Chapter 1 The Woods | |||||
Campaign | Blood Harvest | ||||
Blood Harvest Chapter Chronology | |||||
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- "These woods look thicker 'n Boomer shit. Nobody wander off."
- ―Bill
- "You're tellin' me people camp for fun?"
- ―Francis
- For the actual in-game forest, see Allegheny National Forest.
The Woods is the first chapter of the fifth campaign, Blood Harvest.
The Survivors start off at a small campsite in the Allegheny National Forest. One character will announce the existence of a military safe zone and trigger the chapter's start.
This chapter takes players along a forest path, over a rope bridge spanning a chasm, past a forest hut and along a ridge overlooking a railroad depot which contains the chapter-ending safe room.
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 Woods can be straightforward level if you know how to handle the Infected. Remember that it is very easy for most types of Infected, including Common Infected, to hide amongst the trees and attack you from behind once you've passed them. However, remain vigilant of these hidden Infected, and this level should be completed in no time.
Campaign[]
At the beginning, all of the Survivor Bots will grab Submachine Guns.
The Survivors start off in Allegheny National Forest at a rough camp site. One of the Survivors will mention that there is a military evacuation zone to the north which is accessible by following the train tracks. A picnic bench carries Tier 1 weapons and first aid kits.
Players take a narrow forest trail closely set about with trees hosting numerous active Common Infected. Boomers, Hunters and Smokers are especially dangerous on account of the concealing trees. Random supplies such as grenades and pills will spawn behind trees and rocks on the left.
Depending on how the team is performing, The Director will spawn useful supplies such as a molotov or gas can at a picnic bench partway along the route. However, if the team is doing well the bench will be devoid of usable items.
Next up is a wooden rope suspension bridge. It is best to cross quickly because Smokers like to hide unseen either on the opposite side or behind the team on the right. Note that on rare occasions a Tank will spawn in this location and he has an ability to pluck a large chunk of rock out of the wooden suspension bridge.
On the other side of the bridge is a trailer-cabin containing an ammo cache together with a random mixture of pills, Molotovs, pipe bombs and an extra pistol. Outside next to the trailer there may also be a gas can or propane tank under the barbeque. Bill will usually direct a disparaging remark to Francis about the trailer-cabin possibly reminding him of his one-time home.
On leaving the building, teams need to be on their toes because there is a lot of combat coming up starting with a hurry-up horde soon after setting off.
The pathway widens into a broad track which dips down into a gully beneath a bridge. This area is always thickly populated with loitering but alert Common Infected. Deploying a throwable or item such as a gas can will help thin their numbers. Part-way along under the bridge is a small hut to the left, minor supplies can sometimes be found here.
Teams continue along the trail to a point where it makes a 90-degree turn to the left directly towards the Richardson Atlantic freight depot. Bots will tend to speed up here as the safe room is located inside a yellow building forming part of this complex. Human players are advised to do likewise since this area is famous for spawning 'not-so-fast-you' Special Infected. In a final twist, it is not unknown for a Witch to spawn in the safe room entrance or for a Boomer to be lurking inside the room itself.
Overall this is a relatively short chapter albeit with plenty of combat. The next chapter is considerably longer, more complex and takes players underground into The Tunnel.
Left 4 Dead 2 Version[]
The map is unchanged apart from weapon and enemy profiles.
Versus[]
The Survivors[]
With humans controlling the Special Infected, things can only get harder. However, they can't spawn until you leave the campsite area. 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!
This is actually a terrible level for an all-human team of Survivors. The Infected lurk behind the dense forestry, rapidly attacking you and concealing themselves once again. You will be outclassed in this forest, and as team, you must move as quickly as possible. However, the Bots in your team can provide a major―if not, unfair―advantage to your team. The AI have the uncanny ability to "see through" the leaves and bushes. This grants them the ability to spot and kill Infected that human players would otherwise miss. Even if you do not have a Bot on your side, the game registers it that you can "see through" the shrubbery and leaves as well. This leads to the Special Infected being unable to spawn in certain areas because they can be "seen" by the Survivors. They will then have to find a solid object to hide behind.
The deep chasms that you can fall into are a problem. The Special Infected can take advantage of this in many ways:
- With an extremely well-timed pounce, Hunters can stumble everyone near their target, and send them over the edge. If the group is tightly clustered, this can effectively end the round.
- Smokers can tug Survivors over the edge and leave them hanging for their lives. There are even several spots throughout the level where Smokers can drag them over the edge, bypass the "grab on" action where the Survivor grabs the edge, and kill them with fall damage. This causes an instant kill.
- Rarely, a Boomer can explode and send a Survivor stumbling over the edge. A more likely scenario is that a Survivor will get vomited on and will quickly rush around looking for a place to fend off the approaching horde. This can lead to them rushing over the edge of the chasm.
- The obvious Infected that can exploit the chasm is the Tank, and unfortunately, the rope bridge is a possible spawn point for the Tank.
Above all, avoid the chasm, that first step is quite big.
Once you are in the open area in front of the safe room, be extremely careful. If you and your team don't move quickly, you can be ambushed by the Special Infected with lethal efficiency. Inversely, if you move too quickly and get ahead of your teammates, you are running the risk of a fatal Smoker or Hunter ambush. Move rapidly but as one unit. Stick together, cover each other and expect everything and anything. Do all of this, and you'll be fine.
The Infected[]
See also: The Boomer, The Hunter, The Smoker, The Tank
Us infected have been lucky so far, but eventually luck will run out and their rescue attempt will succeed. You cannot let this happen.
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: This is your kind of level! It's not indoors, which is actually good in this case because it means plenty of room to escape. Plus, with the trees technically restricting the Survivors' passage, it is in tight quarters! Lurk amongst the trees and emerge only to unleash your hail of green bile. Once you have, you can simply run backwards and into the trees! The ones covered in bile won't really be able to see you anyway, but if you missed one, the trees could save your life. Let your bile recharge by either waiting here, or moving ahead and waiting there. Once it has, repeat the process of emerge, vomit, conceal and recharge until you are killed for being extremely pesky!
Hunters: Hunters are made for this kind of land. Wide, open areas to leap around in, yet lots of cover to shield against Survivor aggression. If you angle yourself correctly, you can pounce up certain trees and position yourself atop them. Landing a pounce from this position will earn a decent amount of instant pounce damage. However, sometimes the effort required to get up the tree is not worth it. Keep in mind that Survivor Bots can "see" you through bushes and leaves. If you know there is a Bot on the opposing team, try to note what character it is playing as, and avoid hiding from it behind non-clip objects. Otherwise, this is an easy level for you. Pounce fast, pounce quick, and pounce to victory. If pouncing isn't an option, just slash. Of all the levels, this is perfect for simply running up to the Survivors, slash them, and run back into the forest. Because you don't make any sound while standing up, you can easily hide from the Survivors. And as you look a lot like a Common Infected, Survivors will have a difficult time keeping track of you.
Smokers: This level is virtually perfect for you. Fate has even given you deep chasms with instant-kill locations! Your main goal is to hide behind bushes, trees, and anything else that is near but off the main path. From here you can snatch unsuspecting Survivors and split up the team. Combined with a Boomer attack and the confusion of your location through the trees, this can lead to a large amount of damage to the Survivor team. Remember that although your main job is to attack from a distance, your claws can be devastating. If a Survivor appears to be heavily wounded, a slash or two may even incapacitate them!
Tanks: As with most levels where you are at your peak, you are very rare. Hitting the Survivors far away could not only send them down the ravine to their death, but it will more than likely send them hurtling into the dense forest and separate them from their team. As a rule of thumb, try to avoid fire (and molotov-wielding Survivors). If a Survivor is constricted or pounced, do not attempt to "help" the Smoker or Hunter. Your attack will free them and kill your buddy in the case of the Hunter. You may end up saving the Survivor's life. Otherwise, this level is easy, albeit short, to finish the Survivors off with a Tank.
Notes[]
- In a portion of the airport terminal in Dead Air, you can see an advertisement for Allegheny National Forest. Ironically, it reads "Need to get away?" at a time when the Survivors are trying to "get away" from the Infected.
- At the bottom of the ad, it is very difficult to make out, but a line of text says: "Forest not for the faint of heart. Enter at your own risk. Not responsible for lost or dead friends(?). Reserve your camping spot now! I'm warning you. Stay away if you know what's good for you, you'll regret it, yes you will. Yep."
- The Allegheny National Forest Park does in fact exist in north-west Pennsylvania.
- A portion of The Tunnel can be found near the end of the level and can be explored when playing as the Infected in Versus.
- This campaign follows Dead Air but the full extent of the events which transpired during the interlude between flying out in the C-130 and their ending up in the forest are unknown. The Sacrifice comic sees Francis remind Louis that the C-130 crashed during a rant recapping their misfortune thus far. However, no further details are given on the location of the crash, nor the amount of time that passed between it and the start of Blood Harvest.
- The cut campaign Dam It would answer this question. See main article.
- The opening scene will sometimes have one Survivor state that they "can't stay here forever". This sentiment is also at times closely mirrored in Dead Air's opening scene after the C-130 flies over. These lines are simply an artifact of the narrative of the game prior to DLC releases - when each campaign was considered a self-contained "movie" with no connections to other campaigns. However, in the current form of the game where campaigns form a connected narrative, it suggests that the Survivors have a habit of going into hiding after experiencing a setback to their escape plans until either a new opportunity arises or someone figures out something fresh to try.
- The opening scene depicts a crude campsite suggesting the Survivors have been living rough. The campfire features smouldering banknotes: evidently an allegorical reference to the worthlessness of material wealth in a society-ending apocalypse. The same graphic is used in the first chapter of the Dark Carnival campaign in Left 4 Dead 2.