The Tank

"Run or shoot?... RUN OR SHOOT?!"

- Louis

"Why can't that thing be on our side?"

- Rochelle

The Tank is arguably the most powerful Special Infected in the game along with the Witch due to his combined brute force and agility. Unless the team works together to take a Tank down, it can wipe out entire squads with or without help.

The Tank is voiced by Fred Tatasciore.

Extent of Mutations
The Tank is an exclusively male Special Infected who has experienced the most extensive physical mutations of any other class of Special Infected. Evidently, the most obvious trait is his extreme hypertrophy, or abnormally increased muscle mass. Ironically, the Tank is incredibly fast and agile despite his immense size and weight, able to keep up with a healthy Survivor and even climb up buildings like other Infected. According to the Left 4 Dead 2 Survivors' dialogues, the Tank is around 10-12 feet tall and 6 feet wide.

This abnormal muscular growth is most obvious in his arms and upper body but less pronounced around the Tank's waist, hips, and legs. Though the Tank's legs are capable of supporting his static weight (such as when the Tank mounts a rock throwing attack), the Tank's disproportionate anatomy forces him to knuckle-walk, resulting in the Tank's wrists becoming swollen.

The Tank's body is covered with numerous scars and lesions from previous fights, with an especially large open sore on his left pectoral. The Tank's jaw at first glance seems to be missing, but upon closer inspection it is shown to be enveloped within his thick neck muscles. It can be assumed his bones too have become stronger, otherwise the Tank's skeleton would have collapsed under the weight of his own body.

The excessive muscle mass serves as both the Tank's weapon and armor. The increase bulk gives the Tank superhuman strength; a single punch can destroy safe room doors, launch Survivors and objects a considerable distance and he can even rip off chunks of ground to serve as a ranged projectile. This also allows the Tank to take massive punishment from all sorts of weapons, and also protects his vital organs, such as his head as shooting there deals the same amount of damage as if he was shot elsewhere.



The Tank has also suffered either heavy brain damage or a rabies-like cerebral infection, resulting in the Tank being in a constant state of unbridled rage, even more so than most other Infected; his immediate response is to attack any human Survivor on sight. Once the Tank has fixed a target, nothing short of death can stop him; bullets and explosives will not make him flinch, fire only slows him down (unless playing campaign in Left 4 Dead), and the sound of pipe bombs and car alarms won't distract him (ironically enough, though, in the Left 4 Dead intro, he is alerted by them). The Tank will even smash down doors, knock away obstacles, and plow through entire crowds of Infected just to bare down on a specific Survivor he has chosen as a target. Despite the extent of his mutations, the Tank along with the Charger are the only Infected that retains some human speech, as he may be heard saying "Noooo!" when he dies.

It is presumed that the energy it costs to run the Tank's enormous body is too much, so that he must wait until the Survivors move close or start attacking to accumulate energy. However, when the Tank is completely trapped, unable to find a way to reach his target, or hasn't hit any Survivor for too long after starting a fight, he automatically dies due to frustration. This is more likely a game balance mechanic to shorten tank fights if he gets stuck.

Tanks in Left 4 Dead fixate on a single Survivor at a time, pursuing this person until they are dead, whereupon they begin to target someone else. While unfortunate for the victim, it provides an excellent opportunity for teammates to counterattack. Tanks in the first volume also only spawn singly and at fairly predictable times and locations, often betraying their presence by uttering distinctive growls and arm flapping movements from behind their places of partial concealment.

Once in attack mode, their growls increase in intensity and frequency and nearby Survivors will hear the ground shake as the Tank approaches them. Since Tanks lack fine motor agility, a skilled Survivor can dodge around structures and through windows to evade direct attack, open the distance and fight back. A Tank is especially dangerous when the Survivors are ambushed by one in a tight chokepoint.

The Tank received a variation skin in "The Sacrifice" at a specific location in "The Docks". The Tank is shaven bald, has jean shorts, surgical scars, missing front teeth, is bare-footed, has a Marine Corps tattoo on his chest, and what appears to be some sort of leather restraints around his wrists. His hands and forearms are covered with fresh blood. Given his appearance, he is likely a Marine who was infected and turned into a tank. When the train derailed, he broke free of his restraints and killed everyone else inside, but was locked there and failed to exit.

Left 4 Dead 2


The Tank is now completely bald, and his flesh has become raw and red from constant sun exposure along with the usual wear and tear. The open sores present before are now much larger and appear to be festering. It should also be noted that while in Left 4 Dead, the Tank's lower jaw can barely be seen, in Left 4 Dead 2, the Tank's lower jaw is now completely absorbed by his muscle and only the tongue flops out. The Tank's hands are smaller and less swollen, and his vertebrae are less pronounced than in the first game. The jeans he wears changed a little.

The Tank's behavior has also been modified to focus on all of the Survivors, giving it a more devastating effect. Instead of focusing on one Survivor until they are dead, the Tank actively hunts down active Survivors.

Attacks
The Tank has two different ways of attacking the Survivors; using his arm to punch the Survivor, or pelting them from afar with rocks. Both of these attacks deal the same amount of damage:


 * Easy - 12 damage
 * Normal - 24 damage
 * Advanced - 33 damage
 * Expert - instantly incapacitates

The Tank's sheer strength also allows him to break down specific walls with a single attack of his choosing, along with the safe room door if it has been unbarred. He is also capable of killing most of his fellow Infected in a single hit if they get in his way, apart from Chargers and his fellow Tanks.

On all difficulties, after successfully hitting a Survivor, he will perform a victory taunt. The duration of these taunts vary depending on difficulty.

Incapacitation
If the Tank attacks an incapacitated Survivor, he will deal 75 damage on Easy and Normal, 100 on Advanced and 150 on Expert. In Versus, he simply uses his standard attack, dealing 24 damage. This only occurs with his punches; the rock attack cannot harm incapacitated Survivors.

He has a unique animation for this attack where he raises and slams both of his arms on the unfortunate victim, who will yell in panic when this occurs. The damage can also be applied via normal punching, but this is usually a result of the Tank punching on the go.

Punch
AI Tanks will always prioritize punching attacks against the Survivors when he spots them. It is a simple punch when he reaches a Survivor.


 * On Easy, Normal and Hard difficulties, getting punched by a Tank will send the Survivor flying away, the effects of which are more amplified if they were jumping when the Tank punched them.
 * This serves as a double-edged sword, as while it can be a boon in some cases, it can also cause significant fall damage or even instant death in less optimal scenarios.
 * The Tank can also use this to send specific objects flying. With very few exceptions, getting hit by an object instantly incapacitates any Survivors it hits regardless of difficulty. These objects are often signified with a red aura around them in Versus mode.

Rock Throw
The Tank has the ability to rip chunks off the ground below him (regardless of terrain) as a ranged attack to reach Survivors out of his punching range. With captions active, it is indicated as [Tank Picks Up Rubble].


 * The Tank will become a static target for the duration of the attack.
 * On Expert, he will be far more accurate with these attacks and never miss.
 * The rock does not move accordingly so the targeted Survivor can simply sidestep the incoming projectile once it has been launched.
 * The rock can be destroyed by firing enough bullets (depending on weapon) or throwing specific items on it.
 * The attack can also move some objects, but by a small margin.
 * After performing the attack, he focuses on the closest Survivor to him.

Aggression

 * In Left 4 Dead, the Tank will focus on one Survivor at a time until they are dead.
 * In Left 4 Dead 2, the Tank will still focus on one Survivor at a time. However, he becomes smarter and will change his aggression if:
 * He is attacked with melee
 * After throwing a rock
 * Senses a biled Survivor (this overrides all other options)
 * His current target is pinned by a Special Infected, provided they are not biled
 * Sees an incapacitated Survivor being helped up
 * Incapacitates his current target
 * Senses a Survivor using a mounted gun
 * AI Tanks encountered in non-finale segments and in campaign modes are always passive until attacked or visually spots a Survivor. AI Tanks in finales and Versus are immediately aggressive upon spawning.
 * If struck by a bile bomb while being unaware of the Survivors' presence, he will not engage them.

Teamwork
AI controlled Tanks will never attack Survivors pinned by Special Infected unless the two end up colliding with each other (e.g a Hunter pouncing a Survivor just as the Tank reaches and tries to punch them).

Frustration
The Tank has a frustration meter which starts ticking once the Tank spawns, halts when he sees the Survivors, and refills instantly when he hits them. If the Tank cannot reach a Survivor because they are too far away or hidden, he will eventually die from frustration. The meter depletes on various speeds, which may be determined by the difficulty setting.

Survivors
The number of Tanks depends on the server preferences, the game difficulty and the "mood" of the Director. In Left 4 Dead and Left 4 Dead 2, the Tank is usually seen at least once per level. It is possible to encounter two Tanks on the same level if playing on Expert, though this is extremely rare. The only exception to this is the first level in "Dead Center" and "No Mercy", where no Tanks appear unless playing on Versus. If a Tank does not appear in a level where they may spawn, the chances of one appearing increase in the subsequent chapters. It is possible, but extremely rare, to not encounter any Tanks until the finale.

In all finales at least three Tanks are spawned; two while the rescue arrives and one when the rescue vehicle is waiting. The only exception are "Dead Center", "Swamp Fever", "The Passing" and "The Parish". In "Dead Center", it is possible to avoid the tank fight if the team is fast enough to fuel the car and in "Swamp Fever", there is a possibility of two Tanks spawning in the second wave (always on Advanced and Expert), or in the case of "The Passing", after a set of waves that followed a single Tank spawn. In "The Parish", a Tank appears mid-way through the bridge, which can be skipped as it is not a mandatory fight. If killed however, a second Tank will appear as the Survivors near the rescue vehicle.

Tanks will seldom appear if the third wave is repulsed, though if the survivors refrain from entering the rescue vehicles, Tanks will be instead spawned at an accelerated rate.

"The Sacrifice" also plays host to an increased number of Tanks. During the "Port Finale", a Tank will spawn for each generator which must be activated to lower the bridge. During the sacrifice event four Tanks will spawn at the same time from a distance.

The Tank is heralded by a brief ceasefire in finales, where the Horde will stop rushing (unless a Survivor has been covered in Boomer bile), allowing players to catch their breath. In other chapters there are generally fewer Common Infected around, almost making things eerily quiet — a calm before the storm. It is possible that this is because the other Infected have fled, as the Tank seems to eviscerate anything standing between it and its target without hesitation, although the Tank does not attack the Infected intentionally. Another possibility could involve the fact that the Common Infected have no real sense of self preservation, so fleeing from a Tank is not instinctive. Instead, the lack of Common Infected in this situation could simply be to balance the gameplay so that it is not too overwhelming.

Similar to Witches, individual Tanks that appear during the finale chapter before the actual event starts are extremely rare and only occur on specific campaigns; such as in "Dark Carnival", a Tank can spawn while the team makes their way to the stadium while relatively short finale paths like "Dead Center" and "Hard Rain" a Tank fight before the finale is impossible.



Preparing for a Tank

 * When spawned and unaware of the Survivors' presence, the Tank will often make deep growls or brief huff. This is somewhat uncommon and the growl should not be confused for a Hunter's, which is timed and lower pitched.
 * Clearing nearby Infected can prove helpful as trying to run from a Tank and being slowed down often allows the Tank to catch up to the Survivors.
 * Make sure to have full ammo and have a way of igniting the Tank.

Fighting a Tank

 * When the Tank initiates combat with the Survivors, the Director will not spawn Common Infected unless bile is present.
 * Special Infected continue to spawn as usual.
 * If the Survivors try to run past the Tank, the Director will immediately resume spawning Common Infected to assist the Tank.

Weapons

 * Assault and scoped rifles are best against the Tank as they do not suffer from a damage penalty when he is hit by them. Scoped rifles are also able to destroy the rock he may throw in a single hit.
 * Tier 2 shotguns have a 15% damage reduction against the Tank. Tier 1 shotguns remain unaffected, but by this point they are of little use against other enemies.
 * While the Grenade Launcher is unable to stun the Tank without changing the CVAR constant, the Tank takes 300% damage from a direct hit.
 * Operating the Minigun or the Heavy Machine Gun causes the Tank to ignore all other Survivors including the bile-covered ones and focus on the mounted gun operator. This tactic is useful on higher difficulties as other Survivors are able to easily flank and destroy the tank with it being kited around.

Explosions
The explosion of propane and oxygen tanks, explosive barrels, Boomers or an explosive-enhanced grenade shot are strong enough to stagger the Tank for a few seconds.

Speed
Due to the massive upper body bulk of the Tank, he moves slightly slower than a healthy Survivor (40 or more health), unless they are impeded by water or not running in a straight line. The Tank moves even slower if he is forced to crouch.

In Left 4 Dead non-Versus modes, the tank moves faster when burning.

In Left 4 Dead Versus and all modes in Left 4 Dead 2, lighting the Tank on fire causes him to move slower. Always try to keep the Tank on fire when possible, as the fire rapidly chips away at his health at the same time.

Others

 * Never throw bile bombs against AI Tanks if they are aware of the Survivors' presence, since the bile bombs themselves do not deal any damage to the Tanks and the horde will often be destroyed by the Survivors as they attempt attack the Tank and in worse cases, cause the team to fight a horde at the same time as the Tank. The bile does not blind them either.
 * Although he climbs slower than he does running, he still does so faster than a Common Infected. His large size can also force Survivors out of the way (e.g blocking a ladder).
 * AI Tanks will never avoid fires and often run straight through them while reaching the Survivors.
 * With proper timing, a Tank's melee attacks can be sidestepped.



Infected
Occasionally, players are able to take on the role of the Tank in Versus mode. The Tank is immediately aggressive much like the finale Tanks encountered at the end of each campaign.

Similarly to AI Tanks, player-controlled Tanks have a frustration meter, which depletes when the Tank cannot see the Survivors but is aware of their presence. This meter will pause when the Tank sees the Survivors, and can only be refilled when the Tank successfully sees and hits a Survivor with any attack.

Once the frustration meter is depleted, control of the Tank is given to another player if available. If the second player's frustration meter is depleted, the Tank becomes AI-controlled. For this reason, in the Taaannnkk! mutation, the frustration meter is removed as all special infected are tanks, effectively defeating its purpose. When players are controlling the Tank, they can break down walls highlighted by yellow cracks. Though multitudes of Common Infected can eventually break down the walls, as can other Special Infected, only Tanks can break through the beginning safe room door.

There was an update for both the Xbox 360 and PC versions of the game where certain objects that can be punched/thrown (cars, dumpsters, etc.) are highlighted in red. The items highlighted in red usually instantly incapacitate a Survivor on impact (except in "The Bridge" finale where the cars only inflict high damage to balance gameplay due to their abundance on the bridge).

Movement

 * Avoid crouching through ventilation shafts and windows after Survivors. The Tank will move incredibly slowly whilst taking damage and crouching (from weapons such as the Auto Shotgun especially), almost to a point where he will find it difficult to move at all. Although this problem has been addressed by Valve, it is never a good idea to move though an area where the Tank is forced to crouch or use the button to crouch while the player is a Tank. Attack the Survivors through the window with rocks, or, if they are in a vent, let teammates flush them out.
 * Use alternative routes where possible to "sneak up" on or flank the Survivors. Make sure the route isn't too large so as to avoid the frustration meter from emptying. It isn't uncommon for a Tank player to get around the Survivors to attack them from behind, only to have his frustration meter empty on them as he is getting into position.
 * In a scenario where all of the Survivors bunch up and use auto shotguns, attempt to put as much distance as possible between the Tank and them. Keep them in line of sight (or behind good cover if the player is good at rock throwing), and pick them off with a volley of concrete blocks.
 * Some maps contain walls or other barriers that can only be destroyed when a Tank punches through them. For example, the window on top of the CEDA van in "The Park" can be only destroyed by the Tank (and he can use this to enter the van and attack the Survivors inside), although the windows on the sides work normally (and are not large enough for anything but a Spitter's spit or Smoker's tongue to pass through).

Resistance and Life

 * Even though the Tank has the highest number of hit points of any other infected (6000 in Versus), a skilled Survivor team can take him out without taking damage themselves.
 * Avoid being set on fire to the best of your ability.
 * Take notice of any Survivors who have Molotovs before you approach, and avoid these players until they are distracted or have used their Molotov.
 * If the player chooses to hit a Survivor that has a Molotov, be sure to incapacitate them as fast as possible.
 * If only one Survivor has a Molotov, it may be prudent to focus on incapacitating them before their teammates to remove the threat of ignition.
 * If the player sees somebody who is about to throw a Molotov, change direction immediately. But if the player is separated from the Survivors, use the Rock Throw to hit them instead.
 * Fire alone kills a Tank after 30 seconds.
 * If the player is set on fire, charge the Survivors. The player won't have much time to attack, so every second counts.
 * If there is water nearby (like in the "Boathouse Finale"), dip in to put the fire out. This also works in "The Sewer" of "No Mercy".
 * In late levels of the "Hard Rain" campaign, the player should not worry about Molotovs, due to the levels' flooded environments.
 * The same thing goes to the "Swamp Fever" campaign, as the swampy areas of the campaign would usually douse a burning Tank.
 * Water will also slow down the Survivors, making it easier to catch them up.
 * At one time or another, when the player is next to become the Tank, they might spawn right in front of the Survivors, letting them pick at your health. It is possible that the player will have lost a significant portion of their health by the time you gain control.
 * If this does happen, just charge at the Survivors and attack. Since the Survivors are already in a position to inflict massive damage, the Tank could die as the player tries to run away, so it would be better to deal some damage to them before dying.
 * Conversely, the player may spawn far away from the Survivors, putting them in a situation where their frustration meter could run out before they can even reach the Survivors. Attempt to close in as fast as possible in this scenario.
 * Beware of Survivors with bile bombs. When the player is struck with one, their vision becomes impaired, and Common Infected will attack and slow them down until they either kill all of them or the bile effect expires.
 * Be wary of Survivors with melee weapons. If 2 or 3 of them have Katanas/Machetes/Chainsaws, these weapons can kill the player within a matter of seconds. Target them with the Tank's punches or Rock Throw. Be warned that these Survivors manipulate you into attacking early.

Attacking

 * The Tank takes two seconds before he can punch again and takes half a second to actually hit them. The actual hit speed is therefore 2.5 seconds. Keep this in mind when under concentrated fire.
 * Avoid attacking in the open at all if possible, because in the open it is much easier for Survivors to evade both the Tank's melee attacks and rock throws. However, Survivor Bots will barely move away from the Tank, so the player can punch them easily.
 * However, if any Survivors are below 40 health, the Tank will easily be able to outrun them. In open areas, they will be unable to escape the Tank, giving the player the advantage rather than them.
 * Keep in mind that the player may need to find cover after incapacitating their target, because their teammates will almost certainly have fled and taken up defensive positions to attack the Tank at range.
 * Using punchable objects effectively can save the player health and time, and can effectively distract Survivors as they try to avoid the objects.
 * Most of the time, the Tank can hit such an object from any side of his body. Use this to save time walking around objects, because the player can just walk up against it and punch the way they need it to go.
 * Use caution when hitting cars and other large objects. If the object hits something in front of it, or if the player walks forward while the object is airborne, the object may hit the player and cause a small amount of damage.
 * Keep in mind that cars and similar objects, when punched, follow the rules of the game's physics. For example, a car that clips into a wall or some other object might spin away at a different angle; if it's airborne, it might even bounce back towards the player.
 * If a car or other large object gets stuck behind a wall or another barrier, or if the player just can't move it towards the Survivors at all, don't waste time trying to punch it. Instead, go back to attacking them normally, or start punching a new object if there's another one handy.
 * Aiming up or down while punching a car or other large object alters the arc that the object moves. In Left 4 Dead, aiming up punches an object up, and vice versa; in Left 4 Dead 2, this is reversed, so aiming down will send the object up. When fighting the Tank in streets and other areas filled with objects that he can punch at them, Survivors will often try to stay on higher ground, so punching cars and other punch-able objects up at them may be the best way for the player to attack them (and will focus their attention on the Tank, giving Infected teammates a better opportunity to help the player).
 * Work with the space available: punch larger objects like cars at Survivors if there is a lot of room for them to try to maneuver, and punch more compact objects like dumpsters if the Survivors are in an alley or some other space where the object could easily hit a wall before it hits the Survivors.
 * These objects can also be moved to make a temporary barrier to slow or stop the progress of the Survivors.
 * Keep in mind that these obstacles will disappear after a short time, making any delay the player causes the Survivors far from permanent. However, it does still provide an opportunity for the player and their teammates to attack, making such a strategy still beneficial.
 * Punch Survivors in different directions to separate them.
 * If the Survivors are in an enclosed area, keep attacking one Survivor (usually the one with the lowest health) until they are incapacitated.
 * Be careful using the swing attack on Survivors in wide open, flat areas, as this merely gives them a chance to get away. The player should charge a Survivor they have punched as soon as they have punched them, and keep going in for another punch.
 * It's a good idea to hit a Survivor towards something that will stop them from flying far away from the Tank, so the player can hit the Survivor again and again while they are down and trying to get up to shoot the player.
 * Be advised that this makes the Tank a stationary target for other Survivors and even, if they're willing to sacrifice a teammate, give them a chance to throw a Molotov at him.
 * Always aim to divide and conquer if the player is in a building or an area with many obstacles. Try to spread the Survivors out by hitting them behind large objects or knocking them out of windows. Separated Survivors allow for other Special Infected to attack and kill them.
 * If the Survivors can't see the Tank, they can't shoot at him, meaning that the player will take less damage during their rampage.
 * Unlike Campaign Mode, attacking an incapacitated Survivor will inflict only 24 damage per hit. Considering incapacitated Survivors have 300 health, it is much easier to simply incapacitate each Survivor one at a time. The other special infected can help to save the Tank's time.
 * Go after any Survivors that are separated from the group, unless the others are extremely low on health. One gun on the player is much better than three.
 * The March 11th update made it possible for the Tank's melee to deal area damage. Previously, his punches are single-target, meaning that even if they are too close, he can only hit them one at a time and will not stand against sustained fire.
 * A few maps contain destructible objects that the Tank can punch, destroying them but sending debris flying in the direction that the Tank was punching. This debris inflicts damage on any Survivors that it hits roughly equivalent to the Tank's rock throw. These destructible objects include the pillars in "The Subway", as well as the boats and the pallets of bricks in "The Docks".

Rock Throw
The Tank's ability to hurl chunks of concrete and punch cars towards Survivors was included when the game developers discovered the tank's threat diminishing greatly at range due to its speed, having only melee attacks as an offense. Hence, survivors would use height and distance in large, open areas to easily steamroll him.


 * The Tank's Rock Throw is usually underestimated. With practice it can be devastating and deals a lot of damage to the group of Survivors at a short amount of time. As a rule of thumb, aim the crosshairs above, and perhaps ahead of the target while throwing. Remember that rocks fly in an arc.
 * Even in close range, the rock throw can be effective because the player can follow it up with a quick melee attack. However, if many of the Survivors are focused on the Tank, the player may sustain a significant amount of damage during the relatively long process of throwing a rock.
 * If a Survivor is running away for distance, the player can slow them down with a well-aimed hit, especially if the player causes them to start limping, allowing the player to outrun and finish them off.
 * If the player has a competent team and are well suited with tossing rocks, they can simply hide behind low barriers or up high and throw rocks at the Survivors while teammates cause havoc. This tactic is often advised if the Survivors are in an area where they can flank the player easily or have powerful weapons such as auto shotguns or melee weapons, bile bombs, or Molotovs.
 * Be aware that if the player uses the Rock Throw, they will be unable to move for a considerable amount of time. More often than not, a crafty Survivor will take advantage of this and throw a Molotov/Bile Jar at the Tank. If the Survivors have melee weapons, one or two of them — especially if one is wielding a chainsaw — can come up behind the Tank and drop his health rapidly if not outright killing him. Keep this in mind if the player plans on using the Rock Throw ability frequently.
 * Although the player cannot punch through walls (with the exception of walls marked with yellow cracks), certain walls allow the player to throw rocks through them if the player is up against them.
 * During scenarios when the Survivors are pinned down by a Horde or some other obstacle, the player can simply stay far away and lob concrete at them from a safe distance. Not only does this make it very difficult for Survivors to throw a Molotov at the player, but if the entire Survivor team is using medium-to-close range weapons, the player can almost rest assured that they will have plenty of health in case the Survivors start moving again. However, the player may kill their allies if they get in the way of the rocks.
 * If the player plans on using the Tank as simply an artillery piece as above to attack Survivors, the player should find odd spots to stand on to prevent them from attacking using Molotovs or bile bombs, such as places up very high, or on top of a fence.
 * The direction that a rock is thrown is not determined when the player starts the attack; it's determined when the attack animation finishes and the rock starts flying. If the player's target starts to move as they start throwing, reorient the camera so that it's centered on where the player wants the rock to go. Since the Tank can't move while throwing, Survivors will sometimes try to take advantage of that, and shoot or even melee him from behind in mid-throw. Turning around in the middle of the animation and throwing the rock at the Survivor behind the player can save them from taking a lot of damage; even if the player misses, they will at least be looking in the direction of the Survivor who thought they were attacking the Tank from behind.

Teamplay

 * It is possible to assist teammates who have already pinned someone, but not directly, since the Tank's attack can usually kill other special infected and cause great detriment to the team.
 * On the same note, if someone else on the player's team is playing as a Tank, the player should work with them, but give them a wide area to fight, as they could easily kill the player by mistake.
 * If a Survivor is pinned by a Hunter, try to protect him by running towards the other Survivors. The player will want to either punch the other Survivors as they try to run past the player to save their teammate, or have them back off so that they cannot save their teammate. Hunters have good DPS, but are fragile.
 * If a nearby incapacitated Survivor is attempting to save their teammate from a Special Infected, the player can use the Tank's body as a shield to give their teammate extra time to deal more damage. Although this can help, it works better when the incapacitated Survivor and trapped Survivor are the only two remaining, and it would probably be more productive for you to go after other healthy Survivors.
 * If a pair of the player's teammates have pinned a pair of Survivors, it may be a good idea to guard them from the others. Not the most effective since it only works with Chargers/Hunters/Jockeys, but this will reduce the chance of the rivals winning.
 * If the player incapacitates a Survivor, go after another. The other special infected can finish the job.
 * After the player incapacitates a Survivor, punching a large object over them will take away a large chunk of their health. This can help if the player wants to kill an incapacitated Survivor quickly.
 * If playing on a level where it's possible to punch Survivors off of the level, such as chapters 4 and 5 of "No Mercy", the player should do everything possible to knock them off; once they fall, there's no helping them. To do this, punch while aiming the crosshairs upwards and towards the ledge.
 * Separating the Survivor team with the Tank helps other Special Infected pin and kill the remaining Survivors, so they can't come to the group's aid, leaving the Infected team with one less Survivor to kill.
 * If the player's team has good communication in the above scenario, the player should ask a teammate to pin a Survivor while they distance the others. The incapacitated player will not be able to use a pistol while they're down since they are being hurt, and their team needs to deal with the Tank first.
 * If the player gets the indication that you are about to become a Tank, and are currently an un-spawned Special Infected, try to immediately spawn that Infected near the Survivors. This way the Infected team will have an extra AI-controlled Special Infected to help during the attack.
 * Note that in some cases, if the player spawns too far from Survivors, the Infected AI will be idle and not attack.
 * The player can have a Spitter teammate run in and cause the Survivors to separate, allowing the player to rush in while they are confused to deal heavy damage before they realize a Tank is attacking them. By then, the player may have incapacitated one or more of them.
 * During almost every campaign finale, the Tank is summoned at the disposal of the Special Infected team at least twice. It can be noted that in most of the finales in Versus, the completion of the second Tank confrontation is necessary in order to allow the rescue vehicles to arrive. As a result, the Infected team can gradually weaken and crush the Survivors by instructing the Infected player nominated as Tank to camp, giving them better odds of stopping the Survivors, although they'll have to act fast before the Tank becomes AI controlled.
 * The second Tank kill requirement is more common in the Left 4 Dead 2 finales than the original Left 4 Dead finales.

Tank Tips And Tricks Gameplay
As a Tank, most of the time the player is going to have to rely on themselves to kill the Survivors. Though the other Special Infected might help, they are not going to be able to distract them for long. Here are a few tips to get started:


 * Try not to get in the range of mounted guns because they have high DPS. Instead, try to get around them. There's always a way except for in Rayford Port.
 * A Survivor often panics when they see a Tank. Be on the lookout for such a Survivor and chase them relentlessly, unless there is a Survivor the player is more likely to kill, such as a wounded or bile-covered one.
 * A Charger/Boomer/Tank team makes for a good mix. Get the Charger to bring a Survivor as far from the group as possible, then while the Charger is pummeling his victim, have the Boomer throw up on them. The Tank can ensure that the other Survivors do not interfere.
 * However, make sure to spread out beforehand, as the Boomer can explode and stumble the Charger and Tank, freeing the Charger's victim and allowing the remaining Survivors to attack the Tank.
 * Also, if the Charger misses and hits a wall by the Tank and Boomer, it will stumble them.
 * If the Infected team is more spread out before attacking, the player cannot be stumbled by a mistake from their teammate(s).
 * The player will sometimes see the outline of the AI Tank before they take control. If possible, the player should get near the AI before they assume control so they will have a better idea of exactly where they are on the map, and also so they don't lose control of the Tank while trying to get their bearings.
 * In the rare case of seeing a Survivor coming at the Tank with a revved-up chainsaw, punch them as soon as they enter melee range. This prevents heavy damage.
 * If a Hunter or Smoker has a Survivor pinned in a narrow hallway or the other Survivors are grouped up in one place while the pinned Survivor is being killed, stand between the group of Survivors and the pinned Survivor. It'll buy invaluable time for the player's teammate to kill the pinned Survivor if the bullets are hitting the Tank instead of the teammate. Good locations to do this include "The Park" in the hedge "maze" or the alley leading under the highway to the trailer.
 * If at all possible, wait for the rest of the Infected team to spawn and then throw rocks at the Survivors at a place they have to go to. The player may get lucky and hit some of them, which will reset the player's frustration meter and may also incapacitate Survivors.
 * While buying the player's team time to spawn, they should set up and ambush the Survivors. The player should only move from the spot if Survivors are throwing a Molotov, trying to get past them, or shooting fire or explosive bullets at them.

Here are some links for you to use to find more tips.



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