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L4d garage01 alleys
Chapter 1
The Alleys
Campaign Crash Course
Crash Course Chapter Chronology
Chapter 1
The Alleys
Chapter 2
The Truck Depot Finale
"Okay, important safety tip: Don't get in a helicopter with a zombie pilot."
―Zoey

The Alleys is the first chapter in the Crash Course campaign.

Strategy

Also see: Tactics

All campaign walkthroughs are done on Normal difficulty in single player, and are meant to give tips on what to do and generally point out things that might otherwise be missed.

There are, of course, a few key things to always remember:

  • Stop, look, and listen.
    • Being observant might alert you to something nasty ahead of time, like a Witch, Special Infected or Tank, and allow you to prepare yourself.
  • Teamwork.
    • This cannot be stressed enough. Left 4 Dead is supposed to be a cooperative game. Communicate with your teammates, if you're playing with others, or if you're by yourself with the AI, point out things they might otherwise miss. In all cases, watch out for each other and take care of each other. You are not going to survive the zombie apocalypse by yourself.
  • Be ready for anything.
  • Don't panic.

The Survivors helicopter crashed. Now they have to find a way to get out of that town. Again!


Campaign

When starting from this chapter, the AI Survivors will usually grab:

When the Tier 2 weapons are found, they will grab:

However, do take note that unlike most Left 4 Dead campaigns, weapons won't spawn in groups, hence it is possible to find a weapon but the others won't be with it. For example, you found an Auto Shotgun but no Assault Rifles or Hunting Rifles will be nearby. In this case, AI Survivors will always grab the Tier 2 weapon that was found unless they are already holding their preferred Tier 2 weapon. Therefore, if you play single player, it is sometimes smarter to keep your Tier 1 weapon.


Once you've grabbed your weapon of choice and a First Aid Kit, start moving to your right. From here on, there are three things that you can do:


1. Continue on to the left alley to proceed with the campaign.

2. Check the warehouse at the front for items like Molotovs, Pipe Bombs and Pain Pills.

3. Check out the small room to the right to find items. However, the room may be blocked with an unbreakable door since the AI Director can choose which room to barricade. If you decide to check that room however,do not shoot the propane tanks that usually spawn next to the Dumpsters as the resulting explosion will push the Dumpsters and block the entrance, trapping Survivors in there.


Screenshot 412828057 1254813384

The start of the campaign

Choosing option 1 is usually quicker and does not leave you open to horde attacks, especially in Expert. However, option 2 and 3 should not be considered useless as a Tank may spawn at the alleys there. A Witch may also spawn, too, and it is often wise to find items in case someone startles her or if she spawns in a necessary path. In the scenario that a Tank appeared, unload your guns onto him and try to search for useful items like Molotovs if you haven't already. If he did not spawn, proceed on through the alleys. You can continue moving forward or check the room to your left for more supplies. A second pistol can sometimes spawn in there. Sometimes, depending on the AI Director, several rooms which would otherwise be blocked can be explored. You can also check the dark spacings on your right for items. The truck there may also have throwables or pills. As you move forward, walk up the stairs to your right and into the warehouse. As you move in, a door to the right may or not be blocked and may have items in there. Scour the warehouse if you wish for more items or a second pistol as they sometimes spawn on the boxes or the floor. Do be warned that Special Infected have a nasty habit of jumping down from the breakable skylight above and literally catching you by surprise. Smokers can also constrict a teammate from up there. Boomers are the most dangerous here as they will either vomit from above or simply dive down and explode on all four Survivors. In Expert, it is sometimes wise to unload your pistols or your primary weapon (if you don't mind losing some ammo) onto the ceiling if you hear a Special Infected spawn. Once you are done, move on to the warehouse's exit on the left.


If the area has many Common Infected, be careful not to shoot the propane tanks or gas cans as many of them tend to spawn there. Shooting one will result in the entire area exploding or bursting into flames and if a Survivor already dropped down, he/she cannot climb back up. Also, take note that a Tank or a Witch may spawn in the area. If a Tank spawned, ensure that he is not in the immediate area as once you dropped down, you cannot climb back, effectively trapping yourself with the Tank. He can also throw the vehicles and Dumpsters there, so avoid them at all costs. Once all Survivors have dropped down, you can check the dark alleys to the left as a Tier 2 weapon may spawn on the truck. There is also a garage to the right which tends to have Tier 2 weapons or ammo piles spawn there. Otherwise, it would be empty or have other items. Move on forward and the path will split into two. You can take the path into the building on the left or move on forward to the open area. Whichever way you choose, you will always end up in the same place. However, the car that appears in the open area may have an alarm so it is often wiser to take the path on the left. Also, the area to the right on the other side of a metal fence may have Tier 2 weapon spawn or throwables, so you might want to check it out. After taking either paths, move into the building with an open door. The building has two entrances, one nearer to you depending on which path you took. If you take the path into the building, a Tier 2 weapon or an ammo pile may spawn next to the corpse on the building, along with propane tanks. If you take the path into the open area with the car, a truck near that entrance may have items and occasionally Tier 2 weapons. Inside the building, throwables or pills tend to spawn in there. You can then exit the building via the window or the back exit, though the exit has pills, throwables or a second pistol.


Screenshot 1233435857 1254813384

Exiting the warehouse

Once you exited, follow the path and be warned that a Tank or Witch may spawn in the area. Ammo piles will always spawn near the Army truck and occasionally, Tier 2 weapons spawn there. Continue through the train wreck and be careful as the car there may have an alarm. Continue on forward till you can see a bridge. From there, you can check the room on the left for supplies or proceed on down to the lower floor. You can take the stairs or climb down the truck but it is recommended that everyone do it simultaneously as Smokers are the most dangerous here. You can explore the area there for supplies as a second pistol, throwables, ammo piles or pills may spawn on the floor or on the vehicles. A Tank or a Witch may spawn here and if it is a Tank, be careful of throwable vehicles around. Proceed on under the bridge and from there, you can check the rooms in the warehouse for items or Tier 2 weapons spawn or move on up the hills. Ammo piles will always spawn next to the Howitzer and occasionally, a Tier 2 weapon will spawn next to it. Gas Cans tend to spawn on the nearby truck so utilize them for the upcoming Crescendo Event. A Witch may spawn near the howitzer and it may be neccessary to kill her to avoid startling her in the middle of the Crescendo Event.


There are two ways to handle the Crescendo Event.


1. You can all climb on the truck and have each Survivor cover a direction while one of you use the Minigun. This is doable with AIs as they will usually climb up with you. Well-placed gas cans can effectively eliminate majority of the Horde and Special Infected foolish enough to stand within it. Be warned, though, that the Horde will come in all directions, even from the cover of the nearby trees and Special Infected tend to be a huge hindrance. Smokers can snag a Survivor without leaving him/her open and Boomers have a habit of hiding within the nearby trees, attacking only when no one is looking. Hunters, though not really a huge problem, will sometimes rush in and claw instead of pouncing, especially on Expert. If he decided to pounce, he needs to be dealt with quickly. Even if he were killed immediately after he pounced someone, the few precious seconds the Survivor take to stand is often enough for a Common Infected to climb up the truck and do damage. Keep an eye and ear out for the Special Infected and deal with them quickly before they end your long journey through a long map.


2. You can camp within the nearby building. Have all four Survivors stand on the corners and eliminate the Horde as they come in through the narrow entrances. Throwables tend to spawn in the building and should be utilized should the need arise. This method is generally safer, but it will render the gas cans barely useful. Smokers and Boomers will also be a problem. Smokers can grab Survivors through the destroyable walls and windows. Boomers can vomit through the windows and, on Expert, vomit on the Survivors with little time for you to react. Hunters are generally not a problem when using this method but on Expert, he will sometimes blend in with the Horde and claw you.


Once the fire is out, clear out remaining Common or Special Infected and proceed on to the bridge. The ambulance there tend to have pills or even first aid kits, except for Expert. Walk through the mass of vehicles there and keep an ear our for a Witch or Tank as they sometimes spawn there. A Tank spawn is generally more dangerous due to the vehicles there. A truck there may have items, a second pistol or Tier 2 weapons. Also, Special Infected tend to spawn as you continue on through the bridge and will usually appear behind the bus near the end. Once you see the Riverside sign, move down the hill to your right. You can go ahead to the saferoom that is in the warehouse or check the building to your left for throwables, pills or a second pistol. If you decided to run for the safe room though, don't get too cocky as a Tank or a Witch has a nasty habit of spawning right outside the safe room door. Checking the building for supplies may be much wiser to prepare for the worse. If not, go in the safe room and you are finished with this level.

Versus

The Infected

See also: The Boomer, The Hunter, The Smoker, The Tank

Though they might be immune to the Infection, they aren't immune to death; no one is. Work together to make sure they're victims of this rampant virus, one way or another.


Overall Tips

  • Any survivors that choose to run ahead of or fall behind their teammates will be much easier to seriously damage and kill. The farther away they are from their teammates, the more likely they are to be incapacitated or die before their teammates can reach them.
  • The Survivors all have outlines around them, showing their status and location. Green means they're healthy. Yellow means they're hurt. Red means they're low on health. Purple means they've been covered in Boomer bile. You can probably discern which to seek out first if possible.
  • Think like a Survivor. When you play as one, when are the worst times that something could come at you? Exploit that knowledge.
  • Teamwork, as aforementioned. Has a Boomer gotten their bile all over the Survivors? Jump one of them or a clean one. They can't see their teammates' aura until they're clean...and by then, it might be too late.
  • As much as teamwork is a strength for you and your enemies, a lack of it will be their downfall. If you can focus all of your energy on killing one of the Survivors, the rest will be that much easier to take down. Not only will they have one less gun, but they will have three Survivors to your three incapacitating Infected.


Boomers: There are numerous areas in The Alleys in which Boomers can go completely undetected even if they are directly in front of a Survivor. Some of these areas include the dark shadowy portions of the rooms found in the first alley with the empty

Left-4-dead-crash-course-20090929045939638 640w

A Boomer waiting behind the Howitzer

moving van. If a Boomer manages to spawn and crouch inside the dark patches of the small hardware room beside the truck, he/she can go completely unnoticed by Human-controlled Survivors often mistaking the camouflaged Boomer as a black trash bag until the Survivor finds the time to examine the dark spot. Another useful strategy for Human-controlled Boomers would be to mislead survivors by breaking the last or second skylight panel in the warehouse but refrain from unloading your bile. Once the Survivors find the shattered panel as a false alarm, try vomiting on them from the open skylight that you consider the least expected opening above the warehouse or simply leap down from the open skylight panel that had been already passed by the Survivors as being secure and catch the group off guard. Another more common method would be to camp in the Witch's spawning area(s) in order to vomit on Survivors too reluctant to crown the Witch. If that is not possible simply "use the Witch as a hostage" by standing close to her making your explosion as a trigger to startle her. Another useful strategy would be to camp on the bridge above the Survivors prior to the finale and vomit on them as they pass by.

Smoker: The Alleys is mostly outdoors and with the area being littered with accessible rooftops, Smokers can take advantage of it to attack the Survivors without getting killed swiftly. Several dark areas could help you hide, though it should not be relied on entirely as the the tell-tale signs of a Smoker will always give you away. Target lone or rear Survivors to force his/her teammates to rush back. If a Boomer managed to puke on all four Survivors, take advantage of it by pulling one of them, earning you an achievement in the process. Capitalize on any Witches that spawned by hiding behind objects or in dark areas before pulling a Survivor towards the Witch. Other than that, there are several situations where a Smoker can be very deadly. At the warehouse, if the Survivors already went through and left, they cannot climb back up. By pulling the last Survivor, it will almost be a guaranteed kill unless you are in the line of sight of the other Survivors. If a Hunter is with you, however, he can pounce your victim after you are killed. This can also be done while on the roof of the warehouse as the skylight can be broken, though it requires a direct line of sight to the Survivors. It is not recommended however as the Smoker's tongue is exposed. After the train wreck, the Survivors have to climb down a ladder or truck to the lower level. You can cause serious damage in two different ways. By spawning on the lower level first, you can pull the first Survivor you see, causing him/her to fall and receive falling damage. On several positions, the Survivor will hang there instead. This tactic, however, will make you an open target so you can get killed pretty quickly. The other method is to spawn behind the Survivors and wait for three of them to climb down. Pull the last Survivor, forcing the rest to climb back up to help their teammate. If done from a rooftop, you may not be an easy target. With a Hunter buddy, he can pounce any Survivors trying to save your victim, causing even more damage. During the Crescendo Event, if a Survivor strayed near the fire, you can spawn on the other side and pull him/her towards the fire, causing major damage and quite possibly killing him/her as the fire takes a long time to be extinguished.

Left-4-dead-crash-course-20090929045941856 640w

A Hunter hiding on a warehouse roof

Hunters: The Alleys is by far the best section to put Human-controlled Hunters skills to the test. The first narrow alley is extremely useful for Hunters to practice and demonstrate their "wall-jumping" skills/techniques. If a group of skilled Hunters have mastered all possible techniques for pouncing on Survivors in the beginning portion of the level, they could gain make themselves into potential threats to the Survivors' trek. Halfway through the level past the warehouse, the Witch has a tendency to spawn around that area. Hunters can use this to their advantage by performing a technique already known to many long term players of the game as the, "Witch barrier". This technique mainly involves harboring as many of the Human-controlled Hunters as possible around the Witch but avoid crouching down to charge your jumps until the Survivors' body profiles are within line of sight since the Hunter will begin to growl and ruin the element of surprise. Once the Survivors are irritably close to the Witch's personal space, have all of the Hunters charge at any survivor they find as being a safe and clear pounce. Also, try to pounce once the Witch has been startled.

Tank: The Tank randomly spawns in The Alleys but the most common spawn points are before reaching the bridge or while the Survivors are crossing the bridge. There are many cars, dumpsters, and forklifts that can be thrown at the survivors, so use this as your advantage. This is is one opportunity to get the 20 cars pile-up achievement (dumpsters work as well). It's much easier to win before the survivors reach the bridge since they are usually caring a pump shotgun or sub-machine gun. Other than that the Tank uses the same tactics in the other campaigns. Try to avoid climbing certain areas like the van that the Survivors have to climb down since it will give them plenty of time to shoot and run. The Survivors will also attempt to stun you with propane tanks and pipe bombs since most people will try to get the Tank stumble achievement or burn you with molotovs since it will slow the tank down. The Tank mostly appears about two times throughout The Alleys level.

Survival

See also: Survival Mode

The Survivors fired the Howitzer. But that shot wasn't strong enough to break down the barricade and now endless hordes of Infected are coming. How long can The Survivors hold out?

Overall Tips

  • Teamwork is essential to long-term survival.
  • In this mode, most of the popular choke points, closets and easily defensible corners are removed. Even if you find one that has not been removed, it is not recommended that you fight from there as The Tank will quickly defeat you when he arrives.
  • You have an infinite amount of time to prepare. Use this to your advantage. Take as much time as you need to set up gas cans, propane tanks, oxygen tanks, and to find a good place to fight from.
  • When searching for a place to fight from, remember that you need a location that not only limits where the horde attacks from, but also gives you a fair chance against the Tank. You either need to be able to fall back and deal with the Tank easily, or have a good enough vantage point to kill him before he can get too close.
  • Ammunition is a problem. Unless you are being overrun with Infected or fighting a Tank, try to use your pistols as much as possible. Conserving ammunition should be a priority, as trying to get more during a horde attack can often be fatal. When you do head out for ammunition, remember to take at least one teammate with you.
Left-4-dead-crash-course-20090929045946497 640w

A bad ending to a survival match

Table Method

Near the place where pipe bombs, pills and molotovs are found, there is a room with a table. The Survivors have to stand on or be near the table. To make this method work, 3 survivors should grab auto shotguns and 1 survivor an assault rifle to protect them from Smokers.
Note: The wall near the hummer can be broken by the Infected.

Shelf Method

In the room adjacent to the one above there should be a single shelf in the corner of the room, Have two survivors stand on the shelf with assault rifles, and the others against or near the shelf with auto shotguns or assault rifles. When the Tank comes either go out into the open and fight him, or have the two on the ground lead him a merry dance around the room. There are weapons right in front of the shelf, two pipe bombs and six molotovs on the shelf, and some pills in the adjacent room, so supply runs should be rare. Finally, the vent to the right of the shelf will be used by Special Infected.
Note: This works with A.I.

Easter Eggs

  • Deadpilot 1

    Dead Helicopter Pilot

    The body of the Chopper Pilot can be found directly behind the starting point of this chapter. Each Survivor will comment on this, excluding Bill.
  • While crossing the bridge an off ramp sign for Riverside can be seen (see gallery for picture) in the distance a large steeple can be seen. This may be the Church the Survivors come across later in the campaign Death Toll.
  • After exiting the first warehouse there is a building across the street, in which is a broken wall with a burst pipe excreating copius amounts of steam. When standing by this, the survivors will comment on how much they like steam. This is a reference to Steam, being the online platform for Left 4 Dead and Left 4 Dead 2.

Notes

Graffiti alleys 06

Warehouse Office Graffiti

  • The new starting menu screen takes place of the fallen helicopter of The Alleys. However, this menu screen update may be exclusive to the PC version of the game since the menu screen for the Xbox version appears to be completely unchanged.
  • It is possible that this level is a test of the new director abilities to be seen in Left 4 Dead 2, at least in part. For example, the alarmed cars can be in different places around the level, and random weapon spawn where they aren't always in groups, a common occurrence in Left 4 Dead 2.
  • There is a Glitch in this level at the Howitzer-Crescendo: When you fire the Howitzer and set the blockade in flames there should always come a few hordes to attack you. In this extremely rare glitch not even one Infected will show up and you can just wait until the flames are down to go to the safe room.
  • Standing in front of the Howitzer when it is firing does not inflict any damage to Survivors or Special Infected.
  • When playing on lower difficulties (tested on Normal), it is possible to run through the fire created by the Howitzer and reach the other side before the flames die down. However, the Survivor must have a great deal of health or risk getting incapacitated, although this can be prevented if you take pills whilst you are in the fire.

Gallery

Campaigns
Left 4 Dead Left 4 Dead 2
Achievement Mercy Killer No Mercy
The Apartments / The Subway / The Sewer / The Hospital / Rooftop Finale
Achievement Price Chopper Dead Center
The Hotel / The Streets / The Mall / The Atrium
Achievement Crash-proof Crash Course
The Alleys / The Truck Depot Finale
Achievement Torch Bearer The Passing
The Riverbank / The Underground / The Port
Achievement Toll Collector Death Toll
The Turnpike / The Drains / The Church / The Town / Boathouse Finale
Achievement Midnight Rider Dark Carnival
The Highway / The Fairgrounds / The Coaster / The Barns / The Concert
Achievement Dead Baron Dead Air
The Greenhouse / The Crane / The Construction Site / The Terminal / Runway Finale
Achievement Ragin' Cajun Swamp Fever
Plank Country / The Swamp / Shanty Town / The Plantation
Achievement Grim Reaper Blood Harvest
The Woods / The Tunnel / The Bridge / The Train Station / Farmhouse Finale
Achievement Weatherman Hard Rain
The Milltown / The Sugar Mill / Mill Escape / Return To Town / Town Escape
Achievement Supreme Sacrifice The Sacrifice
The Docks / The Barge / Port Finale
Achievement Bridge Burner The Parish
The Waterfront / The Park / The Cemetery / The Quarter / The Bridge
Non-Canon Campaigns
Achievement Last Stand The Last Stand
The Lighthouse
Achievement Stream Crosser Cold Stream
Alpine Creek / South Pine Stream / Memorial Bridge / Cut-throat Creek
L4D Random Map Cropped Dam It (unfinished)
Orchard / Campground / Dam
Achievement Still Standing The Last Stand
The Junkyard / Lighthouse Finale
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