5A: Under Construction
5A
The only way onward is downward. Drop down from one of the Pool Hall windows (or the end of the first street, if you didn’t access the hall or fled from it) into the brown gunk and sizable pipe works.
The muddy effluent slows you down, making you a sitting target for enemies such as a Horde, Hunter, or other dangerous foes. As a last resort, you can crouch and enter one of the pipes, and then have two teammates defend either end until the bodies are piling up outside.
Alternatively, it is better to remain on top of the pipes, jump to the digging machine, and then leap across to the sidewalk, or scrambling up to the tarmac where you have height advantage over the incessant clawing attacks.
The digging machine has a ladder you can climb, too, which minimizes the time you should be spending in the mud. Finally, try to drop down to the left of the section of tarmac in the middle of the construction zone that hasn’t been excavated yet, or you’ll have to crawl through the middle tube, which slows you down and exposes you further.
5B and 5C: Fight through Red Flight Bar Cafe
5B
There are two ways to dash into the Red Flight Bar Cafe, which is your next port of call after scrambling to the other side of the construction zone. The first is down the steps to the front entrance.
The second is to head down the alley steps and enter the building from the small courtyard side entrance, which brings you into the pool table room and toilets, both of which have a copious amount of graffiti and items to inspect (remember to read it all).
Take what you need, and then prepare to head up two floors to the third landing, through the tenement apartments directly above the bar area.
5C
Along the way, there’s the small matter of the enclosed space, and the constant threat of Special (and regular) Infected attacks.
Attempt “professional” sweeps of each new room using the technique you’ve learned during previous outings: Have a teammate swing left, another right, and a third move ahead into a chamber while the fourth periodically checks to make sure you aren’t being stalked from behind.
Aside from a suitcase full of cash in one of the rooms, which prompts some pretty interesting responses from some of the Survivors, there’s little to worry you if you stick together. Until you reach the plank, that is.
5D and 5E: Courtyard Creep to the Jazz Club
5D
Remember you can exit the tenement building on the second floor, and move up the fire escape to the top floor where the plank is located, but if you do you’re just asking to be attacked by Special Infected.
Instead, stay inside the building until you’ve rushed across the landing corridor, checked the small, darkened bedrooms on your left, and reached the larger living room with the open windows leading onto the fire escape.
You can elect to dash outside and cross the plank, but a far better plan is to stick together, fire at all foes you can see from the windows inside the tenement, and then exit and cross the plank.
The first couple of Survivors crossing the plank should clear the initial corridor inside the next structure, then turn and let the remaining two friends know that the coast is clear, and provide covering fire for them.
Once all four of you are safely across, you can begin to descend through the next, half-finished tenement block to a courtyard below.
There are two floors, each with a large, open-plan room, the lower of which should be checked for equipment and the final possible Foot Locker. Three floors of steps on the right side of this building lead down onto the courtyard.
5E
You may elect to dash down onto the courtyard, but a better plan is to check every corner, watching you don’t fall through some of the holes in the floor and then methodically descend, cutting down any foes (including Special Infected hiding in the darkened corners).
Also beware of holes in the walls, which allow a stream of enemies to clamber up from the alleyway you just came from. Assuming you haven’t been swarmed, drop from the middle floor window, or head down the stairs and outside into the courtyard. You should have culled any foes you spotted from inside the building before you get here (5E).
Follow the tried and trusted rules for fighting in larger environments, which favor circle-strafing. Use the scenery (the chemical toilets and cars to stand on and fire from, and the trees to circle around to dodge attacks) as you cross diagonally.
Look for the bright blue neon Jazz Club sign. The entrance is easy to spot. Clamber over the pair of broken doors just to the right of the red-lit, barred windows. Work your way across to this point as a team, watching and defeating foes coming in from the different directions. There’s little point in waiting around. Get inside that Jazz Club!