The Alleys

"Okay, important safety tip: Don't get in a helicopter with a zombie pilot."

- Zoey "Hey Zoey, here's the pilot, in case you wanna shoot him again."

- Francis

The Alleys is the first chapter in the abbreviated two-chapter Crash Course campaign. This chapter is a subsequently issued DLC campaign and takes place at night-time, immediately following the Rooftop Finale in No Mercy. The rescue pilot initially complained of feeling unwell and then began to turn into an Infected in mid-flight. Although Zoey had the quickness of mind to shoot him in time, her action resulted in the helicopter crashing in an industrial area located in Whitney County, just outside the city of Fairfield.

Once the Survivors regroup and take stock, they track through a network of industrial back-alleys, passing storage buildings and factories until they reach the main road network. Ultimately, they arrive at Riverside boulevard that gives them access to a barricaded bridge set up by the military who have abandoned an towed Howitzer on the bridge's approach road. One of the Survivors fires the artillery piece and destroys the barricade (triggering a horde attack), whereafter the Survivors are able to press on across the bridge and drop down to a warehouse on the right containing a safe room.

Campaign
When starting from this chapter, the AI Survivors will usually grab:
 * Bill will grab a Pump Shotgun.
 * Francis will grab a Pump Shotgun.
 * Louis will grab a Submachine Gun.
 * Zoey will grab a Submachine Gun.

When the Tier 2 weapons are found, they will grab: However, do take note that unlike most Left 4 Dead campaigns, weapons won't spawn in groups, hence it is only possible to find one such weapon―and no others. For example, a player may find an Auto Shotgun but the usual co-located Assault Rifles or Hunting Rifles will be absent. In such cases, AI Survivors will always grab the new Tier 2 weapon unless they are already holding their preferred Tier 2 weapon. Consequently, if playing as a single player, it is sometimes more appealing to retain a Tier 1 weapon until a preferred Tier 2 option is made available. Note that at the start, the standard Tier 1 weapon selection of pump action shotgun and submachine gun is on offer.
 * Bill will grab an Assault Rifle.
 * Francis will grab an Auto Shotgun.
 * Louis will grab an Assault Rifle.
 * Zoey will grab a Hunting Rifle.

From the starting point next to the crashed helicopter, there are three options open:

1. Continue on to the left alley to proceed with the campaign.

2. Check the warehouse at the front for items like molotovs, pipe bombs and pain pills.

3. Check out the small room to the right to find items. However, the room may be blocked with an unbreakable door since the AI Director can choose which room to barricade. If it is decided to check that room, do not shoot the propane tanks that usually spawn next to the dumpsters, as the resulting explosion will push the dumpsters and block the entrance, trapping Survivors in there.

Choosing option 1 is usually quicker and limits the risk of horde attacks, especially in Expert. However, options 2 and 3 are intrinsically interesting and add grenades and other assets to the players' resources.

Once in the alley, players should be alert for a Tank or Witch plus with the usual Common Infected horde, Boomer, Hunter and Smoker mix of opposition. A room to the left can sometimes spawn a second pistol and at least one gas can can invariably be found in the alley too.

Sometimes, depending on the AI Director, several rooms which would otherwise be blocked can be explored. You can also check the dark spacings on your right for items. The truck there may also have throwables or pills. As you move forward, walk up the stairs to your right and into the warehouse. As you move in, a door to the right may or not be blocked and may have items in there. Scour the warehouse if you wish for more items or a second pistol as they sometimes spawn on the boxes or the floor. Do be warned that Special Infected have a nasty habit of jumping down from the breakable skylight above and literally catching you by surprise. Smokers can also constrict a teammate from up there. Boomers are the most dangerous here as they will either vomit from above or simply dive down and explode on all four Survivors. In Expert, it is sometimes wise to unload your pistols or your primary weapon (if you don't mind losing some ammo) onto the ceiling if you hear a Special Infected spawn; any of the three like to do this and drop down, except the Smoker, who stays up above. Once you are done, move on to the warehouse's exit on the left.

If the area has many Common Infected, be careful not to shoot the propane tanks or gas cans as many of them tend to spawn there. Shooting one will result in the entire area exploding or bursting into flames and if a Survivor already dropped down, he/she cannot climb back up. Also, take note that a Tank or a Witch may spawn in the area. If a Tank spawned, ensure that he is not in the immediate area as once you dropped down, you cannot climb back, effectively trapping yourself with the Tank. He can also throw the vehicles and dumpsters there, so avoid them at all costs. Once all Survivors have dropped down, you can check the dark alleys to the left as a Tier 2 weapon may spawn on the truck. There is also a garage to the right, which tends to have Tier 2 weapons or ammo piles spawn there; otherwise, it would be empty or have other items. Move on forward and the path will split into two. You can take the path into the building on the left or move on forward to the open area. Whichever way you choose, you will always end up in the same place. However, the car that appears in the open area may have an alarm so it is often wiser to take the path on the left. Also, the area to the right on the other side of a metal fence may have Tier 2 weapon spawn or throwables, so you might want to check it out. After taking either paths, move into the building with an open door. The building has two entrances, one nearer to you depending on which path you took. If you take the path into the building, a Tier 2 weapon or an ammo pile may spawn next to the corpse on the building, along with propane tanks. If you take the path into the open area with the car, a truck near that entrance may have items and occasionally Tier 2 weapons. Inside the building, throwables or pills tend to spawn in there. You can then exit the building via the window or the back exit, though the exit has pills, throwables or a second pistol.

Once you have exited, follow the path and be warned that a Tank or Witch may spawn in the area. Ammo piles will always spawn near the Army truck and occasionally, Tier 2 weapons spawn there. Continue through the train wreck and be careful as the car there may have an alarm. Continue on forward till you can see a bridge. From there, you can check the room on the left for supplies or proceed on down to the lower floor. You can take the stairs or climb down the truck but it is recommended that everyone do it simultaneously as Smokers are the most dangerous here. You can explore the area there for supplies as a second pistol, throwables, ammo piles or pills may spawn on the floor or on the vehicles. A Tank or a Witch may spawn here and if a Tank does, be careful of throwable vehicles around. Proceed on under the bridge and from there, you can check the rooms in the warehouse for items or Tier 2 weapons or simply move on up the hills. Ammo piles will always spawn next to the Howitzer and occasionally, a Tier 2 weapon will spawn next to it. Gas Cans tend to spawn on the nearby truck, so utilize them for the upcoming Crescendo Event. A Witch may spawn near the howitzer and it may be neccessary to kill her to avoid startling her in the middle of the Crescendo Event.

There are two ways to handle the Crescendo Event.

1. You can all climb on the truck and have each Survivor cover a direction while one of you uses the Minigun. This is doable with AIs as they will usually climb up with you. Well-placed gas cans can effectively eliminate majority of the Horde and Special Infected foolish enough to stand within it. Be warned, though, that the Horde will come in all directions, even from the cover of the nearby trees and Special Infected can be a huge hindrance. Smokers can snag a Survivor without leaving him/her open and Boomers have a habit of hiding within the nearby trees, attacking only when no one is looking. Hunters, though not really a huge problem, will sometimes rush in and claw instead of pouncing, especially on Expert. If one pounces, he needs to be dealt with quickly. Even if he were killed immediately after he pounced someone, the few precious seconds the Survivor takes to stand is often enough for a Common Infected to climb up the truck and do damage. Keep an eye and ear out for the Special Infected and deal with them quickly before they end your long journey through a long map.

2. You can camp within the nearby building. Have all four Survivors stand in the corners and eliminate the Horde as they come in through the narrow entrances. Throwables tend to spawn in the building and should be utilized if the need arises. This method is generally safer, but it will render the gas cans less useful. Smokers and Boomers will also be a problem. Smokers can grab Survivors through the destroyable walls and windows. Boomers can vomit through the windows and, on Expert, vomit on the Survivors with little time for you to react. Hunters are generally not a problem when using this method but on Expert, they will sometimes blend in with the Horde and claw you.

Once the fire is out, clear out remaining Common or Special Infected and proceed on to the bridge. The ambulance there tends to have pills or even first aid kits, except on Expert. Walk through the mass of vehicles there and keep an ear our for a Witch or Tank as they sometimes spawn there. A Tank spawn is generally more dangerous due to the vehicles there. A truck there may have items, a second pistol or Tier 2 weapons. Also, Special Infected tend to spawn as you continue on through the bridge and will usually appear behind the bus near the end. Once you see the Riverside sign, move down the hill to your right. You can go ahead to the saferoom that is in the warehouse or check the building to your left for throwables, pills or a second pistol. If you decided to run for the safe room though, take care as a Tank or a Witch occasionally spawns right outside the safe room door.

The Infected
Boomers: There are numerous areas in The Alleys in which Boomers can go completely undetected even if they are directly in front of a Survivor. Some of these areas include the dark shadowy portions of the rooms found in the first alley with the empty moving van. If a Boomer manages to spawn and crouch inside the dark patches of the small hardware room beside the truck, he/she can go completely unnoticed by human-controlled Survivors often mistaking the camouflaged Boomer as a black trash bag until the Survivor finds the time to examine the dark spot. Another useful strategy for human-controlled Boomers would be to mislead survivors by breaking the last or second skylight panel in the warehouse but refrain from unloading your bile. Once the Survivors find the shattered panel as a false alarm, try vomiting on them from the open skylight that you consider the least expected opening above the warehouse or simply leap down from the open skylight panel that had been already passed by the Survivors as being secure and catch the group off guard. Another more common method would be to camp in the Witch's spawning area(s) in order to vomit on Survivors too reluctant to crown the Witch. If that is not possible, simply "use the Witch as a hostage" by standing close to her making your explosion as a trigger to startle her. Another useful strategy would be to camp on the bridge above the Survivors prior to the finale and vomit on them as they pass by.

Smoker: The Alleys is mostly outdoors and with the area being littered with accessible rooftops, Smokers can take advantage of it to attack the Survivors without getting killed swiftly. Several dark areas could help you hide, though it should not be relied on entirely as the the tell-tale signs of a Smoker will always give you away. Target lone or rear Survivors to force his/her teammates to rush back. If a Boomer managed to puke on all four Survivors, take advantage of it by pulling one of them, earning you an achievement in the process. Capitalize on any Witches that spawned by hiding behind objects or in dark areas before pulling a Survivor towards the Witch. Other than that, there are several situations where a Smoker can be very deadly. At the warehouse, if the Survivors already went through and left, they cannot climb back up. By pulling the last Survivor, it will almost be a guaranteed kill unless you are in the line of sight of the other Survivors. If a Hunter is with you, however, he can pounce your victim after you are killed. This can also be done while on the roof of the warehouse as the skylight can be broken, though it requires a direct line of sight to the Survivors. It is not recommended however as the Smoker's tongue is exposed. After the train wreck, the Survivors have to climb down a ladder or truck to the lower level. You can cause serious damage in two different ways. By spawning on the lower level first, you can pull the first Survivor you see, causing him/her to fall and receive falling damage. On several positions, the Survivor will hang there instead. This tactic, however, will make you an open target so you can get killed pretty quickly. The other method is to spawn behind the Survivors and wait for three of them to climb down. Pull the last Survivor, forcing the rest to climb back up to help their teammate. If done from a rooftop, you may not be an easy target. With a Hunter buddy, he can pounce any Survivors trying to save your victim, causing even more damage. During the Crescendo Event, if a Survivor strayed near the fire, you can spawn on the other side and pull him/her towards the fire, causing major damage and quite possibly killing him/her as the fire takes a long time to be extinguished.

Hunters: The Alleys is by far the best section to put Human-controlled Hunters skills to the test. The first narrow alley is extremely useful for Hunters to practice and demonstrate their "wall-jumping" skills/techniques. If a group of skilled Hunters have mastered all possible techniques for pouncing on Survivors in the beginning portion of the level, they could gain make themselves into potential threats to the Survivors' trek. Halfway through the level past the warehouse, the Witch has a tendency to spawn around that area. Hunters can use this to their advantage by performing a technique already known to many long term players of the game as the, "Witch barrier". This technique mainly involves harboring as many of the Human-controlled Hunters as possible around the Witch but avoid crouching down to charge your jumps until the Survivors' body profiles are within line of sight since the Hunter will begin to growl and ruin the element of surprise. Once the Survivors are irritably close to the Witch's personal space, have all of the Hunters charge at any survivor they find as being a safe and clear pounce. Also, try to pounce once the Witch has been startled.

Tank: The Tank randomly spawns in The Alleys but the most common spawn points are before reaching the bridge or while the Survivors are crossing the bridge. There are many cars, dumpsters, and forklifts that can be thrown at the Survivors, so use this as your advantage. This is is one opportunity to get the 20 cars pile-up achievement (dumpsters work as well). It's much easier to win before the survivors reach the bridge since they are usually caring a pump shotgun or submachine gun; other than that, the Tank uses the same tactics in the other campaigns. Try to avoid climbing certain areas like the van that the Survivors have to climb down since it will give them plenty of time to shoot and run. The Survivors will also attempt to stun you with propane tanks and pipe bombs since most people will try to get the Tank stumble achievement or burn you with molotovs since it will slow the Tank down. The Tank mostly appears about two times throughout the level.

Survival


Table Method


 * Near the place where pipe bombs, pills and molotovs are found, there is a room with a table. The Survivors have to stand on or be near the table. To make this method work, three Survivors should grab auto shotguns and one Survivor an assault rifle to protect them from Smokers.
 * Note: The wall near the hummer can be broken by the Infected.

Shelf Method
 * In the room adjacent to the one above there should be a single shelf in the corner of the room, Have two survivors stand on the shelf with assault rifles, and the others against or near the shelf with auto shotguns or assault rifles. When the Tank comes either go out into the open and fight him, or have the two on the ground lead him a merry dance around the room. There are weapons right in front of the shelf, two pipe bombs and six molotovs on the shelf, and some pills in the adjacent room, so supply runs should be rare. Finally, the vent to the right of the shelf will be used by Special Infected.
 * Note: This works with A.I.

Easter eggs

 * deadpilot_1.png body of the Chopper Pilot can be found directly behind the starting point of this chapter. Each Survivor will comment on this, excluding Bill.
 * While crossing the bridge, an off ramp sign for Riverside can be seen (see gallery for picture). In the distance, a large steeple can be seen. This may be the Church the Survivors come across later in the campaign Death Toll.
 * After exiting the first warehouse, there is a building across the street, in which is a broken wall with a burst pipe excreting copious amounts of steam. When standing by this, the Survivors will comment on how much they like steam. This is a reference to Steam, being the online platform for Left 4 Dead and Left 4 Dead 2.