Cut-throat Creek

Cut-throat Creek is the final chapter in the Cold Stream campaign.

This chapter is best thought of as being one continuous finale.

The players use a small handheld radio in the safe room to call for help. A cut sceen rolls showing a military helicopter responding to their call but crashing en route. (Note that the radio can only be used once all the team is ready, meaning they have healed themselves. Unfortunately a glitch requires a human player to heal any AI Bots on low health since they fail to use the health packs supplied to heal themselves.)

On leaving the safe room, players find themselves in a steep sided canyon containing a fast-flowing stream with an unending horde of Common Infected interspersed with Specials jumping down from the bluffs on both sides. At one point there is a sunken boat with ammo and supplies and thereafter a Tank will spawn on the canyon lip. Once he is dispatched, since the canyon routhe is blocked, players must follow a line of red road flares set out on a rough path leading up the canyon wall. After a short run along the top of the canyon, players drop back down into the floor of the canyon.

Thereafter players must push forward down the last stretch of the canyon until they reach a point where the stream finally enters a barred mountain tunnel. Since this is the end of the stream and canyon, they take a steep incline to the right to climb up out of the canyon onto a forested ridge. The finale kicks up a notch at this point as a second rescue helicopter arrives (denoted by the usual "light bulb" symbol and rescue has arrived announcement appearing on the screen). Common Infected spawning rate intensifies and at least one Tank arrives on the scene. To survive the finale, players must charge hard through the forest and climb a wire ladder suspended from the helicopter. (Note the only side of the ladder that is climable is the one facing the normal direction from which players will approach it - something to remember if a player has taken a circular route or got disorientated. In addition, a glitch may result in the player being unable to enter the helicopter immediately on arrival at its open door.) Infected, including tanks, are able to climb the ladder, therefore it is possible for a tank to climb the ladder and knock a survivor to his death, even if the survivor was already on the chopper. Once aboard, a closing cut scene rolls depicting the chopper flying away, leaving the forest in flames and a perhaps Tank suspended in mid air over the scene.

Early indications are that an optimal weapon combination for a human player is the hard-hitting AK47 (preferably with laser sight for accuracy and range enhancement) and Katana since it helps conserve ammo and is deadly in close quarter battle against massed enemies.