The Plantation

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

- Nick

"Stay there right now, I'm comin for ya."

- Virgil


 * For the actual in-game plantation house, see Plantation House.

The Plantation is the fourth and final chapter in Swamp Fever.

In this chapter's finale, the Survivors must hold out through the usual alternate Horde-Tank sequences until Virgil arrives in his fishing boat to rescue them.

The action takes place during a journey to and at a rundown plantation house with an overgrown formal garden fronting a gated wall that leads on down to a half-flooded river jetty. This chapter's finale is unique because on higher difficulties, two Tanks may spawn at once during the second Tank attack.

A Heavy Machine Gun is mounted on the plantation house's upper veranda, but it is of limited practical use on account of its lack of mobility.

During the finale, players are confined to an area comprising the plantation house and its garden until enough time has passed. Then the gate at riverfront wall is blown apart, thus allowing them to sprint to Virgil's boat. Various strategies to complete this chapter are outlined below.

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:
 * 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 Bots, 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 if need be and grabbed any other items, they exit the safe room.

The area outside the safe room is a marshy paddock on a slight hillside sprinkled with trees and undergrowth amidst which a moderate number of individual Common Infected are loitering. Players should press on straight up the paddock towards the buildings visible on the opposite side mopping up as they go. They must be alert as Special Infected (e.g. Charger, Jockey and Spitter) are certain to appear at this time while a mini-horde often storms out down the hillside from the buildings once players get just past a nearby patch of water.

On reaching the buildings, players should inspect the barn on the left, which usually houses pipe bombs and molotovs. Moving on, to save time, a good idea is to toss a pipe- or bile bomb into a dirt road lined with shotgun shacks, and so safely and conveniently clean out the area of the many Common Infected milling around. Note that one or two Special Infected will also put in an appearance in this area.

Bearing in mind that the route is down the dirt road to the right towards a double-storied house at the end, the two lines of one-room shacks can be quickly inspected for supplies such as individual pipe bombs, molotovs, Adrenaline shots, Pills, various melee weapons and firearms. If the team is pretty well stocked up, they can safely ignore the shacks apart from making a fast visual scan as they go past. The second barn in the area on the left behind the high rail fence is worth a look as its top floor often gives up a Chainsaw. Note that a Smoker is very likely to spawn in the doorway if the entire team goes up the stairs.

If a team is lingering in the village, a mini-horde is certain to appear by the time players get to the area in front of the second barn at the T-junction.

Facing down the dirt road at the base of the T-junction is the two-storied house referred to earlier. This is always worth exploring since the roof over the front door usually gives up a Tier 2 weapon and ammo. To get to the roof, it is simply a case of going up the stairs to the second floor and jumping out the open window onto the roof.

At this point, players will most likely have to face a horde. Defending from the roof is easy, but watch must be kept for such things as a Smoker in second barn or Spitter in the dirt road off to the right.

Once all is quiet, players head on down the dirt road to the right, thus putting the hard sunlight into their eyes.

After a short distance, players pass a stalled tractor on the left-hand verge and swing left into the driveway leading up to the plantation house. Most commonly, the area will be thickly populated with Common Infected. A good idea is to toss a Bile bomb or Pipe Bomb as either of these will quickly and safely delouse the area.

Players proceed up the long driveway to the plantation house and enter it by climbing a ladder to the upper floor attached to construction scaffolding just to the right of the line of approach. Have one person go up the ladder while the other three keep guard and once he or she is at the top take up an overwatch position and protect the next player up.

Entering the open window brings players into a child's room with a large hole in the floor. After culling the Common Infected down below, players jump down together bearing in mind that this is a point of no return, so there is no way of saving a team member who is incapacitated in the child's room if everyone else is in the room below. Should a pinner Infected appear as you climb the ladders, it should be taken care of first before going down.



Depending on where the Director places supplies, you may or may not want to defend at your planned location. All health kits are at the table outside, either on the east or west wing of the plantation, and throwables at a cabinet near the "Glory Hole".


 * Option A: Weapons + ammo dump at "Glory Hole" area
 * Option B: Weapons + ammo dump at west wing of plantation (look at plantation from gate view)
 * Option C: Weapons + ammo dump directly outside the gate

As such, there are three methods that are best effective at dealing with the incoming hordes once Virgil is notified of your position:

West Wing method
The West Wing of the plantation contains two sets of Pain Pills and Adrenaline Shots, which will help should the team not use their Health Kits yet. Stay on the staircase to create a decent funnel effect against the Infected. Two players should be on the ground while two should be at the staircase in case the Infected try to attack from both floors at once. Once the Tank appears, move out to the plantation yard to get more space while fighting him. Once the Tank dies, grab any supplies you need before returning.

The funnel spot in addition to the ease of escaping most of the time makes it a very good position to fight the Horde, especially on Advanced and Expert difficulties. Another perk of using this spot is that most if not all of the Boomers will unintentionally kill themselves from fall damage upon spawning.

Heavy Machine Gun method
At the second floor of the plantation is an HMG which will decimate any Infected that it hits; however, it is almost useless in this case as the Infected will come down from the "Glory Hole" most of the time while the very few that do come from the outside are protected by the hedges of the plantation's garden. Infected will surround you quickly from all sides, so rifles or shotguns are required to clear them out. When the Tank appears, if there are any heavily wounded Survivors, get on the HMG; Tanks will always target the person manning the HMG so if you can avoid his attacks, it will help the whole team out. Not recommended on higher difficulties due to the Infected being able to swarm the team easily.

Gate method
At the gate where you contact Virgil, there is a very nice funnel effect from all three sides so damage can be focused quickly on several sides depending on where the Infected come from. It also gives better overall movement compared to the other methods, as when playing on harder difficulties two Tanks arrive on the second wave, and open movement is helpful in avoiding their attacks. However, a Tank spawn is near this area and players can be hit with surprise attacks so this method is not recommended on higher difficulties.

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 Survivors 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.

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.
 * Survivors that have been separated from their teammates are significantly more vulnerable to attack than Survivors that are in groups. Make an effort to attack Survivors that are far from their teammates, as you will be able to deal significant damage before they are saved and you are killed.
 * 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.

The Charger
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. If they hold out near the Heavy Machine Gun, this is actually an advantage for you as you can easily carry a Survivor off the balcony, dealing high fall damage, as well as separating them from the group.

The 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, although any ride that takes a Survivor onto another floor or off the balcony is a good ride. 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 their team members. In general, it is a good idea to also attack when the Tank is around, as this will draw the Survivors attention.

The Smoker
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/her back down.

The fall will hurt him or her, and although you will probably be killed quickly, you will make the Survivors slow down. If the team you are playing against is not very skilled or good at teamwork, 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 almost every other Special Infected. Pulling Survivors off the balcony is also a great way to deal massive damage and separate players. As with the Charger and Jockey, taking a Survivor off the balcony or higher floors of the house works very well for you.

The 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. At the mansion, sometimes one Survivor will go alone or far from the group to use the radio and start the finale (this will not happen if the Survivors are using the Gate Method); make sure that this will be his/her funeral and make a 25+ pounce from the roof of the mansion. Keep in mind a few factors:
 * Do not crouch, as if you do, the Survivor may hear you and prepare for the encounter.
 * Wait for him/her to start the finale and be half-way back; if you try to pounce him/her too far or too close from the mansion, you will fail. Starting the finale will attract the Common Infected, buying you more time to incapacitate.
 * As a Hunter, you can easily kill a Survivor, but only with synchronized teamwork — have your Infected teammates distract the other Survivors, so they cannot help the unlucky one. The Boomer is the best support here, as he can easily cover the Survivors in bile so they will easily panic, and not see that their friend is getting killed.

The 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 spell disaster for 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 than the other Specials at this time. The absolute best spot for the Spitter is the roof of the mansion. You will be virtually untouchable once the Survivors have jumped down, but you will have access to the main stairwell with the ammo pile through the hole in the roof, the garden, and even the mounted gun from the very edge of the roof. If you have a good aim, you might be the one doing the most damage to the Survivors during the finale.

The 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, or they may not check the shacks altogether. 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 a horde plus a Tank often equals death for at least one Survivor.

The 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 cannot 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. Also, the plantation house has many breakable walls, so use that to your advantage (Survivors hole up in a small room, wall crashes down, tank emerges). 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. If you're too far from them, try to catch up or throw rocks at them.

West Wing
The survivors hold in the stairway and hallways on the right side of the plantation house. Either one or two survivors with sniper rifles stay on the stairs and cover the first floor hallway, while either two or three shotgun using survivors stay in the doorway at the end of the second floor hallway, keeping infected from climbing up or jumping over the hole in the floor.

When a Tank arrives, it will approach the survivors in one of two ways. Most commonly, the Tank will climb through the hole in the floor on the second floor, where the shotgun-wielding survivors can unleash close-range shotgun blasts against it to significantly weaken it while it is climbing, before backing off to avoid being attacked. Alternatively, the Tank may walk down the first floor hallway towards the survivors on the stairs, allowing them to snipe the tank to weaken it before retreating up the stairs; all but one of the survivors upstairs should also move to the second floor balcony to shoot the Tank while it is climbing the stairs.

Regardless of which way the Tank came from, the Survivor being chased by the Tank should retreat to the hole just past the top of the staircase on the second floor, walking along the narrower balcony side of the hole. The Tank is unable to walk along this narrow side, and will instead path around the other side of the hole to reach you from the side you are closest to. If you walk back and forth, switching sides as the Tank moves, you will be able to keep the Tank on the far side of the hole, allowing the survivors to quickly kill it without any risk.

Ammunition becomes problematic due to the lack of available weapon spawns or ammo piles. The easiest way to resupply ammo is through the far doorway at the end of the second floor hallway; this leads back to the weapons, ammo, first aid kits and other supplies at the starting area. Ammo runs here are dangerous, because it is possible for infected to jump from the hole in the roof above to ambush survivors. It is recommended to make ammo runs at 4:00, 6:00, 9:00 and 12:00; neither Tanks nor common infected spawn during these times, making them the safest times to leave the hold area. Past 12 minutes, it becomes extremely difficult to get ammo, and Survivors must use their best judgement to determine when it is safe to go for a resupply. Survivors may want to consider using pistols or a magnum instead of their primary weapons for all infected except Tanks, in order to minimize the number of ammo runs they require.

Pros: Cons:
 * Funnel area, meaning Infected will be much more easier to kill.
 * Easy to maneuver around the Tank.
 * Infected take a significant amount of time to reach survivors; they must either travel down a long hallway or climb up from a hole, both of which give ample time to kill anything except Tanks.
 * Medical supplies can easily be retrieved from the starting area.
 * Weapon hopping must be utilized to the max as the nearest ammo area can be very dangerous due to Special and Common Infected.
 * Tanks may attack from both directions at once, trapping the Survivors between them.

Hedge Method
The survivors hold on top of the hedges in the front garden of the plantation house. Survivors cannot jump onto the hedges directly from the ground; to get on top of the hedges, either walk into the juncture between the tree and the hedge in front of the radio, or run and jump from the low brick wall in front of the plantation house onto the hedges. Survivors should either use the Combat Rifle or the shotgun, as those two weapons have spawns directly in front of the plantation house, close to the spot Survivors can use to jump back onto the hedges. Medical supplies can also be brought to the gate so that trips into the house are unnecessary.

The primary goal of this strategy is to remain on the hedges as much as possible. Common Infected are forced to climb to reach you, giving you ample time to deal with them. Similarly, Tanks must climb to reach you as well, which you can take advantage of to keep yourself safe from them. Jumping between hedges as a Tank climbs will force it to jump off the hedge while pursuing you, which means it must climb again to reach you, giving you time to jump to yet another hedge. This can be repeated so long as you are not overwhelmed by Common Infected or attacked by Special Infected, giving you ample time to kill the Tank before it can attack you or your teammates.

Most Special Infected are also less dangerous when you have the high ground. Chargers are rendered harmless by this strategy, as they have no ranged attacks or ways to jump onto the hedge to attack you. Hunters and Jockeys can still leap at you and reach you on the hedges, but your height advantage will make it easier to dodge them. Similarly, because of your height advantage, the Spitter will have to aim upwards to spit at you; as long as you are not directly hit by the spit, the projectile will sail past you harmlessly. Boomers can be problematic, but as long as you stay on the hedge, the Common Infected will be forced to climb up to you, delaying them and giving you time to knock any that are attacking you back down to the ground. Be careful not to kill a Boomer that is too close; you may be stumbled off the hedge. Smokers are the very dangerous for obvious reasons; keep an eye and an ear out for them, and deal with them as quickly as possible when they arrive.

Falling off the hedges will put you in significant danger. The hedges limit mobility, making dodging difficult, and falling in the middle of the hedges leaves you far away from either of the spots that can be used to return to the high ground. Infected can attack from all directions and easily surround you, and the hedges only provide limited cover from Tank rocks or Smokers. Additionally, being incapacitated while on the ground will force teammates to leave the safety of the hedges to revive you, putting them in danger as well. Do your best to avoid falling, and if you do fall, return to safety as quickly as possible.

Pros: Cons:
 * Provides height advantage over infected.
 * Hedges can be used to avoid and delay Tanks.
 * Considerable line of sight minimizes the chance of infected sneaking up on the Survivors and maximizes the ability of Survivors to cover each other.
 * Medical supplies can be moved to the gate so that trips into the plantation house are unnecessary.
 * Being on the ground around the hedges is very dangerous.
 * Difficult to return to the hedges if a Survivor falls during combat.
 * No cover from Smokers, Tank rocks, Spitters or Boomers.
 * Spitter spit can cover an entire hedge, potentially forcing the Survivor off the hedge.

Laps
It is possible to run around the map to avoid the Tank without having to fight it, as well as generally avoiding Common and Special Infected. Starting from the open area on the ground in front of the left side of the plantation house (facing the gate), the Survivors hold until a Tank arrives before proceeding to the left, through the gap between the two tall hedges. The Survivors hug the fence and gate, running to the opposite side of the hedge maze, before proceeding through the gap between the tall hedges on the other side, towards the west wing. Survivors then proceed forward into the west wing, take the stairs up and follow the hallway back to the starting area, where Survivors can grab ammo and medical supplies. From there, the Survivors proceed through the leftmost door that leads to the balcony, before dropping down from the balcony to deflect off of a hedge and land on the ground where the Survivors started. This drop is relatively difficult; the goal is to walk off the balcony, strafe left to hit the top of the hedge against the house, and deflect off the top of the hedge to negate fall damage. Do not jump, because missing the drop will cause approximately twice as much fall damage if you jump instead of walking. Even by walking off the balcony, the fall damage will still be significant, and should be avoided if at all possible.

Two locations are particularly difficult along this route. First, be careful when moving from the back fence through the hedges to the west wing; it is possible that Special Infected will attack you from the center lane of the hedge maze on your right, and there is no cover if a Tank throws a rock. Second, be careful when moving through the starting area on the second floor of the plantation house. It is possible for Infected to drop down from the ceiling and surprise the Survivors.

This strategy is useful when one or more Survivors are already dead and holding is no longer possible. Laps allow Survivors to avoid Tanks that they cannot kill and minimize contact with Common and Special Infected, meaning that even a single Survivor can survive for some time as long as they stay in motion. If a Survivor dies while another strategy is being employed and the Defibrillator has already been used, it may be prudent to utilize laps to extend the team's survival time.

Pros: Cons:
 * Can be combined with other strategies to maximize time
 * Allows Survivors to avoid Tanks instead of fighting them
 * High risk of cutoff by Special Infected
 * Drop is dangerous and can cause significant fall damage
 * Survivors cannot stop moving due to the pursuing Tank, making it difficult to revive incapacitated teammates