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Contents

  • Essentials
    • Survival Basics
      • Introduction
      • Gameplay Fundamentals
      • Premise and Game Modes
      • Team Play: Getting Started
    • The Survivors
      • The Survivors
    • The Infected
      • The Infected
      • The Boomer
      • The Hunter
      • The Smoker
      • The Tank
      • The Witch
      • Infected Achievements
    • Weapons and Supplies
      • Standard Weapons
      • Weapon Upgrades
      • Hand-Tossed Weapons
      • Explosive Objects
      • Supplies
  • Walkthrough
    • No Mercy
      • The Apartments
      • The Subway
      • The Sewers
      • The Hospital
      • Rooftop Finale
    • Death Toll
      • The Turnpike
      • The Drains
      • The Church
      • The Town
      • Boathouse Finale
    • Dead Air
      • The Greenhouse
      • The Crane
      • The Construction Site
      • The Terminal
      • Runway Finale
    • Blood Harvest
      • The Woods
      • The Tunnel
      • The Bridge
      • The Train Station
      • Farmhouse Finale
    • Achievements
      • Achievements

Left 4 Dead Guide › Walkthrough › No Mercy

The Sewers

Safe House

The plan to follow the subway tunnel directly to the hospital didn’t go so well. But at least your team found another safe house in this pawn shop. Take a moment to heal and stock up on supplies.

Avoid grabbing the SMG or pump shotgun offered here if you already possess the assault rifle, auto shotgun, or sniper rifle—the SMG and pump shotgun are downgrades.

Once you’ve cleared out the safe house, turn to the door and be ready to make a move down the alleyway.

Alley

Upon exiting the safe house, you can move in two directions. For the quickest path, turn left and head directly to the Burger Tank fast food restaurant. However, supplies can be found in the small storage room directly across from the safe house.

The room is extremely dark, so watch out for infected lurking inside. But the director may have dropped some goodies in here, too, like pills and pipe bombs.

This garage outside the storage room may contain pickups as well. Have one teammate scour the garage for items while the rest of the team covers the alley for incoming threats.

Make sure all searches for items are quick. Infected bosses may attack from the surrounding rooftops, so avoid loitering in one spot.

Infected

As the survivors move through the alleyways near the safe house, quickly utilize the climb points to reach the rooftops. Attacking from above is the best way to get the jump on the survivors in this area.

From these elevated positions, Hunters can easily pounce on survivors, Smokers can ensnare them, and Boomers can jump down into the middle of a group.

Burger Tank

After scouring the storage room and garage for items, continue along the alley until you come to the Burger Tank’s back entrance. Step inside and be ready to confront a few common infected milling about. There may also be items in the restaurant’s back room.

Clear the front of the restaurant from the kitchen area, then proceed to the dining area. Hold inside the restaurant and engage all visible infected wandering around the loading dock area outside.

Pay close attention to the chain-link fence on the left. Infected on the other side of the fence may climb it in an effort to reach your team. Finish them off before they can reach you.

Infected

Instead of attacking the survivors inside Burger Tank, climb to the restaurant’s rooftop and wait for them to walk outside. If they’re not paying close attention, you can hit them from behind before they have a chance to retaliate.

The warehouse rooftop across from the restaurant is another good position from which to attack.

Hersch Shipping Co.

The restaurant empties onto the property of the Hersch Shipping Company loading dock. Your team of survivors must advance through the facility’s offices, warehouse, and basement before you can reach the sewer system leading to the hospital.

The loading dock usually only has a handful of infected, but their ranks may swell quickly the longer your team loiters around.

Loading Dock

From the restaurant, turn right and move toward the gas station. Clear the loading dock as you move, picking off the common infected one by one.

If there is a large cluster of zombies hanging around the gas station, target one of the gas pumps to trigger a massive explosion—just make sure none of your teammates are nearby when it goes off.

The only way up to the offices is the lift in the corner of the loading dock, to the left of the gas station. By using it your team can reach the rooftop awning above the loading dock and advance inside the warehouse’s third-floor storage room.

Climb aboard and wait for the rest of your team to hop on. Once everyone is on the lift, interact with the switch to make it rise.

The sound of the lift triggers a large swarm attack, with common infected rushing in from all directions, including the rooftop to the right. To avoid getting rushed on the rooftop, toss a pipe bomb to temporarily divert the swarm.

This will buy your team enough time to cross the rooftop awning and get into the third-floor storage room straight ahead.

Don’t hesitate while moving across this awning. The infected can attack from any direction, and the possibility of getting split up is very high, especially if a Smoker pulls one of your teammates down onto the loading dock.

The windows ahead may or may not be open. If they’re still in place, shoot them out while running ahead. When you reach the window, traverse the small pipe running beneath it and jump inside the storage room.

Infected

Instead of attacking in the loading dock area, get ready to pounce on the survivors when they enter the storage room.

This is particularly effective when playing as the Boomer. Hide among the boxes or along a side wall and vomit on your opponents as they rush into range.

Storage Room

Once in the third-floor storage room, turn your focus to defeating the swarm attack. From this large window it’s possible to cover the entire loading dock area, making it easy to pick off the infected. However, pay attention to the hole in the floor of this room.

More zombies will try to climb up through this hole and attack your team from behind. For this reason, have at least one team member watching the hole in the floor at all times.

Caution

Watch out for attacks from Hunters, Smokers, and Boomers while defending the storage room. Although your team may feel safe in this small room, there are numerous opportunities for the infected bosses to isolate and kill teammates here.

A Smoker can pull teammates out the window or down through the hole in the floor, requiring a quick rescue that could lead your team into a bigger trap involving a waiting Boomer and/or Hunters.

Regardless of what transpires, stick together to avoid being picked off one by one.

Offices

When the infected attack has subsided, drop through the hole in the floor simultaneously with your teammates. This is another critical elevation transition, so make sure your team stays together.

If a lone teammate is pinned or constricted in the storage room, your team will have a tough time getting back up to assist.

The room below contains a first aid station and ammo. Take a quick break to stock up and heal before moving through the second-floor offices.

Infected

While the survivors are fighting off the common infected in the storage room, consider attacking from below through the hole in the floor.

If playing as a Smoker, you can pull a survivor down into this lower office and administer a pummeling until the team responds.

Hunters and Boomers are better off waiting until the survivors have dropped through the hole in the floor before attacking.

The second-floor offices are usually clear of common infected, but there may be a few bosses lurking in these side rooms, so proceed with caution. The rooms may also contain some useful pickups, such as pills, molotovs, and pipe bombs.

So take a few seconds to search each room for supplies before heading downstairs. But don’t split up. Stay together while moving room to room.

Infected

The offices and hallway are good spots to harass the survivors when playing as the infected. Spawn behind the group, preferably in rooms they’ve already cleared.

There are plenty of rooms along this hallway, and the survivors may get split up while checking them all. Use this opportunity to sneak up behind a survivor and attack.

Hunters are particularly effective here as they can often pin and battle a survivor for several seconds before other survivors can respond.

This is a very effective tactic if one survivor straggles behind while the rest of the team has moved on to the warehouse.

Warehouse

The office at the far end of the hall has a window overlooking the warehouse. Just below the window is a crate that can be used as a step to access the warehouse floor without taking fall damage.

This is a quick way to enter the warehouse without traversing the staircase, where the infected may be camped.

Before moving out, make note of the open doorway on the far side of the structure—this is the exit. Drop down onto the crate, then drop to the warehouse floor.

The warehouse isn’t a place you want to spend much time in. The tall shelves provide the infected with numerous opportunities to attack your team from above. Blitz through this building as fast as possible while keeping your team together.

The exit is on the far side of the structure. If you dropped out of the second-floor office window above the crate, you’ll already be aligned, with the exit in view. Simply run to the exit and prepare to respond to any sudden attacks.

Infected

When playing as the infected in versus mode, try to keep the survivors in the warehouse as long as possible. The darkness and various climb points benefit your team greatly.

Tank Room

Upon exiting the warehouse, follow the adjoining alley into a new building and descend the staircase to enter this room filled with white storage tanks.

This room is usually packed with common infected, so hold at the doorway and clear as many hostiles as possible. Crouch or stand to the side so your teammates can get a clear view of the room and assist in clearing it.

Tip

There are usually some pcikups at the bottom of the stairwell near the tank room. Check this dark area for items like Molotovs and Pipe Bombs.

Infected

The staircase at the tank room’s entrance is a great spot to ambush the survivors.

When they pause at the entrance to the tank room, they’re very vulnerable while crowded in this cramped space, particularly when attacked by the Boomer or Tank.

A Tank can effectively corner prey here and dish out a tremendous amount of damage.

Once your team has cleared out the tank room, the next stop is the sewers. There are two entry points to choose from.

The first is in the floor of the tank room. Another is in the red-lit adjoining room. Both manholes lead into the same sewer system, but at slightly different locations.

Neither entry point offers a serious advantage over the other, but make your decision quickly and make sure all your teammates follow.

This is another critical elevation transition. A straggler alone in the tank room or red-lit room is easy prey for an infected boss like the Hunter or Smoker. So make sure everyone drops through the same hole at approximately the same time.

Infected

If playing as the Smoker, remain in ghost mode while the survivors enter and clear the tank room. As they near one of the manholes, hide behind one of the tanks to spawn.

Patiently wait for three of the survivors to drop through the manhole, then snare the last survivor with your tongue.

If you’re successful, you’ll have the survivor to yourself with no fear of retaliation from the others. Simply pound the survivor to death.

The same tactic is equally effective when playing as the Hunter. For best results, don’t spawn until you’re ready to attack; but if you wait too long, you’ll miss the opportunity to attack the lone straggler.

Sewer

The sewers are always filled with common infected, so be ready to open fire as soon as you drop through either manhole. The sewer is broken up into two sections accessible by moving through the narrow tunnels cut into the main walls.

Use the map provided to locate these tunnel entrances from your entry point. While moving through the sewer, always keep watch to the front and back.

Infected spawning in the tank room or red-lit room may drop from the manholes and attack your team from behind.

By following the path indicated on the map, you can quickly navigate through the cramped side tunnels to reach the supply room. This room is in the center of the sewer system and serves as a central hub connecting the two tunnel systems.

There are usually a few common infected loitering in and around this room. A Witch may also be present inside. Consider tossing a molotov or pipe bomb into the room before entering.

Tip

If a Witch is in the supply room, toss a Molotov inside, then immediately shut the door.

This action will startle the Witch, but closing the door prevents her from immediately coming after your team, allowing the fire caused by the Molotov to inflict substantial damage.

She will evenually break through the door, so be ready to open fire, but when she does emerge, her health will be extremely low, making her easy to take down.

Infected

All the infected bosses are effective in the sewers, but if you get the chance to play as the Tank, try to corner the survivors in one of the cramped side tunnels.

They’ll have a much harder time escaping in these passages, giving you the perfect opportunity to corner and pummel them.

Once you’ve incapacitated one survivor, move on to the next one while your teammates finish off any downed survivors.

Such sewer ambushes can be deadly, so work closely with your teammates to maximize your team’s damage output.

Supply Room

Once the supply room is clear, rush inside and shut the door behind you. You can usually find weapon upgrades in this room on the lantern on the large wooden spool.

Don’t pass up the ammo on the floor either. The room is far from secure, but it’s safe enough to take a quick break and heal if necessary.

Just keep an eye on the room’s two entry points and quickly dispatch any infected that try to breach this sewer sanctuary. When you’re ready to move out, exit the room through the small tunnel next to the No Smoking sign.

Sewer Exit

Once you leave the supply room, you’re very close to the hospital.

Follow the tunnel out of the supply room and keep going straight until you reach the main sewer passage—don’t take the left branch in the cramped tunnel. But be ready for an onslaught of infected along the way.

They know you’re close to reaching the hospital and will do anything to keep you wandering around the sewers. If you haven’t been attacked by a Tank yet, be ready to face one here. If possible, exit the small tunnel system before engaging the Tank.

If necessary, backpedal all the way to the supply room to avoid the devastating swipes.

Upon exiting the small tunnel, turn right and head up a small slope in the sewer tunnel. An orange ladder leads up to street level, just outside Mercy Hospital.

Before climbing, make sure your team is together, and eliminate any nearby threats that may hinder the team’s advance up the ladder.

Maintain a line of sight on all areas around the ladder to prevent infected from spawning and staging a surprise attack.

Infected

The ladder is another great ambush point for the infected team. At this point the survivors are so focused on leaving the sewer that they may let their guard down and bunch around the ladder instead of forming a defensive perimeter.

Let the first two or three survivors climb to the surface, then spawn and attack the last survivor climbing the ladder.

If coordinated with an attack on the street above, this is a very effective method to prevent the survivors from reaching the hospital.

Do your best to split up the survivors between the sewer and the street for optimal results.

Hospital Exterior

Expect a serious fight when you reach the surface. Numerous common infected usually wander around the hospital’s exterior and will stage a formidable attack on your team as soon as you exit the sewer.

Hold near the manhole and engage all nearby threats before making a move for the hospital’s entrance. Also, watch for attacks from Hunters and Smokers lurking about the manhole’s perimeter.

Stay far away from the manhole itself to avoid being dragged back down into the sewer by a Smoker’s tongue.

Quickly fight your way past the infected and advance toward the emergency room. Expect another batch of common infected to come bursting out the doors of the hospital.

Blast them while advancing, and watch for more infected bosses attacking from above the entrance. The safe house is just inside the emergency room, so hustle inside to end this challenging level.

Tip

Take a moment to check the back of the ambulance for medical supplies. Sometimes you can find first aid kits or pills inside ambulances like this one parked outisde the emergency room's entrance.

Emergency Room Safe House

This level’s safe house is behind the emergency room’s reception desk. Hop over the desk and rush inside. Instead of running to the back of the room, hold near the door and provide covering fire while waiting for your team to enter.

As soon as everyone is inside, pull the door shut to complete the level. Although you’ve made it to the hospital, your adventure is far from over…

Infected

If your ambushes in the sewer and outside the hospital failed, hide in this side room near the emergency room’s reception desk and attack the survivors as they dash toward the safe house.

Chances are they’ll be so focused on reaching the safe house that they’ll fail to sweep this room, giving you the chance to stage a last-ditch attack against the survivors.

If playing as the Smoker, lasso the last survivor just in front of the safe house and drag your victim into this room.

This may draw the rest of the survivors out of the safe house in an attempt to rescue their friend, giving your teammates the opportunity to pounce.

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