The Turnpike

The Turnpike is the first chapter of the second campaign, Death Toll. The Survivors start at the end of an abandoned highway, which is littered with abandoned cars. One of the Survivors will say that they heard that the military was holding out in Riverside. In front of them, there are tier 1 weapons in the trunk of a police car, with first aid kits scattered inside and around the back of the car. As the Survivors follow the highway, they come across a broken bridge. To get past it, they must go down into the ditch below, and then climb up a ladder on the other side. As they continue on, they eventually reach Riverside Tunnel. On their way through, they have to take several detours through the walkways to the side to get around the otherwise impassable roadblocks within the tunnel. At the end of the tunnel is the safe room, which leads to the Drains.

Campaign
At the beginning, the AI Survivors will grab:
 * Bill will grab a pump shotgun.
 * Francis will grab a pump shotgun.
 * Louis will grab a pump shotgun.
 * Zoey will grab a pump shotgun.

Almost all of the supplies for this chapter are right in front of you, like they usually are. There are two first aid kits on the ground and another two in the trunk of the police car, along with Tier 1 weapons. Due to the open environment of this level, it would probably be best to take the submachine gun. Once everyone is ready, head up the road, which will lead to a broken bridge (which somebody is bound to comment on). Don't try to jump off, because you'll either die or get stuck on the edge. Go around the sides of the bridge, and you'll see some ladders on either side of the opposite side. Climb up, and you'll see a tunnel. It's dark, but it's where you need to go.

Once you're walking through the tunnel, keep a look out for nooks and crannies, and check in any you find. There might be something nice inside, like pipe bombs. Once you get to the end of the tunnel, turn to the left and go down the stairs. Go into the door straight in front of the stairs and look on the shelves, as there's usually supplies there, as well. If you chose to go the other way, it leads to the same area, though it skips the small room. Drop down below, grab some ammo and look around a little more. There's usually an extra pistol in a room down here. Once you have everything you need, climb the ladder to get back up and head up the hill. There's a safe house up there. Get inside, and get ready for The Drains.

The Survivors
Now that humans are controlling the Special Infected, things can only get harder. However, they can't spawn until you leave the rough perimeter of the police car. That doesn't mean that you should let them have a good chance to find just the right spot, though! Hurry up and get your supplies, and get running!

This level is fairly painless in terms of difficulty. If you and your team keep on the move, whilst covering each other and making sure the Infected stay off your backs, you'll be alright. There are only a few places you should be aware of.

The first place to be aware of is the starting broken bridge is a nice place for Smokers. They can pull you off it and grab you from above whilst standing on it. Listen out for the signature cough of the Smoker and stay sharp. Hunters can also use the bridge to give their pounces height and attack you when you're below them, scoring them instant damage and putting the hurt on you. If they get in a good position quickly, Boomers can rain their vomit down on unsuspecting Survivors. Regardless of the above, if your team was very fast at getting their supplies and moving forward, they should not encounter any problems here.

The car pile-up in the tunnel is less of a worry, but is something to consider. Hunters love to hide amongst the cars and pounce out and attack the final passing Survivor. Smokers are not too troublesome here, they simply drag you away from your team as with most places. Boomers can hide behind the mound of cars and vomit up at you when you pass. The worst thing that can happen is if all of this takes place at once.

Now that you've dealt with the last of the Special Infected, dash for the safe-room. But was it the last of the Infected? Hunters sometimes decide that a final desperate pounce from within the safe-room is the best option. Remain wary of Hunters who wait in the safe-room. This can keep a lone Survivor - who made a break for it - from success.

The Infected
Boomers: Since the Boomer has a very distinctive gurgling noise, choosing a good spawn-time is crucial. Do not spawn when the Survivors are far away and attempt to rush them, especially in the open. Even if you are hiding, the Boomer's gurgling will alert the Survivors of your presence. If you don't manage to cover all of the Survivors, you can either run at them clawing, hoping to explode in their face, or escape and return later. Remember that the Boomer is the only Special Infected with which you should almost always attack an incapacitated Survivor. If you can, try to vomit on prone Survivors so that the horde comes for them. This makes them almost impossible to rescue as every Infected attack interrupts a rescue attempt.

Hunters: This level is a decent run for you. It shouldn't be too hard, though don't expect to stop the Survivors from reaching the safe room. A pounce that deals damage is a good way to instantly "incapacitate on pounce" a Survivor who has less health than the damage dealt, even before he begins his ripping attack. Look for Survivors outlined in red. The red indicates that their health is low, making them easy targets. Instead of pouncing on a weak Survivor, try clawing it. Once it quickly goes down, pounce on another Survivor to be even more effective.

Smokers: The Smoker can put the pain on the Survivors fairly easily. Common Infected don't stop attacking a Survivor just because you have him entangled, in fact it's the bane of a Survivor covered in Boomer bile. Try to prey on Survivors so marked, especially when they're weak. Alternatively, if a Boomer has vomited on the three other Survivors, you can take the opportunity to grab the fourth. While the other three are covered in bile, they cannot see aura signals of their allies. In the mess of the horde battle, the lack of an aura means they may not even notice.

Tanks: This is a very good level. However, as with most starting levels, your appearance is rare. Avoid attacking in the open if at all possible, as it can be tough to get to Survivors for a melee attack and it is easy for them to avoid rock throws. It is possible to assist Hunters who have already pinned someone, but the effort required to aim isn't worth it. The reason is that the Tank's attack will kill the Hunter, or any other Special Infected, instantly. If you can, fling one of the many cars at them.

Trivia

 * According to the Director's Commentary on the Rooftop Finale, the pilot was supposed to be complaining about how he was attacked while saving another group of people. He later dies from the Infection and the helicopter crashes at the beginning of the chapter, thus starting the Death Toll campaign. However, Valve thought that this left players with an unsatisfactory ending to the campaign and cut it out. The sound files can still be found in the sounds folder. However Valve has since announced the campaign, Crash Course, which will include the original ending to No Mercy, and the Survivors making their way to the start of Death Toll.


 * The Turnpike may be a reference to the scene in 28 Days Later when the four Survivors, attempting to escape Infected London, go through an underground tunnel (as all bridges have been destroyed or blocked with traffic), and half way through they are confronted with Infected as they try to change the tires (as they have been punctured after going over a large blockade of cars.


 * If you look closely in front of the squad car at the beginning of the level, there is a Boomer corpse, which may imply the Boomer met his untimely death on the bonnet of the squad car, or perhaps is the reason the squad car pulled over or stopped?


 * The Turnpike may have been used for evacuation, (Metro International Airport may have been used instead, prior to being overrun) but this may have been a last resort for evacuees (Due to the amount of abandoned cars in the tunnel and the amount of Infected).