Left 4 Dead - Tips and Tactics

[Whistler777]

With all the buzz about L4D2 (and the overwhelming amount of threads bashing it), I think it's high time we return to enjoying what we have and talk about the original L4D. Having just bought the game, I was unimpressed with it, but the more time I spend playing online, the more fun I have.

Since I'm new to the game, I don't really know all the tricks of the trade yet, and thought I'd start this thread so that everyone could share their favorite Campaign and Survival tips and tricks. What's the best time to start the lift? How vital is laying down petrol cans and propane tanks before triggering the horde? What's the most successful weapon combination for Zoey, Bill, Francis, and Louis? Are there any tricks to getting achievements?

We all love L4D, let's get some good discussion going!

 

[scotth266]

Protip: Autoshottie on Expert is a bad idea if you have a hard time controlling your friendly fire. It downs teammates in one to two shots, so don't take it if you can't aim as well as your buddies.

Also, have one team member keep a molly handy at all times, because Tanks SUCK if you don't have one.

 

[Whistler777]

Also, have one team member keep a molly handy at all times, because Tanks SUCK if you don't have one.

So they really do a lot of damage to Tanks? I know I threw one at a Tank to get the Towering Inferno achievement, but I didn't think that it served much purpose other than that.

I usually use the Hunting Rifle when I play Campaign mode, because I'm Counter-Strike trained for headshots.

 

[D_987]

So they really do a lot of damage to Tanks? I know I threw one at a Tank to get the Towering Inferno achievement, but I didn't think that it served much purpose other than that.

Well it constantly causes damage so you can just run away from the Tank.

Tip: Push boomer's before firing...Its extremely annoying when a team-mate; even on expert does not fulfil this basic requirement...

 

[-=Spy=-]

Tip:Firing through walls is very usefull against Boomers.
Tip:On VS lighting a tank on fire causes it to slow down. In Campaige it makes them faster.
Tip:The flashlight causes common infected to attack quicker. Shut it off.
Tip:Survivors moving slowly do not show their outlines on infected vision.

 

[Amnestic]

Tip: Push boomer's before firing...Its extremely annoying when a team-mate; even on expert does not fulfil this basic requirement...

This ;/

If you can't see the Smoker while they're grappling your teammate, shooting the tongue itself should free them up.

Never underestimate how useful the Melee ability is.

Molotov Tanks.

Cry when half your team gets boomer-vomit on them.

 

[Flamma Man]

Using the crouch feature to your advantage can help considering it will give your buddies some shooting room.

I surprisingly don't see people using this to their advantage much online.

 

[maddawg IAJI]

9/10 times the Ai playing as Zoey will take the Sniper rifle just to piss you off. (In reality it's to simulate what an actual team would do as many of the game testers would keep a balanced set. But in reality the sniper is only useful in certain situations.

The best way to get the Man Vs tank Achievment is to play Death toll-5 on Expert. It's best to bring a friend to play as well in case you get snared as while you're in the safe room you must kill the 2 bots. Then switch it to easy and go out and find the tank who on most occasions will spawn either in the street or in the BackYard.

The simpliest way to get the Tankbusters achievment is to set the game to easy find a tank out in the open and back peddal. Unload whatever you have equipped and kill it. Do Not light him on fire as he is faster while on fire.

 

[Da_Schwartz]

Just keep blasting.

 

[maddawg IAJI]

Using the crotch feature to your advantage can help considering it will give your buddies some shooting room.

I surprisingly don't see people using this to their advantage much online.

There is no "Crotch" feature. That's why no one is using it. There is a crouch feature though.

 

[Flamma Man]

Using the crotch feature to your advantage can help considering it will give your buddies some shooting room.

I surprisingly don't see people using this to their advantage much online.

There is no "Crotch" feature. That's why no one is using it. There is a crouch feature though.

Thanks for the sarcasm, sorry for the spelling error.

 

[One Seven One]

during versus, the hunter can jump off of walls (not stick to them like in the intro though)
to do this make sure the hunter's back is mostly against the wall using the right bumper to instantly turn around helps if you miss them.

this move can be used to ditract the survivors while a boomer goes to attack them.

and just to clear some things up the hunter can use this as many times without needing to charge, so long as his back is against the wall which means you can turn a little to the left or right while jumping towards a wall and bounce off of it to the survivors.

 

[Mana Fiend]

Though I'm no expert, I will say that the pistols should not be underated. They can be very useful for conserving ammo and against normal infected. That and meleeing can clear you some needed firing room.

 

[Neotericity]

There are tactics? No but seriously, shoot the witch in the back of the head with a pistol and see what happens, um my favorite thing to do is speedrun with my friends, but wouldn't recommend it. Um... Just corner up during horde attacks and watch out for Tanks next to cars cause if they throw that car it is an automatic down for you.

 

[Bob_F_It]

Avoid emptying all the shells out of the auto-shotgun, otherwise you have to cock it again. Reloading at 1 or more means you can instantly fire.

Don't under-estimate the hunting rifle. Being able to shoot several zombies with one shot makes it much more efficiant in corridors and a stellar choice when setting off a fuel can behind a zombie-meatshield. And zooming with the rifle will tighten up the accuracy faster than plain standing still/crouching.

 

[YuheJi]

Also, have one team member keep a molly handy at all times, because Tanks SUCK if you don't have one.

So they really do a lot of damage to Tanks? I know I threw one at a Tank to get the Towering Inferno achievement, but I didn't think that it served much purpose other than that.

If you can set a tank on fire, it will die after about forty seconds, no matter what its health is. So people tend to just set it on fire and then run away. Easiest way to kill one.

 

[steam_marc]

Also, have one team member keep a molly handy at all times, because Tanks SUCK if you don't have one.

So they really do a lot of damage to Tanks? I know I threw one at a Tank to get the Towering Inferno achievement, but I didn't think that it served much purpose other than that.

If you can set a tank on fire, it will die after about forty seconds, no matter what its health is. So people tend to just set it on fire and then run away. Easiest way to kill one.

My prefered method is to let the Tank go after a teammate, run up to the Tank, and unload 9 Autoshotgun shells into his back at point blank range. Run away, reload, unload in his face as he's chasing you.

If you feel the Tank has low enough health left, you can also just use your pistols to take him down from farther away.

 

[Spudgun Man]

Hide in a cuboard and wait for the final conflict to end then bolt it to the rescue vehicle. Works 2 out of 100,000,000 times.

 

[Meado]

Avoid emptying all the shells out of the auto-shotgun, otherwise you have to cock it again. Reloading at 1 or more means you can instantly fire.

I always refer to it as the "Safety Bullet", cos it's a livesaver if you spot a Boomer while reloading. I would add that should you accidentally fire that last shell and start the automatic reload, press the fire button once after you've loaded two shells, stopping the reload and cocking the gun immediately. Having that Safety Bullet at all times is one of your biggest priorities.

 

[Captain Pancake]

if you find supplies, don't hesitate to tell the rest of your team. There's no point leaving good supplies just because you don't have enough room for them, so if there's two health packs, use the one you're carrying and switch it out. only use pills in an emergency, and only if your health has dropped low enough for your movement to be impaired.
the assault rifle is your friend, but double pistols is your life line. if you can, coordinate your team with 2 assault rifles and two auto shotguns, organising into a formation that allows all four of you to be shooting at once down a tight corridor. try not to use the rifle, as the enemies are too fast for you to make every shot count, and you'll never be able to kill more than one at a time, unless you've got beginner's luck. always switch up to tier two weapons when you find them, as the change in weapons usually signals a change in intensity, so expect larger/more frequent hordes and more specials. before a crescendo, coordinate your team into positions, i.e., no mercy, in the generator room, collect all your molotovs, set any traps, have a man on the turret, two at the barricades adjacent, and be wary of the hole in the floor. if a tank comes backpedal, as it won't be able to keep up with you, so if your team guns at it while you bait it, you should kill it without any fuss.

hope it helps, sorry about the wall of text...