The Parish - 3/5: Cemetery

"Man, if these were real zombies, going into this graveyard would be like death."

- Ellis

The Cemetery is the third chapter of the campaign The Parish in Left 4 Dead 2. After exiting the maintenance room underneath the freeway, the Survivors must make their way through the suburbs towards an open manhole, make a foul-but-brief trip through the sewers, and quietly navigate an abandoned impound lot before reaching the next safehouse at the far end of the St. Roches Cemetery.

Survivors will be fighting on open ground for the first quarter or so of the Chapter, and should enjoy it, because that will soon change. A lot of close-quarters fighting will be involved once they go down into the sewers. Even after they emerge, they will be fenced in by numerous alarmed cars in the impound lot, and the narrow paths at the cemetery.

In Versus Mode, the Cemetery Chapter is a great place for a losing team to make up lost ground; the last three-quarters of the chapter are narrow, limiting the Survivors chances of evading harm. Here, a well co-ordinated team of Player-Controlled Special Infected can spell death for the Survivors.

Campaign
After leaving the safe room, the Survivors travel underneath the freeway and continue through multiple streets, trailers, and houses (some partially destroyed) before entering the dark sewer. They then reach the impound lot, littered with cars with active alarms and the highest spawning point for a Tank. After passing through the lot, the Survivors reach a freeway overpass (with an ambulance stocked with supplies), where they witness bombings by the military, before entering the cemetery. As the Director changes the path through the cemetery every time, it is often hard to navigate, so it may take a few minutes. After a hasty run through the maze, they cross the street and enter the safe room.

The Survivors
The first place that the Infected may ambush you is right in the beginning. The Infected will often be hiding on top of the freeway, waiting to attack the last Survivor who passes by. Be careful when atop the bus: an Infected may take you off the opposite side, forcing you to backtrack. That one Survivor is then open to an ambush by himself/herself, so someone should stick with that Survivor.

The house you must pass through with the broken wall leading onto the trailer is a great ambush spot. The last Survivor to jump off may be grabbed by a Jockey, Smoker, or Charger, and it may take someone with full health a couple tries to jump back into the house to save them.

The sewer is one of the worst places to get ambushed. If the last Survivor to jump down is pinned by a Special Infected or incapacitated, there is almost no way the other Survivors in the sewer can help them. If one of your teammates is the last one down, and can't be helped, try to run through the sewer. That leaves one less Infected on your hands. The narrow sewer is also a great spot for a Charger, so beware.

The impound lot is filled with alarm cars. All you need is one alarm triggered, and prepare for a horde. Do not shoot a Boomer if you see it near an alarmed car. The blast may trigger a horde. Jockeys, Smokers, Chargers and Hunters can easily make you set off an alarm, so watch out for them.

The cemetery can also be dangerous, for the AI director changes the maze everytime. As always, stick together. After you pass through the cemetery, the safe house is in a room across the street. Get in, close the door, and you're safe, for now.

The Infected
Charger: Remember, a charge that separates the team is always a good charge. Before in the sewer, if you can, try to charge the last Survivor that jumps in the hole. Their fellow Survivors won't be able to help. While inside the sewer, try to charge at the Survivors, and drag one of them away from the group to break their formation. Also, a good strategy for a stealthy Charger is to hide until the Survivors descend into the sewer, wait until they finish dabbling about near the entrance, and then jump down and charge all of the Survivors at once in one go. Properly timed and aimed, this will scatter the entire team and carry your unfortunate victim a considerable distance into the sewer. The effect is doubly fatal for the captured Survivor because not only will the water slow their potential rescue, but you will usually carry them into a cluster of idle Infected. Charging a Survivor in the cemetery may also break the team's formation.

Hunter: As always, go for lone wolves. Pouncing on a Survivor off the freeway may help you deal some more damage if done correctly. Pounce Survivors climbing ladders, you may deal extra damage. Pouncing the last Survivor to jump down the hole into the sewers will make it nearly impossible for their teammates to help. Pounce on them from inside the dark sewer and it may be difficult for them to see you or move around to help your victim. Pounce the last Survivor to come out of the sewers. If you did it when he/she was still on the ladder, he will go back down, buying you and the other Infected time as they scramble down the ladder to get their teammate. If a Smoker can manage to pull a Survivor back down the ladder to the impound lot, pounce anyone in the sewer who dares to save their teammate.

Smoker: The freeway and rooftops are your best playgrounds, use them! Pulling a Survivor off the bus backwards will cause their teammates to backtrack. Pulling ladder climbing Survivors will make them fall and will deal some extra damage. You can also hide in the broken tombs, and wait to catch the loner of the group. Lone wolves are the best to aim for, especially when they are behind the rest of the group. This is particularly fatal if you manage to ensnare a Survivor when the rest of the team has reach points of no return, such as the drop from the house into the construction area, the fall into the sewer, or the descent from the bridge into the cemetery.

Spitter: Inside the first house the Survivors enter is a great spot to cause some damage because it is a close area. Try to help out your teammates when they are attacking a Survivor. Also, spitting right at the ladder as the Survivors are coming up from the sewers can cause some serious damage. Blocking or spitting on the correct paths in the impound lot may startle the Survivors and have a higher chance of them bumping into an alarmed car, or shoot everywhere if they're being attacked by Common Infected. If a foolish Survivor stays in the ambulance, you can spit inside the ambulance and it will cause major damage because the Survivor is crouched, making them slower, so it is harder to escape the goo. If you should spawn simultaneously with a Tank, your ability to spit at the ends of narrow hallways and one-way escape routes can destroy the Survivors' ability to flee.

Jockey: Riding a Survivor away from the group is the best thing to do. This leaves that Survivor vulnerable to your teammates attacks. Riding the last Survivor off the bus will slow your enemies. If you can ride the last Survivor to jump out of the room and onto the trailer, it will cause a great delay for the other Survivors to try jumping and backtracking trying to get you. Riding a Survivor into or near an alarmed car may cause a fellow Survivor to try shooting you and accidently hit the car. If possible, familiarize yourself with the cemetery before the Survivors arrive. After that it is a simple matter to ride him him/her throught the cemetary. One or two of the other Survivors may get lost attempting to follow.

Boomer: Work with your teammates! Whenever you see a teammate attacking a Survivor, don't be afraid to vomit on the helpless survivor and maybe even their rescuer. But be careful, if you are shot and explode, and are close to your teammate, you may stun them, and ruin their chance to damage a Survivor. Booming on a player where there is a great amount of Infected nearby will increase your chances of dealing damage. When boomed on in the sewers, it is nearly impossible for the Survivors to see, leaving them vulnerable for your teammates. With all the various nooks and crannies in this level, your ability to scare a Survivor into shooting without thinking is at its peak. Hide in the trailer and vomit on the first Survivor in, or wait in the deeper part of the trailer and make a kamikaze dash on the group when they huddle in. If you make a beeline for a Survivor while standing in front of an alarmed car, even a skilled Survivor might shoot a few too many bullets to get rid of you.

Tank: Whenever a Tank spawns, a lot of panic is created; but this is the one level where the sadistic powers of the AI director can spell death for an entire team. Tanks can spawn nearly anywhere in this chapter, but the most common area is the impound lot. Should a Tank spawn here, go nuts. Even though smashing an alarmed car breaks its horde summoning capabilities, there are plenty of alarms to go around, and your panic will more than likely make them touch or shoot another by mistake. Should you spawn in an open area, hurl rocks at the Survivors, forcing them into the developed houses or corners; get them in an enclosed space and then punch them till they are down. Don't be afraid to turn around and give chase to another Survivor who is unloading ammo into your backside.