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"Unless anyone has a better plan..."
This article requires a properly written walkthrough. |
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| Chapter 2 The Swamp | |||||
| Campaign | Swamp Fever | ||||
| Swamp Fever Chapter Chronology | |||||
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- "Now I know why you would jump out of an airplane."
- ―Coach
- "Wow, this here is some real shacks."
- ―Ellis
The Swamp is the second chapter of the campaign Swamp Fever in Left 4 Dead 2.
It begins in a drainage culvert beneath a rail track causeway that has been fashioned into a safe room. The Survivors must navigate a series of knee-deep swamps or bayous intersected with patches of dryer ground and indicative pathways made up of planks resting over the water.
By following the planks, players encounter the ruins of a long-abandoned boathouse and a jetty which yield various supplies. A nearby plume of smoke above the trees brings them to an expanse of bayou in the center of which is a crashed civilian jet airliner. On the way to the plane, a dead military paratrooper will be found draped in a tree and will often give up a Tier 2 weapon, often as well as a throwable item.
It is necessary for players to enter the aircraft's fuselage. Supplies will also be found here including Tier 2 weaponry.
The starboard side emergency door must be opened and this will trigger a Crescendo Event. Infected will horde from both sides of the fuselage. The starboard doorway forms a choke point and a single player can hold this position with relative ease. Defending the port side is more difficult, and in a co-op game, at least two (even three) players should be allocated this duty.
Once they have weathered the hordes of the Infected at the aircraft, players make their way through some ravaged old shacks and into the next safe-house.
Strategy[]
Nick faces the Mud Man
Also see: Tactics
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 swamp is a dangerous place. Can the Survivors handle it especially in a zombie apocalypse?
Campaign[]
Infected waist deep in the swamp
You start off in the drainage ditch of a railroad. If you started from the last chapter, it will greatly help as there will be extra firepower from the scoped rifle obtained on the walkway. Regardless, gear up and move to find a boat on the water. It usually contains various items (there is always an axe near it) which will help the Survivors. Go to the small opening next to the boat and fight your way through. You should look for a dead paratrooper in this area, as he has a random tier 2 weapon or hunting rifle, along with grenades and temporary healing items. A Tank can spawn in this area, so avoid luring it into the water as it will slow you down for the Tank to catch up and if a Molotov has been used on it, will clear its effects.
Proceed until you find a small dock and a ruined house nearby. More weapons and items can be found there. Move forward to find a small outhouse which serves as a Rescue Closet and usually has a Grenade Launcher and other items. You'll find a downed airliner and a door which must be breached in order to get further. Breaching the door will start a Crescendo Event.
Infected will swarm the plane from all angles. On lower difficulties, holding your ground or rushing through can be generally ideal, but be wary of potential Tank and Witch spawns as it is very common for either one to spawn just ahead, and having to handle the Tank with hordes of Infected behind often spells disaster. On higher difficulties, rushing can still be attempted, but only if a player has a bile bomb, as this Crescendo sends a large number of hordes at the team; Tanks are still an issue should they have not spawned in yet.
Alternatively, the team can retreat back to the dock and hold their ground there, as the hordes will only spawn in front of the plane; thus, players will not have to worry about being snuck up from behind. Special Infected are likely to spawn from behind when falling back to the dock, so be wary of them if they appear when the event is triggered.
Regardless of your decision, go past the breached door and proceed further into the swamp. Another dock and a boat with a weapon and various items can be found here. You'll see a small house and a campfire up ahead; search them as this is usually the "checkpoint" of this chapter, refreshing you with more weapons and items, including health kits on all difficulties. Keep moving up ahead to find a house partially collapsed in the water. Searching the house is optional, but if you do, it is always guaranteed to have several Molotovs (which is useless at this area due to the water level). Go past the house to find dry land. A pickup is next to a barricade and contains more weapons to choose from. Continue moving up ahead to find a second barricade; go right to find the safehouse.
Versus[]
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!
Throughout the level, remember that you are playing against human players. They will not wait for you to come to them, and if they do, it's because they have an ambush location that could be deadly to you and your team. With this in mind, you need to keep moving. However, moving blindly could be your downfall―move quickly, but with caution. Also, under all circumstances, stick close to your team.
Remember that in Versus, your melee shoving is more limited than in Co-op so you cannot properly use corner melee-spamming tactics. However, having the entire team in one corner will be helpful as you can generally see the Special Infected and be able to kill most of them before they reach you.
Remain vigilant for the Witch's cries. If you spot a Boomer not moving in the distance and staring you down while the Witch can be heard―don't shoot! If he moves away or towards you, then you can safely assume he's not concealing a Witch. Witches, although avoidable, can be the fatal blow to the team especially if there are competent Special Infected lying in wait.
As with all levels, when you know you're near the safe room, 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 Special Infected 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[]
See also: The Special Infected
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
- Survivors that have been separated from their teammates are significantly more vulnerable to attack than Survivors that are in groups. Make an effort to attack Survivors that are far from their teammates, as you will be able to deal significant damage before they are saved and you are killed.
- 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 its 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: This level was made for you. You are the sneaky one, hiding around trees and in bushes. There are many ambush locations that the Survivors must pass through to complete their journey. Concealed behind trees, bushes, shacks, and even outhouses, The Swamp should be a perfect environment for you. Beware of Bots, due to the fact they can see you through foliage. If a Tank shows up, do your best to cover as many Survivors as you can. A horde and a Tank at one time is often enough to overwhelm the Survivors. If you can cover the Survivors while other Infected are in position, you 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 be a little challenging for you, for there are not many high buildings you can climb for high pounces. One of the only ways you can get a high pounce is to wall jump off a tree and land directly on a Survivor. As usual, go for the lone wolves that wander off. Hear a Witch? Set up near her, and wait for one foolish Survivor to shoot you, and hopefully the Witch. If you can't get there in time, and a Survivor tries to cr0wn the Witch, pounce on them! Work with your teammates, as usual. Attack in groups, because it is harder to kill three Infected at once instead of one. The swamp water can conceal you well enough, as the Hunter's clothing is same to the swamp water.
Chargers: Separate the Survivors! Are the Survivors in a line? Get aligned with the Survivors, move in, and charge! If you miss, hide behind any obstacle you can find. If any Survivors are low on health, sneak up behind them and hit 'em good. Don't be afraid to charge, any charge that separates the Survivors is a good charge. Try doing it on the crashed airliner, as the Survivors will be forced to save that victim, and it will be hard if they do not have scoped weapons.
Smokers: The time to duel with the Survivors has returned. But unlike your Hunter, Boomer, Charger, Jockey, or Tank brethren, you do not charge in and attack. You do not fight in close quarters. No, you are certainly unique. You are the long-range attacker. Stick to the foliage-filled sections and split the group in times of chaos. Pull the one who is the farthest from his friends. Working with the Boomer, pull one of the four slimed Survivors or alternatively, pull a clean one and separate the group. Pulling the last Survivor to jump off the wing of the plane can cause some time, and even cause them to retrace their steps. Hide behind trees, protect your teammates, and work together! There are some spots where you can hide, such as the bushes to prevent them (except bots) from finding you.
Jockeys: The Swamp is a great level for you. Wait for one Survivor to journey slightly ahead, then jump! Bring them around trees and shacks to prevent getting shot off. Work with your teammates! If one of your teammates has a Survivor in their wrath, protect them! The swamp water will slow the Survivors down, so use it to your advantage. Crouch to cover yourself more and having a less chance of getting shot at.
Spitters: Always work with your teammates! You'll get more damage by spitting on a helpless Survivor than on a Survivor that can easily get out of your spit. If a Survivor is vomited on, wait for them to get caught up in the horde, and spit! If a Hunter, Smoker, Charger, or Jockey has a Survivor in their wrath, spit on them to deal some extra damage! The water is perfect to spit acid, though it will be seen easily unless they are in a Horde attack or stuck in one place.
Tanks: Tanks are extremely useful during all parts (except the last one) of Swamp Fever. Their high damage output against the Survivors work extremely well. Always try to get them stuck in the water, as it makes them, regardless of their health (rather than the occasional Adrenaline user) slower then you, and the water is useful to block off Molotov throwers. While on land, it is best to stalk them where you are able to see them (but they can't see you) to prevent your gauge from falling and once they reach water, slaughter them by punching them even deeper into the water to slow them down and let your allies pick them off quickly.
Achievements[]
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WING AND A PRAYER | (30G) |
| Defend yourself at the crashed airliner without taking damage. | ||
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DEAD IN THE WATER | (20G) |
| Kill 10 swampy Mudmen while they are in the water. | ||
Notes[]
The crashed airliner, similar to ones in Left 4 Dead's Dead Air.
A Witch almost completely camouflaged by the swamp water.
- The starting weapons at the start of this level will vary depending on how the team started. If they start on this level (including Versus mode), the starting weapons will include two random tier 2 weapons, typically an assault rifle and an auto-shotgun. If the campaign is started from the beginning, a random tier 1 shotgun and submachine gun will be found instead due to the hunting/sniper rifle obtained earlier.
- Witches can spawn partly submerged in the swamp water, making them extremely difficult to spot. This means Survivors can easily be caught off guard if they're not paying attention.
- The plane is similar to the ones in Metro International Airport, implying a relation to the airline.
- At the boat with the lantern, there is a fire axe on the tree. This is strange as fire axes are used for getting people out of situations such as a fire, and are not suited for woodcutting.
- Shortly after leaving the saferoom, there is a dead body of a soldier that seems to have parachuted from a plane. He often has a few weapons on him, pills or adrenaline, and either a pipe bomb or a molotov. It is possible that the swamp people killed him since the beginning of the chapter has a poster saying "No military. No CEDA. Stay out." He also has a wound to the head, which the Infected are incapable of doing.
- The fact that a soldier would be equipped with non-standard issue weapons like Molotovs and pipe bombs might mean the military sees these weapons as a better weapon compared to their military counterparts. However, it is also possible the military is running out of supplies, and must resort to improvised variants during the crisis.
- It should be noted that this may be a nod to the book World War Z, specifically the story of Christina Eliopolis, a member of the U.S. Air Force who ended up stranded in a swamp in Louisiana. During that portion of the book, Christina comes across one of her comrades (Who had parachuted out of their transport plane just as she had as it came down) dead and strung up by his parachute in a tree in a zombie-infested swamp.
- The soldier is equipped with an AKM and Heckler & Koch G3SG/1, weapons that are not traditionally used by the United States military.
- For quite some time, there was a way to skip the crescendo event. Before it was patched, it was possible to climb up the tail section by jumping on top of the seats within, then jumping onto the crack to the right of the seats. There now seems to be an invisible wall at the very top of the tail section, preventing players from completing the climb.
- The saferoom at the end of this chapter is a nod to those that had died during the Infection. Various names are placed and how their relatives will miss them.
- When approaching the downed passenger plane, Ellis sometimes comments on how the plane is the reason for the dead parachutist. It is possible that military personnel were assigned to board evacuation aircraft during the initial outbreak. However, those that were fortunate enough to bail out of the plane soon became victim to the swamps and Infected below. Coach however, says about the plane wreckage and compares it to their helicopter crash.
- At the second barricade leading to the swamp village, the first Survivor to reach the barricade will try to call the people inside to get them in. The other Survivors will join in to no avail until they leave.
- If Nick reaches this barricade first, the Survivors will only talk once and stop, or not talk at all.
