Swamp Fever - 4/4: Plantation

"I'm standing by a big gate. In front of a big house."

- Nick

The Plantation is the fourth and final chapter in Swamp Fever. In this finale, the Survivors must hold out through wave after wave of Infected in a two story plantation house until Virgil arrives to take them up river. This finale is unique in that the Survivors will have to fight two Tanks simultaneously right before the rescue vehicle arrives.

The Heavy Machine Gun on the second floor has a limited firing arc, as it can only view out into the plantation fields, and cannot cover any part of the house itself. When the boat comes and the doors explode open, jumping from the balcony to the ground below incapacitates the Survivor; therefore, it is advised to use the stairs or jump down onto the makeshift bridge. Although you can jump from the left side and land on the railing on the ground, which will cause no damage if done correctly.

Strategy
Also see: Tactics

All campaign walkthroughs are done on Normal difficulty in single player, and are meant to give tips on what to do and generally point out things that might otherwise be missed.

There are, of course, a few key things to always remember: It's been a long run, but you've finally made it to the plantation! Just hold out in one piece, and you can get out to evacuation.
 * Stop, look, and listen.
 * Stopping to observe your surroundings might allow you to prepare for something nasty, like a Witch or Special Infected in a really bad place for them to be. Maybe even a Tank at possible times.
 * Teamwork.
 * This cannot be stressed enough. Left 4 Dead 2 is supposed to be a cooperative game. Communicate with your teammates, if you're playing with others, or if you're by yourself with the AI, point out things they might otherwise miss. In all cases, watch out for each other and take care of each other. You are not going to survive the zombie apocalypse by yourself.
 * Be ready for anything.
 * Don't panic.

Campaign
At the beginning, the AI Survivors will grab:
 * Nick will grab an Assault Rifle.
 * Coach will grab an Auto Shotgun.
 * Rochelle will grab an Assault Rifle.
 * Ellis will grab a Sniper Rifle.

Once all the players have stocked up on ammo, selected their firearm of choice, healed, and grabbed any other items exit the safe room. The Survivors will be in a marshy area with plenty of bushes and trees which will hide common infected and well as special Infected very well so stay on your toes. Directly ahead of the safe room exit is a hill that leads up to a small grouping of houses. Make your way up to the houses disposing of any infected in your path.

As you go up the hill there will be a barn to your left which usually houses pipe bombs and molotovs as well as other random weapons. Make your way past the barn and you will come to a dirt road that runs left and right with houses on either side. You will notice that the correct way to proceed is to the right, but there are houses to the left and right that can be explored. Exploring the houses can be a good idea since they usually hold pipe bombs, molotovs, adrenaline, pain pills, and various melee weapons and firearms. Before exploring make sure you at least stay in pairs and that the whole team knows what is going on so no one goes on ahead or gets left behind. Keep in mind too that if you explore the houses a horde will most likely be sent at you so be prepared to fight.

Whether or not you explored the houses continue down the dirt road to a T intersection, this time you will notice that you have to go left but there is a large house right in the middle of where the road splits that can be explored. This house usually has some nice goodies especially on the roof where tier 2 weapons usually are, as well as an ammo pile. To get to the roof simple go up the stairs to the second floor and jump out the open window overlooking the roof. Taking time to explore this house will also most likely result in a horde coming for the Survivors so be ready.

Continue down the dirt road past a broken down tractor and turn left. You will see the plantation house in front of you as well as a long walk up to it. Move quickly up to the mansion being mindful of the infected that be likely to hide behind the trees. Once you get up to the house you will notice that the main door is blocked. To the right there is a ladder that leads up onto some scaffolding. Move quickly up the ladder, a good idea is to have one person go up the ladder while the other 3 Survivors keep guard and once he or she is at the top take up an over watch position and protect the next Survivor climbing up. Do this until all four Survivors are on the scaffolding and then move into the open window to what appears to be a child's room. There will be a large hole in the floor to jump down but be warned this is a point of no return so if a Survivor gets incapacitated at the top while the other three are at the bottom there will be no way to save him or her.

Now you are in a dark and spooky mansion. Explore the mansion thoroughly because there are many useful items. Some area of interest are right after you come out of the room you dropped down in turn right and you should see a front door open walk towards it and the stairs leading up should be on your left and there should be another hall to the right. Down this hall is a shelf which usually has all 3 throwable items as well as health kits and defibrillators. The upstairs should also be explored and you may notice a balcony with a mounted machine gun. This may seem like the perfect place to hold out, but the Infected usually come from behind so the gun is for all intents and purposes worthless. Head outside of the mansion and you will be in a large garden area. This usually holds many useful items as well. There should be a port-a-potty with a table next to it that often has guns and an ammo pile near it. You should also notice some crates that sometimes have health kits, ammo, and guns on them. Items are rare to spawn in the garden itself so it will often prove fruitless to search the whole area. Once you have explored the whole area, talk with your team about how and where you want to hold out and who is taking what weapons.

Once you are prepared send someone to the gates at the far end of the garden to contact Virgil on the radio. While it is a good idea to send 2 Survivors to the gate to use the radio it case the first survivor gets attacked. It is not required since the Survivor should have enough time to make contact and then run back to the group before the Infected arrive. Hold out and kill the Infected as they come at you. Be aware that tanks, as in all finales, love to spawn in this area and after the second horde attack, the A.I. Director will spawn two tanks at the same time. The large opening of the mansion and garden should be enough to run and shoot the tanks but be careful of running into a dead end in the garden or getting lost in the mansion. After the second set of tanks, Virgil's boat will arrive and the Survivors should make a break for it covering each other and running past the gates to the waiting boat. Use pipe bombs or boomer bile to draw off the Infected and molotovs to cover the area behind you as you run. At the point of getting to the boat, it dosen't matter who makes it or not, but it takes longer to wait for the survivors to die than it is to help the other 3 get to the boat. Congrats, you beat Swamp Fever.

Gate method
Hold down the radio area by the gate, as it makes it easier to tackle the horde when they come at you. Have one person hold the left side and another person hold the right side of the gates. You need to have two people hold the center aisle by the gate. You can also handle the Tanks with ease because it is difficult to become cornered. If the ammo pile spawns down the middle row then the ammo runs will be easier. However, be careful; it is possible for 2-4 Tanks to spawn in this finale, sometimes even at the same time. This method is good because once rescue arrives, you don't have to run much to reach it since you're at the gate and you're so close to the boat. However, the gates will explode causing you some damage so be prepared to move out of the way a little after killing the second Tank(s).

Front Left Room method
There is also a room in the front left of the first floor that allows only two ways in for the horde to come at you. This makes it easy to control concentrated with fire. Specials are pretty easy to take care of if the Survivors are working together to keep the doorways clear. Once the Tank music starts, go out the door into the garden to avoid and kill him. Make sure to ammo up during this time, head back into the room and repeat. As an added bonus pipe bombs, fire, and bile are usually close by in the hallway.

If you want to go solo, go up the stairs, turn right, head down the hallway and turn left where there is a huge gaping hole on the floor. Camping there could be useful especially if the ammo and guns are located at the railing of the stairs. The Infected cant climb through the hole in the floor, so they can only get to you from the front. After dealing with the tanks, go back to the same place.

Immediately after the two Tanks are dead all the Survivors should run to the gate, and throw a Bile Bomb once the "Skin on our Teeth music" plays; So long as the last Tank doesn't spawn on the other side of the gate, no zombies will be there, the CI will be distracted and the tank shouldn't reach you if you keep moving.

Balcony Method
Another choice is to hold out of the balcony, near the Heavy Machine Gun. Although few zombies come from the maze itself, a bile bomb will turn all Common Infected into easy targets. Have one person watch each entry point with the fourth person acting as a back-up. If your team decides to use this strategy, watch out for Spitters; they can cause massive amounts of damage as well as seperating you group. Jockeys, Chargers, and Hunters shouldn't be much of a problem as long as you watch each others' backs. Boomers are rare threats, as the only point the Director spawns them is on the roof, forcing them to 'kamikazie'. Smokers can pull you off the balcony at some points, so be careful. Your team should deal with the Tank on the ground, as the house doesn't hold much room to manuver and attack. However, you can also use this to your advantage during the duo of Tanks you must fight after the second wave of Infected. The close spaces inside the house will cause the Tanks to damage each other, weakening them or even killing one of them.


 * This is a strategic spot if the ammo is at the top of the stairs.
 * One person should grab a shotgun, and the rest carry rifles.
 * Common Infected will come at you from all sides, so have at least one person watching an entry point at all times. It is advised you bring gas cans and use it to provide cover if the team needs a brief break.
 * When the Tank(s) spawns, take some ammo and go down to the garden where you can avoid him in the maze.
 * At the time Virgil comes, throw a bile or pipe bomb and run to the boat. Adrenaline is useful here for hurting players, as the effects will allow them to not only run at normal speed on land but in water as well.

Stairway Method

 * Inside the mansion, there is a stairway near the heavy machine-gun.
 * Very useful spot since most Infected will come funneling from downstairs.
 * If you run out of bullets, grab the ammo pile near you while one person takes your place.
 * Be careful if some Infected fall from the roof. So watch your back at all times.
 * Go out to the garden when the Tank spawns, since indoors are not as effective.


 * 1) However, skillful players can lure the Tank into a doorway. If he's stuck there, have fun killing him.
 * 2) Always separate in groups of two, so that the Tank can't pick anyone off.
 * If one of the Survivors have a pipe/bile bomb, use it when Virgil comes to distract the Infected.
 * 1) Use adrenaline if one isn't available.
 * 2) To cover your bases, use adrenaline even if one is available.

Glory Hole Method

 * Use the stairs to go up to the second floor and head down the hallway to the right.
 * There is a large hole in the floor that can be jumped over if timed correctly it may take a few tries although it is not very hard.
 * Look around and you will notice to your right there are some stair leading down to the first floor which can also be used.
 * Have two survivors stand on the stairs and kill any infected trying to come up them and have the other 2 guard the doorway that leads to the large hole in the floor.
 * This is a good defensive spot since the infected can not jump the hole and have to climb up leaving lots of time to kill them and then ones trying for the stairs have to run in the open and are easily shot.
 * Smokers are the main special infected to worry about with this methond because if you get dragged down the hole it will take a bit to get back to the other Survivors.
 * When the tank music cues up wait to see if it is on the first or second floor. If it is on the first run up stairs and jump the hole and lead it on a chase. If it is on the second floor run down the stairs and again lead it on a chase.
 * Once the tanks are dead quickly return to your defensive spot and continue to hold out.
 * The main drawback of this method is if two tanks spawn which happens sometimes with this level they can come from both the first and second floor basically trapping the survivors. The best way to get out of this if it does happen is to wait for the tank on the first floor to start coming up the stairs and then drop down a hole on the second floor and with a little luck you should be behind the tank and able to lead them out into the open.

Versus
Though they might be immune to the Infection, they aren't immune to death; no one is. Work together to make sure they're victims of this rampant virus, one way or another. Do not let the Survivor escape, use any means necessary!

This can be one of the easiest finales in both games if the survivors know where to hold out and are experienced. It is highly recommended to try to kill at least one survivor before the Plantation house is reached since once the Survivors are set up and entrenched it is hard to get at them.

Over-all Tips The Plantation is suited well for all types of special infected because it involves both indoor and outdoor parts. There are a few key spots to attack during this level and the opportunity for survivors to explore multiple houses can leave them spread out and open for attack, use this to your advantage.
 * Lone wolves. Mmm, mmm, mmm, tasty.
 * The Survivors all have outlines around them, showing their status and location. Green means they're healthy. Yellow means they're hurt. Red means they're low on health. Purple means they've been covered in Boomer bile. You can probably discern which to seek out first if possible.
 * Think like a Survivor. When you play as one, when are the worst times that something could come at you? Exploit that knowledge.
 * Teamwork, as aforementioned. Has a Boomer gotten their bile all over the Survivors? Jump one of them or a clean one. They can't see their teammates' aura until they're clean...and by then it might be too late.
 * As much as teamwork is a strength for you and your enemies, a lack of it will be their downfall. If you can focus all of your energy on killing one of the Survivors, the rest will be that much easier to take down. Not only will they have one less gun, but they will have three Survivors to your three incapacitating Infected.

Chargers: This level has some wide open areas at the beginning so use that to your advantage. When the survivors first leave the safe room try hiding behind some of the bushes in the marsh and jump out in front of the survivors, knocking them back and hopefully dealing a lot of damage early on. If this is not to your liking you can wait out in the small grouping of houses and try to get a survivor that has broken off from the group to explore. The open area up to the mansion can be useful, try charging a Survivor back down to the entrance causing the Survivors to have to slow down. Once inside the Mansion your job is to separate tight Survivor formations. The darkness will help and try attacking when the horde is strongest. Another good tactic is to charge someone away when the tanks are attacking. The Survivors will be separated and have their attention focused on killing the tank so it should be easy to dispose of a pesky Survivor.

Jockey: This level has lots of areas suited for you. The marsh area in at the start is not ideal, but a quick Jockey attack against a Survivor that is taking their time leaving the safe room could be devastating. The grouping of houses is more ideal for this guy. Wait unseen just outside of the house and when a Survivor goes in quickly follow them and pounce. With any luck the Survivors will be focused on exploring and spread out so they will have to cover a lot of ground to get to their friend. The open road and area up to the Mansion are not good because you can be spotted easily and disposed of quickly. Once in the mansion your job is to make Survivors who try to stock up on ammo and supplies mid finale pay the ultimate price. Find the ammo pile (or another important item such as first aid) and hide out near it using the dark to your advantage or the hedges if the ammo is outside. When a Survivor goes to get ammo pounce them and take them further away from there team members. In general it is a good idea to also attack when the Tank is around as this will draw the survivors attention.

Smokers: The outdoor areas are more suited to the smoker. That being said there are really no great locations for a Smoker in this level. Like the Jockey your best bet for an early attack is to wait near the houses for the survivors to split up and explore. If you can manage to entangle a Survivor who is away from the group you can deal a lot of damage. The open areas and lack of truly tall buildings will limit your effectiveness in the early stages of this level. Do not get discouraged though, a crucial Smoker pull can make the Survivors slow down and could cause just enough chaos to allow your fellow infected to deal massive damage to the Survivors. One great place for a Smoker attack is the ladder and scaffolding that is used to access the Mansion. Wait for the last Survivor to climb up the ladder and then pull him back down. The fall will hurt him or her and although you will be killed quickly you will make the Survivors slow down. If the team you are playing against is not very skilled or good at team work you can wait to see if they go down the hole into the mansion one at a time if they do simple entangle the last Survivor and you should have an easy kill. During the finale your job is to break up close formations of Survivors. You are also very important for disturbing Survivors who use the Glory Hole method as their position is defensible from most every other special infected. Pulling Survivors off the balcony is also a great way to deal massive damage and separate players.

Hunter: The open areas at the start of this level can be a little tricky to navigate as a Hunter. Remember that you are silent unless crouched so make sure stealth is a large part of your game. Like the other pinning specials (Jockey, Smoker, and Charger) the abandoned houses are a great place to launch a surprise attack and you will have the easiest job of hiding. Make anyone who is falling behind or rushing forward pay a dear price for leaving their companions. Once inside the Mansion you will be less effective since players will tend to stick together. Like the Jockey one good idea is to wait by important items (ammo pile, health packs, etc.) and pounce anyone foolish enough to leave their group. If that is not your game you are better as a second attack. Wait for a Charger or Smoker to grab a Survivor and then when others are going to the rescue pounce the last one in the group. You should have valuable seconds to cause chaos and deal massive damage. Remember to always attack relentlessly when a tank is around.

Spitter: This level has very few choke points for you to do your thing. Your best bet for an early attack is to scope out the abandoned houses early and see what items the Survivors may want. Hide near the house and when they go in spit in the small confines and you should deal some damage although quick Survivors will be able to escape virtually unharmed. The large house by the T intersection usually has an ammo pile on the roof so spitting that when Survivors are around can also be beneficial. One of the best places to spit is the hole that drops Survivors down inside the Mansion. The spit will cause a panic and some players will jump down while others stay up top and combined with a successful pinning attack can be devastating to a team. Once inside the Mansion your job is to force the Survivors to break rank. Spit into their group and force them apart into hopefully different directions causing confusion. This is a great tactic combined with a horde attack because the Survivors will be so focused on getting out of the acid that a horde has a chance to get in and attack. Remember to attack when a tank is around, although you are less effective then the other Specials at this time.

Boomer: Your job is simple, cause confusion and panic to the Survivors. The abandoned houses are a great place to lie in wait particularly the barn to the left of the hill. The disadvantage of puking on someone inside a house is that they can easily spam the door with gunfire and easily deal with the horde. Don't let this get you down, hordes slow down Survivors and give other Specials opportunities to attack. Once past the houses the open areas will not be kind to the Boomer. When inside the Mansion puking can be devastating. There are many areas the infected can come from and Survivors can easily be separated inside. Never attack a tightly formed group of Survivors head on unless you are close enough that being shot will dispense the bile. When a Tank is around be sure to vomit at least one Survivor as they will be blinded and slowed down.

Tank: In this level a tank spawn before the finale is very rare. If you do happen to spawn as a tank the open areas give the Survivors clear shots at you so be careful. There are a few cars around so use them to your advantage if possible. Try to pin Survivors inside a building they can not escape. During the finale inside the Mansion can work for and against you. There are no pushable objects (cars, dumpsters, etc.). The small close quarters will trap Survivors, but can also slow you down and give Survivors time to escape. Skilled teams can avoid you inside while rookie teams will panic and can be picked off. Try to keep players inside as the garden is open and allows you to be shot from a distance. However use whatever tactic works best for you as the garden can also separate Survivors and they can get hung up on the numerous bushes and trees. If Survivors are on the balcony try to hit them off dealing massive damage and a possible instant kill. If you are a Tank after rescue has arrived try to hit a Survivor into the deep water surrounding the boat causing an instant death.