Developed and published by Valve, Left 4 Dead 2 is the sequel to the very popular Left 4 Dead game that was released in 2008.
Left 4 Dead 2 is a survival horror game that focuses on cooperative gameplay and uses almost the same gameplay mechanics as the first game. Each player controls a character in the game as they attempt to escape to safety in certain scenarios in the game.
Armed with weapons and other items, players tend to know how to play the game however, Left 4 Dead 2 throws a curveball to players, especially to beginners. Here are some ways for you to survive in the game and how you can get better at playing the game especially as a beginner.
- Start on Easy Mode
- Don't Mind the Bots
- Dealing with Tanks
- Don't Make a Sound
- Turn Off Your Flashlight
- Find Your Way
Start on Easy Mode
Probably the best single piece of advice for anyone playing Left 4 Dead 2 as a beginner is to start on easy mode. Easy mode gives you a lot of freedom and leeway in playing the game.
There is no shame in playing the easy mode especially if this is your first time playing the game. Make your early days playing a learning experience especially when it comes to getting comfortable with the controls.
There's a lot of things that need to be understood in the game so make sure that you take your time in learning without having the hindrance of difficulty first.
Once you feel that you are up for the challenge, amp up the difficulty and try the game again.
There's Friendly Fire in This Game
If there's one thing that you need to do in this game, it's properly aiming and shooting at the enemies. The reason behind this is that the game has friendly fire. This means you can shoot your allies and even kill them.
While your teammates can be a pain in the neck sometimes, this should not result in you shooting them down. Always remember that a living teammate is a good teammate.
You won't be able to finish off your mission with one man down. In this game, teamwork is key to success and you can only do that by staying alive.
Don't Mind the Bots
If you are playing in Single Player mode, make sure to stock up on medkits, pills, and adrenaline. These are the items that will save you as you go on and finish your mission.
These healing items are a great way to recover from damage. While you may want to heal your bot teammate, it is highly recommended that you avoid doing so. They are simply too risky or too random to heal back up.
They only end up either getting killed or too low to even help you. Just use your healing items to heal yourself instead.
It is even better that you kill them when they get low and grab their health kits before they use them. You can, later on, revive them in the game.
Use Pills and Adrenaline Instead
Speaking of healing items, it is much better that you try to use pills and adrenaline first before you use your medkits. You might get bitten or take damage once in a while and if you feel like you want to heal back up, use these items instead.
They are more plentiful in the game than medkits. Use medkits for emergencies or if you are really in trouble. Both pills and adrenaline help you recover a good amount of health if you time it well.
Adrenaline is a great way to escape from a zombie horde or if you are being chased by the Witch.
Dealing with Tanks
Tanks are some of the most dangerous creatures in Left 4 Dead 2. They are fast and very difficult to kill. Tanks also deal tremendous amounts of damage when they hit you with concrete or if they body slam you into the ground.
One of the best ways to deal with Tanks is to burn them first using your Molotov or with incendiary ammo. Tanks are vulnerable to fire and it burns off their thick hide.
Once you get rid of their tough defenses, you can start shooting at them until they die. Save your bullets when dealing with Tanks especially if you have not used your Molotov.
A tank has a 15% damage reduction to shotguns so make sure to use rifles instead. However, you should still try to preserve as much ammo as you can.
If You Can Still Shoot, Go Ahead and Shoot
Most players are fond of using their melee weapons during combat. Whether they are afraid of hitting other players or simply want to show off their skills with the samurai sword, melee weapons can instantly kill an enemy.
However, if you have the chance to shoot the enemy, go ahead and shoot. Using your guns is still the primary way of killing enemies especially when they are still far away. Guns have more consistency than using melee weapons.
Sure, using your sword can make you look cool but you won't be looking too cool if you're facing the ground getting eaten by the zombies, known as the Infected.
Don't Make a Sound
Sound and light attract the zombie horde so if you do not want them to come running at you at the most crucial time, try not to make a lot of noise.
However, the game does have a lot of things that may make noise like car alarms, fireworks, and even shutting the door that cause hordes to suddenly come out of nowhere and attack.
When traveling through the landscape, make sure to avoid jumping into cars as you might trigger the alarm. The Infected won't notice you if you keep your distance so try not to get their attention by keeping your noise down.
Don't Allow Yourself to be Cornered or Surrounded
The Infected often come in droves. They can immediately swarm your entire team and start attacking you until you die. That's not the only thing that you need to worry about.
There are still many other creatures that are lurking in the shadows that will join the melee when you are already getting beaten up by the throngs of the Infected. Never allow yourself to get cornered or surrounded.
You'll immediately notice that the Infected are coming your way by their loud growls. Make your way into a building or at least get to high ground and start shooting.
Turn Off Your Flashlight
Most enemies have a distinct sound that you can hear whenever they are around. However, there is one distinct sound that every player will always notice, which is the cries of the Witch.
While the Witch can be harmless when left unprovoked, one of the most dangerous mistakes that most beginners make is their curiosity.
Oftentimes, they forget to turn off their flashlight as soon as they hear the Witch crying and would rather go out and explore.
Soon they'll realize their mistake by flashing their flashlight straight into the Witch and getting scratched to death. Always turn off your flashlight when you get near the Witch and leave her be.
Try Bunnyhopping
Bunnyhopping is a technique used by many players to get into hard-to-reach places. There's no secret way to execute this as it needs a lot of timing and practice on your part.
Use bunnyhopping in getting into places where you can position yourself properly while your teammates work on the objectives.
You can even use bunnyhopping on the water to make sure you are still moving faster than the hordes of the Infected.
Find Your Way
Beginners often find themselves lost around the map. They might be running around for hours in the vast empty map only to find out that they were going the wrong way.
However, the game does not have a navigational tool to point you in the right direction. What you should be looking out for are the signs that will point you in the right direction.
Look around you and you will soon notice that there are arrows that will lead to the right path.
Use these signs to get around the map and avoid wasting time roaming around mindlessly.
Stay with the Team
It comes as no surprise that the last advice for beginners in this game is to stick with the team. When it comes to horror survival games, you will always be at an advantage when you are working together.
You get to work together and complete objectives much faster when you are with your team.
Anyone who plans on running off on their own in this game will end up meeting their demise.
Conclusion
Playing Left 4 Dead 2 is such a fun game especially when you have friends to play it with. For beginners, it's even more fun to discover different things in the game, making the experience very worthwhile. Always make sure to follow the tips mentioned above so you will survive and finish the game.
Left 4 Dead 2 is available to download and play through Steam on your PC.
