Cut-throat Creek

Cut-throat Creek is the final chapter in the Cold Stream campaign which was released as a DLC in March 2011 in beta format.

This chapter is best thought of as a single continuous finale similar in concept to The Bridge from The Parish. For this reason a fast-firing and hard hitting Tier 2 weapon like an auto shotgun or AK 47 backed up with a melee weapon or Dual Pistols is strongly recommended. If a player has been holding onto a M60 or chainsaw through the campaign, this is the time to use them. Laser sights are highly useful here.

The players use a small handheld radio in the safe room to call for help. After this, they must fight their way to the helicopter on the other side. On leaving the safe room, players find themselves in an open woodland area with a storage building to the left. This building has two doorways and contains four Explosive Barrels against the downstairs walls. By climbing up onto a second floor, some minor supplies will be found on one of two tables. Enemies will begin to trickle into the storage area below and, if a player is lucky, a Special Infected will appear so that a pair of Explosive Barrels can be set off and enable that person to win an Achievement.

Exiting the storage building, teams follow an arrow sign nailed up on a tree. All this while, a steady stream of enemies will be flowing towards the team.

Pushing foreward, the team reaches the lip of a steep-sided canyon (note that a Chain Saw may spawn close to this location) containing a fast-flowing stream with an unending horde of Common Infected interspersed with Specials jumping down from the bluffs on both sides. After dropping down into Cut-throat Creek, the team presses forwards fighting all the way (a good tactic is to slow down to tackle a mob of enemies and to move forward in quick bounds during the momentary pauses between their attacks).

A waterfall is soon reached, which the team can simply jump down to the creek below without fear of injury. At the base of this feature is a sunken boat containing an ammo pile with additional supplies in the water nearby. Immediately after jumping off into the creek, however, the finale kicks up a notch as a Tank spawns almost directly in front of the survivors. Players must fight this tank in the midst of various other Infected also trying to attack you. It is a good strategy to quickly try to dodge the tank and find some open space, as failing to do so may result in the Tank cornering and incapacitating you and your team. Players may take refuge from the tank by walking up a rough path leading up the canyon wall. It is also good strategy to have a handy Bile Jar, allowing the other Infected to leave you alone and instead attack the Tank. Once the tank has been dispatched, players make their way into a tunnel, where they must fight through yet another horde. At the end of this tunnel is a staircase which players must climb up, which leads to the exit of a bunker.

Once up the top, the players reach a more industrial, open area. Various buildings are scattered across this area, some of which contain supplies. The team can now see the chopper coming to rescue them, waiting for them at the top of a wall-less tower. That is the good news. But the bad news is that Common Infected spawning rates intensify and at least one Tank arrives on the scene. To survive the finale, players must charge hard to the chopper. By throwing a Bile Jar or Pipe Bomb, valuable time will be gained as the team scrambles across to the tower where salvation awaits. Thereafter, players must dash up a staircase, before finally reaching the peak of the tower, where the chopper awaits. Players then climb up a ladder and into the chopper. Once everyone is aboard, a closing cut scene rolls depicting the chopper flying away, ending one of the most challenging finales in the game.

Pre-update
Many aspects of the map were altered or removed for the July 6th update of Cold Stream.


 * When answering the radio at the start of the map, a cut sceen originally rolled, showing a military helicopter responding to their call but crashing en route.


 * In the original finale, the players run through a forest to the chopper. In this forest, the remains of the aforementioned crashed helicopter can be seen.


 * The original finale prevented the player from getting into the helicopter without crouching (though even in this situation the player could escape and the finale would end if all other players were incapacitated or dead).


 * More items, such as Boomer Bile and Pipe Bombs, spawned in the original map.