Chainsaw

"And if we run out of bullets.... Baby, they gonna wish we hadn't!"

"DIE, DIE, DIE MY DARLINS!!!! DIE, DIE, DIE!!!"

"YEEEEEEEAAAHHH!!!!!"

The Chainsaw is a new close combat weapon introduced in Left 4 Dead 2. As seen in the beta version footage, using this weapon against the Infected can bring them the worst injuries, sometimes cutting them in half.

It is stored in the same slot as the pistol, making yet another tactical choice in the game. It has limited uses, meaning that the player must use it wisely, as they will eventually run out of gas but this will not, however, leave the player with only their primary weapon.

Once the Chainsaw has run out of fuel it will be dropped and a P220 will be drawn by the survivor in its place.

Like the other close combat weapons, it can kill any Common Infected in one hit.





The chainsaw is not really meant to be used against most Special Infected; using it on a Boomer would spread bile over the Survivors, using it against a Spitter would leave you right in the middle of the goo. The Chainsaw can deal massive damage against a Tank, although getting close to one is usually not recommended. It is, however, quite effective against witches.

Usage
The chainsaw seems to stick out from the other melee weapons, giving it a unique gameplay experience. When the player equips the chainsaw, they must first rev it up. The icon showing the melee weapon will have a fuel meter, that depletes over time. The chainsaw, however, won't spin unless you hold down the mouse or trigger. When you hold the attack button, the chainsaw is pushed forward diagonally, and when near a zombie the chainsaw will turn in an arc of 60 degrees, slicing the target in two. When the meter depletes to nothing, the chainsaw is dropped, leaving your sidearm in its place. The chainsaw, if constantly running, will last about sixty seconds.

The main consequence of the chainsaw is where it appears on screen. The chainsaw takes up a large portion of the screen making it only useful when only focusing on one area with a fair mount of hostiles. Also, while it is out after completely revving, the sound of the chainsaw's motor it will attract nearby common infected to the wielder.

Care should be taken when playing on higher difficulties as the chainsaw has a small but unexpected area of effect to other players. Team damage from the chainsaw can be quite high, even in normal mode, and especially if left running for several seconds.

Achievements

 * The chainsaw can be used for this achievement with other melee weapons, it is recommended to not take any Tier 1 or 2 weapons as accidental firing can occur.


 * The Chainsaw isn't ideal for this achievement but it can still decapitate common infected if well aimed.


 * Since the chainsaw has limited uses the achievement should be tried :


 * During horde attacks
 * While the horde is attracted by a Bile Bomb or a Pipe bomb.


 * This achievement is hard with other melee weapons but with chainsaw, its a little bit easier.
 * Note : If a teammate shoots the tank with a fire arm, damages him with a Gas can, a Propane tank, or a Pipe bomb, the achievement will not be unlocked.


 * A chainsaw is rarely found in a survival game, also it has limited uses so other melee weapons should be used to unlock this achievement.

Trivia

 * As in the trailers and Coach's bio, the chainsaw is Coach's signature weapon.
 * The chainsaw was one of the first close combat weapons to be revealed and one of the last to be shown in a gameplay video.
 * When used, the base of the chainsaw seems to be red, differing from the picture, showing it being yellow (although the red color could also be splattered blood).
 * The chainsaw is the only close combat weapon that has limited uses.
 * The chainsaw, as seen in the Trailer, has "HALE" written on it. This likely being a reference to Valve's other game, Team Fortress 2, where Saxon Hale is the owner of a corporation that provides the RED and BLU teams with some weaponry.
 * Its attack is very similar to the chainsaw in DOOM.
 * The Chainsaw has the longest startup time of all the weapons, as the Survivor using it must rev it up before being able to use it.
 * If someone takes a break while holding the Chainsaw the computer will drop it, the same is said as the CPU will never pick the Chainsaw.
 * If a boomer has spewed on you a good strategy is to have the chainsaw in action, while spinning around, slicing all of the infected making you a "Spinning Murder Top". This however could be lethal for other survivors trying to assist you.
 * Oddly enough, if you pick up the Chainsaw in Commentary Mode, all nearby Infected suddenly become hostile and attack.
 * When revving the chainsaw for a long time and killing several infected, a survivor may scream a battle cry, much like the Heavy in TF2, who screams battle cries when shooting his mini-gun.
 * The chainsaw appears to be modeled after the line of STiHL chainsaws.
 * On a slight fun note, if a player has the chainsaw and switches their primary weapon for another, and has Full Captions on, the chainsaw apparently revs. This is probably due to a coding error in which the player drops the primary weapon THEN picks up the new one as they would otherwise have two primary weapons, and as such the chainsaw is automatically selected.