The Bridge (Left 4 Dead)

"You know, I bet we can knock that bridge down."

- Francis

The Bridge is the third chapter of the fifth campaign, Blood Harvest. The Survivors exit the railroad tunnel and re-enter the forest. They follow a pathway through a gully up to a service building connected to an extension of the railroad tunnel. By entering this building and descending a flight of stairs, the Survivors are able to re-join the tracks in the open air once again. Leaving the tunnel behind for good, they follow the railway past an engine shed until they encounter a signal gantry and bridge connected to high ground on their left. Francis' suggestion that the bridge be knocked down to continue on their way is agreed to. The Survivors check out a service building on the left for supplies and release the brake on a train car to drop the bridge. Unfortunately this triggers a Crescendo Event during which time the Survivors face an Infected attack from no less than three directions. After defeating the Infected hordes, the Survivors mount the bridge's debris to high ground. They briefly head back into the forest before entering a small cabin serving as the ending safe room.

Campaign
When starting from this chapter, the AI Survivors will grab:
 * Bill will grab a Submachine Gun.
 * Francis will grab a Pump Shotgun.
 * Louis will grab a Submachine Gun.
 * Zoey will grab a Submachine Gun.

When the Tier 2 weapons are found, they will grab:
 * Bill will grab an Assault Rifle
 * Francis will grab an Auto Shotgun
 * Louis will grab an Assault Rifle
 * Zoey will grab a Hunting Rifle

Otherwise, they will keep the weapons they had in the last chapter. (See The Tunnel for a list of weapons they will grab there.)

First off, snatch up some ammo, patch yourself up and move out. If you want, you can even change your weapon, but if you have not started from here, you will probably have a Tier 2 weapon. Grab what you can, and head on out.

The direct approach would be to turn left and head towards the end of the passage. Then turn right and go straight towards the red light. Otherwise, turn right to take a route that will take you past a generator room containing pills, Molotovs, or Pipe bombs. Which ever way you take, keep an eye out for gas cans and propane tanks. Collect these and bring them with you.

Once you've reached the red light, take the doorway on the left and make another left at the end of the passage. A propane tank and gas can usually be found in this passage. In front, you will now see the open air. Common Infected will be loitering outside in front and above you on the tunnel abutments. At the same time, a hurry-up horde is very likely to attack you from the passage to your rear. A suggestion is to throw a gas can or propane bottle out of the tunnel mouth and so help clear the way.

Exit the tunnel and turn 180 degrees to snipe the Infected above you. Note that this is a good place for a Smoker to put in an appearance on one of the ridges above whilst a Witch may well also be present on the path before you. Worst case, a Tank will spawn soon after you have left the tunnel complex and fighting him in what is otherwise a relatively tight space is somewhat challenging: expect at least one team member to be incapped during the fight.

Head on up the clearly defined pathway. Just before it turns hard right and up-hill, check into a small recessed area to the left since supplies such as pills or a throwable may be found here. Be ready for a horde attack storming down from the bluffs above at this point. Towards the top of the rise, a large number of loitering Common Infected will be encountered ahead of you and off to the right: snipe them to clear the way.

Coming into view on your left is a building window and door recessed into the hillside: this is your next goal. Approach the building, smash the window or invade the door and clean out any Infected inside. Note that a hurry-up horde may spawn within seconds of arriving at this structure. If so, this is a tricky one to fight as they jump down on you from above as part of their attack. The best thing is to get inside the building and force them into chokepoints formed by the door and window. A rack next to the door may contain supplies.

A steep flight of stairs leads down into the building. At the base, a table often provides Tier 2 weapons along with a chance of pills or an extra Pistol. Grab what you can, and continue. Follow the passageways, noting the chance to snag a gas can or propane tank until you see in front of you a doorway framing what is obviously a railroad wagon. Approach the doorway and clean out any nearby Infected. You will notice yet another table outside the door that may give up Tier 2 weapons.

It is from this point that you need to start planning how you want to get through the up-coming Crescendo Event. A suggestion is to hold onto any gas cans or propane tanks you have in your possession since these will be good force multipliers during the finale.

Exiting the tunnel for the final time, you find yourself in a wide railroad cutting containing a signal gantry, bridge, stalled wagons, an engine shed and signal hut containing a back-up electricity generator. This space is densely populated with easily-agitated Common Infected. Lighting is bad and the risk of a sneak attack is thus quite high.

Since the Survivors are probably getting low on ammo, a good idea is to duck into the engine shed on the right where an ammo pile will be found and a bonus may be an extra gas can or propane tank together with pills and throwables. If present, take these explosives with you; repeatedly throwing them ahead and going back for the others of playing Solo or with a couple of bots. The plan is to bring as many explosive items with you to the scene of the finale as you can manage.

Proceed further down the tracks and you will see the aforementioned signal hut to the left. Go inside and check for equipment. This building has a medical cabinet and very often an ammo stash. Less commonly but not a rare find are Tier 2 weapons as well. Directly opposite this hut is a solitary railroad wagon with ladder on the side. Climbing up will reveal a supply of Molotovs: take note of this.

Now is the time to finalize the plan for the Crescendo Event. The basic sequence is the release of a train wagon will drop the bridge and set off the event. Attackers will come from three directions: from both sides of the cutting and from right. Once you settled on your plan, proceed up the tracks away from the bridge until you reach a railroad wagon with a yellow brake handle on the side. Releasing the brake sets the wagon on motion, it knocks down the bridge and starts the finale. Note that in the area behind this wagon is a relatively large group of Common Infected who you may wish to cull with Pistols before touching the wagon brake.

There are several ways to handle the finale Crescendo Event:


 * 1) Position the team inside the cabin with the ammo and the first aid cabinet. Then send two Survivors out to detach the train car. One Survivor is there to detach it and the other is there to cover the first Survivor. The Survivors can generally fight from the main room with supplies, covering the two windows and two doors.
 * 2) The second approach is similar to the last in that the Survivors will be positioned inside the cabin, but will be inside the cabin's bathroom. Once the two Survivors have returned to the bathroom after summoning the horde, the four Survivors can adopt the classic "closet-position". This consists of two Survivors ducked in front and either using melee or shooting and two Survivors standing behind them and firing over them. Preferably, anyone with a shotgun should be one of the two ducked in front.
 * 3) The third option is to call the horde and retreat back to the small barn-like structure with ammunition. The downside to this tactic is that the horde can quickly catch up to you before you've reached the barn. The upside to it is that you'll never need to worry about ammunition and you have a somewhat large choke point.
 * 4) A fourth option is to pre-position a covering team on the roof of the isolated wagon with the Molotovs on the roof. Setting out any gas cans or propane tanks that you have brought along with you will put the odds in your favor. Once the brake is released, sprint and join the team on the wagon roof. Beat off the horde as they try to climb the sides of the wagon. It is close-range combat and with each team member covering a side, relatively easy fighting (but always keep an eye out for the odd Smoker). Fire the gas cans and propane tanks as needed and rain down Molotovs to help things along. Keep a pipe bomb or two in reserve for distraction purposes once you decide things have quietened down for the sprint to the bridge. Toss a pipe bomb then go hard for the bridge. Locate a covering fireteam on the bridge to allow the last team member to disengage safely. Sprint hard for the safe house once contact is broken whilst staying alert since a Tank occasionally spawns near the safe room.
 * 5) The final method is to run for the safe room without bothering too much about the hordes. Whilst this is never recommended as a standard procedure, it can however work quite well with this level. First, make sure someone has a Pipe bomb. Then clear out the rough area around where the bridge will fall and send some Survivors to activate the train car. Wait near where the bridge will collapse, and once it does, have each Survivor toss their Pipe bomb and sprint hard up the bridge for the safe room. The key word is run!

Unless you've used the fifth method, once the horde has been suppressed, make your way back to the bridge. The rolling wagon will have knocked down the bridge, allowing you to climb it to the ridge overlooking the railway area. Clear out any Infected up here and keep moving past the broken fence. Just keep moving and soon, you'll see the safe room in the cabin to your left. Close the door and take a breather! Now get ready, your train is waiting for you at The Train Station!

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!

Unfortunately, this level can be disastrous for you and your teammates. As soon as you exit the safe room, there is an all-too-common Tank spawn location. From experience, anyone would know that a Tank in close quarters such as these is not to be trifled with. Many teams have barely left the safe room only to be crushed by such a giant. Stay sharp!

If you are lucky, when you exit into the woods, you'll have a fairly quick and painless journey through. However, a competent team of Infected can easily set up horrible ambushes as you exit. Boomers can rain down vomit on their enemies, Smokers can drag Survivors long distances with little chance of being shot and Hunters can score a nice amount of instant pounce damage. Of course, a Tank or a Witch is also a lot of trouble here.

The next major concern in the level is the crescendo event. As with most, if the Survivor team is lacking and the Infected team is excelling, they'll have little trouble finishing you all off. You need to anticipate their attacks and try to counter them. Another thing to be warned of is if you and your team find no Special Infected attacking you during the event. This generally means that they are preparing for a potentially fatal ambush. Stay on your guard.

When you see the safe room and you know you're almost there, 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 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: The various tight spaces and open areas are a great combination for you. Not only can you hide in side rooms in the tight corridors and spew vomit as the Survivors pass, but you can also use height to your advantage in wide-open areas. From there, you can rain your bile down and on top of the Survivors. Try not to get killed in this one, as it is often difficult to relocate yourself to an adequately effective position. If you can cover the Survivors while other Infected are in position, Smokers and Hunters can use the opportunity you created to put the hurt on the Survivors. There's a Witch? Conceal her! Odds are that one genius Survivor is going to shoot you and the Witch in one go.

Hunters: This level can work to your advantage. It is fairly straightforward to find a high location, wait, and pounce when the Survivors approach, causing some instant damage. It's a general rule of thumb to see your prey before they see you so you can literally get the drop on them. Hunters work best in ambush situations. It is not advised to attack a group unless you're trying to distract them, or simply scare them. Try to hide in small spaces, though. This level has a fair amount of side passages and rooms for you to lurk in. Pounce people who wander off. Always remember that you have a strong melee attack, so if you can't quite pounce, feel entirely free to melee.

Smokers: The several outdoor locations are excellent for you to set up dangerous ambushes and catch the Survivors off-guard. Remember that if there are high locations you can reach, there is no point in moving down and attacking the Survivors up close; this is a suicide run. Instead, exploit these heights and attack from there. If you've angled your attack perfectly, you won't be seen properly by the Survivors and they won't be able to kill you. Although close quarters are not good for you, if you find yourself trapped by Survivors, don't just sit still and let them kill you. Lash out at them! Use your powerful secondary melee attack! If they are hurt enough, they may even be incapacitated, which can save your life!

Tanks: These interiors are golden locations for you to arrive on the scene. If you are unlucky and spawn outside, you can still hurl things such as tree trunks into the Survivors! Even outside, you can single-handedly end the game. Your rock throw is usually very underestimated. With practice, it can be devastating and deal a lot of damage to the group of Survivors quickly. As a rule of thumb, aim your reticule above, and perhaps ahead of, the target while throwing. Attack with precision and force; don't let the Survivors get any further!

Survival
Cabin Method
 * Position the team inside the cabin with the ammo and the first aid cabinet. Then send one Survivor out to detach the train car. The Survivors can generally fight from the main room with supplies, covering the two windows and two doors. Generally, this means Smokers and Hunters are more or less not a problem. Boomers, however, are still a concern and the Survivors should remain vigilant for them. When the Tank shows up to the party, the Survivors can exit through either entrance and fight him on open ground. Do it quickly, though! You don't want the horde to reappear whilst you're outside battling a Tank! Once he's dead, return to the cabin and repeat.

Boxcar Method
 * You can simply guard the top of a boxcar. There are Molotovs on top of one and the Infected have to climb up the ladder and the sides, making them easy targets. Your primary concern with this method is the Smoker. If the Smoker manages to tug a Survivor over the edge during a horde attack, they're almost guaranteed to die. Also, to a lesser extent, Hunters can produce the same effect by pouncing someone on the boxcar and stumbling the others over the edge. The Tank is dealt easily with this method as he can be seen long before he can get in close. With concentrated fire, he should go down, no problem.

Out Of Map

There is a way to get out of the map. What you have to do is go to where the boxcar is (the one where you can get on to the bridge), and go behind it and preferably have a propane tank with you. What you do is go by the wall and keep walking sideways into it while moving forward and crouching repeatably. If done correctly, you should glitch into the other side of the mountain. If you can only get halfway into the wall, put down the propane tank and shoot it. It will hopefully result in you being pushed outside the map. While under the map, you can start the horde, but its better to have someone else do it because if you do, you risk being teleported back up to the map. This works on the 360 and sometimes on the PC.

Left 4 Dead 2
In the Left 4 Dead 2 version of this map, the ending has been transformed into a Gauntlet Crescendo Event that necessitates fighting up to the safe room against a never-ending stream of enemies. This event is triggered by the bridge's collapse. To avoid being overwhelmed, from the moment the bridge collapses players should lose no time in moving towards the safe room. A fast moving melee weapon (e.g. a Katana) and a distraction in the form of a Bile Jar or Pipe Bomb are useful means of addressing this event. The safe room area also has been surrounded by a wall.