The Tank

Primary Attack: Concrete Hurl (medium range)

Secondary Attack: Punch (short range)

Strengths: Incredibly strong with tremendous power in both attacks

Weaknesses: Bulky, and unable to strike Survivors who are spread out; doesn’t like fire or Bile Bombs

Audible Clues: Dramatic music, thundering footfalls, and an enormous roar

Description: Strong, enraged and almost unstoppable, the Tank is best taken on by a team of Survivors. Tanks are slower than Survivors, but much stronger.

They can throw vehicles and chunks of concrete that will stun Survivors, which helps a Tank close the distance. Tanks are also remarkably bullet-resistant, and can soak up huge amounts of damage before dying.

One thing a Tank isn’t, though, is fireproof. A well-thrown Molotov can kill a flammable Tank in thirty seconds—assuming the Survivor who threw it can avoid getting ripped apart for that long.

Tactics For Survivors

• Ignore your fears when you hear the terrifying sounds the Tank makes, and be sure all of your teammates are planning the same takedown strategies. As the Tank is the toughest mutation you’ll face, all of your team needs to be firing and aggressively tackling this foe. A single player shooting at this beast may not last long.
• Fortunately, you have speed on your side. You can move a little more rapidly than this pink, hulking brute. So backpedal, be ready to strafe, and aim for that tiny head, hoping to stun it. Remember the nearest Survivor to the Tank who opens fire is usually targeted, so back the teammate up. The use of Shotguns is encouraged because of their close-combat damage.
• As the walkthrough lets you know where some of the Tank attacks appear (but not all due to randomness), you can carry a projectile weapon in readiness and lob it at, or in front of, the creature. Unlike Tanks the original Survivors encountered, Fire (from Molotovs or gas cans) doesn’t cause the beast to collapse, but does damage it, and must be augmented by other attacks from your teammates’ weapons. Burn the behemoth, and then unload with every ranged weapon until the Tank slumps over.
• Although fire-based, Incendiary Ammunition does not keep a Tank continuously on fire; only detonated Molotovs and Fuel Cans do this job. A much more potent attack is to lob a Bile Bomb at the Tank, and watch as dozens of Infected swarm and waylay it; after which, you can mop up the mess.
• The Tank’s throw can be nullified if you blast the concrete as the Tank raises it, but it is easier to quickly strafe and avoid the impact.
• The Tank’s punch is horrific and can knock you across a street, or off a bridge into a death plummet. Position yourself so that even if you’re punched, you’ll fly back into something, rather than off a ledge or roof to suffer additional damage or death. Avoid this attack by circle-strafing around the Tank, ideally locating a hedge, small structure, or tree to dodge around. Don’t use a car, forklift, hand truck, dumpster, or log, because the Tank can punch it straight into you!
• Lead a Tank in a merry dance, away from the rest of your team and over scenery that causes the Tank to slow, but always moving so that your friends can continuously fire on it. The Survivor coaxing the Tank should stay moving and favor Pain Pills over First Aid when keeping yourself healthy, as you can move and swallow at the same time. If the Tank is chasing a badly wounded Survivor, have a healthy teammate run up to strike it, so that the Tank switches victims. Or, have two teammates stand on either side of a Tank and fire on it one after another so that the Tank keeps switching targets.
• Your height also affects the time it takes for a Tank to reach you. Position yourself on a balcony or rooftop so the Tank must ascend the structure to reach you, allowing your team more time to pepper it with a Molotov or gunfire.

TacticsFor Infected

• If you’re lucky enough to control this devastating monster, your job is to inflict as much damage on as many Survivors as possible. If you can split them up and kill them individually, so much the better. If your Infected brethren join in, there’s even more chance of Survivor death!
• Tanks take such focus to defeat, they are the perfect cover for other Special Infected to launch attacks, either during a Tank attack, or just afterward, when the Survivors are still recovering from the fight. The only problem is that you are powerful enough to kill other Special Infected, so have them give you enough room to punch!
• The many routes in the campaigns allow Tanks to storm in from a side or rear of a main thoroughfare, which adds to the surprise and commotion.
• Tanks don’t need to rip concrete and throw it at foes to make a point. Refuse bins, cars, and (in Dark Carnival) bumper cars can all be punched and sent tumbling toward an enemy Survivor. Don’t forget this additional ranged attack, which is quicker to implement! Also, use this to knock scenery out of your path instead of lumbering around it. Players who control the Tank should always look for objects that they can strike, since anything that hits a Survivor causes instant incapacitation.
• The punch itself is also more versatile than you might think. Try punching one Survivor away from the rest of the group. Then target another and bash them in the opposite direction, thus splitting up the human so you or your Infected friends can pick off both of them.
• Tanks are prone to Molotovs and Bile Bombs, so bear down on a foe to intimidate any throwers into messing up, target the Molotov-thrower with a punched car or thrown concrete, or maneuver away from the impact spot if you can. Once on fire, lumber quickly and kill the Survivors if you can, or drop into water.
• Don’t be attracted to foes moving over obstacles that might slow you down. Keep moving as quickly as you can (but try to stay out of wide-open areas where Survivors can easily surround you and blast at you). Smash vehicles or throw your concrete or pin foes in a dead end or corner. When you’re throwing concrete, aim at where the Survivor is likely to be, not where he is currently.
• Tanks can throw concrete at Survivors to ease their aggression meter. They can also attack and then retreat to wait for Infected brethren to respawn, as long as they can throw or attack before the meter runs out.