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 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 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 brings 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 Survivor Bots either keep their weapons from the previous chapter or:
 * Bill will grab an Assault rifle.
 * Francis will grab an Auto shotgun.
 * Louis will grab an Assault rifle.
 * Zoey will grab a Hunting rifle.

The chapter objective is to make your way to the hospital roof in order to be rescued by the News Chopper that you met at the start of the first chapter and which you saw circling the city thereafter.

You start this chapter in a safe room. There are Tier 2 weapons sitting on the table, as well as an extra Pistol or Magnum and first aid kits on the wall. Stock up and get ready to move. Due to this chapter's close quarter combat, an Auto Shotgun is recommended. The hospital is a complex network of hallways and side rooms which are heavily populated by aggressive enemies of all types. Side rooms invite you to explore in search of extra supplies such as replacement weapons and grenades.

The main route from the safe room is to turn right and head down the hall to the stairwell. Climb the stairs to the next floor and pass through a large atrium.
 *  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. 

An open flight of stairs on the far side of the atrium brings you to a mezzanine floor. Proceed to the end and climb some more stairs to enter the ICU and special treatment wards.
 *  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 ICU reception desk. There are usually some supplies around this area. Enter the ICU via a set of double doors and explore the many side rooms. Turning right will put you in a hallway lined with improvised quarantine treatment rooms. Note that if playing the Left 4 Dead 2 version of the game, these rooms are certain to be endowed with supplies. An elevator stands at the end of one branch of this hallway. A nearby gurney carries an ammo pile.

When ready, press the elevator's call button. This will trigger one of the most intense horde attacks in the the campaign. Attackers will breach the walls on both sides of the elevator, they will charge down the hallway and drop down from the air conditioning duct. To make matters worse, the elevator moves slowly, extending the amount of time that the survivors must defend themselves.

Useful tactics include:
 * Pipe bombs. An obvious tactic. Throw as many as you've got - they thin out the horde with ease.
 * Molotovs. Throw them down the attack pathways.
 * 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!
 * 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.
 * One player with an automatic weapon can crouch in the corner next to the elevator and the broken wall. This person can direct fire down all three lines of attack.

In general, just stay together, preferably close to the elevator, and you should be fine. The Left 4 Dead 2 version switches things up by introducing Spitters and Chargers who can break up defense formations. A glitch affecting bots has been noted when playing L4D2 whereby if a bot enters or is dragged into the hallway to the right of the elevator, he or she will tend to 'stick' there and refuse to enter the elevator. To rectify the problem, it is necessary for the human player(s) to run back past the ICU reception whereupon the stuck character will miraculously appear at your side once again.

Once the elevator arrives, board it and press the panel. The elevator will not move until all players are inside.
 * 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, the Survivors are given time to delegate use of health items. 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 travels up slowly and along the way your characters will invariably share some self-disclosed thoughts. You are let out onto the first of two unfinished floors. Looking around, it is self-evident that you are now in a work-halted construction site.
 *  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. 

Proceed to the safe room via a zig-zagging route. Care is needed not to fall off the edge of the floor: you will hang from the edge and require assistance from a comrade. A Tank will sometimes spawn up here and is capable of knocking you off the floor, causing you to fall to your death. Another serious threat to players is the Witch, who is sometimes positioned right in a vital passage or outside the safe room door.

At first glance the route to the safe room in the final part of this floor is not obvious. However you will soon learn which jinks and turns to take.

Congratulations, you've made it through The Hospital! Take a moment to catch your breath, and get ready for the Rooftop Finale.

Left 4 Dead 2 Version
The map only has minor changes, the main one being that the roof of the elevator has no open spot on top, thus the survivors are completely safe from Special Infected on Versus during the ride up. This was most likely done to prevent Spitters from spitting in the elevator, incapacitating the Survivors and ending the round. Unlike some L4D1 maps, the construction site area has no changes to account for the presence of Chargers and Jockeys, making the wide open instant death drops much more of a serious threat than before.

Survivors
With humans 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 form up and make a plan 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 will most likely be 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 that 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 a secure location and buckle down for a hard fight.

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. 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 of the ledge.

Note: If you are willing to wait, or lucky enough to spawn a Boomer later on, jump 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 claws are 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 fellow Special Infected. Also try to surprise a Survivor by pouncing them when they enter a certain room; if this so happens, your prey will likely panic. Do not attempt to attack any Survivor inside an elevator, because it is most likely you'll be killed even if you are 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 choke points. Again, 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 are easily fragile while 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 Spitter's 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.

Jockeys: The numerous branching hallways and side rooms provide ample opportunity to lead Survivors away from their teammates. Make use of other distractions to carry Survivors through the mazes of corridors and hallways to maximize the amount of time you can attack your prey. On the upper levels, use your abilities to carry Survivors off of the ledge, instantly incapacitating them and wasting the time of the other Survivors, who become vulnerable to the instant-kill capabilities of the Charger while they attempt to rescue your victim.

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 foreshadowed Spitter in L4D2.
 * The 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".