Return To Town

"Keep to high ground!"

- Coach "We can get across the roofs."

- Nick

In Return To Town, the Survivors must make their way back to the boat through a storm-flooded Ducatel in the midst of a hurricane of driving wind and rain.

The Survivors have two main choices as to the route they follow. Firstly, they can take to the rooftops of houses on the right hand side of the street. This has the twin benefits of being faster than wading through the flood water at street level and conferring a natural high-ground combat advantage over the many Common Infected loitering at ground level. Survivors taking this option must, however, be on guard against Special Infected (especially Smokers) who are lurking in ambush. Secondly, players can be more conservative and stay at ground level (perhaps going up onto roofs on an opportunistic basis). Wading through the floodwater and dealing with Infected at the same time is a slow business. Fortunately, the water also slows down the Infected and gives players time to form up to receive their attacks.

On account of the medium and long ranges present in this Chapter, preferred primary weapons will tend towards any of the various classes of rifle; however, individual players must feel free to experiment with different options and settle on those that work best given their teammates and game play experience.

When the hurricane hits with full force (as it does from time to time), microphone chat can be severely affected due to the way the audio channels layer; this is likely an intended effect by Valve in order to maintain an aura of realism. While the microphone can still be used, a player must not assume that team members can hear messages clearly or at all sometimes. This effect is lessened when a co-op team is indoors.

Walkthrough
The chapter begins in the safe house occupied earlier on the outward trip to the gas station. On looking outside the door, it is immediately evident that the hurricane has flooded the community.

Immediately after leaving the safe room, Nick tips the player off by saying "get to higher ground!": thus indicating that taking to the roofs to avoid the floodwater (as outlined above) is Valve's preferred option. This is indeed true in game play because traveling by roof will take at least three minutes of elapsed time out of the reckoning relative to wading through the flooded streets.

The route across the various house roofs is relatively intuitive and Survivors must not be reluctant to jump short distances from one ledge to the other. For example, partway along is a Dumpster filled with dirt that makes for a convenient way to get from one roof to the next by jumping.

Once the survivors reach the end of the street, a house with a lit porch light will loom out of the gloom on the left side of the road. This is an obvious "through here" marker and will lead players to a leading navigation point: the garage sale. Bearing in mind the ground combat to come, it is essential to restock on supplies here.

After getting supplies, the Survivors continue down the street at ground level. Soon enough, the playground (the second major navigation point in the Chapter) will come into view and Nick will underline this fact with dialog. Once through the playground and after bearing right in the parallel street, the welcoming light of a safe house will make its welcome appearance. The Survivors must not relax at this point since this is a favorite area to spawn a Special Infected such as a Charger or even a Witch.

General Advice:


 * Watch out for Hordes. They are a nightmare in the deep water and poor visibility.
 * Jockeys are small enough to become partially invisible underwater.
 * Remember to stock up on ammo and health kits at every opportunity.
 * Holding a Pipe Bomb or Boomer Bile jar in reserve is a good idea for the start of the next Chapter.
 * If a Tank spawns, do not panic and run. Sidestep into line formation and cone him with concentrated gun fire (which is another reason rifle class primary weapons are worthy of selection in this Chapter). Be aware that Molotovs and water do not mix well; meaning the flames on a burning Tank will be extinguished if he stands in water for more than a second.

Campaign
First, start off by checking weapons and items. In this saferoom, there's some Boomer Bile, Molotovs, Pain Pills and Adrenaline shots along with Pipe Bombs. If players have come here already, usually on Advanced or Expert, most of the Health kits will be gone execpt for the two that always spawn in the medical cabinet. If playing with bots, here is what they will take from the tables: Grab a Pipe bomb, leave the saferoom, and chuck it into the water, which will invairably get most of the Infected out of the way. There are two paths for you to take. One allows you to go to the water, which results in a slower trip, but if players have not checked the houses before or started from here, they contain various throwables and temporary healing items. A Magnum or regular pistol can be found in the first house in front of the saferoom. Players are advised to skip the second house, as it only contains a few weapons which you don't need right now and barely contains anything, rather then the occasional Ammo upgrade. Once you reach the third house, search inside unless you have done so. Occasionaly there are Ammo upgrades and throwables in there. Clear the way, go across the street into the next house.
 * Coach will take the shotgun on the table
 * Rochelle/Nick will take the Assault Rifle on the table
 * Ellis will take the Sniper/Hunting Rifle on the table

Once you reach the next house, if you've started from The Milltown and have swapped your Laser Sight weapon (if you have done so), check the house only if the Laser Sight or if any items you missed are there. Go to the garage sale and restock your weapons there. Stay in the treehouse should the storm come; Smokers are unable to pull people off and the Infected will have trouble climbing up the ladder. Check the two houses for any extra items left behind from before, as there should be multiple Boomer Biles/Molotovs/Pain Pills/Adrenaline shots/Pipe bombs left behind. Use them efficently by letting them distract the Horde. Should a Tank spawn, it is highly advised to not fall back, as there are punchable Tank cars that can quickly incapitate everyone. Skip the few houses if you want, and get to the playground.

A Witch usually spawns near the saferoom, but can be easily avoided quickly and efficently. Always watch out for storms and Specials, as they can usually impede you at times. Enter the saferoom, and you're almost to the endgame of Hard Rain!

The Survivors
Now that humans are controlling the Special Infected, things can only get harder. However, they can't spawn until you leave the safe room. 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!

Throughout the level, remember that you are playing against human players. They will not wait for you to come to them, and if they do, it's because they have an ambush location that could be deadly to you and your team. With this in mind, you need to keep moving. However, moving blindly could be your downfall―move quickly, but with caution. Also, under all circumstances, stick close to your team.

This level is relatively short, but you should still stick together. Smokers, Chargers, and Jockeys can easily separate you and your teammates. As with all levels, when you know you're near the safe room, make sure you are with your teammates before you make a dash for it. If you make a break for it alone, it is not unlikely that a Hunter or a Smoker will be waiting for your arrival and possibly kill you before the others can reach you. No one can survive the infection alone. Teamwork is essential.

The Infected
Boomers: Use your surrounding area for camouflage. When the rain falls, it is nearly impossible for the Survivors to see 10 feet in front of them. Hide in houses, behind cars, and on top of buildings for your opponents to walk by, then give them a good vomit. Once you vomit, try to hide and get ready to spew anew. Or, go suicidal and explode all over them. If you can manage to cover at least three Survivors with vomit, try teaming up with another teammate and let them attack the only Survivor with vision. If there is a Witch, hide in front of her. If one foolish Survivor pops you, they also startle the Witch behind you!

Smokers: The roofs are your best friend. If all the Survivors are on the roofs, try to pull one off. This will force a teammate to either jump down or try shooting you from the roof. This will slow that one Survivor down, making them a perfect pray for one of your teammates to attack! If most of the Survivors are on the ground, try ensnaring them from atop the roofs. The rain will make it difficult to see, causing a perfect attack. And don't forget, teamwork.

Hunters: Again, roofs are your best friends! Throughout the level, there are many tall houses, use them to pounce from. The greater the distance you pounce, the more damage dealt (25 damage the most). Try to attack the lone Survivors, for it will take a while for the Survivors to get to them due to the flood. If a teammate has a Survivor in their clutches, wait for their teammate to come help, then pounce!

Jockeys: Drag Survivors away from their teammates! Make them waste as much time as possible for your teammates to attack/spawn. Dragging them around houses and inside them can waste a lot of time. Remember, always try to ride them backwards, never forwards. This will get the enemy team more points, and make them rush ahead to try to save their teammate.

Chargers: The best thing to do is to try to separate them from the team. When inside the hallways of the houses, a perfect charge could ram all of the opponents at one time! Charging them off roofs could also cause some fall damage if high enough. And, of course, teamwork is always the best thing to use.

Spitters: When there are Survivors in the houses, a nice spit in a closed area can cause a lot of damage. If a foolish Survivor crawls inside the ambulance, a spit inside could render them useless because they are crouched and will move slowly through the spit. Spitting in front of the Survivors is also a good idea. If they cannot go around it, they will have to wait for the spit to disappear, unless they are stupid enough to run through it. As always, when there are incapacitated Survivors, spit on them!

Tanks: If you happen to be the tank, rush in and attack! If the Survivors are on the street, hitting one of them with a car will instantly incapacitate them. Don't be afraid of molotovs, the flood and rain will make little use of them, as it will also put out the flames on you. Remember to keep an eye on the pressure meter, stay with the Survivors and keep them nervous, and get a couple of good punches in there too.