Achievements

Left 4 Dead includes achievements for Steamworks and Xbox LIVE. There are 51 achievements in all for the PC version of Left 4 Dead (not including the 7 from Survival Mode, or the 10 from Crash Course), but only 50 for the Xbox 360 version (not including the 10 from Crash Course); the Outbreak achievement is not in the Xbox 360 version of the game. Then there are currently 50 known achievements for Left 4 Dead 2. In the upcoming downloadable campaign, The Passing, there will be new achievements added to Left 4 Dead 2.

Note that none of these achievements can be achieved with cheats turned on.

Cheats can no longer be used to get achievements, as of Crash Course update. If cheats are ever turned on in the programs session,(sv_cheats = 1) achievement progress and unlock will immediately be locked until restart of the program. Note that achievements cannot be reset, so if you decide to cheat then there is no way to get the achievement later without cheating.

Survival Mode
None of the Survival Achievements are present in the Xbox 360 version of the game since it is free DLC.

Survivor
{{Achievement
 * Image = Cl0wnd.jpg
 * Title = CL0WND
 * Score = 15
 * Desc = Honk the noses of 10 Clowns.
 * The name is a reference the Left 4 Dead achievement CR0WND.
 * Meleeing (punching) a clown in the face will honk its nose.
 * You can hit the same clown more than once for progress towards this achievement.
 * In the German description for this achievement, for unknown reasons, it's told to KILL 10 Clowns, but you have still to honk the nose.

{{Achievement


 * Image = Fried piper.jpg
 * Title = FRIED PIPER
 * Score = 15
 * Desc = Using a Molotov, burn a Clown leading at least 10 Common Infected.
 * During a horde, throw a molotov into the groups of swarming infected; odds are there's at least one Clown in there.
 * Fried Piper is a play on the legend of the Pied Piper.

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{{Achievement }}
 * Image = Level a charge.jpg
 * Title = LEVEL A CHARGE
 * Score = 15
 * Desc = Kill a Charger with a melee weapon while they are charging.
 * The Charger has 600 HP, and a melee hit does 500, so someone will need to shoot the charger a few times for this to be done properly.
 * This is a hard achievement to earn naturally. Ask your team to let you walk in the front, and to shoot a few bullets at all Chargers but not enough to kill them, in order for you to be able to melee them when they charge. It is almost impossible to get this achievement with bots, as they will either shoot the Charger too little or too much for you to kill him while he charges.

{{Achievement }}
 * Image = Acid reflex.jpg
 * Title = ACID REFLEX
 * Score = 15
 * Desc = Kill a Spitter before she is able to spit.
 * It is easy to spot spitters from far away because of their neon green drool. Spitters almost always run for cover as soon as you spot them, so crouch for improved accuracy and fire quickly. Remember that you can shoot through most thin walls, so if a Spitter ducks into a doorway, spray the wall in front of it with lead.
 * Shares name with a Half-Life 2: Episode 2 achievement. A likely pun on the term "acid reflux", a medical condition where stomach acid moves up into the throat.
 * Killing a spitter that hasn't used their primary attack in Versus Mode will count towards this achievement.
 * Over 50% of the players on Steam have this achievement, like Drag and Drop. It is thus the most common achievement according to Steam statistics.

{{Achievement | Image = A ride denied.jpg | Title = A RIDE DENIED | Desc = Kill a Jockey within 2 seconds of it jumping on a Survivor. | Score = 15 }}

{{Achievement

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 * Image = Stache whacker.jpg
 * Title = STACHE WHACKER
 * Score = 15
 * Desc = Prove you are faster than Moustachio.
 * You must get a total score of 42 on the Whack-A-Mole game in Dark Carnival, which is in the 4th level.
 * Every player who whacks at least one Moustachio will get the achievement. Doing this will trigger a horde.
 * This can be done in Survival.
 * The score is possibly referring to the title of the game, Left 4 Dead 2.
 * Or it is a reference to 42 in Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, in which the number 42 is the answer to the ultimate question of life, the universe, and everything.

{{Achievement }}
 * Image = Gong show.jpg
 * Title = GONG SHOW
 * Score = 15
 * Desc = Prove you are stronger than Moustachio.
 * You must use adrenaline and a melee weapon on the Strong Man game in Dark Carnival's fourth section. Be ready to fight a horde right afterwards.
 * It does not matter what melee weapon you choose to execute this achievement.
 * This can be done in Versus.

{{Achievement
 * Image = Guardin gnome.jpg
 * Title = GUARDIN' GNOME
 * Score = 30
 * Desc = Rescue Gnome Chompski from the Carnival.
 * The title is a play on the words "Garden Gnome".
 * "Gnome Chompski" is a play on the name of the political writer "Noam Chomsky."
 * The gnome can be found on the shooting gallery in the second chapter of Dark Carnival. Push the button and score 760 points by shooting the targets. The box to the left of the gallery will open and the gnome can be picked up. From now on, you have to carry him through the entire campaign and carry him to the rescue helicopter with you, holding on to the Gnome until the closing cutscene.
 * The Achievement is a reference to Half-Life 2: Episode 2 ' s achievement "Little Rocket Man". The player had to carry the gnome from the first level to the last level of the game and fire it into space by putting it into a rocket.
 * The Gnome uses the same model and textures as in Half-Life 2: Episode 2, with only slight changes on bump-maps and the size of the model itself.
 * Even Survivors who don't make it onto the helicopter will get this achievement as long as the gnome and at least one Survivor escape.
 * Sometimes the gnome just disappears or falls through doors. So make sure you keep an eye on it.
 * Even if you drop the Gnome in the very middle of the tracks on the Roller Coaster Crescendo, it will sometimes fall through.
 * A good strategy is to toss Gnome Chompski over the fence near where you start the Roller Coaster. This way, you can run the majority of the roller coaster unencumbered, and come back to retrieve him after you've stopped the alarm.

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{{Achievement }}
 * Image = Wing and a prayer.jpg
 * Title = WING AND A PRAYER
 * Score = 30
 * Desc = Defend yourself at the crashed airliner without taking damage.
 * To do this achievement, start in Swamp Fever chapter 2, Swamp. Grab an automatic weapon from the safehouse. Next, go through the level, make sure you pick up a few throwables on the way. When you get to the crashed aircraft, trigger the event and dash back to the area with the shed and the campfire. There is almost always an ammo pack there. All the Infected, including the Special variety, will spawn in front of the plane, letting the Survivors all focus on one direction. In this sense, one can simply throw a molotov or the like and watch all the zombies run directly into the fire.
 * An alternative method would be to camp in an area just to the right, slightly behind, the plane. It takes Infected a while to get to the Survivors, and some don't even make it. Just throw bile or a molotov ahead, and if you need extra protection, have someone stand ahead and take care of Infected that could cause problems (Such as Chargers and Spitters) and draw the full attention of Commons towards them.
 * This is NOT a party achievement. To be more specific, the only person whose health must not decrease during the event is the person attempting to get the achievement. Using adrenaline or pills will make this achievement impossible, as the health lost over time counts as damage.
 * By far the easiest method to complete this in single player is, in fact, to stay inside the plane. Arm yourself with a melee weapon, and preferrably a bile bomb or pipe bomb, then simply trigger the door and walk "down" the plane (towards where the tail would be, with the emergency door on your left) and slip in to the left behind the last row of seats you are able to get behind. The infected will not come in behind you, and the AI survivors will take all the heat off of you.

{{Achievement
 * Image = Sob story.jpg
 * Title = SOB STORY
 * Score = 30
 * Desc = Navigate the sugar mill and reach the safe room without killing any Witches.

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 * Keeping your flashlight off during the entire time spent in the sugar mill and being more alert than usual goes a long way. Back off immediately into the direction you came from if a Witch starts to growl; this is often enough to avoid fighting them. Note that you CAN use Boomer bile to kill Witches and still get this achievement - you just need to be far enough in order for the Witch not to register that you have attacked it. You can't, however, get enough bile to kill all the Witches discreetly on the level, so be prepared to sneak in order to get this achievement.
 * If you disturb a Witch, it is still possible to receive this achievement. This can be accomplished as long as no damage is done to the Witch. That means allowing her to kill the disturber. Everyone who enters the safe room will receive this achievement upon entry. Grab a defibrilator, and return to revive your team mate.

{{Achievement | Title = VIOLENCE IN SILENCE | Desc = Navigate the impound lot and reach the cemetery safe room without tripping any alarms. | Score = 30 | Image = Violence in silence.jpg }}
 * This achievement is best done by using melee weapons only in the impound lot and with human players. If you don't have any human players, kick the bots by using console command "kick [name of bot]" (X360 players will have to grin and bear it or kill off the bots)
 * The name of this achievement may be a reference to the Depeche Mode song "Enjoy the Silence" with its lyrics "Words like violence break the silence...".

{{Achievement }}
 * Image = Bridge over troubled slaughter.jpg
 * Title = BRIDGE OVER TREBLED SLAUGHTER
 * Score = 30
 * Desc = Cross the bridge finale in less than three minutes.
 * This is reference to the Simon and Garfunkel song "Bridge Over Troubled Water".
 * Trebled means "three times", referring to the number of minutes you have to cross the bridge.
 * Try to keep left: Infected tend to bunch up near this area, giving you less need to shoot aimlessly.
 * The best set to use in this achievement would be a melee weapon and an automatic weapon, preferably a Combat Rifle, or a tier 2 shotgun.
 * Note that this achievement requires the ending to trigger in under 3 minutes from the start of the bridge finale. Killing off any bots is advised.
 * In order to make it in time, you'll have to skip the Tank. Have him distracted by the cars, take adrenaline, and rush over the tanker, across the last strip of bridge, and onto the chopper.