The Fairgrounds

"Unless anyone has a better plan..." This article requires a properly written walkthrough. Please check the proper layout before contributing to the walkthrough.

"You're gonna want to see this!" This article needs pictures. You can help by uploading pictures.

Chapter 2 The Fairgrounds
Campaign	Dark Carnival
Dark Carnival Chapter Chronology
Chapter 1 The Highway Chapter 2 The Fairgrounds Chapter 3 The Coaster

"I find a Burger Tank in this place? I'm a be a one-man cheeseburger apocalypse!"

―Coach

"Holy shit guys! Kiddie Land!"

―Ellis

For the actual in-game Fairgrounds, see Whispering Oaks Amusement Park.

The Fairgrounds is the second chapter in Left 4 Dead 2's Dark Carnival campaign.

First revealed at the Penny Arcade Expo and again in Tokyo Game Show '09, it contains a small-scale Gauntlet Crescendo Event whereby opening a gate also turns on a loud carousel that attracts a horde of Infected. The Survivors must run through this fast spawning threat in order to reach the control lever that switches it off. Unfortunately the horde continues to spawn for quite some time thereafter and the subsequent fight is thus invariably fast, furious and tense.

This is one of the longest chapters in the two Left 4 Dead games and takes players through the fiendishly complex game play environment offered by an overrun amusement park. The safe room at the end of the level is in the Tunnel of Love.

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 carnival's in town, and everyone's invited. Including the Infected. Just remember to avoid the clowns and the large lines..

"Boy, what in the hell are you talking about?" This article/section requires rewriting, you can help by reviewing the article/section and rewriting it when needed. If necessary take a look on the talk page to know what needs to be written.

Campaign

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

• Nick will grab a Submachine Gun.
• Ellis will grab a Submachine Gun.
• Rochelle will grab a Submachine Gun.
• Coach will grab a Pump Shotgun or a Chrome Shotgun, depending on what is available in the beginning safe room.
• Nick and Rochelle will grab a Magnum as well.
  • If the Survivors survived in The Highway and have a Hunting Rifle, they will not switch weapons.

Players exit the safe room and head towards the park entrance. At this point players with Hunting Rifles from the previous level can mop up the many Common Infected milling around. The guard house to the right is a regular spawn point for pistols, pills, melee weapons and sometimes ammo upgrades. In the ticket offices, there's usually a throwable item, and on occasions, an Ammo Upgrade in them.

This is the first chapter that spawns the Clown Infected.

Check the bathrooms, the kitchen area and the wooden tables in this spot; usually supplies such as various weapons, propane tanks, gas cans, chainsaws, grenade launchers, and throwable items spawn there.

Here the player can (if so desired) acquire Gnome Chompski to get the Achievement GUARDIN' GNOME. On the counter there are throwable items such as Pipe Bombs and Molotovs. There are also Pain Pills and Adrenaline Shots. When having AI teammates, you will need to give it to them, as they will not grab them. Both will be helpful in the upcoming game. Pressing the button starts the gallery and have a weapon with a large ammo clip and use burst firing for accuracy and ammo conservation in case the Director spawns a Horde or some Special Infected while you are shooting.

• Shoot burglars with bags of peanuts for points.
• Shoot two burglars of the same color for a bonus.
• Shoot Moustachio for even more points. (+100)
• Don't shoot Lil' Peanut. (-100)

After the players accumulate 750 points the prize box will open. Gnome Chompski is a static object that only does minor knock-back damage and blocks about a third of the carrier's field of vision. Fortunately he cannot be destroyed, although he can be irretrievably dropped or launched away when Special Infected attack. He must be set down in a safe place when music cues signal Hordes and Tanks and other players warned when he is left unattended.

Once finished with the shooting gallery (and the Horde that spawns on winning) remember to pick up the various items on the shooting gallery. Then go to a few tables. There's various weapons, including Tier 1 and 2 weaponry. Clear off any Infected around and search carefully for any potential items that may help you. Go inside the warehouse. Hordes and most Special Infected will spawn from behind. Clear the area up and find any suitable items. There's a rescue closet nearby for anyone that had died. Once you clean up the area, go outside to find an opening.

This area spawns both Witches and Tanks so teams need to stay alert. Back outside beneath a canopy is a table with additional guns and combustible items such as Gas Cans. These are useful to throw down the incline giving onto Kiddy Land to deal to a Horde or the gaggle of Common Infected loitering nearby. A pipe bomb can often be found in the bushes to the right of the incline.

Kiddie Land is thickly populated with Common Infected and is a favorite hangout for a Witch that usually spawns where the safe house sign is found. If not spawned near the sign, the Witch will spawn just right outside Kiddie Land, which will cause problems for Survivors if they have to retreat up the ramp. Most of the Infected will be on the right; throwing a Bile Bomb or Pipe Bomb will be effective at cutting down the number of Infected. Players thread their way through the rides towards the far left corner of the park, throwing the gnome over the wall to the slide on the left to free their gun hand, raiding the snack shack for items before using the alley near the payphone to get around back. Please note that if players use the left side, they can get the attention of a Tank, which can be quite easy due to that the Tank must climb several obstacles and the distance he is from them. If players go to the right, they must mop of clumps of Infected. However, on the picnic tables, there is usually a Pistol and a random melee weapon, but on occasions, there can be some Laser Sights or even a Chainsaw.

Slaughter outside the Tunnel of love

The panel truck parked at the end of the alley and nearby buildings provide several opportunities for valuable items such as Tier 2 weapons so players are well advised glean the area thoroughly. At the end of the way is a room with an ammo stack, weapons and first aid box. Up the stairs is a ladder to the roof where more Tier 2 weapons and pills can be found in a nearby storage area.

Players then traverse the roof until they arrive at the top of the big slide. From this vantage point snipers can ply their trade on the Common Infected in the area below.

(Note that although it is possible to ride down the slide, this is not advised for players holding Gnome Chompski because glitches can result in Chompski falling out of reach or, more rarely, the player dying.) The better plan is thus to descend using the stairs. Teams must be on high alert since this is another common Tank and Witch spawning area. He comes from the building on the right and if the team is camped at the top of the stairs he comes up them — making him an attractive target right from the off. Do not even think about jumping from the stair rails to the hot dog stand; doing so will prevent bots from saving you and causes you to get incapped. Jumping from the stair rails to the ground (or if you get punched or is sent flying away by a Charger) and hitting the ground will instantly kill you.

Once down off the slide, if the player threw the gnome over the wall, they should pick it up, then proceed up the stairs near the restrooms and should check out the room on the left for a first aid station that usually contains Pain Pills, ammo and weapons. The restroom balcony is ideal for sniping the many Common Infected loitering near the carousel below (returning to the previous room to restock on ammo if required) after which they jump down and locate the carousel's power switch. If players are escorting the gnome, it is advised to throw the gnome over the fence towards the entrance to the tunnel of love to once again free their hands.

Note: The way down to the carousel is one-way, so similar to the cliff near the motel, players should take note of any Smokers or Chargers that spawn before descending down.

Starting the ride initiates this chapter's Crescendo Event, so the team must crowd at the gate and wait for it to open wide enough to slip through. The actual sprint to the off switch on the far side of the ride is very easy and relatively free of Infected on Normal setting. In fact it is only once players arrive at the alcove housing this switch that the Horde pitch up in large numbers. Players can ignore the stairs on the left, and instead jump and activate the shutdown switch from the right. Combat around the alcove and picnic tables is furious close quarter stuff and players with melee weapons (like the Katana) will not go short of healthy exercise.

The picnic tables can be checked for anything useful and the team can head towards the entrance to the Tunnel of Love and reclaim the gnome. The safe room is entered by jumping over the queue lines outside.

Be forewarned, it is fairly common for a Witch to spawn right in front of the safe house door. When playing co-op this is a routine problem (e.g. a shotgunner can Cr0wn her or everyone can simultaneously light her up from a convenient distance). But when playing solo (and on low health) it may be worthwhile to let a Bot "take one for the team" rather than the human player opening fire or attempting to sneak past her. A human player merely needs get within the vicinity of the Tunnel entrance whereupon a Bot will attempt to enter the safe room heedless of the Witch's warning growls until she has been startled and attacks the hapless Bot, though the Witch might target you, so if that happens, just close the saferoom on her if you are at a good distance from her. If not, you might want to throw a Molotov to slow her down a little. It's best to be safe then risk losing a large chunk of health for then next leg of your journey...

Notes

• The shooting gallery theme sounds similar to the music played in the beginning of a campaign, only cheerier.
• In Versus, as an Infected, using your melee attack on the case that holds Gnome Chompski will make him fall out onto the ground.
• In Versus, similar to Special Infected, Survivors can melee the box and Gnome Chompski will fall out.
• If you throw a Molotov into the shooting gallery Moustachio will make a weird sound, and all the targets will go down, as if they were shot.
• The merry-go-round alarm does not have to be shut off to make it to the safe room, however on any difficulty higher than easy this is a risky proposition. If you choose not to turn it off, the hordes will strangely stop to a halt, where at other times the Horde will keep on coming with brief periods of safety.
• While carrying Gnome Chompski if you stop and look at the "You must be this tall to ride" sign near the merry-go-round, the survivors will comment on Gnome Chompski being too short to ride. If Coach looks at the sign, he will comment on how the Jockey is too short to be on the ride and won't be able to go in, even though they can still spawn.
• It is possible for Special Infected to spawn before the safe room door is opened. If a survivor is at the right half of the door, this allows Special Infected to spawn. The Survivor has to be hugging the door for this to happen. This is noticeable when the safe room music stops playing. This is also noticeable in split screen Versus where the Infected player is able to spawn. However be patient as once the Special Infected are able to spawn, the Survivors can stay in the safe room as long as they don't open the door.
• In this part in the Campaign, there's a chance that 2 Witches and a Tank might spawn at this chapter. The same also appears to affect the Swamp Fever campaign. However, the chances of this outside this part of the campaign and Swamp Fever are highly unlikely.
• In Kiddie Land, if a player goes on the right side of the area (right after you pass the canvas tent with the Propane tank and Gas can), and looks at the blocked off area, an ammo upgrade can spawn there, however it cannot be reached. This suggests in earlier playtests the Survivors were to go that way and jump down into Kiddie Land.
• In this part of Dark Carnival only, players can encounter weapon areas with the same type of gun (2 Sniper Rifles, 2 Auto Shotguns, etc.) This can be a glitch or was intended for players to use that gun if their gun was running low on ammo.

Gallery

Coach fends off an infected Clown

The Crescendo Event by the carousel

Whispering Oaks amusement park

The Survivors about to enter Kiddy land

Shooting Range, notice Lil' Peanut at the back, Moustachio next, blue and red robbers in the front, timer at the left side and score at the right side.