Left 4 Dead: Survival Mode Tips part 1

Who’s addicted to Left 4 Dead? I am! I am! *raises her hand* I have been for the last half year. I love the game because co-op is done very well. I’m not a competitive person (hence I tend to stay away from versus games). So when they released Survival Mode, I was excited because that meant more chances for co-op.

You have unlimited time to prepare a spot to defend, but once you trigger the event, waves upon waves of zombies, special infected, and tanks will come for you. Sometimes there are 4 smokers or hunters at once! And two tanks at the same time! So it’s really exciting, and the goal is to survive for at least 10 minutes in each map.

Here are some sweet spots for some of the maps that helped me get gold. I’ve also included screenshots because sometimes a description doesn’t quite help. Some of the screenshots I’ve also marked some letters on to illustrate the most common places special infected will show up. Green S for smoker, Red H for hunter, Red T for tank, and blue Z for regular zombies.

There’s also survival mode tips part 2, part 3, and part 4.

Notes: They say that during survival mode, you don’t want to set the tank on fire (it increases their running speed). If anyone gets smokered and you are near them, you should melee that person first before trying to kill the smoker. If the victim is far from you, you should try to kill the smoker instead.

Death Toll: The Drains
Death Toll: The Street
Death Toll: The Church
Dead Air: The Crane

Death Toll: The Drains

For this map, everybody used shotguns - we were far away from the pile of ammo and had to conserve bullets. However, we were close to a number of healing kits and pills as well as molotovs. We defended this corner, with our backs against the wall).

From this point of view, I marked the locations of smokers, in my experience. I seemed to have remember the smoker in the middle standing in the pipe far away, but I’m not sure - maybe it’s too far a distance for its tongue. If you’re positioned to the very right, try to move left to force the smoker to climb the ladder. If you’re standing close to the edge, it will drag you into the water. Hunters usually climb the ladders.

Zombies will jump from the opening to your upper left, so make sure you’re back is against the wall so you can see them. Tanks will have to climb either the left or right ladder, so switch to your shotgun. Again, the closer you are to the tank, the more damage your shotgun does, so if possible, run forward to shoot him as he’s climbing the ladder (trying to keep in mind possible smokers locations and angles).

Second Option

This is tricky and difficult to do. You want to pick up a propane tank and toss it at this wooden crate to change its orientation as pictured. Then you want to place the propane tank square between the crate and the wall (red circle).

Blow up the tank. The goal is to get it to flip up and onto the second level close to the open pipe. If it fails, just restart the level. Once it makes it up there, use the second gas tank near the open drain pipe and toss it at the create to position it underneath the opening.

Afterwards, use the crate to jump into the opening. You can actually run all the way back to the saferoom. Make sure to pick up your weapons as the ones in the room are of lower grade. There are health kits and a pile of ammo inside the saferoom. The tank will break down the door - just run around the room, kiting and shooting until he dies.

Death Toll: The Street

My team and I defended the spot toward the back, near the fences. We all had shotguns for the tank.

Some zombies and the occasional smoker or hunter will appear behind the fence, so have someone in charge of covering the back.

This strategy is based on luck. When the tank comes, scatter around the general area - you can try to use the columns at the right to slow him down. Smokers like popping up from behind the ramp. You can usually see the hunter coming.

The ammo and health packs are kind of far away, but if you move together as a group, you can get to them during a zombie rush, so make sure to communicate! Also remember, you can get ammo from the weapons instead of the ammo pile, which is further away (marked by the red X). Be sure to grab the right weapon! I know, it’s kind of obvious, but some people need it stated. =)

Death Toll: The Church

All four us of hid behind these two benches outside of the church. We all had shotguns for the tanks and used our pistols against zombies, smokers, and hunters.

Other than tanks, hunters are the real killers in this map because all 4 survivors are packed together in a tiny space, knockback (5 second delay) would affect everyone.

Smokers are annoying, but if they tongue you, they can’t pull you from behind the benches. I didn’t mark hunters on this image because I’m not usually facing that direction (so I don’t know where they pop up). Regular zombies will come from all different directions, so just be alert and kill them with your pistols. If things become frantic, you can be generous with your shotgun. During lulls (several seconds of peace), you can make a run for ammo or health packs (inside the house) but make sure to communicate with your friends so they can come with you (and also refill).

When the tank comes, switch over to your shotgun. He will have to take some time in order to climb over the benches to get to you, or he will also slip behind the bench. You guys should scatter and run (don’t stay behind the bench). Keep in mind, the closer you are to the tank, the more effective your shotgun is, so try to wait until last minute before running.

Dead Air: The Crane

This is the sweet spot. For this map, use either M-16s or the hunting rifle. You’ll worry more about smokers than hunters or tanks.

I was able to do this mode with another friend, leaving 2 CPUs (we just let them die). You need to jump over the side of the building and onto a small ledge (I marked it in red). Here, you can easily push each other off, so move forward periodically.

If you are at the very left, this is your view. The crane will prevent you from moving further to the left. Sometimes, zombies will run along the edge toward you (indicated by the blue Z). Smokers are indicated by the green S’s, so be careful of the area with the smoker on the right. You can ignore the smoker on the upper left - they can’t get you, and you can’t get it.

Also, try to be to the left of the fence - if you guys are tightly packed together, it is very easy to rescue your friend from a smoker. Beware of smokers that will pop up where the green S’s are (I even emulate a smoker hiding behind the pole and air conditioning duct, making it difficult to get a clear shot). The tank will often get stuck at the red T area. He will throw rocks at you, but generally he misses.

Generally, the zombies, hunters, and tanks will run by you and appear on the street directly under the ledge. Prepare for a lot of hunters screaming as they try to jump up and get you (but they are blocked by the ledge). You don’t need to worry about killing the monsters below you.

That’s it for now. I’ll make more posts as I find sweet spots on other maps. =) And if you know of any other spots, do let me know!