The Docks

"Well--better get moving. Remember, if you fall behind, Bill thinks it's okay to let you die."

- Zoey "Hey Louis, I don't think it's a tank in there. It sounds like a puppy. You should stand closer."

- Francis

The Docks is the first chapter of The Sacrifice campaign. After a controversial hairsbreadth escape from military confinement at Millhaven, the Survivors put their disputes aside for now and adopt Bill's plan of finding a sailboat and getting away to a safe haven on an island in the Florida Keys.

Campaign
At the beginning, all the Survivor bots will grab Shotguns.

Most Left 4 Dead players familiar with the tightly confined landscapes of earlier campaigns will find this a relatively straightforward "run 'n' gun" level since there is plenty of open space in which to maneuver, long vistas and good sunlight; moreover, the Common Infected mostly appear in open sight or are located in intuitively predictable locations, all of which simplify combat operations and even enable fast players to move ahead without bothering to engage non-threatening Infected milling around on the peripheries. A good idea is to conserve primary weapon ammunition, which is more useful for unexpected hordes and Special Infected, by making maximum use of pistols and throwable items to clear Common Infected out of your path.

Navigate by looking for red road flares, vehicle headlights and associated "through here" visual and audio cues. The level is an industrial landscape richly endowed with opportunities for teams to detour away from the main line of approach in order to explore.

Introduced for the first time in the Left 4 Dead series are explosive Barrels―a combination of gas cans and propane tanks. They generally come in sets of two and, although immovable by Survivors, can do massive damage to nearby Infected. Their power is such that they can inflict severe damage on nearby Survivors, so great care must be exercised to ensure team members are well clear of the blast area before setting them off by (e.g.) gunshot or pipe bomb.

Along the way, the Survivors will run into a locked train car containing a Tank. In order to complete this chapter, it is necessary to pass through the train car and so one Survivor must volunteer to unlatch the door and release the Tank. Letting the Tank out triggers a Crescendo event, filling the area with Infected into a combat area lacking in cover and protective angles. If possible, keep pipe bombs or bile bombs handy for the horde and focus the team's initial defensive fire onto the Tank. Players won't be able to advance beyond the train car if the Tank is alive since the door is locked until the Tank dies, preventing players from running ahead and leaving the others to fight the Tank.

Left 4 Dead 2 Version
The map is unchanged apart from weapon and enemy profiles. Unlike the other Left 4 Dead maps, The Sacrifice was released for Left 4 Dead and Left 4 Dead 2 simultaneously, so there was no time gap between releases for Valve to respond to feedback with map changes.

Versus
Important note on Tanks! Tanks do not have the frustration meter in L4D2 Versus, so starting the Tank that is in the armored train car will not make the Tank die.

Survival
Left 4 Dead 2

The Survivors arrived at the dockyard, only to find a Tank imprisoned in their way. Setting it loose was the only choice they had, but with the Tank's roars calling every nearby Infected to the yard, will the Survivors have a chance to escape?


 * This map has every type of weapon including: four Chainsaws, the M60, and the Grenade Launcher.
 * There is also a chance that laser sights can spawn, improving the accuracy of any weapon the Survivors choose to use.
 * Due to this map having CEDA Worker Infected, bile bombs are very common and will spawn often. Don't hesitate to use them!
 * This being a small map, it doesn't really have many defensible positions, so improvisation and teamwork is what will get you the high medals. Try to arrange your weapons in one area so they're easier to get at.
 * Gas cans and propane tanks should be put in several locations around the map to allow cutting off of the horde giving you breathing space and time to deal with Tanks.

Left 4 Dead and Left 4 Dead 2

If you are right at the bottom of the slope that leads up to the train car and go left where there is two boats you and your team can hold up. Grab either a shotgun or an assault rifle; a shotgun can be used to cut down common infected quickly and deal significant damage to the Tank, and an assault rifle can be used to kill Special Infected from a distance before they become a threat. In Left 4 Dead 2, use the same tactic but have your team use AK-47s for their high damage per second.

Behind the Scenes

 * Left 4 Dead and Left 4 Dead 2 use different graphics programming. This explains why the former's fog and dark tones are noticeably enhanced relative to those encountered in the latter.

Glitches
At the beginning of the level, there is water from a lake. If you hold the space bar (PC) or "A" button (Xbox 360) while jumping in the water, you will not sink and instead be floating above the water. You are also able to walk around above the water (Left 4 Dead 1 only)