Left 4 Dead 2 is out! Our resident L4D geek, Edward “Glimmerous.Fop” Pang, has been playing the campaign modes on Expert difficulty for the past couple of days. Here are some basic campaign tips for all you zombie apocalypse masochists.
Do not enable Realism mode if you are not ready for it
- In Realism mode, all player and item “outlines” are removed. Nickname popups (whenever you point your crosshairs at a friend) are also disabled. This means that spotting your teammates and avoiding friendly fire is much harder. A microphone is an absolute must; constant communication is paramount to survival.
- Also, if you die in Realism mode, you can only be revived with a shock paddle. There are no closet rescues.
- Common Infected zombies are tougher in Realism mode — you need to aim for headshots to deal more damage, just like in zombie movies.
Save some adrenaline for those nasty moments
In addition to maximizing your running speed and granting a temporary +25 health bonus, adrenaline also greatly increases the speed of all your player actions. These include:
- Reviving incapped teammates
- Using the first-aid kit to heal
- Using the shock paddle
- Attack speed of melee weapons
If your friends start going down, inject that adrenaline immediately! A three-second revive speed could mean the difference between staying alive and restarting the map.
Ammo upgrades
Before picking up an ammo upgrade, switch to a weapon with a bigger clip size first, such as the SCAR or M16. This is because the ammo upgrade lasts for only one clip — 60 flaming rifle rounds are better than 10 flaming shotgun shells.
Be very careful when using explosive rounds. Explosive bullets deal splash damage, you might end up hurting yourself or your teammates if you are not careful. I once tried to crown a Witch at point-blank range with my Combat Shotgun, forgetting that explosive rounds were loaded. I instantly incapacitated myself.
Ultra Magnum
If you plan on using pistols, don’t bother with the dual Berettas. Although you can’t carry two Magnums in both hands, a single Magnum shot deals tremendous damage. In Expert mode, one clean torso shot from the Magnum will instantly kill a Common Infected zombie.
Also, if you’re carrying a Magnum and get incapacitated, you will be able to use the Magnum while lying on the ground. A far better weapon for fending off zombies whacking on your body. The Magnum even reloads faster than dual Berettas.
Make sure they are dead
In Left 4 Dead 2, zombies can still attack you even after getting their limbs shot off or torsos blown wide open. Be one hundred percent sure that the zombie is dead. Shoot at their fallen bodies if you have to, or aim for headshots if you have the skills. No zombie can stay alive without a brain.
Throw the Bile Bomb like a Pipebomb
I notice many players trying to throw the Bile Bomb at other Infected zombies… when the zombie is just standing a few metres away from them. Remember, after the “Biled” zombies are killed, more zombies will still be attracted to the area where the Bile Bomb was thrown. Don’t gimp your entire team by summoning the horde towards them, throw the Bile Bomb far, FAR away.
Bile Bombing a Tank while other Boss Infected are around can work amazing wonders. Once, I saw Hunter pouncing and scratching a Tank non-stop. The Tank was unable to hit the Hunter because the Hunter was too fast. This gave our team enough time to shoot down the Tank while the Hunter was distracting it.
Stay tuned for more L4D2 tips! Share your own pro-tips in the comments thread or on the GameSync L4D forums.
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