Welcome to the 101 of L4D2 Versus. I am by no means a professional player, nor have a ever played in an official competition. However, I do know the basics, and I gladly share them with other players who are inexperienced. There might be some stuff that I have overlooked, but this is not even remotely a complete guide. It's an introduction to having a fun and balanced Versus match, without having anyone to ragequit.

Versus is a very simple concept. In its essence, you just need to reach the finishing line without letting the other team perform too much damage on you. In this guide, I will explain to you how to avoid damage, and how to perform attacks as infecteds. Here and there, I'll also do the effort to introduce some handy tips.

As mentioned in the foreword, as the surviving team, you need to avoid any attacks if possible.

The basics to survive as a survivor are:

• Sticking together
  
• Listen(!)
  
• Moving at a fast pace
  
• Releasing each other as soon as possible (aka covering)

In the following paragraphs, I will explain these points in depth.

Sticking together

This is really the basics of the basics. You can't allow anyone to be seperated. Don't be fooled by thinking that walking alone for just a few seconds won't harm. It's risky, and you should always inform your team what you are planning to do. If you want to scout a room for pills, always tell your teammates. You never know what might lurk around the corner, and it could be fatal.

Listen

Always trust your ears. You can hear an Infected before you can see it. Sound is very important in L4D, and one should never play the game without sounds, or any other distracting music. When Specials are spawned, they always tend to make a sound. That way, you can be prepared for an upcoming attack. When a teammate is in danger, you can distinguish the Special by listening to the theme being played. Each Special has its own theme. You can also hear where and how far they are located from your area. Also considering using a microphone, which allows fast communication with teammates. You can also turn on audio captions in Options -> Audio -> Captioning -> Full Captions. Subtitles will appear on screen and indicate the sound a spawned Infected is making.

Here's a video of the sounds the Special Infected make.


Moving at a fast pace

A lot of players are not familiar with the concept of rushing. Allow me to explain why rushing is a good feat, and should be performed as much as possible. Rushing will decrease the amount of chances of the Infected spawning. When you rush as a team (never alone!), you make it harder for the opponent to pick up a good point and attack you. Rushing also decreases the amount of common Infecteds being spawned by the A.I. Director. The longer you stay at one point, the more common waves there will be. They could prove to be fatal, especially in crescendo events.


Cover

It should be noted that cover is one of the most important aspect in the game. A fraction of a second could be decisive for a round. There are 2 kinds of Specials: Active ones and Passive ones. These are terms I made up for the guide's convenience. Active Infecteds are those who grabs you, and requires help from a teammate to release them from the attack (Hunter, Jockey, Charger, Smoker). Passive Infecteds are those who don't need to capture you to attack (Spitter, Boomer). When the opponent accurately performs a well-timed attack, three out of the four survivors could be entrapped, so it's in your best interest to release your teammate as soon as possible, before all of you get caught up in an attack.

Another important aspect of cover, is the general pace. If your teammate gets wounded down to 40. He will start to walk slower. This slows up your time to finish the round, as you will need time to heal up, and you will have to wait for him each time you make progress in the level.

It should be noted that you try to get up an incapped teammate as soon as possible. When he dies, your team will lose a decent amount of score at the end. In a Tank attack, try to get your teammate up when the Tank isn't minding the incapped player. When an incapped player is almost dead, have another player cover you while you're reviving him. It's impossible to get a teammate back up when Commons are attacking him.



The Mouse Button 2 (right button) bash

A very important feature. Try to use it if you can, but don't deplete it. You have 7 consecutive bashes. Try to be greedy with it while you rush around the map. For example don't perform 3 consecutive bashes, while in reality, you needed only one. A way to utilize it to the max, is to bash and hover your mouse over a vast area, as you get a wider range of bashing. Shoot off zombies if they're in the way. While reloading, you can use your bash again.


Medpacks

People often think that Medpacks are more useful than pills. In a way, this is true, because it replenishes your health indefinately. But don't hesitate to use your medpack when you have time to spare. It is of utmost importance to heal up before you activate an event. While in a panic event, you don't get any time to heal up, and it could be fatal to your whole team. The best time to heal up is when your HP is around 40, because your character will start to walk slowly. Also, when you hear the Tank theme, consider using the medpack, because the Tank can only catch up character who health below 40. Once you get caught up in a Tank combo, you won't be able to get free, as he will continue to punch you until you're down.


Pills

As stated in the previous paragraph, pills are proven to be more important, especially in a VS match, where time is a key aspect. Try to save your pills for crucial moments. It could save your life, when you're stuck in a crowd of commons. It takes just a click to take the pill, and you can continue going on at a decent pace. This is true, especially in the case of a Tank attack. When dealing with a Tank, a Tank is faster than you when your HP is lower than 40. Try to immediately use the pill, or else face the consequence of going down and leaving only 3 teammates in combat.


Adrenaline shot

Adrenaline shots won't replenish a lot of HP. But they are important in decisive moments. It doubles your speed, and is very helpful when one or multiple teammates are about to die. You can also use it when you need to heal up quickly, but you don't have any pills. Take the shot, then use your medpack in dangerous situations. It is also very helpful when you need to fill up gas cans. If the gas count is almost full, ignore all other stuff and concentrate on the last cans. That way, you can finish the game quickly.


Defibrillator


Try to avoid using defibrillators, because you will get a minus 25 penalty in the end of the round. These points can be decisive, even though it's just 25 (especially in a balanced match). When a character is Black and white (after being revived two times, the character will see things in a black and white vision, meaning that it will die after being incapped again), you can consider killing off that person when the area is safe. Use that time to revive him again, because it's much more dangerous to have him die in a chaotic situation.


Melee weapons

Always try to get a melee weapon when you're able to. Melee weapons are highly effective against a big wave of Commons. When being boomed, try to get into a corner, perform M2 bashes while attacking with melee. It is very difficult to get out of a Common crowd without melee weapons, and such attacks deplete your M2 bashes and ammo very fast. That's why melee weapons are highly recommended. Some might argue about melee when you are using a shotgun, because a shotgun is futile for long ranged attacks.

• When walking together, try not to stick to each other like glue, but spread the team in a distance that's still visible for each other. It will make things harder for the Infected team to hit the four of you at the same time.
  
  
• When walking in small halways or other tight areas, always jump on objects to avoid getting charged or spit on.
  
  
• Try to occupy a spot where you think an opponent might spawn. You will disable the spawning ability by doing that. This might come in handy when a teammate is healing.
  
  
• Always close the doors behind you when moving further. Spawned Infected need to scratch the doors, so you're basically blocking them out.
  
  
• When entering a door, and you suspect there might be a spawn, open and close the door quickly. It leads the enemy into think you're about to enter the room, and perhaps they might mess up and spawn already. You can also shoot a hole in the door to prevent spawning.
  
  
• Keep in mind how many and which Infected are spawned. When a certain Infected is spawned and killed recently, you know it's not going to return any time soon. Use that chance to get past of risky areas where you know that certain Infected can attack you (eg. a Charger at a ledge). If you killed all four Infected, you can use that chance to rush with ease. This can prove to be helpful before you activate an event.
  
  
• Crouching will improve your accuracy. It is favorable to crouch when shooting at an Infected who's far away.

Commons

Common infected are fairly easy to avoid. Try to run around them, and get them on to a single side of your vision. When they get too close (you will be able to hear them when they approach you), turn around and perform a right mouse button bash. Then move on. Shoot the ones who are in front of you. Rinse and repeat.

Don't waste time to kill them one by one! You don't need to finish them off. When they are far away, they aren't hostile.

The Boomer


Don't underestimate the Boomer. It might not deliver high head-on damage, but can be a total pain in the ass for you and your team. Once boomed, you will not be able to see your teammates, giving the opponents the advantage of hitting your teammates without you being aware. When that happens, trust your ears and try to get out of the zombie crowd. The Boomer is also able to explode near a car, or a Witch, both dangerous situations. When battling a Tank, try to avoid the Boomer as best as you can, because Commons will gather around you, unabling you to be agile.

Special Caution:
When the Boomer explodes near a gas can, it can fly off to an unreachable area. That way, you can never get the last can. A way to deal with this is to destroy the gas can with a Molotov (if it's on a roof). That enables the can to be resetted. Also watch out for the boomer when you're near a ledge. When it explodes, your character can be bounced off, leading you to hang on a ledge.


The Charger



The Charger is by far the strongest Special Infected of the whole game (except for the Tank and the Witch). Both his HP and damage are the best of all Infected in general. The best to deal with a Charger is to not walk into a straight line. Pay special heed to small hallways, or any ledges / windows. In small hallways, it can hit multiple targets, stunning everyone in his line of attack. The Charger can perform a Death Charge, meaning that he'll charge you off-level, meaning that you can't even be defibbed.

Special caution:
Watch out for windows or anywhere you can get charged off. It's game over for the character once that happens. Be prepared for a charger when you go to areas with a lot of ledges (eg. the first chapter of Death Center, the hospital roofs on No Mercy).

The Hunter


The Hunter can attack you from an unexpected corner. It can climb up on high buildings and surprise you with a Death Pounce with a maximum damage of 25 (that's a quarter of your full HP!). When hearing a Hunter screech from afar, you can try to perform a M2 bash and aim high, hoping you hit him by mere luck. When he's clearly visible in your sight, try to kill him off as soon as possible when he's charging up his pounce (try to stand still). After he's ready to jump you can either block him again with M2, or step away a bit (since he was aiming for the spot you were standing on). The Hunter is the only Infected who can attack again on an incapped player. Use this ability to kill off a player indefinately.

Special caution:
- Sometimes, the Hunter can pounce you off the ledge, killing you indefinately. If a smoker stands close to a ledge, and a Hunter pounces on you, you have a chance to fall down, along with the Hunter.
- Watch out for the Death Pounce

The Jockey


When encountering a Jockey, try to step back and aim while doing so. When you're at a safe distance, you can even stand still and have a precise aim. When you feel he's getting too close, perform a Mouse button 2 bash.

Special caution:
Try to watch out for Jockeys in areas where you can fall of the ledge. They can ride you down.

The Smoker


A good Smoker won't attack you head on. It hides where you can't see him, since he doesn't have a lot of HP and will die with one well-aimed shot. When being pulled, you can quickly switch to melee weapon and attack to break loose of the tongue. Or when you aren't dexterous enough, try to kill him off with a normal weapon before you're being entrapped. Some people forget that you can help your teammate by solely attacking the tongue. You don't need to attack the Smoker head-on to release your teammate. Even a M2 bash will suffice.

Special Caution:
Watch out for areas where you will be secluded from your team. When you jump down to another area, the Smoker can grab the last survivor, disallowing the others to save him. When that occurs, you can try to throw a pipe-bomb, so when it explodes, it releases your teammate. A Smoker can also drag people down a ledge, so watch out in areas like the Hospital in No Mercy, or the first chapter of Dead Center. When you hear a Smoker, in these areas, also be prepared for a Charger. Because a Smoker can be a huge support to keep a Survivor still, so the Charger can charge you down with ease.

The Spitter


The Spitter shouldn't be a hassle to deal with in a big area. However, the spit it produces is very effective in small areas, like a small room. Jumping above a puddle won't help, it will still cause damage. Always try to jump on objects like tables when in a small area.

The Tank

Make sure to heal up when you're encountering a Tank, if you know you will walk slower after 1 hit (around 50 - 40). It's a sure death if the Tank catches you up. When he does, you can still try to avoid him with some jumping manouevres. A Tank is highly vulnerable to fire, so be prepared with molotovs, or grab a gas can when you're sure a Tank is coming up ahead (The Sacrifice, Dead Center, last chapter). Never stand near a car or any other throwable objects when a Tank is around. It's a 1-hit down when an object hits you. When a Tank is lurking and throwing rocks, you can break the rocks by shooting on it. If he's afraid of molotovs and is camping and throwing rocks, make sure to take a sniper rifle, it's the most effective weapon in this situation; it has the highest damage and the best accuracy, disabling the Tank to throw rocks and luring him out of the area.

The Witch

Watch out for Smokers when you hear a Witch. It's almost a fact that Infected will use the Witch to amplify their attack. You can make sure that all Infected are dead. Basically, the best thing to do is just to ignore the Witch. But if the situations calls for it, and you don't have any other choice (eg. blocking the only exit), then you'll have to crown her.

The best way to crown is Witch is to use a shotgun. Turn off your flashlight, get close to her, and crouch. Aim for her head, and fire multiple shots quickly right into her head. She will die instantly. Another way to kill her is using the Chainsaw while aiming for her head.

If someone accidentally startled her, you still have a chance to escape from an incap. Just run away quickly, and have all your teammates aim at her head. There's a big chance she'll die before she catches you up. When a Witch is on fire, survivors are able to perform a M2 bash on her. This will also win some time before she catches you up.

The task of a Special Infected (S.I.) is to waste your opponents time, and preventing them to reach the finishing line. As an S.I. you need to work together, even more than a survivor. You need to do this because S.I. usually have low HP, and are easily killed in a few shots. The key to a succesful attack is having all your teammates attack at the exact same moment. Timing is very important when playing as the Infected. A good S.I. attack can kill off the whole team at once. A exception to the rule is when you see a chance to land a succesfull attack on your own (eg. death charging, riding someone off a ledge with a Jockey, smoking someone to the Witch, ...).

Get to know the properties of the Infected that's given to you, and think in terms of what your function is in an S.I. attack. Think of the attack as a whole team, not as your S.I. in singularity.
For example, when you have a Spitter, you're pretty sure she's useless in a solo attack. Always wait for someone to attack first, paralyzing a survivor, before you spit in an area.

Plan your S.I. attacks ahead, along with your teammates. Don't just spawn when you're able to, because you will just waste the Infected attacking alone. Slow Infected like the Boomer are best spawned in a spot where you know you'll be able to catch them up. It's futile to spawn a Boomer miles behind them.


The Boomer

As mentioned before, the Boomer is highly underrated. The Boomer is an effective Infected to distract enemies. You can use him to blind all survivors, and have the other S.I. to attack right after, so they can't see the captured victim. For example, a Jockey can ride a survivor far away from the team. The Boomer is useful to kill of an incapped survivor too: when someone is boomed, the Commons will attack it, causing him to deplete the remaining health and disabling the teammate to revive him.

Special tricks
The rocket boom: A rocket boom is when you stand on high grounds, and you the velocity of a ghost to jump mid-air, and spawn immediately. This will cause the Boomer to spawn mid-air and fall with a great speed onto the survivors.

The Charger

The Charger is pretty much the only Infected who's effective when attacking alone. However, this is not recommended. Use the Charger in small hallways, or areas where people can't avoid you easily. Also pay attention areas where people might fall off and try to perform a Death Charge. A Jockey or a Smoker might help you with that, take time to aim when either of the two holds still the survivor for you. When the survivors are almost down, you can consider using just the M2 button, because the Charger does 10 HP damage per hit. That way, you save your charge and you can finish off a whole team that's nearly down.

Special tricks:
The Death Charge

The Hunter

The Hunter is the most agile Infected of all. You can use this to your advantage, and spawn from a very far area. The Hunter is able to perform difficult manouevres like altering his traject mid-air by pressing the direction buttons. He can also jump against walls and leap to higher areas. As a Hunter, you need to try to get as high as possible; his damage are determined by the amount of distance he travelled, potentially delivering a maximum damage of 25 HP. And it's also less likely that a survivor will hear the sounds you make. A Hunter is also handy as a distraction. When you jump around and make sounds, people will mind you more than the other Infected who aren't spawned.

Special tricks:
- The death pounce.
- You can also use invisible walls to bounce off, and leap higher into the sky, making it easier to aim on survivors, and a higher chance to perform a death pounce.
- When a Smoker pulls someone near a ledge, a Hunter can make the survivor fall off when pouncing on him.

The Jockey

It isn't recommended to attack alone with a Jockey. He's easily killed in a few shots, and doesn't inflict a considerable amount of damage. A Jockey is at its best when it can seperate a single survivor from his teammates. Try to use him when someone is wandering off alone, or when the team is blinded by a Boomer attack. You can also use him to initiate an S.I. attack, since he's very agile and when jumping near other survivors, you can stun a whole team temporarily. Use that chance to attack with other Infected. Also take note of areas where people might fall off, and try to drag them to dangerous places (Witches, spit puddle).

The Smoker

The Smoker is best used as a support for another Infected. It is easily killed, so do not attack head-on. Try to perform an ambush with Smokers from areas where you can escape easily. The smoker can pull survivors from ledges and leave them hanging. This can be a huge help to the other Infected. Basically, just try to use the Smoker to pull someone to a dangerous area, like Witches or alarmed cars.

Special Tricks:
In Dead Center, the third chapter in the mall, after the survivors break the glass and activate the alarm, there's a point where the survivors need to walk up an escalator. Try to use the Smoker from the upper floor. If you succesfully pull a survivor from the escalator, there's a chance he might hang onto your tongue. Upon releasing the tongue, the survivor will die immediately, due to the fact that he'll fall to the lowest floor.

The Spitter

The Spitter is only effective when other Infected attack first. Even in small areas, the survivors can usually jump onto tables and avoid your spit. Try to time your attack when survivors aren't mobile. Think of situations like being boomed and the Commons block their way. Or when survivors have low health and aren't able to avoid the puddle very fast.

The Tank

The Tank is the strongest Infected that one can control. Never waste it by rushing into a group without any plan. Have your teammates help out with your attack, especially the Boomer, who can slow down the survivors. It's also necessary, because your speed is equal to the survivor's, so you can practically never catch them up when they have a green glow around them.

Always press TAB and check out whether the survivor own a Molotov or not. If so, never rush in. Though in general, it's never a good idea to rush in with a Tank, he's easily stopped with all survivors aiming on him. When in dangerous situations, try to throw rocks at the survivors at a long distance, where Molotovs can't reach you. Also use the arena to your advantage. If there are any cars or containers availabe, use them. Those objects can incap a survivor in one hit. By hitting crouch + mouse button 1, you can send the objects flying, increasing the distance it is able to travel, or hit survivors who are standing on tall platform (buses, ...). If you incapped one survivor, try to let the survivor bleed out. Hide behind the body where other survivors can't hit you. When someone tries to resurrect him, scare them off. Sometimes, you can hit the body so your time limit as a Tank doesn't run out. Or, if it's very urgent to kill off someone, just hit objects on the incapped body so you're sure he won't be resurrected again. If your health almost run out and there's someone who's down, don't bother to chase after the other survivors. Just use the time to beat up the body as much as you can. He might die.

If the survivors don't possess any molotov or bile bombs, and they can't walk at a normal pace, you will be able to catch them up. Use this chance to attack them, but still try to hide and avoid any direct confrontation (climb up on building and surprise them with an unsuspected attack).


Special Tricks:
The Tank is able to curve the trajectory of his rocks. This is a difficult move to master. When you press the M2 button, the Tank will grab some concrete out of the ground. Right when the Tank is about to throw the rock, you can aim at the spot where you want it to land.

• By holding the left mouse button in Ghost mode, you can spawn faster by just releasing the button. This is handy in situations where you suspect a survivor will pass and need to spawn quickly.
  
  
• The Hunter doesn't make sounds when he's not crouching. You can use him to scratch doors, making it easier for other Infected to spawn and attack.
  
  
• When survivors are close to the Witch, you can make her angrier by scratching her.
  
  
• In the fourth chapter of Dark Carnival, if you gain control over a Tank, you can hit the Moustachio high striker game. This will alert the horde and will make things harder for the survivors.