The Riverbank

"Hello down there! Sorry, but we can't lower the bridge!"

- Zoey

"Man, I hope we don't see a Tank in a tuxedo."

- Coach

The Riverbank is the first chapter in Left 4 Dead 2 ' s The Passing campaign.

After escaping from Savannah in Jimmy Gibbs Junior's stock car, Ellis, Nick, Rochelle and Coach find their way blocked as the Rayford bridge has been raised by the original Left 4 Dead Survivors. In true soap opera style, Valve seeks to blend original and spun-off story lines and to underscore the irony of an act that saved one team now serves to place another in jeopardy.

In the opening cut scene, Zoey or Francis issues a briefing to the Left 4 Dead 2 Survivors below; the gist of which is that the Left 4 Dead 2 team must (by implication) use an under-river tunnel to get to the other side of the river and refuel a generator that will then enable the original Survivors to lower the bridge thus allowing the new Survivors to bring their car across and so proceed on their way to New Orleans.

The rest of the chapter is concerned with the Left 4 Dead 2 team's battle through Infected overrun stores, seedy office-apartments and rain-swept wedding reception―complete with a distraught Witch bride and tuxedoed and gussied-up Infected groomsmen and guests.

Campaign
The Survivors start near Jimmy Gibbs Junior's stock car in front of the raised Rayford bridge. Either Francis or Zoey will issue a greeting (of varying cordiality depending on the human Survivor's character) and, after some suitable conversational by-play, the Left 4 Dead character will outline a briefing of the situation ending with clear instructions to "get to the other side of the bridge" and refuel a generator so that the bridge can be lowered.

Survivors will start out equipped with the normal Pistol and a couple of randomly selected secondary weapons which will also appear on the ground nearby together with the standard four First aid kits. The Director will often spawn a Magnum or second Pistol on the stock car's trunk lid. Primary Tier 1 weapons will not be provided at this point.

Once Survivors have taken their weapons of choice and medkit, the only way to go is down into a small river side park swarming with Common Infected. There is a very high chance a Fallen Survivor will spawn close by, so it is advantageous for the team go after some extra supplies by switching off their flashlights and targeting him before he can run away. The team must then clear out the area in whatever manner works best whilst watching out for Special Infected such as fucking Jockeys and Chargers who can be a handful when equipped only with Pistols―and who can take an unwary player off to a watery grave in the river.

In a prototype episode foreshadowing more significant environmental effects injected into the subsequent Hard Rain chapter, visibility and sound will often be briefly obscured by a heavy rainstorm that starts whilst players are about half-way across the riverside park.

At the end of the park, Survivors turn right and cross the street into two neighboring stores. In one of them Tier 1 weapons will spawn and in the bathrooms to the rear, a first aid cabinet can be found.

The Survivors next head up the stairs and check out the offices there for any supplies including Foot Lockers. A Tank frequently appears in the first stairwell in the first building entered. This is a particularly dangerous location as the entire group is hemmed into the hallway.

Exiting the hallway and making sure no Special Infected are waiting in ambush from the hole in the ceiling, the Survivors enter the bar room. The closet in the bar is another possible spawn point for a Foot Locker, so if a team has yet to find this object, it is always a good idea to check in here. Even if there is no Foot Locker, the closet may also hold other goodies, like throwables or temporary healing items.

The Survivors leave the bar and go out into the alley and mop up the Common Infected found milling about out here. The alley itself is typically devoid of any items so searching will often prove a waste of time.

Proceeding forwards along the alley, the Survivors make a right turn and enter a cobble paved sunken roadway with apartments on the right and a steep embankment wall on the left. This is another favorite area for a Tank to spawn.

At the end of the sunken road, it loops sharply left and doubles back on itself, as the area straight ahead is blocked. Survivors need to be extremely careful as there are two alarmed cars on this upper road. A misdirected bullet at this time (when a team is probably low on ammo and perhaps in bad shape healthwise after having battled a Tank with weak Tier 1 weaponry) is the last thing that is needed. Avoiding these cars is of utmost importance as triggering one often results in triggering the second, and it is no fun to have to face two hordes simultaneously.

The Survivors need to look to the left for either one of two apartment doors clearly designated with Valve's "through here" visual cues. Teams should make the effort to search these rooms thoroughly for weapons and supplies. For example the staircase that leads nowhere often spawns Tier 2 weapons while the closet to the left of the staircase is yet another possible location for a Foot Locker to appear. Less frequently, the second floor has dissapointing Laser sights or an ammunition upgrade. Needless to say all of these rooms and stairways need to be diligently rummaged and inspected. The apartments is a favorite Tank spawning location.

When the team is ready to move on, it exits from a higher level external door out onto a broad patio facing yet another upper road with the wall, railings and fairy lights of a park visible in the middle distance. Teams should expect a Spitter at this point if they have been proceeding fairly slowly and methodically.

The Survivors proceed to the park entrance (perhaps pausing to turn and back at the apartment block and momentarily wonder about the solitary lighted window in the closed-off area) and enter the park. This is an interesting area as it is the venue for an outdoor wedding reception now populated by Infected tuxedoed and be-gowned wedding guests and a sobbing, passive bride Witch (her loud crying is unmistakable). Before going more deeply into the park, the Survivors should turn sharply left up a short flight of steps and then look back towards the park wall―Tier 2 weapons or supplies will often be found under the foliage in this dark corner.

It is now time to gatecrash the zombie wedding!

Teams have two options here. The most obvious one is to sidle around the wedding party avoiding trouble in order to get to the other side of the park where the safe room stands invitingly open. The Witch Bride is a Panic Event. Startling or Cr0wning her will result in a horde attacking. This Panic Event is completely avoidable. If the Survivors do not startle the Witch they can get completely past the wedding without having to fire a shot.

It is essential not to turn on the music amplifier as this eventually startles the Witch. Starting the wedding music in the presence of the Witch bride will agitate her much faster than normal and no matter what the distance separating her from players at the time. She will attack the Survivor that started the music if not attacked by anyone else between the time the music starts to the time she is startled.

The second plan is to play big boys games with big boys rules and blast a path through the wedding party. Taking out the Witch is relatively easy since there are always a fair supply of Gas Cans, Propane Tanks and Oxygen Bottles in the locale. So, for example, a Gas Can tossed near the Witch, ignited and lighting her up with gunfire will soon take the shine off her special day. Once she is dead, the team can form up and engage the horde―again a well placed Gas Can or Propane Tank is a superb force multiplier. The wedding park is a favorite Tank spawning location.

Once past the wedding gazebo in the park's central area, players will encounter two marquees with tables inside. These tents are frequently home to Tier 2 weapons, melee weapons, throwables, foot lockers, and less often, healing items. If a team is lucky, there may even be a Defibrillator or Grenade Launcher as well.

Thereafter, players exit the park via its rear entrance and enter the street. Turning right and proceeding down the street (mopping up the few random Common Infected along the way) will soon bring the team to the safe room.

Close the door, grab some ammo, and heal up if need be. Take a breath, and remember the smell of that fresh night air, because The Underground awaits!

Survival

 * One of the most effective strategies would be holding on the tents. They are easy to jump on, just use the boxes around. The M60, auto shotguns, or AKM are definitely not weapons of choice in this situation, you'd best be having multiple snipers on your team. With the exception of the occasional Common Infected, you will not be attacked from behind, and the Infected can be shot easily from a distance. However, two Tanks and ammo supplies ending tend to come at the same time. If this happens, you'd better be ready to restart the round. Just don't panic and try to do your best fighting off the towering inferno. If Common Infected are getting in your way on an ammo run, don't hesitate to throw a pipe bomb. Try to cover those who go for ammo. Melee is definitely not a sidearm to be used here, as of Magnum being way better for the snipers and the Dual Pistols doing a great job for those who aren't snipers.