind, there's only generic opportunities at ground level. Smokers can hide on some of the overhanging roofs, giving them a better chance at survival, and, of course, the chance of a tank spawning is always there. This area gives a wide berth to tanks, so try not to get molotov'd on if at all possible! G: Carpark to Safehouse ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ The carpark is a dark and dreary 3-story building, with each floor connected to the next-highest by a ramp or stairway. [A tank/witch may spawn here if not seen so far.] 1F only needs to be half-explored since the ramp's halfway through; still, make sure to look for any goodies in the lit-up portions before continuing. 2F is square-shaped, and "right" of the stairwell a bit is often a throwable weapon cache. The final floor is a skybridge to the safehouse and a generally safe haven, with any infected having one way to get in (from carpark stairway). Still, beware any SIs who spawn near the end. None of the cars are alarmed, by the way. VERSUS: For tanks, the carpark is like Disneyland -- loads of fun, not too much wiggle room, and plenty of vehicles to incap people with. The other SIs will have to attack at normal level, greatly reducing their effectiveness in the final stretch -- the best way to proceed is using a tank's appearance to boom on everyone, which can easily seal everyone's fate. Alternately, spawn near the safehouse and hide inside (or the tiny corridor branching off there) and try to get stragglers. Killing all SIs makes the skybridge portion very easy, so don't put all yer eggs in one basket. ____________________ ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ POSSIBILITIES LEGEND MAP LEGEND IV. THE TERMINAL ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ ____________________ x - Gun Upgrades A: Safehouse Corridor ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ * - Pills B: Office Block Zoey ---- Hunting Rifle $ - Medkit C: Airport Concourse Bill ---- Assault Rifle ^ - Molotovs D: Baggage Handling Louis --- Assault Rifle ! - Ammo Only E: Airport Security Francis - Auto Shotgun @ - Pipe Bombs F: Terminal Lobby ___ ____ ___ ___ _____ % - 2nd Pistol ( | ^ | | | | \ |___ ____ | END ) ___ ___ | @ | __________| |____________ | | | | ^@* |B | | @F |_______ | |____|_|_____| |___| _________ |_______ |_ _| _____ |___ _| * | _ _|___^ |_ | _| | ^* | |^@ |ŻŻ__|_ _| | | |^ ŻŻ|@| | | |A _|_|_| |_| |______ ŻŻŻŻŻ ŻŻŻ|ŻŻŻŻŻŻ| ^ | _|*| |_| %ŻŻ|^| | | |_ _| _____| __ | | | _|ŻŻŻŻ _______| |_| |*| ŻŻ| | | |D _____ __| | | | ^@!(____ _ _______ |_ ŻŻ | . |START| |___ |____| | Ż| | |*| * | | |ŻŻ| | / @|_____|__ _| #__| ŻŻŻŻ| | | | | | |_| |@| |___| | |__ ^|_ * _| *x! |_ # |__ ____| ___ | | | __ C _ % | # | E |___| |___________| | |Ż # | Ż ŻŻ |ŻŻŻŻ# ŻŻŻ ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ # ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ # ##################################### A: Safehouse Corridor ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ Small area before the offices, and the first chance at being attacked. It's only a short distance to the next part, so this corridor's not that annoying in campaign mode. Hear a crying witch? Don't worry, it's probably spawned over the railing in the concourse area, and can be neutralized easier from there. [And, unlike in the first stage of No Mercy, there's no quick shortcut by jumping over the ledge...in fact, y'can't jump it despite it being normal height!] VERSUS: There'll now be a ceiling hole for SIs to wait in, before the office section, in addition to the normal hiding spot (corridor blocked by baggage). B: Office Block ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ This corridor is lined with conference rooms and offices, so the normal strat of searching all places or the quicker "just shut all doors" method should be employed. For the curious, there's often goodies -- throwables, pills, etc. -- to find here, so it's not a complete waste of time (like in The Crane's law firm area). [Possible horde/witch spawn point.] VERSUS: A diligent survivor team will close all the doors and force SIs to betray their position, so if y'absolutely want to ambush here, spawn ahead of the others. The corridor's quite well-lit compared to other portions, so comin' up behind may not be as great an idea. C: Airport Concourse (Crescendo) ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ This giant lobby is the source of many hiding spots -- under the walkways, in the lower bathrooms, the hidey-holes in the ceiling, upper ledges acting as smoker hangouts, etc. -- as well as being the stage's crescendo location. When the downstairs van's ignition is turned on, it bowls over a cordoned-off section of the airport, and the hordes stream in from all sides. The best place to fight them off is a desk near the blocked-off part, which often has a huge supply of throwable weapons -- since most enemies come from where the allies just left, burning the escalator path (etc.) cuts down on wasted ammo. For those who want the "Witch Hunter" achievement, this is one of the easiest places to do it on (it helps to be on Easy or Normal difficulty). Basically, before starting the crescendo, scan around for a witch, if she's spawned. The object is to toss a molotov at her (like an ICBM!) and force her to run around a lot on fire. Say she spawns by the molotov desk mentioned above and y'burn her from the upper balcony -- she'll either run all the way up the escalators or take the baggage machine's shortcut; either way, plenty of time to flee. [Of course, killing other zombies around helps, too.] VERSUS: All the good spots are mentioned above -- hiding in ceiling holes, using upper ledges to smoke stragglers, using the crescendo as an ambush point. If there's one downside to attacking here it's that there's a lot of molotovs & gascans lying around, and a quick-thinking human can nix chances of pulling off kills. Before spawning, it's a good idea to pay attention to who has which throwable and prioritize. [Sometimes the molotovs don't spawn though, and that can tip the scales a bit.] D: Baggage Handling Center ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ Once the crescendo ends, the team is free to move down the area to here, a defunct conveyor-belt chain where the luggage used to go. It's prefaced by an ammo dump (or weapon upgrades) and maybe even some extras, so don't pass it by blindly. The rest of the conveyors are often parallel or underneath stairways, so this place can be kinda hectic -- it provides zombies with sheltered ways to flank the party. [It doesn't help that this is a tank/witch spawn location.] Take it slow and do it thoroughly, or things can get back right quick. VERSUS: The time to strike is when the survivors enter the conveyor network, which hampers movement a lot. Tanks really clean up here, although with tiny stairways and work-arounds to the tank's path, he may spend a lot of time running around getting shot, rather than giving concussions with his fists. Normal SIs (oxymoron?) should practice a little self-sacrifice and ensnare their prey for the tank to beat on. E: Airport Security ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ This place is vacant and easy to get through, despite explorable anterooms (that usually have nothing). There's basically only one rule when playing this area: don't walk through the metal detectors! They look like the metal doorframes with a red light on top. Going through one of these starts a mini-crescendo and who wants to waste resources on that? It's not recommended to waste time in the darker places unless everyone's hurting -- pills spawn occasionally and that can be the pick-me-up to make all 4 allies finish. VERSUS: The airport mall lobby behind the security station is quite bright, and there's not too many places to hide outside the ruined storefronts. One hilariously awesome tip is that smokers can drag survivors through metal detectors to set them off, similar to the car alarm baiting technique used earlier. Should anyone become a tank around here, make sure to destroy the Atlas statue, as the tumbling globe can incap survivors. F: Terminal Lobby ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ The final stretch is a long terminal corridor perpendicular to the safehouse, which is quite far from the security station. Businesses on the left-hand side can generally be ignored, as SIs seem to hide nearer to the sitting areas -- behind pillars, obscured by debris, that sort of thing. Because of this, many teams simply beeline for the safe haven, following the windowed wall to safety. Unless there's a reason to explore, don't threaten everyone's safety. [Possible tank location.] VERSUS: Like much of the previous level, the stage's last corridor is quite barren and there's not many hiding spots to attack from, at least without simply walking into the open. There's at least one debris pile where a smoker can shoot through an opening, but boomers and hunters will have to use the pillars and low-standing desks to get close. A tank can spawn around here on occasion, so don't waste the attack opportunity. Too bad there's no instant- -incap throwables around. _____ ______________ ____________________ | |____________ \ ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ AI-CONTROLLED WEAPONS |START __________ | ( V. RUNWAY FINALE ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ |_____| A | \__ ____________________ Zoey ---- Hunting Rifle | ___ _ \ ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ Bill ---- Assault Rifle | | __|_/ (_) \____ Louis --- Assault Rifle | /Ż) ___/ _ \______ Francis - Auto Shotgun | \Ż\ ŻŻ B (_) __ \ | ) Ż( _ _ /_/ ) POSSIBILITIES LEGEND LEGEND _| (_(\_\ _ \_\ /_/ _ | ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ ŻŻŻŻŻŻ | (_) ###### / \ | x - Gun Upgrades A: Deboard Wlkwy _| /\ _ #$xD # ( ) | * - Pills B: Old Tower | | (_( \_\ /'-._ __| |__ | $ - Medkit C: Tiny Nook |C _ '-._/ /___ ___\ | ^ - Molotovs D: Pit Area |_| /\ _/ / _ ) ( | ! - Ammo Only E: Plane Hill | / / / /_ /_/ _ /___\ E ) @ - Pipe Bombs | \/,' //_/ (_) _,' % - 2nd Pistol |____/ (___________________,-' # - Flaming Pit A: Deboarding Walkway ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ The corridor used to lead passengers to their plane, but in its current state, it can only drop the survivors off on the periphery of the decayed tarmac, far from getaway plane. Luckily, there's no labyrinthine passages to navigate in getting anywhere -- this is a dark, albeit quite expansive, final level. Be sure to stick close and watch for SIs underneath the walkway, or even above the exit doorway. VERSUS: By climbing up the pillar at the deboarding corridor's end, then walking along the broken wall, SIs can get above the safehouse exit's door frame -- this is especially good for boomers, who can spew and have survivors just run into the stream. Debris around the drop-down point's base, such as the broken fusilage, splintered metal pieces, baggage piles, etc. -- can give good cover for those attacking at ground level. B: Old Tower C: Tiny Nook ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ Not that important in play, but it's worth mentioning as a hiding place for fending off the horde. While there's 1 way in (tower has 2), if all the survivors huddle inside (two crouch, two stand; this avoids friendly fire) then the chances of anything getting through are quite slim. Obviously not helpful in fighting tanks. VERSUS: Any survivors hiding in the dead-end portion of this place are quite well-fortified, so rather than kamikaze attacks, it's best to wait until a tank spawns, flushing them from their hiding spot. D: Pit Area ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ Near the grounded getaway plane, most of the action will take place. The fueling truck is flanked by medkits, weapon upgrades, a turret emplacement, and nearby vehicles with explosive canisters -- all are helpful for the final crescendo. Like usual, radioing the pilot once alerts him to everyone's presence, and flipping the fuel valve starts the crescendo properly. There's a few good ways to fend everything off: #1: The hill by the getaway plane overlooks a lot of the area, letting one see approaching zombies from yards away, while simultaneously forcing SIs (except perhaps smoker) out into the open if they want to strike. It's not a bad place for the horde segments since most spawn away from the area, not blindsiding by climbing over the hill fence. Tanks may or may not spawn from behind said fence though, perhaps the only chink in the strategy's armor. #2: The tiny nook ("C") and tower ("B") are all good for fighting off foolish hordes, since there's only one way in -- the more survivors that stay in a place, the more concentrated the firepower is. SIs' attack opportunities redline here, too. The downside is that they're not right near ammo or supplies, and if a tank somehow catches anyone in the close quarters, it won't bode well... Tips for fending off the tanks? #1: Keep mobile. The tarmac is wide open, and if y'have to bootstrap the situation by running around the getaway plane, do so. It helps to catch the brute on fire first, of course, but that's not always a possibility. Explosive canisters can momentarily stun the tank, though, remember. #2: Assuming the plane is facing north, hug the eastern side of the plane, near the propeller and window. If a tank spawns in the pit area, and the team is fast enough in getting to this spot, it gets caught on the west side of the plane. Basically, it allows a team to shoot underneath the vehicle and dispatch the tank without much effort. Kinda cheap, but on higher difficulties, who's complaining? E: Plane Hill ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ As said, the hill aft of the plane is quite good for staving off the horde -- long lines of sight, spawnpoints are to the sides of the area, SIs get fewer attack chances. Tanks can climb the fence behind this area, but it's not too often that happens. There are certainly worse places to fend off the horde, such as near the turret (zombies can swarm in from all sides), etc. VERSUS: This section is an SI's nightmare, giving them a heavy disadvantage. The best bet is to pick a way at the close-knit survivors until a tank spawns, forcing them to get mobile. While this level totally sucks for boomers, they are quite important in delaying survivors, as oftentimes a veteran team can simply run around various debris while whittling down the tank's health at long range. It takes a real team effort to stop the humans here. |Ż|Ż|________________________________________________________________________ |Ż| | |ŻŻŻ\ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ | |_ | [) ) BLOOD HARVEST [WK04] |___| |___/____________________________________________________________________ |_|ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ I. The Woods II. The Tunnel III. The Bridge IV. The Train Station V. Farmhouse Finale ___________________ |ŻŻŻŻŻ| AI-CONTROLLED WEAPON SELECTION ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ | END | ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ I. THE WOODS _| ___| Zoey ---- SMG ___________________ |_ |___ Bill ---- SMG ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ |D ##| Louis --- SMG | | Francis - SMG | ##| ___________________| ##| POSSIBILITIES LEGEND MAP LEGEND /###### % #| | ^ ##### ##| ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ _______/# C -| |-> ##) x - Gun Upgrades A: Trail 1 _|### ### #########| |##### #( * - Pills B: Rest Stop |@ Ż # #/ŻŻŻŻŻ\##| |ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ $ - Medkit C: Trail 2 |^! | B #/ ŻŻ|_| ^ - Molotovs D: Safehouse |___| ##/ / ! - Ammo Only | ^# #( Bridge @ - Pipe Bombs ŻŻŻ| |Ż % - 2nd Pistol _| |_______ # - Forestry |# #######| |# #### @#| A: Blood Harvest is a whole 'nother ballgame compared to (# @^ | previous stages, mostly because of the vast amounts \## ### #| of forestry to camouflage enemies in. This means ŻŻŻŻ)# #| blindfiring into trees to kill hiding foes and never |* #| getting too far away -- divided we fall, etc. Having |## #( the main path flanked by shrubbery requires a team to (# ##\ be highly attentive. The left-hand side of the path |# ####) may have items in the brush, while the picnic area (# ###| prefacing the bridge often has throwables. )# #( |## A ) VERSUS: Smokers should stick to the really thick parts (## ##| of the treeline, particularly uphill parts -- survivors (# ##| trying to rescue teammates can get stuck on the way up, \START) letting one get more time in. Boomers and hunters have \___/ plenty to work with as well, in the same vein. B: The rest stop house is basically a one-room lounge with a bathroom, and there's often throwables (plus an ammo stockpile) to be had. This area's rather secure except for a broken window, right by a tree boomers love to barf from. VERSUS: No survivor team ever leaves this area without checking the house, so there's always time to setup on the roof. Boomers who don't want to use ground-level cover and can simply fall onto the doorstep, while smokers can wait for foes to leave. Alternately, hide a bit ahead or to the side to keep survivors guessing. C: The remaining part of the trail is similar to the first, passing underneath a railroad bridge, past a tiny utility shack, and en route to the safehouse nearby. It's really rather easy to get past, especially if a team sticks to the fence sidewalk. A witch often spawns on the main path, so watch out for it. VERSUS: Smokers' best spot is on the railroad bridge (requires climbing up a hill some), giving a good view of the area on both sides. Boomers can use this place too for drop-in visits. Hunters get stuck with the leftovers like usual, but a clever player will note that the fences have gaps in 'em -- similar to Death Toll's first level, pouncing on a survivor near said gaps makes teammates nearby reel, possibly shoving them over the edge. [Although that's not often viable. Major pounces from the railroad bridge can rack up momentum damage, so that's a good alternative.] D: The safehouse entrance is prefaced by a tiny pantry-like nook, which can actually be used by hiding SIs. Other than that, though, survivors just have to make a break for it. VERSUS: The options are to either wait on the roof and attack survivors approaching the entrance (smoker/boomer) or hiding in the safehouse room after spawning (any SI). Which tactic is best often depends on how the other team fared -- if people have been picked off, then it's easy enough to blitzkreig the remaining ones and kill 'em at the finish line. ____ __________________ | @ | ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ __|__ | II. THE TUNNEL | @ | | __________________ | | ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ |ŻŻŻŻŻ| | Zoey ---- SMG |START A| Bill ---- SMG |_____| | Louis --- SMG POSSIBILITIES LEGEND MAP LEGEND | ___| Francis - Shotgun ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ | | x - Gun Upgrades A: Safehouse Hall | | ############### * - Pills B: Warehouse 2F | ŻŻŻ| # $ - Medkit C: Old Warehouse ŻŻŻŻŻ # ^ - Molotovs D: Room (Crescendo) |ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ|ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ| # ! - Ammo Only E: Generator Plant | * ___| | # @ - Pipe Bombs F: Railroad Granary | C | B | # % - 2nd Pistol G: Railroad Tunnels ___|x! ____ ___|_|## | |ŻD | |_ | |_ |_$*| |___|ŻŻŻŻŻ| | | |_ _| | |ŻŻŻŻŻ| | | E _ _ | ___ | END | |__________| | |__________| _|______ __|_ _| | ŻŻŻ Ż|_| x____ \ _______ G __ '-{^ % ___| | F | '-. Ż Ż| ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ ŻŻŻŻŻ A: Safehouse Hallway ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ Outside of the saferoom door, a corridor leads to a few anterooms (may have throwables or pills inside); on the opposite end, a stairwell is accessed, taking everyone to the lower section. A horde may spawn around here if the team exits but doesn't leave the area for awhile. VERSUS: SIs can attack right out of the gate, and this tiny corridor isn't that bad a place to do so -- summoned hordes flank a party, which is good for boomers since they can get in more damage and, due to close quarters, probably get a team to commit friendly fire. Another spot of interest is the dark corner underneath the stairwell, where SIs can spawn right below the survivors if they waste time above. B: Warehouse 2F ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ The stairwell leads to a series of two rooms, one of which may have throwable weapons, the other weapon upgrades (perhaps). Survivors can enter either from the corridor, or through a wall if the SIs/zombies break it down. One side of this place overlooks the warehouse floor. VERSUS: Only one of the main rooms is well-lit, and SIs can use the other, darker room for ambush attempts (or the tiny storage room on the opposite side). Smokers should either spawn behind the party, attempting to catch a straggler as s/he enters the factory, or spawning on the factory's ground floor, attempting to pull a survivor through a broken window. C: Old Warehouse ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ This place is a two-floor affair, with the highest being catwalks and beams, and the lower being more wide-open but has plenty of shelf obstacles. There's also a series of rooms underneath the ones right above it (just checked), and in the same layout -- goodies such as pills may spawn there. Normally it's best to enter this place from the beams because if a tank spawns (1) it'll be easier to identify (2) a team can split off easier, compared to starting low and using the only method of ascending. There's typically an ammo pile in the far corner of this place, and perhaps weapon upgrades if they haven't been found yet. [Possible tank spawn location.] VERSUS: The beam/catwalks aren't ledged, so smokers can easily use obstacles to drag prey down. On the flipside, hunters are able to start low and crouch- -jump up to the catwalks, which can keep survivors guessing. Boomers shouldn't bother wandering around too much, as the eagle-eyed opposition will plow 'em from afar. Instead, find a good place to hide (such as the next area), use the lower shelves as a shield, or save the spawn for the crescendo. D: Room (Crescendo) ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ In the small maintenance room with a medkit box, opening the emergency door will summon a horde to the area. There's a few ways to attempt this: #1: HIDE IN SAME ROOM -- Survivors can crouch on the crate stack and pick off the horde as they stream in from either exit. That part isn't too hard generally. SIs typically arrive at ground level, although it's not unheard of for a boomer to drop in through the ceiling grate, complicating things a bit. Still, given its small size, there could be worse places. #2: HIDE IN WAREHOUSE: After triggering the alarm, a team can retreat back to here, preferably the 2F beams, and fight off the horde. Since it was just cleansed of undead and a large height differential (climbing zombies are ineffective zombies!) it's a shoo-in. #3: HIDE IN GENERATOR PLANT: This is the area the emergency door opens into. It's similar to the warehouse strategy, where a team can use the higher ledges and pick off zombies as they scramble up the staircase. The only problem is that zombies will be outside the emergency door, and a horde comes soon after, so instead of a quick escape, everyone can get bogged down (and immediately following, clobbered by the aft horde). So, this way can be a semi-gamble but functions basically the same as the warehouse strategy. VERSUS: Depending on how quick the team was in navigating the warehouse, one should gauge if spawning then or saving it for the crescendo is worth it. Basically, if a team breezes through, they're probably going to make a run for it when the crescendo starts -- i.e. spawn and head 'em off -- while a slower team probably holes up in the pillbox room. For the latter method, boomers draw the long straw, and can drop down from the ceiling vent and explode on everyone (yes, all 4 people most of the time). Hunters are liable to get shot up by concentrated fire if they waltz into the room, so they should hold off until someone's boomed on. Smokers' best chances of inflicting damage are pulling survivors out of the room itself, although they can snipe through the ceiling vent (any good team will melee it off within a few damage though...) E: Generator Plant ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ A cousin to the warehouse, this place is another two-floor area. The upper parts run along a catwalk, past two small generator rooms, and to a breakable window leading to a railroad track outlook. The lower ones are much the same, except one entrance leads out to the tracks (ground floor) and one leads up to the higher. There's not usually any goodies worth seeking out here. VERSUS: Smokers can snipe down from the higher ledges and probably get away scot-free, thanks to the large getaway windows. On the flipside, breaking the windows ahead of time lets a player drag survivors down to the train tracks (next area), separating them from the party a bit. Boomers and hunters have their usual chances, but if a tank HASN'T spawned yet, it probably will in the next section...hold off on spawning 'til then. F: Railroad Granary ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ The exterior of the factory has two parallel railroad track tunnels leading toward the safehouse, or towards a dead-end fence, depending on which way y'look. A 2F metal awning is the popular exit point, which lets one get a jump on any tank coming up (if it spawns), identify SIs earlier, and even keep moving immediately by jumping to the nearby freight car. Speaking of which, all the area's freight cars have a ladder to climb up. VERSUS: Smokers' get two great spots here, in the form of the high ledge above the tunnels (visited in 1st level) and the ledge kitty-corner, which has forestry to hide in. Boomers can often spawn behind the party and barf when their attention is drawn elsewhere (i.e. tank, horde), or even appear underneath and spew upwards. Hunters can hide in multiple places but may want to take the high ground, since a successful pounce from there deals additional damage on impact. G: Railroad Tunnels ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ For the final stretch, survivors must navigate the two parallel train tunnels and reach the safehouse. Along the way, they'll encounter abandoned freight cars, both as obstacles and climb-up spots to survey the area, and cave-ins, which force 'em to take a certain path. It's quite linear for the most part, but plenty of nooks & crannies can be used by the opposition. [Possible tank or witch spawn location.] VERSUS: Given the freight cars and dark corners, boomers can easily anticipate survivors' movements and force them into a barf stream. Hunters can use the same methods, which work best when following a good boom, of course. Smokers can really put the final nail in a coffin here -- when a person/team takes the high ground, smoking a straggler while the rest jump down can spell death for that unlucky chap. [If done from far enough, survivors won't be able to shoot y'from afar.] In fact, smokers can be a large nuisance all throughout the later parts of the tunnels too, dragging people down from high ground or off ladders. The high ground can work against the SIs if a tank spawns, though, so be ready to assist! ___________________ ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ POSSIBILITIES LEGEND III. THE BRIDGE ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ ___________________ x - Gun Upgrades ! - Ammo Only ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ * - Pills @ - Pipe Bombs $ - Medkit % - 2nd Pistol ^ - Molotovs # - Forestry Railroad Bridge A: Safehouse Tunnels | __ B: Outdoor Footpath __________________|Ż|_________,'_,'Ż\ C: Bunker Tunnels /############| ^ |#| | ####### (^x! /__ D: Outdoor Tracks Start //ŻŻŻŻ| ___ ŻŻŻ<-| |- ________ * /###) E: Train Bridge Area ((_/ŻŻŻ |___| E | | |________) \/###(__________ \ ######### | (ŻŻ| | | _ ______ D ____ | _ _ \ ######## |*! | | | | |______| |____| | |^|_| |_____ \ #########|_ )_| ) ( |_| ## |#######| %x __|__| | _ |_$ * | (,-'ŻŻŻŻ)-._______/ \ ### |#####/Ż ŻŻŻ| |^@|^ | | | | |_ _|_ ,' ######### /ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ ŻŻŻŻŻ | |_*|_ | _| | | _____ *| ( _ ___|___________/ |C@_____|/*\ ( | |_____| | |_| | |x|_____/^x/ \)___ A ___| | END | AI-CONTROLLED WEAPON SELECTION |__ @* ( ( B ^| | |_____| ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ |*# Ż ( ,-.|START| Zoey --: SMG -> Hunting Rifle ( ######/ / |_____| Bill --: SMG -> Assault Rifle _/ \####,' ,' Louis : SMG -> Assault Rifle ( # ŻŻŻŻ / Francis: Shotgun -> A.Shotgun ) # ,-----' ( @) A: Safehouse Tunnels ŻŻŻ ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ Before ending up outside, survivors must navigate a small network of concrete tunnels. It's quite simple, although snooping around can reveal a few goodies here and there, such as pills or molotovs. Towards the exit, gascans and explosive tanks may spawn. [Possible tank spawn.] VERSUS: Surprisingly, this can be a great place to attack slipshod teams, since they often split up to search the area. It's quite fun to let someone think they've searched the area thoroughly, then spawn behind 'em when they turn the corner. Although there's not any real edge here for the SIs, besides darkness and human error, a coordinated attack can be quite damaging -- and if an early tank spawn occurs, probably life-threatening. B: Outdoor Footpath ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ Outdoors, be prepared to fight off a small horde -- staying in the tunnel's entrance and blowing them up/setting them alight often works. The path to the hilltop bunker is flanked by foliage, so there's going to be zombies crawling out of the leafy woodwork to stall everyone. Attentive survivors can probably find the cache spawns (pills, medkits, molotovs) in the out-of-the-way parts of the trail, although these are listed on the above map as well. One of the small hill's campsites may have weapon upgrades, so always check it. [Possible tank spawn.] VERSUS: Smokers get a few good spots to shoot from, being the ledge above the tunnel entrance and the leafy hilltop, which often lets one walk away if the survivors are packing shotguns. Boomers can use the foliage to their advantage, hiding in plain sight...just watch for blindfirers, which is about the only way to combat such devilish camouflage! Hunters should try to get in some extra damage by pouncing from ahigh -- there's plenty of spots to do that from. And, should a tank spawn, this place can be a killing zone. Try to keep survivors around the tunnel entrance's area, where there's some movable debris, including an instant incap log. C: Bunker Tunnels ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ The bunker is good for minimizing SI threats, as well as finding throwable weapons or pills (check underneath or beside the stairs, or in anterooms). There's really nothing exceptionally good defensive- or offensive-wise here, however. [Possible tank spawn.] VERSUS: Unless the survivors are hurting, this spot isn't really that great for spawning. It helps to see if a tank spawns in the next area, since that can often drive them back into this one...and the entrapment begins. D: Outdoor Tracks Start ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ The first section of the train tracks start at the railroad tunnel's exit, picking up from the last stage's section. The tracks lead by foliage-laden ditches, a warehouse with possible goodies and explosives, and abandoned boxcars, to reach the bridge overhead. There's a metric ton of baddies just hiding around here, so even the odds a smidge by climbing the boxcars and getting a good look at the area. Much of this area is fenced-off shrubbery and can be ignored; going inside just invites extra damage. [Possible tank spawn location.] VERSUS: The railroad tunnel's boxcars is often a good staging area, since survivors often find weapon upgrades here, and expect SIs to be around the corner, not looking down on them. [Smokers/boomers can make the most use of this place.] When the warehouse is visited, SIs are advised to drop in from the roof! Finally, any special infected can use the footbridge further down the tracks to get the jump on hapless survivors. Tanks can really use the narrow corridors to corner survivors, but beware of explosive canisters and molotov-throwers -- the former can temporarily stun a tank, while the other just spells a tank's demise. Basically, don't rush in blindly expecting to immediately overpower the humans because that hastiness can be one's downfall in such close quarters (ironic as it is). E: Train Bridge Area (Crescendo) ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ Near the bridge, there's a few boxcars to climb up and an abandoned house with ammunition (and possibly a witch). The crescendo begins when a freight car at the end of the tracks is uncoupled, sending it crashing down the slope into the bridge's struts, toppling it and making a path to the hilltop. This starts a crescendo event, although unlike some others, there's no mandatory waiting period to leave. Thus, the way to fend it off are: #1: MAKE A RUN FOR IT: If anyone has a pipebomb or molotov, simply toss one in the direction of where the nearest horde(s) are coming from and go up the slanted bridge half. This lets one either bolt for the safehouse down the cliff or fend off the hordes from advantageous high ground. [A team hurting badly should probably not consider this method, as it may draw unnecessary damage.] #2: MAKE A STAND BELOW: There's a few places to really fight off the hordes, but perhaps the best is the boxcar near the bridge, where a bunch of molotovs often spawn. This is often a better choice than the residence since (1) it's easily accessible after uncoupling the car (2) hordes are picked off easier from higher ground (3) the house has multiple entrances and survivors often get swarmed. With much of the ground set ablaze, any SI foolish enough to approach the team will probably meet a fiery end. But either way, once the ridge is crested, it's just a hop, skip, and a jump to the safehouse, with only light resistance. VERSUS: The footbridge can be a good springboard onto lower enemies, at least until it's destroyed during the crescendo. SIs can use boxcars, the abandoned house's roof, and the lovely autumn thickets to lie in wait. Attacking during the crescendo usually comes in two varieties: (1) picking off survivors as they take the popular route of running for the safehouse (2) trying to get a shot in when they hole up somewhere, often the house nearby. The house has numerous entrances for boomers and smokers to grind at the survivors' health, and the longer they're pinned down there, the better the SIs' chances of winning. _____ _____________________ | | ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ AI-CONTROLLED WEAPON SELECTION | END | IV. THE TRAIN STATION ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ |_ _| _____________________ Zoey ---- Hunting Rifle | | ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ Bill ---- Assault Rifle | |-Train Bridge Louis --- Assault Rifle __| |___ Francis - Auto Shotgun | -|G|-> \______ | ŻŻ| \ | \Ż\ ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ\ \ POSSIBILITIES LEGEND MAP LEGEND ( \_) Ż| *@^% ) ) ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ \/ŻŻŻŻŻŻ|___ F | | x - Gun Upgrades A: Safehouse Forest / /ŻŻŻŻŻ___ | * - Pills B: Abandoned Barn ( (__ ###| |ŻŻŻ| $ - Medkit C: Depot Tracks /\___| ########| ^ - Molotovs D: Depot Area Trainwreck | __######| ! - Ammo Only E: Trackside Cabin 1 | |Ż| |_ _|###| @ - Pipe Bombs F: Trackside Cabin 2 ) | | |!x@ |###| % - 2nd Pistol G: Railroad Bridge ( | |E ____|###| # - Forestry ) | | ########| | | | ########| A: Safehouse Forest | |_| ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ\| ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ | |Ż|* ) An overgrown trail leads from the safehouse | |ŻŻŻ |_| | to the nearby barn. Like usual, the forest | | | | hides many infected so it helps to blindfire ____| |@ Ż|Ż |# | into the boughs and hope to hit something )####| |Ż | | #| before it bogs y'down. The quicker one gets _____,'##### C D ___| | to the next pitstop, the less likely any SIs |########## _ | | ## #| spawn near the start -- a good thing. ) _,| | | | # | ||ŻŻŻŻŻ| / |_| | | #| VERSUS: Smokers tend to frequent the leafy ||^@%B #) | |___|## #) hillstop "right" of the safehouse entrance, ||_ _| #| | _ ## #/ while boomers can attack from anywhere ) ) | ( \###### / really, but they might have a hard time (# #####( | \/### / spawning if the survivors are too close, so |## ######\ ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ it's not a bad idea to be nearer to the barn )# A#######) (which may be a more productive attack zone in the long run). / ###_,' Hunters are in the same boat as boomers, but can jump around, (_|Ż Ż|_,' even on the safehouse roof if they choose. A good coordinated |START| attack here can tenderize the survivors for a tank spawn, too |_____| (whoever plays 2nd on this map already knows the tank spawns!) B: Abandoned Barn ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ The barn is a two-story structure, with a few entrances at ground level and an interior ladder into the 2F loft, where most spawning goodies are. The roof can be accessed from said loft, or by using the junked car alongside the lower exterior. It helps to know the layout to this place in case a tank spawns; if no molotovs are on-hand, try to use gas cans in places the brute is likely to come up, such as the loft ladder. VERSUS: The high, slanted roof gives smokers a lot of pull here (no pun intended), while giving great cover if they manage to start fleeing from a lower target. Additionally, some of the lower barn walls are holey, and they can provide precision smoker pulls if things go right. SIs should especially use the exterior roof entrance, a method particularly good for boomers who are hiding at ground level (speaking of which, the small alley between the barn and fence is a good way to get around). As with all climbable structures, if a tank comes, survivors can really lead it on a wild goose chase -- be prepared to ensnare a few so the tank can chew 'em up. [Tank throw objects are found around ground level, also.] C: Depot Tracks ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ Past the barn, a leafy path leads to a small overlook to the train tracks below. Since it's a possible witch spawn, be prepared to either bypass her (if high) or leap over her to the depot's 2F awning (if low). Spawning hordes typically come from train-level, so the high ground is useful in fighting 'em off. VERSUS: As with most high drop-offs, smokers can pull stragglers away from the cliff's cusp, and increase their chances of incapping a target; however, the leap to the depot grounds isn't one-way so it may not always work as planned. If a witch spawns, there's almost always some dummy who spooks it -- the boomer should stick around the depot's landing area, ready to explode on whoever the incapped and incapped-helper (and perhaps more!) D: Depot Area ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ The building consists of a large sitting area, a few tiny offices, and a garage warehouse. Outdoors, the grounds (besides the track area) consist mostly of forestry, wrecked boxcars, and a relatively barren loading area by the garage. While it's always good to check around for goodies, which often spawn in any number of rooms here, try to avoid the alarmed car near the parked semi. VERSUS: The massive depot is a playground for hunters, who can climb around the roof, crouch to hide in plain sight (behind the sitting area's small fertilizer stacks, to name one) and get around quickly -- which is important since there's so many exits to this place. Boomers should typically avoid spawning inside if they can help it...too little cover and a high chance of dyin'. Smokers can use the roof's height for pinpoint ensnaring, although they're just as adept at ground level -- the forest masks their smoky vapor, remember. Teams that search for goodies often exit from the garage loading bay, so be prepared to pull a "alarm car bait" trick to delay them further. E: Trackside Cabin 1 ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ This cabin is built on an escarpment, meaning it's level at trackside but has stilts holding up half the foundation. Ammo and weapon upgrades may spawn here, but if a witch hasn't, she may cameo here. It's really a quick pitstop though there are worse places to camp if a horde floods in. VERSUS: Best-case scenario, the survivor team is inside the place. This means dropping in from the roof (boomer) is fair game, and smokers can ensnare prey from the escarpment's base, by aiming through the window. Hunters don't get much to work with but can wait on the roof anyway. It's worth mentioning that if a hunter doesn't have anything to do, jumping around -- which emits the creeper's loud scream -- can unnerve the survivors, effectively delaying 'em some without doing anything. They'll be watching their backs alright! F: Trackside Cabin 2 ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ This cabin is a three-story house: its basement is accessible from the escarpment's base, its mid-story is at normal height, and its 2F looks out onto the trainwreck nearby. Searching this place thoroughly can often give throwables and pills, maybe another pistol... It's worth mentioning that, if a tank spawns, one can take a "long cut" to reach the suspension bridge. To find it, stand on the lower (exterior) stairway and jump over the chain-link fence -- a precipitous ledge winds around the house's base, before coming up and under the bridge. There are no railings here, though, so be extra wary! [Going this "long cut" route may skip the cabin's events, including a tank spawn.] VERSUS: Plenty of the house's rooms are around the corner from the stairway, meaning ambush opportunities are always an option. The 2F exit to the wrecked boxcars is a one-way drop, so slippery smokers can drag stragglers back inside while their allies can't help (outside of careful molotoving, but when does that ever happen?). A tank may spawn around the wreck's base, so a team who encounters one has a few options: (1) make a run for the safehouse, which is often possible, albeit with a few casualties (2) retreat through the house and pick him off from there, perhaps with molotovs/gascans. Whatever the way, survivors shouldn't split up. Tanks who know about the "long cut" should keep in mind that survivors can't backtrack out of there, and without the ledges, one punch sends 'em off into the abyss. [Sometimes the humans take this way to dodge the tank, but tank knows best...haha.] G: Railroad Bridge ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ The bridge is long and barren, so survivors are often home free when they reach this place (health issues nonwithstanding). A prudent option is to molotov/gascan a section of the narrow structure, which prevents any normal SIs or hordes from following. If a tank spawns right at the end, bolting for the safehouse is often a good bet; at least one person can usually make it there. However, if there've been casualties along the way, a more tactical approach is required: backtrack through the cabin or get someone to draw the tank's attention while the other(s) reach the safehouse. There's numerous exits to this place, so jump out a window if things get too hairy. VERSUS: If a tank doesn't spawn, normal SIs have to make do and try to either delay the team at the cabin, or go all the way to the safehouse and plan to attack there. [A fiery bridge means SIs have to fall off the cliff and climb up the other side, which is far too time-wasting to be viable.] If a tank DOES spawn, it's important to head off survivors at the bridge and stall them at the trainwreck area -- don't let any past! SI teammates have to help for this portion too, of course. The "long cut" mentioned above works to the survivors' advantage as an effective isolation tactic -- if a tank somehow follows someone down, that buys enough time to reach the safehouse. ___________________ ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ _____ AI-CONTROLLED WEAPON SELECTION V. FARMHOUSE FINALE ____|___ | ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ ___________________ / B| | Zoey ---- Hunting Rifle ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ ( (ŻŻŻ|Ż | Bill ---- Assault Rifle ____________________ _| |_ | )Ż) | Louis --- Assault Rifle / #(Ż)(Ż)/######|#### \/# | | | Francis - Auto Shotgun (## ##Ż Ż #######|##### \ ) ) ( |## [Ż ####|##|##C### \/ / \ POSSIBILITIES LEGEND MAP LEGEND | # Ż ####)##)####### \/ __ ) ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ | |ŻŻŻŻŻ| ########/\###### ) \_\| x - Gun Upgrades A: Safehouse Area | *$Ex ########\/##### ( ##| * - Pills B: Trainwreck (## | @ | #################) ###| $ - Medkit C: Corn Field \## ŻŻŻŻŻ ___ ŻŻŻ##/ A ###| ^ - Molotovs D: Abandoned Barn \### |ŻŻŻ| #### | | ,(_| |###| ! - Ammo Only E: Farmstead \## *D! #### |___| / | |ŻŻŻ @ - Pipe Bombs \## |___| ######### ,' |_| % - 2nd Pistol \# ,-' START # - Forestry ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ A: Safehouse Area ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ The last traincar opens out across the suspension bridge, into an abandoned stretch of track flanked by forestry. There's a cliff nearby that survivors should stay away from, either by falling off (foolish!) or being dragged off by a smoker atop the traincar (lame!). The area may be a little light on hordes, although if any spawn, they'll probably come from the beginning more than the trainwreck ahead. If a tank spawns, look around for gascans and try to use the car transport trailer's height to get potshots off. VERSUS: SIs can hide on top of the safehouse traincar and wait for survivors to leave, while smokers can shoot through the tiny upper windows and smoke those inside, if they haven't left. [Although they can shoot through there too...] Boomers' alternative spawnpoint should be near the car trailer, the side facing away from the safehouse -- it's usually pretty fruitful. And of course, the foliage around the area helps mask most SIs presence. B: Trainwreck Area ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ Where the railroad tracks end, a caved-in tunnel and trainwreck signal the end of the line. Leaving the area is as simple as climbing a boxcar and moseying on past a cliff. [Possible tank/witch spawn.] VERSUS: This is actually a pretty good area to spawn at. Boomers can spawn on the opposite side of the wreck from where the survivors walk, then climb up and drop in on 'em. Smokers can use nearby trees to pull the human off their higher perches, such as boxcars, or spawn at the exit cliff and hope to ensnare the last person before s/he jumps in the cornfield. An early death there can spell trouble -- this is one of the harder finales in the game, and being short-handed ain't helping...well, the survivors anyway. :D C: Corn Field ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ One of the most annoying places in any map, the cornfield is like flying blind, survivors only able to see clearly a few feet in front of their face. Landmarks in this area are the tractor (good place to stand on if a horde comes), the toppled irrigation system which acts more as a barrier than anything else, and some fallen implements to stand on for a bird's-eye(ish) view of the area. Needless to say that this is not a place survivors want to linger, or revisit to help survivors, so get through quick! VERSUS: This massive area is an SI's paradise, and all types get pretty good camouflage thanks to nightfall. Stay away from the swathed parts of the field and the headlights, basically, and try to get a good coordinated attack while the survivors are disoriented. There's no real "awesome" places here -- being on top of the tractor is bad, for instance -- but that's okay. It's notable that a spawned SI can duck behind and under the tractor a bit, so it's a good way to hide in plain sight...for awhile anyway. D: Abandoned Barn ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ The barn is a two-story structure with a roof hole, not unlike the one found in this campaign's previous stage (Train Station). The same things apply: multiple lower entrances, possible ammo and throwables to find, not a bad place to hole up if survivors congregate to watch the entrances. This is an alternative location to fend off the crescendo event, and given its ammo and simpler structure (compared to the farmstead), it's not that bad in most cases. [Survivors cannot get onto the steep roof, however.] VERSUS: Chances are this place won't be visited, but sometimes survivors escaping the cornfield end up near the haybales, then stop here. Boomers can get access to the interior loft easily, so it's a good idea to barf on survivors when they're helplessly climbing a ladder, etc. Smokers can once again use their talents to drag survivors out of the loft window, off the roof, and so forth, so the place is ripe for them, too. E: Farmstead (Crescendo) ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ The repurposed farmhouse is now an evacuation shelter, and has all the amenities one would expect for a finale: medkits, weapon upgrades, ammo, and assorted throwables/pills in the anterooms. Radioing the rescue vehicle twice starts the crescendo, during which time a team should think about how they're going to approach the place. There's a couple good ways to do this: #1: FARMSTEAD (1F) - A common place to fight off the generic horde is right near the weapons cabinet. One person crouches, one person stands -- this covers the staircase entrance and kitchen -- while one covers the adjacent window and the other picks up the slack (such a standing on ammo table). It's important to not be in each others' crossfire. #2: FARMSTEAD (2F) - Although there's plenty of one-entrance rooms to hide in, many people use the upstairs nursery closet for the purpose of horde- -killing. Basically, all four survivors hide in the washing machine's nook, two on the dryer and two crouching below, and dominate the horde with concentrated firepower. It's really quite effective, but separates one from the ammo. For this reason, it's important that one replenish the supply before each tank comes and/or whoever has a shotgun switches out for an assault rifle (a shotgunner can be the person crouching below too, which works fine). #3: BARN - The barn loft is actually a decent alternative to the farmstead, only lacking medkits and a weapon assortment. Due to its simplistic design the only ways in are from the roof hole or ladder, both of which can be easily covered by a 4-person survivor party. Additionally, after the 2nd tank is defeated, the rescue vehicle stops right outside the loft window, so there's little run-around to deal with. Of course, when a tank comes, everyone should run outside into the wider space, preferably away from foliage and tank-throwable objects (such as the driveway near the farmstead's staircase entrance). A funny "glitch" is that, if a tank spawns while everyone is doing the upstairs washing machine method, exiting onto the 2F roof may reveal the tank stuck on a window across the way (garage side)...of course, it can just be gunned down easily. This is mostly helpful on higher difficulties, of course. Either way, when a tank's done, rinse and repeat. The rescue vehicle arrives near the barn. VERSUS: This place is chock full of great places. Hunters can jump onto the farmstead's high roof, and deal momentum damage for sky-high pounces -- this is particularly helpful when the survivors are approaching from the cornfield. Smokers can use the 2F roof and lower windows to snipe enemies from cover, a good tactic for staying alive since most teams (at least those with mics) group together. Like smokers, boomers can use their short-range vomit in the same method, such as the window near the ammo table, or from the 2F roof when the foes go outside. Ambush opportunities are ripe upstairs, especially since SIs can climb up the gutter and get in guerrila-tactic barfs, smokes, and pounces. [Tanks should avoid going inside if they don't have the element of surprise, and try to use instant-incap objects outside to their advantage.] _______________________________________________________________________________ ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ IV. ACHIEVEMENTS [ACHV] _______________________________________________________________________________ ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ Achivements are feats of excellence that one can do in-game, which then gives a reward of gamer points. I've organized the achivements by offline/online, but know that one can always check the real listing order by pressing the XBOX-button on the controller and navigating from there. [AD] stands for any difficulty, and [S.I.] stands for special infected. Since y'can only play as a special infected in multiplayer, those types of achievements can't be done in campaign mode. The game keeps track of some achievement-related stats, also, so if y'wonder how many burn victims you've made in pursuit of the "101 Cremations" feat, you can look it up on the in-game achievements counter and see what's what. A number will look like, for instance, [79/101] -- i.e. 79 so far. What's that? Everyone knows how to read a fraction? Well excuuuUUUuuse me, princess! [Sometimes the in-game achievement _______________________________ ____ ________________________________________ | ACHIEVEMENT | PT | OBTAIN | |ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ|ŻŻŻŻ|ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ| | 101 Cremations | 20 | Set 101 infected alight | | Akimbo Assassin | 30 | Finish a campaign using only pistols | | All 4 Dead | 30 | Tank: kill/incap all 4 survivors | | Back 2 Help | 20 | Leave saferoom to get incapped ally, | | | | then bring 'em back | | Barf Bagged | 20 | Boomer: vomit on all survivors at once | | Big Drag | 20 | Smoker: drag a victim 100 feet | | Blind Luck | 20 | After being vomited on, take no damage | | Brain Salad | 15 | Kill 100 infected via headshot | | Burn the Witch | 10 | Hit a witch with a molotov | | Chain Smoker | 20 | Smoker: capture 2 targets in one life | | Clean Kill | 10 | Shove & kill Boomer + no one's blinded | | Cr0wnd | 30 | Kill a witch with one headshot | | Dead Baron | 15 | Finish the Dead Air campaign [AD] | | Dead Giveaway | 10 | Heal ally when own health is below 10 | | Dead Stop | 10 | Melee a hunter mid-pounce | | Dead Wreckoning | 20 | As an S.I., score 5000 survivor damage | | Do Not Disturb | 20 | Any campaign: sneak past all witches | | Double Jump | 20 | Hunter: pin two targets in same life | | Drag and Drop | 20 | Rescue ally from Smoker before damage | | Field Medic | 20 | Heal 20 allies (with health kit) | | Grim Reaper | 15 | Finish the Blood Harvest campaign [AD] | | Ground Cover | 30 | While on ground, save ally from a S.I. | | Helping Hand | 20 | Revive fifty (50) incapped allies | | Hero Closet | 10 | Any campaign: rescue ally from closet | | Hunter Punter | 10 | Melee a Hunter who's pinned a survivor | | Jump Shot | 20 | Headshot-kill a pouncing Hunter | | Lamb 2 Slaughter | 20 | S.I.: drag foe from saferoom & incap | | Man vs. Tank | 30 | Single-handedly kill a tank | | Mercy Killer | 15 | Finish the No Mercy campaign [AD] | | My Bodyguard | 15 | Protect allies fifty (50) times | | No Smoking Section | 15 | Kill 15 smokers as they pull victims | | No-one Left Behind | 20 | Beat a campaign with all allies alive | | Nothing Special | 30 | Beat a campaign w/o taking S.I. damage | | Pharm-assist | 20 | Give allies pain pills ten (10) times | | Pyrotechnician | 20 | Kill 20 infected with one pipebomb | | Red Mist | 20 | Kill 1000 infected with an emplacement | | Safety First | 30 | Beat a campaign w/o friendly fire DMG | | Spinal Tap | 10 | Kill an infected w/ 1 shot from behind | | Stand Tall | 20 | Beat a campaign w/o being incapped | | Stomach Upset | 20 | Beat a campaign w/o being vomited on | | Tankbusters | 20 | Kill a tank w/o anyone taking damage | | Toll Collector | 15 | Finish the Death Toll campaign [AD] | | Tongue Twister | 20 | Kill a Smoker who's entangling you | | Towering Inferno | 10 | Hit a Tank with a molotov | | Unbreakable | 30 | Finish a campaign w/o having healed | | Untouchables | 30 | No one damaged after contacting rescue | | What Are You Trying to Prove? | 35 | Finish all campaigns on Expert | | Witch Hunter | 20 | Kill a witch w/o anyone taking damage | | Zombidical Maniac | 30 | Finish any campaign on Expert | | Zombie Genocidist | 20 | Kill 53,595 Infected | |_______________________________|____|________________________________________| Additionally, there are ten achievements only accessible by installing the Crash Course pack DLC. _______________________________ ____ ________________________________________ | ACHIEVEMENT | PT | OBTAIN | |ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ|ŻŻŻŻ|ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ| | 20-Car Pileup | 20 | As tank, hit 20 survivors with cars | | Crash-Proof | 15 | Survive the Crash Course campaign | | Jumpin' Jack Smash | 25 | Pounce a survivor for 25 damage | | Quick Power | 25 | Crash Course: restart generator in 30s | | Slippery Pull | 25 | Smoker-pull a bile-covered survivor | | Smash Hit | 25 | Win a Versus match in Crash Course | | Tank Stumble | 20 | Stun a tank with an explosion | | The Littlest Genocide | 25 | Kill 5,359 zombies | | Truck Stop | 35 | Incap all survivors once vehicle shows | | Wipefest | 35 | Incap 3 survivors within 5s (Cra.Cou.) | |_______________________________|____|________________________________________| ACHIEVEMENT NOTES ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ • For campaign-finishing achievements such as "Grim Reaper," it's easiest to play on...well, Easy. If you just want the gamer points, there's no reason to suffer through undue annoyances, right? Also, to beat a campaign, only one person has to escape on the rescue vehicle -- this (luckily) applies to achievements like Zombicidal Maniac. • For items where you have to heal allies or give pills, this can be done by selecting the item with the d-pad and pressing L-Trigger while pointed at a person. Pills are given immediately but healing takes as long as normal. Also, giving pills only counts toward achievements if the target uses 'em. • AKIMBO ASSASSIN: A player can use any throwable (pipebomb, molotov) or environmental weapon (gascan, propane tank, etc.) in order to survive, plus melee attacks and healing methods. Using any other firearm prevents the achievement from being unlocked! Basically, pick up no other weapon besides the pistols, and don't use the turret emplacements if y'find 'em. Meleeing with the pistols is fine, too. • DEAD STOP: Apparently the achievement can only be gotten by successfully meleeing a hunter targeting YOURSELF, i.e. the melee thwarts the pounce. Some people have trouble with this, so it may be best to set up certain circumstances (kill AI-players on an easy level) to tip 'em in one's favor. • ZOMBIE GENOCIDIST: All kills, campaign or versus, count toward this. • SAFETY FIRST: You'll quickly find that stopping friendly fire ain't as easy as y'think, since AI-controlled teammates can still screw it up. The best way to go about it is to play No Mercy on Easy with four human allies, then use the "Jesus Room" in the finale to secure the victory. Kinda lame, but also the most viable (stumble into this achievement? Doubtful.) • SLIPPERY PULL: This only works if the smoker ensnares the survivor, then drags them close enough that he can start clawing them. • UNBREAKABLE : This can be done on easy, and is really the only way to get it without wanting to rip your hair out. Note that, although they provide temporary health, pills CAN be used at your leisure. Also, if you're idle long enough, the computer will take over and heal you -- this cheapo way of healing does NOT count against you. Thirdly, dying and being let out of a closet does NOT count as healing, so that's fine, too. • UNTOUCHABLES: Easiest done on No Mercy (Easy) by using the "Jesus Room." Then, hightail it to the helipad and melee everyone. Sometimes it's gotten easily, sometimes it ain't -- that's the horde for you. • WITCH HUNTER: Although an easy strategy is burning the witch and fleeing, while the other teammates (with weapon upgrades) beat the crap out of her, incapping the targeted ally can buy some time and not count against the achievement. The witch pauses a 3-4 seconds before continuing the attack, which is often enough time to be blown apart. [This part's easiest done on Expert, where spot-on friendly fire's basically an instant incap.] _______________________________________________________________________________ ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ V. FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS [FAQZ] _______________________________________________________________________________ ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ [Q] - How come I can't save my campaign progress? [A] - L4D is modelled after the select-a-level arcade shooters, not typical story-driven FPS ones. Y'gotta play through an entire campaign in one sitting for achievements, thus. [Q] - What does it mean to rescue someone from a closet? [A] - This only applies to campaigns. When an ally dies, it would be pretty lame to prevent them from continuing for the WHOLE campaign. Instead, fallen survivors may respawn in "closets" -- tiny locked rooms of any kind -- around the map. This usually applies to the nearest "closet," but it's possible to backtrack and have him/her respawn there. [Q] - What's different about the Game of the Year (GOTY) version? [A] - A new loading screen and Survival mode comes free with the purchase, but little else is changed from the standard version. Yeah, it's kinda cheap to not include the Crash Course levels, but oh well... [Q] - Why do I automatically spawn in a place? I can't choose! [A] - This only happens in a finale, after the survivors have radioed for help. The AI director randomly chooses a spot for the Special Infected, which can be a good one or a very poor one. [Q] - My Crash Course achievements won't unlock? [A] - They're glitched apparently, and may or may not unlock when their task is fulfilled (or if it isn't, in some wonky cases). Playing Versus on local servers -- that is, there's a 5-second countdown to start the game -- seem to work just fine, though. [A] - My achievements don't display right when viewed in-game! [A] - This is another common problem, perhaps attributable to the Survival pack (at least it started when I did it). Basically, when the option is viewed in the main menu, achievements obtained are either listed as unachieved or not all are displayed. However, they ARE displayed right when viewed from the main achievements menu on the Xbox button. [DLing the Crash Course campaign seems to correct this problem.] _______________________________________________________________________________ ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ VI. UPDATES & CONTRIBUTORS [UPDT] _______________________________________________________________________________ ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ 09-25-09 ---------------------------------+ Started walkthrough 02-18-09 ---------------------------------+ Finished walkthrough THANKS TO... ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ • Sailor/Ceej, for hostin' my stuff • The L4D Board, just for being awesome FUTURE UPDATES ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ • DLC Content • Survival mode (maybe) Readers who have sweet section-specific strategies should send 'em my way, and I'll put 'em in. Don't be shy, sweetums! _______________________________________________________________________________ ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ VII. LEGALITY [LGLT] _______________________________________________________________________________ ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ This document is intended for private home use ONLY, and may not be reproduced through electronic or commercial means without the expressed consent of the author (P. Summers). It cannot be hosted, edited, or distributed for profit, and may not be given away as an add-in/gift to bought items. All rights are reserved to respective parties, even those not explicitly stated herein. Those who find this document on sites not listed below should e-mail the author (me). Thanks for reading this, and thanks for respectin' FAQ authors. Allowed Sites: Disallowed Sites: • Gametalk.com • cheatcc.com • GameFAQs.com • MyCheats.com • Neoseeker.com • Gamesradar.com • Supercheats.com • Cheathappens.com • Honestgamers.com • Chaptercheats.com E-mail me for permissions ~ • Cavesofnarshe.com shotgunnova (a+) gmail (d0t) com. _______________________________________________________________________________ SHE CRIED AWAY HER Document İ Shotgunnova, 1997-2010 (and countin'!) LIFE SINCE SHE FELL Left 4 Dead namesake İ respective owners OFF THE CRADLE E N D O F D O C U M E N T