The Hospital

"I hate hospitals... and doctors, and lawyers, and cops."

- Francis


 * For the actual in-game hospital, see Mercy Hospital.

The Hospital is the fourth chapter of the campaign titled No Mercy. The action takes place in Mercy Hospital—a modern high-rise hospital building located in the downtown area of Fairfield city. The hospital has been overrun with Infected largely comprising onetime patients, medical and service staff.

The Survivors' goal is to get to the hospital's rooftop helipad in order to be rescued by the helicopter pilot who first attracted their attention at the very start of the campaign. (Note that at different times in the campaign when the Mercy Hospital building is in view, his helicopter can be seen maneuvering across the sky and hovering next to the hospital roof.)

As explained in full detail below, The Survivors exit the safe room and fight their way up the building until they reach a working elevator that whisks them to the hospital's upper floors (which are still under construction) thus allowing them to reach the roof, its helipad—and face off against hordes of Infected in a gripping finale.

The video walkthrough is on the No Mercy campaign page.

Campaign
At the beginning, the AI Survivors will grab:
 * Bill will grab an Assault rifle.
 * Francis will grab an Auto shotgun.
 * Louis will grab an Assault rifle.
 * Zoey will grab a Hunting rifle.

Otherwise, they will keep the weapons they had in the last chapter (see The Sewer for a list of weapons they will grab there).

It's been a long run. Through apartments, abandoned subways, and sewers you've gone. But you're here now. Rescue awaits you on the roof of the hospital. Now, all you have to do is get everyone there alive, and you'll have made it. Take a breather, if you must, and be prepared to run through the forsaken halls of Mercy Hospital.

Of course, you start this level out in a safe room. There are Tier 2 weapons sitting on the table, as well as an extra Pistol and a box of first aid kits on the wall. Stock up and get ready to move. Due to the close quarters of this level, an Auto Shotgun is recommended. Take whatever you'd like, open that door, and head out.

Head to the right of the door, down the hall, and head for the light at the end which leads to some stairs. You can go to the left, though, and look for supplies, or turn at the bend into a darkened hallway, as well. However, both are ultimately dead ends and thus may be seen as a waste of time. Go up the flight of stairs and onto the next floor. Take a look around, if you must, but the way to keep going is to the left; either by the immediate route, or a small detour through a few rooms.
 *  This is one of the most likely times for a Tank or Witch to appear (especially in versus mode). If you hear either of them, get ready to either fight or try to file around the Witch (if there is one), although they usually spawn directly in the way. 

Head for the stairs on the far side of the room, possibly pausing to look inside of the few rooms along the way if you really want supplies, and go down the hall until you reach more stairs. Go up, and keep moving.
 *  This is another very likely spot for a Tank or Witch to appear. From this point to the elevator, watch out! 

Take a look behind the desk here. There tend to be some supplies around this area, if the Director is forgiving. Move down a rather long hallway, lined with beds and gurneys, and you'll find yourself at an elevator. Don't you just hate waiting for the elevator when you've somewhere to be? Don't hit the button yet, though! There's a pile of ammo sitting on a bed blocking off a corner (which is a very common tactic to use for this section, though it's mostly when there are other players), and sometimes supplies are hiding off in one of the adjacent rooms down this hall. Take a look around and make use of what you can, and only when you and everyone else is ready, hit the button and get ready to wait. Oh, and there's a horde coming.

They'll be coming in from almost every direction—even dropping down from a vent over your head, breaking down walls all around you. At this point, though, there are a few different tactics which can be used to great effect:
 * Pipe bombs. An obvious tactic. Throw as many as you've got, and it easily thins out the horde.
 * Molotovs. Throw them down at one of the pathways the Infected will be charging in from, and it does most of the work for you.
 * There is a small closet on the other side of the wall where the elevator and bed are. Everyone can go in there, but be careful of Special Infected that drop out of the ceiling!
 * As aforementioned, everyone can get in the corner behind the bed. Not only does the bed keep anybody from being dragged away by a Smoker, but the wall also covers your backs quite well as that the walls behind you are not breakable.

In general, just stay together, preferably close to the elevator, and you should be fine. Once the elevator finally gets to your floor, hurry and get on before more come running.
 * Note that if you get charged, the Charger will knock both itself and you through the floor of the elevator, killing you without the possibility of revival.

As the elevator slowly goes up, this would be a nice time to work out who needs health. Figure it out, but be ready to hit the ground running when it reaches its destination—the 28th floor. You're almost there. The elevator lets you out to an unfinished part of the hospital, which is quite obviously still under heavy construction, judging by the steel beams everywhere... as well as the lack of outer walls. You're almost to the safe house, though! Run through the area (carefully, you don't want to fall off the roof!), and you'll have made it. Be careful; if a Tank spawns here, he can send you flying off the roof without the possibility of being pulled up or revived (if needed, there is always a gas can in the first room to your right after you leave the elevator). Get everyone inside, and shut the door when they are in. Congratulations, you've made it through The Hospital! Take a moment to catch your breath, and get ready for the Rooftop Finale.
 *  This is the final place a Tank or Witch generally spawns, usually farther down and not far from the safe room. Needless to say, with all of the holes in the walls, the Tank is definitely the more dangerous of the two here. Just avoid the open points in the walls and shoot as much as you can. 

Survivors
Now that humans are controlling the Special Infected, things can only get harder. However, they can't spawn until you leave the safe room. That doesn't mean that you should let them have a good chance to find just the right spot, though! Hurry up and get your supplies, and get running!

Just outside of the safe room is a treacherous corridor where Infected can quickly overwhelm the Survivors. There are many rooms and a side passage on this long hallway. These serve as easy ambush points for each of the Infected. Watch out and move swiftly, but stay vigilant!

(Note : When looking directly to the LEFT of the saferoom when leaving, there is most likely a Smoker. This is a very popular yet predictable spot to hide. If you want to be sneaky, try staying to the right, close to a wall. They wouldn't be expecting it because they may be looking left depending on the experience of the player(s).)

Remember that throughout the level, you need to stick together. Especially now player-controlled enemies have joined the fray. When entering and exiting the stairs, be cautious of Hunters waiting to pounce and Boomers waiting to vomit—these areas are their favorite.

A competent team of Survivors should not encounter any problems until they reach the Crescendo Event at the elevator. Here, you need to find an extremely secure location and buckle down for a hard fight. Your enemies won't be merciful in any way, so return the favor, and show no mercy!

It is important to be ready for anything when the lift reaches the top and opens out onto the construction area. Here, anything can happen, from Boomers lying in wait to a Tank around the bend. Whatever happens here, be ready for it.

This is a point that cannot be stressed enough. When you see the safe room, do not make a dash for it alone. If you do, you may end up getting yourself killed. Stick with your teammates; move as they do. Cover them and they'll cover you.

Infected
Boomers: Close quarters. Your favorite two words together. Here, you are the Infected's main chance of success. You are their main weapon. Cover the Survivors in your putrid, green bile and make sure they can't see what they're doing. Once you've covered them, check for other Special Infected. If none are around, don't be afraid to get in there and use your melee attack on the Survivors. Remember all of those places where you simply couldn't avoid the Boomer's bile? Use them! Take advantage of your knowledge as a Survivor. And at the construction area, your explosion might just knock a Survivor off!

(Note : If you are willing to wait, or lucky enough to spawn a Boomer later on, jumping down into the elevator from the hole above, the survivors are usually waiting by the door or in the middle, so you very well may cover them in your bile. This is suggested to be performed near the end, but anytime is fine.)

Hunters: Close quarters. Not your forte, but not enough of a hindrance to make you ineffective. You can still lurk in dark rooms and strike at the last passing Survivor. Try to outsmart your targets, and hide in effective yet unusual positions. Also, considering that height is not available for you to get instant damage pounces, don't underestimate your secondary attack. Your melee is very strong and can quickly incapacitate a heavily wounded Survivor. Also note that when joining in with a horde of Common Infected to slash at your target, you are less likely to be noticed and killed than your fellow Special Infected. Also try to surprise a survivor by pouncing it when it enters a certain room; if this so happens, your prey will likely panic. Pounce on survivors who are far away from their team, even at least for 5 seconds. Do not attempt to attack any Survivor inside an elevator, because it is most likely you'll be killed even if your not aware that there is another one watching you. Same goes after they reached the top.

Smokers: Close quarters. They are certainly not made for you. You are made for long distances and heights. Don't let this discourage you, though. Use the long corridors to your advantage. The Survivors do well indoors, but with a well-aimed Smoker's tongue, you can outdo them. Work together with the other Special Infected and show them that Smokers are deadly to them no matter where they go.

Tanks: This is a beautiful hospital. Bloody, stuffed with Infected, and dangerous to Survivors. Perfect. As with most interiors you are a force to be reckoned with. You can be the very difference between victory and defeat. These tight corridors and compact rooms are absolutely ideal for you. As long as your enemies are not a team of perfect players, you should be able to do a large amount of damage to those immune annoyances. Lead your fellow Infected, and crush the Survivors once and for all!

Chargers: Tight walls. Dark corners. Thin chokepoints. Perfect. Like the Boomer, you'll be able to do quite a fair bit of damage in the corridors. One of the best options is to wait around the corner until the Survivors turn your way. Then charge. If you're lucky, you'll bowl over the entire group, leaving you free to pummel one as long as you wish. Just be mindful if the Survivors aren't grouped: you could easily be killed while you're distracted with turning the Survivor you're holding into a pulpy mess.

Also, the Survivors will fear you on the upper levels. The old adage 'what goes up must come down' rings very true here. And the Survivors have only two ways down: express or coach.

Spitters: The Hospital is a Spitters dream, with most of the level being narrow your spit can cause very high damage to the survivors, and even more so with the help of the other Special Infected (especially the Charger.) Work with the other Special Infected to ensure maximum damage.

Survival
Open Room Method


 * The doors in the hospital are easily broken by Infected attacks and are nearly invulnerable to your attacks. The keyword is nearly, you can destroy the doors by unloading a ridiculous amount of shotgun blasts into them and using your melee a few times. The doors will eventually fall and break. This is required to use this method. Facing away from the lift, turn down the corridor on your right. At the very end of this corridor is a set of double doors. If your team breaks into this room, it can be used to hold out for a long time. This room contains three Pipe bombs, two Molotovs, a couple bottles of Pills, and an extra pistol.


 * This method limits the Infected entry points to only through the doorway itself. Smokers, Hunters and Boomers can all easily be dealt with from here if your team is ready to cover you. Even when the Tank arrives, he can easily be beaten, as not only does he often spawn far down at the end of the corridor, but there are a lot of static gurneys for you to clamber over whilst battling the Tank inside the room. If the Tank does manage to do damage, all is certainly not lost. This room is very close to the ammunition, weapons and first aid kits. From here, a competent and cooperative team can achieve around 15 minutes. It is easier to achieve gold if the whole team has Auto Shotguns, and for shooting; make sure at least one Survivor is shooting a shotgun at all times. For the ammo runs, at least put explosives in accessible areas where the Smokers and Hunters congregate. It's quicker to stun them with an explosion, giving the Survivor more time to run away, than trying to kill the Special Infected.

Easter Eggs

 * In several of the examining rooms, there is an X-ray of a hand with four fingers, a reference to the cover of the game.
 * There's also an X-ray of what seems to be an elongated neck, a reference to the Spitter in L4D2.
 * For unknown reasons, Survivors take the elevator to the 28th floor instead of directly to the roof. This may be reference to "28 Days Later" or the sequel "28 Weeks Later".