=============================================================================== Left 4 Dead Nothing Special Guide Version 1.0 -- May 18, 2009 The most boring introductory header ever, but who cares? =============================================================================== Table of Contents (use the "Search" feature to warp to topics quickly): 1. Introduction (1INT) 2. Basic Tips (2BAS) a. Should I Try to Get This? (2SIT) b. Criteria for Nothing Special (2CNS) c. AI or Human Players? (2AHP) d. Captions, Captions, Captions (2CCC) e. In-Game Action (2IGA) f. Which Campaign to Play? (2WCP) g. Glitches...? (2GLI) 3. Special Infected (3SPE) a. Common Infected/The Horde (3COM) b. Boomer (3BOO) c. Smoker (3SMO) d. Hunter (3HUN) e. Witch (3WIT) f. Tank (3TAN) 4. Death Toll Walkthrough (4DTW) a. Level 1 - The Turnpike (4TUR) b. Level 2 - The Drains (4DRA) c. Level 3 - The Church (4CHU) d. Level 4 - The Town (4TOW) e. Level 5 - Boathouse Finale (4BHF) 5. Copyright Info/Contact/Goodbye's (5CON) =============================================================================== 1. Introduction (1INT) =============================================================================== Six months after this game's release, people are still struggling to unlock what is possibly the hardest achievement in Left 4 Dead...Nothing Special. The name in itself is somewhat ironic because unlocking this achievement is certainly special, as aside from What Are You Trying to Prove, this is the least acquired achievement so far. Anyway, having unlocked the achievement on my own and have assisted several friends in trying to get the said achievement, I believe that I have the knowledge to assist those in need on tackling this challenging achievement. And, being the kind soul that I am, have decided to impart this knowledge to a wide audience with the hopes of helping anyone out there. However, before we go on, I'd like to say a word, please. Nothing Special, to be quite honest, is a load of crap. You're in for a load of hurt if you try this. Here are the reasons why it separates itself from other FPS achievements, such as the Call of Duty games: * It's random every time. The AI Director throws different scenarios at you every round. As the old saying goes, "Rarely does a battle plan survive contact with the enemy." You can come up with general strategies but there is an element of spontaneity involved that you cannot predict. * It's an endurance challenge. Unlike Call of Duty where you die, you respawn about a minute or two back. In this game, if you fail, you lose up to thirty minutes of progress and have to go back in frustration. * Teamwork and communication is paramount. You need to have four players play lights out non-stop. If one person falters, everyone fails. This can lead to personal insults, broken friendships, and sleepless nights. You have been warned. * This is one of those achievements that you can get on your second try or your two-hundredth try. There's no telling and it can be frustrating wasting days on an achievement that it takes your friend only thirty minutes. As Forrest Gump said, "[Nothing Special] is like a box of chocolates--you never know what you're gonna get..." Also, I guess the quote "Stupid is as stupid does," applies here too, since you have to either be a professional, dedicated, or a fool to seriously attempt this. If you don't get this immediately, don't act "surprised" because that was the most likely outcome in the first place. Good luck and hope for the best ahead, should you attempt this astonishing feat. You have my best regards, reader. =============================================================================== 2. Basic Tips (2BAS) =============================================================================== Here is a basic overview of tips you should always keep in mind. ----------------------------------- a. Should I Try to Get This? (2SIT) ----------------------------------- It really helps that you play this game a lot and get a hang of the controls and subtleties (such as the "melee while you reload" trick) and whatnot before you plunge headfirst in this challenge. If you are one of those guys who rents a game and tries to get the achievements in two days, then this achievement is not for you. It helps if you've played the level you wish to attempt it on multiple times so that you can remember the layout from memory. Beating said level on Expert is a good way to improve your skills and means you are about ready to try this. -------------------------------------- b. Criteria for Nothing Special (2CNS) -------------------------------------- You have probably heard the definition of the achievement already, but to get this achievement, you must begin from Level 1 of a campaign and move all the way to Level 5 and get into the escape vehicle without you OR any of your teammates getting hit by the following: * Boomer scratch * Boomer explosion in close proximity that causes damage * Smoker scratch * Smoker binds a person long enough to become damaged by the tongue * Hunter pounces on a person long enough to become damaged * Hunter "strikes back" a person after being meleed in mid-pounce * Tank punch * Tank throws a rock/car/other object and hits a person * Witch is startled and damages a person NOTE: Circumstantial damage by the common infection DOES NOT count against Nothing Special. If you are vomited on by a Boomer or drug through a crowd by a Smoker and take a bit of damage from the Horde, it doesn't count against you (it does invalidate Stomach Upset if that's what you are looking for as well). NOTE 2: I have heard rumors that being damaged by a Witch DOES NOT count against Nothing Special, but I haven't tested this. Besides, Witches are generally easy to avoid, so just to be sure, don't mess with the Witch, period. Anyway, some more rules: * You can do this on any difficulty level. Easy is recommended, of course. * You can do this on any campaign you like. You can select Single Player or Online Campaign or whatever--it doesn't matter. * You must have been in the game since the beginning of Level 1 to get the achievement. If you join mid-game, it doesn't invalidate the existing players' run, but you can't get it, plain and simple. Also, try not to go Idle since that may invalidate your run, too, though I can't confirm this (I think it doesn't, I have had friend who got WAYTTP? credit while going idle, so who knows). * I believe that you can kill teammates and change difficulty at will, but it is recommended that you don't do this. * If you or a teammate gets hit, you have to return back to Level 1. No if's, and's, or but's. Stupid, but that's the rules. WARNING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! THIS BELOW TIP IS VERY IMPORTANT AND IF YOU DON'T ACKNOWLEDGE IT, IT CAN RUIN YOUR DAY.......... * Should you, in the game, screw up and and get hit by a Special Infected, you MUST vote to RETURN TO THE LOBBY instead of restarting the campaign. Why? Because the game still "records" you getting hit by Special Infected, even if you restart the campaign. It takes an extra thirty seconds to do this, but people HAVE met the criteria for Nothing Special ONLY to be denied it because they didn't return to the Lobby previously. So return to the Lobby, ALWAYS. And that's it for the rules. The rest of this walkthrough is telling you tips and stuff. ------------------------------ c. AI or Human Players? (2AHP) ------------------------------ Believe it or not, it is possible to get Nothing Special with 3 AI players. That is exactly how I and several other individuals got it. Yes, it requires a ton of luck, almost more than with Human players. But whether or not you choose to do it with a group of friends or with the AI is up to you. Here are the differences: AI Player: + Superior against killing Hunters/Smokers/Boomers + No friendly fire, generally good aim, reliable + Don't get frustrated or do stupid things Humans do when they're tired/angry/etc. - HORRIBLE against Tanks, they float around and stuff, it's a coin toss when it comes to them... - Can't give them orders, they tend to hang behind if you run ahead - Still prone to stupid faults like "Oh, I didn't notice you were constricted by that Smoker, my bad..." Human Player: + Communication advantage, can be ordered around + Can be more efficient than AI players (assuming they are skilled) + Can grab any weapon + MUCH BETTER at killing Tanks + More than one person can get the achievement at a time - Difficult for them to kill Hunters - Prone to faults due to being tired/angry/etc. - A poor person is drug along for the ride and is subjected to this torment... I recommend that, before you go spamming message boards with "I need help with Nothing Special!!!" messages that you try it alone with AI players. If you fail a few times, don't get upset. Practice and learn from your mistakes. When you are ready to try with friends, always keep morale high and communicate frequently. Don't get angry at each other if someone makes a mistake. It's not worth killing each other over a game. Anyway, here's some tips for playing with AI teammates: * Don't worry so much around Hunters. Worry about Tanks instead. * If you detect a Tank ahead, try to retreat and get the AI to follow you, then trigger the Tank. If things go according to plan, the AI should shoot the Tank from afar. If not, they may float towards the Tank like moths to a light.... * Be the pack leader for the AI. Stay ahead and detect Special Infected. If things get hairy, run back to them and use them for protection. * Trust the AI not to screw up. If you go into every round saying "Oh, the AI is gonna suck," then of course they will! It's kismet... * Do the rest of the stuff like you would with Human players. -------------------------------------- d. Captions, Captions, Captions (2CCC) -------------------------------------- This is so important that it gets its own section. Before you begin, EVERYONE go to Options and turn Closed Captioning ON. What this does is display warnings when Special Infected appear. Stuff such as "Boomer Rage!" or "Hunter Warning!" It also helps you know when something is dead, particularly Tanks. This is phenomenally helpful not just in unlocking this achievement, but in What Are You Trying to Prove? and whatnot. ------------------------ e. In-Game Action (2IGA) ------------------------ Here we go, the meat on the sandwich, the real good general tactics. Study up and always do the following: * HAUL ASS through the levels when there are no Special Infected. Special Infected (except for Witches and Tanks) spawn on a time-based system--generally, one appears every thirty seconds from the time you lift pull the bar from off the metal door. For that first thirty seconds of the level, and whenever there are no Special Infected around, RUN THROUGH THE LEVEL as fast as you can. Don't even worry about extra goodies since you probably won't need to heal or anything except in the safe rooms. Don't worry about the Horde either, but if there are plenty of them around, clear them out with whatever means necessary so that they don't hamper your ability to kill the Special Infected, ESPECIALLY if you are about to encounter a Tank. * When you receive a tip about Special Infected via sound or captions, STOP and regroup with your team. Deal with the situation. I will list how to deal with the different types of Special Infected in the next section. * Have a "pecking order" in your group. In other words, one guy should stay ahead and read the captions and pick up on any Special Infected that lay ahead. One guy should generally watch the back and the other two do whatever. But, more important than anything, always keep tabs on each other and cooperate with each other. Yes, it's easy to get frustrated but remember, you're doing this for YOUR good as well as others too. You need other people to survive this challenge, so don't let them down. * Use the Uzi, M16, or the Sniper Rifle. The Auto and Pump Shotguns work wonder against the Horde, but the other guns can deal with Special Infected at ANY range while the Shotguns can only deal damage up close. Since the goal is to avoid Special Infected damage, stick with the long-range guns. An addendum to the above tip, if you are playing with AI players, have someone choose Francis always. Why? Because AI Francis almost always uses a Shotgun, which is bad against Tanks and whatnot. So make sure Francis is controlled by a Human player at all times. If you are the only Human player, PICK FRANCIS! * Open spaces and long corridors are you friends. You ALWAYS want the freedom to move in any direction to avoid incoming attacks and buy time. They are the best places to be when dealing with Special Infected since it is very difficult for them to ambush you. ALWAYS take care when dealing with close quarters since a Hunter or Tank can lunge at you with little time to respond. Try to put as much space between you and the Special Infected and you should have more success than usual. * If you have to split up for whatever reason, always stay in groups of two. That way if your partner is tangled up by a Smoker or Hunter, you can free him or her easily. However, it is preferable if all four players stick together as a unit instead. * Always keep tabs of your health. Generally, getting hit by a Special Infected should take at least 5 health off, maybe more. If you get tangled up by a Smoker or a Hunter and are immediately freed, you can be sure if you were damaged or not, getting rid of a lot of anguish and concern. * Last but not least, Never Give Up Hope!! If you THINK you got hit, but don't have conclusive evidence, keep playing. Generally, the Horde can nickel and dime your health bar, creating the illusion you got hit for a huge chunk of health. Anyway, I got Nothing Special in anguish, thinking that AI Bill was pounced by a Hunter for too long twice in a row, only to found out they never actually received damage. Woohoo!! You should get the Achievement Popup as the escape vehicle drives into the camera, the screen goes black, and the text comes up "The Survivors Have Escaped!" and whatnot. --------------------------------- f. Which Campaign to Play? (2WCP) --------------------------------- Any campaign can work as long as you know the layout and are prepared for all possible events. However, I unlocked this achievement on Death Toll and thus, am going to write a walkthrough on this level. People have also said they have done it on Dead Air and Blood Harvest. From what I recall, no one I know of has done it on No Mercy. Here is my opinion on each level: No Mercy: Probably the worst level for Nothing Special. There aren't many wide open spots and generally, each level has plenty of close quarter sections. The Subway (Level 2), the Sewer (Level 3), and the Hospital (Level 4) are ridiculous in that sense. Also, the finale can be tough especially since the Tanks can approach you from any direction. The roof isn't wide open enough to make it easy. I don't recommend this level at all. Death Toll: The reason I like Death Toll is because it has a linear layout with many long stretches of land. The Boathouse Finale is relatively easy as it is wide open, you can wait right next to the escape vehicle zone, and the Special Infected only have one or two approach points. The only tricky part IMO is the Town (Level 4), mostly thanks to the Special Infected's random spawn points. I have also had a couple of things go awry for no reason in the Drains (Level 2), but mostly because our team made newbie mistakes. Play this level if you are uncertain on which one to choose. Dead Air: Doable, mostly because the Runway Finale is really wide open and may be easier than Death Toll's finale. The filler levels, however, have plenty of close quarter sections that can be a real pain when a Tank or a Hunter shows up. The Crane (Level 2) and the Construction Site (Level 3) can give you real fits. Not recommended, IMO. Blood Harvest: Blood Harvest is also somewhat wide open, but with the numerous forests, you're liable to an ambush or two with few walls to put your back towards. The Farmhouse is also a doozy with the crow crescendo event beforehand and the Tank can ambush you quite easily since you have to hang out in relatively close quarter locations when waiting for the APC to arrive. It can be done on this level though, I don't deny that... ---------------------- g. Glitches...? (2GLI) ---------------------- I'm not at liberty to discuss glitches that may assist in getting the achievement. A few exist that haven't been patched yet, yet I will not discuss them in this walkthrough. If you choose to glitch, I will not renounce you, but considering the hard work me and a lot of other people put in, at least be respectful to us... =============================================================================== 3. Special Infected (3SPE) =============================================================================== Here are tips on how to deal with all type of Infected evil bastards out there that ruin your day... ----------------------------------- a. Common Infected/The Horde (3COM) ----------------------------------- These guys are no big deal. They do almost no damage on Easy and serve more to ruin your aim or hold you up when dealing with Special Infected. Remember that melee attacks are your best friend when dealing with them and use any extra pipe bombs, Molotovs, gas cans, etc. if you find them necessary. Don't go out of your way to kill common infected, just kill whatever you have to for convenience's sake. ---------------- b. Boomer (3BOO) ---------------- Boomers are probably the least of a threat to your Special Infected runs. They are big, fat, slow, easy targets. Remember to melee them back in case they get close. Don't let them get too close and explode near you or else they will cause some damage and void your run. I have never seen one willingly claw me either--they usually go for the vomit after standing still for a few seconds. Just make certain about these guys in close quarters and the possibility that they may kamikaze fall off a cliff next to you (this most likely happens in Death Toll 1 and 2). If you want to get Stomach Upset, then use this guide except only focus on the Boomers. Seriously, Stomach Upset is doable as long as you're not stupid. ---------------- c. Smoker (3SMO) ---------------- More dangerous than a Boomer and can attack from long range, but they are still relatively slow and easy to pick out. They leave weird green confetti in the air and tend to hide out in high places waiting for you to turn your back to them. If someone gets tangled up, it is preferable to melee the victim immediately instead of shoot the Smoker, but either way works since you generally have some time to deal with him. The tricky part is placing yourself in a wide open location. If a Smoker drags a victim in a way that he/she is directly below it or get stuck against a car, a railing, etc. then the victim will go into "EVERYBODY PANIC I'M ABOUT TO LOSE HEALTH" mode. You have about a half a second to save the victim before you hear that figurative toilet flush. So remember, check high places, stay in the open, and melee each other to deal with Smokers. Easy to deal with, but they can be a problem if you get sloppy. ---------------- d. Hunter (3HUN) ---------------- Good Lord, Hunters are your WORST enemy when it comes to Nothing Special runs, probably worse than Tanks. I think these hooded gangsters have ended a grand majority of runs more than anything else. It's enough to make me start taking pain pills in real life. Hunters are incredibly fast, elusive, and can pounce on survivors and deal damage to them very quickly. They are very difficult to hit. When one of them pounces a victim, you have about a half a second to save him before he loses health and you all fail. It is preferable to melee the Hunter off the survivor since a Hunter won't immediately quit clawing even if he is shot a few times. If you aren't good at aiming at stuff in FPSes, well...tough break, dude. The ideal thing to do would be to huddle into a group, melee each other, and then kill the Hunter after he is knocked away...no that doesn't work. Why? Because Hunters have a damn "scratch-back" attack. You see, if you melee a Hunter out of midair and he gets knocked back, if you are close enough to him when this happens, he can miraculously take off a chunk of your health. It sucks! The best way to "avoid" this scratch-back would be to immediately back up as soon as you melee, but even that doesn't really work. Just don't melee at all. The best way to dispatch a Hunter is to have one player be designated the Hunter's "target." Everyone shoots the Hunter. NO ONE TRIES TO MELEE HIM OR THE TARGET. Hunters generally pounce the player closet to him, the "target." Hopefully, he dies before he reaches his target. If not, then everyone immediately focus fire on the target. If you do it quick enough, the Hunter should deal no damage. Please be careful that the Hunter may jump on someone else other than the target. Everyone needs good reflexes and a good internet connection to deal with them consistently. The AI player is proficient at killing Hunters...they have good aim and are not subject to the scratch-back. That's probably the only reason I'd keep an AI player around instead of a Human...to deal with those damned Hunters. If you have an additional player playing who has the achievement, have him go Idle when not around a Tank. Who knows, maybe it'll work wonders, so try it if you are having complications with Hunters. --------------- e. Witch (3WIT) --------------- Dealing with the Witch should be quite simple. Don't startle them--plain and simple. Don't even try to crown them, just move along. Even if you are required to run within reaching distance of one (ex. she's waiting in a narrow hallway), just turn off your lights, run like hell past them, and get out of viewing range afterwards. A Witch will become "surprised" and then start growling at different levels of anger (according to subtitles). Hide and let her cool down if you must. You shouldn't have to deal with Witches, ever. If one of them is startled, you did something wrong. One difficulty with Witches is that they can generally "hide" in random locations in the dark. Oblivious teammates can run right into one and proceed to get incapped seconds later. Always have the lead player scout for the Witch's location and look for a clean escape to the next area. Don't dawdle or look for pills or whatever, just run and get the hell out of there. Also, if you are near a Witch, it means that a Tank won't appear in the vicinity, which is good. However, if you retreat from a Tank or other Special Infected up the road, make sure you don't haphazardly run into the Witch by mistake. One last tip--don't get into the habit of shooting Common Infected far away, preferably those kneeling down, like a Witch would. You may actually startle a real Witch before you can hear the music or the subtitle warning, so be very careful... (this happened to me once, it was very frustrating and somewhat hilarious) -------------- f. Tank (3TAN) -------------- Watch out for these bad boys--they're enough to give you a splitting headache. You will have to kill about six during the course of a campaign--one in Level 2, one in Level 3, one in Level 4, one in a random location (usually in Levels 3 to 5 but sometimes, he won't appear at all, meaning five Tanks instead of six), and two during the finale crescendo. Don't get overjoyed when you skip a Tank in a level--it means you probably have to fight another one the next level. Tanks have relatively low health on Easy and can generally be downed by approximately four clips from an M16 or a Sniper Rifle. If you have four players empty a clip into a Tank, it can be downed in seconds. Make sure all four players are aware of the Tank's location so that one player doesn't get ousted and smashed in the head by a boulder or his fists. You want to kill that Tank as fast as possible, remember that. The lead player can detect a Tank's whereabouts before triggering his blind rage. You can hear heavy breathing (like a bull) and the words "Tank Breathing" in the captions before you approach a Tank. Use this to your advantage. When you turn the corner and stare at the Tank, he will begin to chase your team down. Tanks generally spawn in the same few areas in each level, so you can prepare for several scenarios. I'll list these areas with a "TANK WARNING" heading in the level walkthrough. Tanks have two attacks--the punch and the rock throw. Both of them are dangerous. Tanks will generally punch and pursue the closest player firing upon them. If they throw a rock, they stop for a few seconds and will generally throw it towards the person they were originally pursuing. To deal with rocks, strafe perpendicular to the angle of the rock or hide behind cover, such as a building. Be aware that if a Tank gets too close to a person when throwing a rock, there is almost no way that person can avoid getting hit. Also, Tanks can throw rocks VERY far, so never say "Oh, that Tank can't hit me from this range, I'm safe..." I have heard that it is possible to "shoot" a rock out of midair, but I have NEVER seen this happen. Most likely with the Auto Shotgun. Maybe I suck but don't count on this tactic--if you're too close to the Tank when he begins his windup, shoot the Tank and maybe he will die before he can throw it. Remember the Golden Rule: EVERYONE KILL THE TANK BEFORE IT GETS TOO CLOSE TO SOMEONE. IF HE GETS TOO CLOSE TO A SURVIVOR, THEN DAMAGE WILL BE INEVITABLE AND YOU WILL HAVE TO RESTART THE DAMN THING OVER AGAIN. Another trick when dealing with Tanks, most helpful when playing with AI players--use propane tanks. Chuck one near where it will approach and then shoot the propane tank, blowing it up on the Tank. It will be stunned for a few seconds, enough time to kill it off before it does any damage. I wouldn't put too much thought into attempting this, especially since you have to carry it around and are vulnerable to other Special Infected, but you get the idea. Also, if you are fighting a Tank, be extra careful that another Special Infected doesn't approach you during this time. A Hunter can be devastating to your run in these times. As a matter of fact, if you know a Tank is ahead, don't signal him until you kill any nearby Special Infected first. And if it wasn't obvious already, Molotovs don't help in this situation. They deal damage apart from bullets and speed up a Tank. Therefore, just forget about them. This isn't Expert difficulty... =============================================================================== 4. Death Toll Walkthrough (4DTW) =============================================================================== Here it is, the big freaking walkthrough. I will refer to level geometry and stuff, but not give you an exact map, assuming you have played Death Toll enough to memorize where to go and whatnot. Anyway, a lot of stuff in this section is obvious, but it can be helpful if you plan ahead and get an idea of trouble spots and whatnot. Good luck, Survivors, and God Speed. As of this time, I am not inclined to write a walkthrough for the other levels. If you wish to submit one to this guide, I may insert it for you. However, it is not necessary. -------------------------------- a. Level 1 - The Turnpike (4TUR) -------------------------------- The first level should be a walk in the park and is a good place to get your bearings together. You should only encounter one or two Special Infected, assuming you run through the level at optimal speed. Start by grabbing an Uzi and a medkit from the police car and hoof it down the road. Shoot any Common Infected in the way and generally don't slow down. Run down the hill, run up the ladder, and into the tunnel. If you do it quickly enough, you shouldn't have any run-ins with Special Infected. If you check the right side of the tunnel as you run along, you will usually find some grenades or a secondary pistol, which can come in handy. If you do encounter a Special Infected, watch out. Smokers tend to appear in the forest adjacent to the entrance and in the tunnel above that big collapsed hole in the ceiling. Boomers and Hunters generally appear in front of you, though I have had a few Boomers kamikaze jump off the entrance to the tunnel, which makes for some good laughs (and quick restarts). Jump over the cars and get off the road into the side hallways. Run down the stairs and go into the door in front of you instead of to your right. You may find some pills or pipe bombs on the shelf or other goodies. The square-shaped room with the grates shouldn't contain any serious threats. Don't bother looking for stuff here, although there is usually an ammo stash near the center of the room. Go up the stairs into the outdoors. A Special Infected usually spawns here-- either behind the fence or up the hill adjacent to the safe room. I have also seen Special Infected spawn inside the safe room--shoot through the door to dispatch of them quickly. Get inside and shut the door. Mission complete. ------------------------------ b. Level 2 - The Drains (4DRA) ------------------------------ The drains can look very complicated for newbies, but if you did your homework, you will realize this is a very linear level and you should be brief in your tunnel dwelling, disregarding the Tank and the crescendo, of course. Start by grabbing ammo and shooting any infected on the walkway to the right of the door. Open the door and start running down the walkway you cleared, going into the tunnel on the right. Take a left into the big circular room, jump down the ladder to your left, and onto the platform below. Grab yourself an M16 or Sniper Rifle off the table while you are there. TANK WARNING: Sometimes (very rare though), a Tank can spawn on the circular ledge that rests above this room. If this happens, don't panic. Rocks are very easy to avoid as long as you hide behind the pipes, and generally, the Tank gets hung up chasing after different people. Don't go down the ladder until he dies. While you are in the big circular room, you may get a warning for Special Infected. Smokers can appear right above you and damage you in mid-air, so be careful. Boomers may kamikaze jump off the same ledge too. Hunters tend to come from up the ramp as usual. Go up the ramp towards the crescendo room. TANK WARNING: Tanks can generally be waiting in the crescendo room for you. If there is one there, have the leader stand in the pipe entrance and shoot him, luring him down the ramp where your team should be waiting. If you lose sight of him, he may take an alternate route and sneak up behind your team down the ramp in the water, so that's why you have the leader take potshots at him from above. Go to the crescendo room and grab the two pipe bombs in the corner. Activate the button and wait in that corner next to the button. The Horde may come out above that ledge where the pipe bombs are, which can open up an attack by Special Infected. A Boomer and a Smoker usually appear from the pipes during this Horde rush, but they are easy to dispatch. Run along the bridge, open the door, and grab some ammo and pills while you're at it. Hoof it down the tunnel from the walkway. Be careful since there is usually plenty of Common Infected around here, and Special Infected, usually a Hunter, can hide amongst them. It helps if you take the second right and chuck a pipe bomb down that hall into the central concrete room, clearing out most Common Infected in the region. The concrete room is very iffy. It seems easy to just run into the next room, run up the ladder, and out the window to fresh air, but usually, a Hunter will come out of the manhole cover, above the ladder in the corner of the room. If you hear the warning "Manhole Cover Opening, expect something to come out that hole...be extra careful here. Usually, he just plops down in front of you for an easy kill. TANK WARNING: Sometimes, a Tank can be waiting either in the concrete room or in the warehouse through the entrance via the pothole and ladder. If you start to get warnings but aren't sure where the Tank is, have one person climb up the ladder towards the outside region while the others remain back in the tunnel (watch out for Hunters!). If you tip off the Tank, run like hell back into the tunnel and shoot the Tank through the long hallways. If he throws a rock, retreat into the previous hallway and take your merry time killing him. Go up the ladder out the window. Finally, fresh air at last. Run along the side of the building, past the cars, through the window into the "cuhboose" (thanks Zoey). A Special Infected may appear here--Smokers will appear on the roof of the building (above the corner you pass by) and Boomers/Hunters tend to come from behind out the window you came through. Don't mess around and get in the train car and shut the door. Mission complete. ------------------------------ c. Level 3 - The Church (4CHU) ------------------------------ The last level can be quite a pain, so to make it this far is nice. It's also nice to avoid the filth of the sewer and move on to an easier level...it's fairly wide open and you should have less trouble this time around, just as long as you stick together and stay in the open. Open the door and storm the train yard. Make a beeline for the staircase, run along the walkway, climb on the train car, and fall down past the fence on the road ahead. Do it quickly and you may not run into any Special Infected. TANK WARNING: Sometimes a Tank can spawn in the middle of the train yard seconds after opening the door. This usually happens if you don't fight a Tank in the previous level. This is a rather easy spawn location...it's wide open and you should down the Tank rather quickly. Focus fire on it immediately and watch out for rocks. If things get dicey and assuming the new patches didn't remove the ability to close the metal door, you can kill this Tank rather easily. Get back in the safe room, slam the door, and have everyone crouch and place themselves right up against the door. The Tank should not knock the door down and instead, stand next to the door like an idiot, making for an easy kill (if this glitch doesn't work, hey, don't blame me, I haven't tried it in a while...). Go down the road, surrounded by the forest. It's Blood Harvest! Special Infected pop out from the woods. I can't really offer much advice here, except to stay close and expect some spontaneity in Special Infected spawn locations. A Witch may also appear on the road--if this happens, move through the woods to your left and keep your distance. Go inside the house and grab some ammo and a possible secondary pistol from the gun case next to the TV. A Smoker may appear on the roof or the front porch of the house to be careful and watch your back. TANK WARNING: Tanks can appear before or after the house along the main road. Just keep him in the open, watch out for rocks, and fill him full of lead. This shouldn't be too difficult to kill him here. Go to the ambulance, grab pills or whatever, and go up to the hill to the church. Watch out since a Witch tends to spawn along the path for some reason. Go inside and arm yourself--if you want to grab the Auto Shotty here, go ahead, since this is probably the only time during the Campaign it's actually useful. However, if you're going to be watching out the windows in a long-range location, obviously take the M16 or Sniper Rifle. Station your team in the main church hall or in the ammo pile room. Alert the Church Guy and use gas canisters and Molotovs around the entrances to kill the stupid idiot Hordes with fire. Your biggest threat here is a Smoker or a Hunter, but they appear at very long ranges and are generally not threats. I typically have no problems with this crescendo--just make sure that no Special Infected jump out the back window on the other side of the church from the ammo pile. Oh, and remember that the Church Guy turns into a Special Infected, most likely a Boomer. Open the door, step back, and shoot him. Get inside and shut the door. Mission complete. TANK WARNING: According to the game variables and whatnot, there is about a 0.01% chance that the Church Guy will turn into a Tank. If that happens...well, have a good laugh, drink a shot, smoke a cigar, do whatever you want my good man. But it probably won't happen. ---------------------------- d. Level 4 - The Town (4TOW) ---------------------------- If you've made it this far with no hits, then pat yourself on the back. This level is a real challenge with Special Infected spawning all over the place. Just remember to take it easy, check your corners, and always STICK TOGETHER when a Hunter arrives. Open the door and climb down the ladder and out to the street. Take a left past the delivery truck and jump over the sand bags by the buses to skip a little bit of the level. TANK WARNING: The whole first half of this level should be labeled as a Tank Warning. Tanks can spawn in the convenience store, the office side rooms along the road, the "Flower Shop," and the office with the cubicle and round table. Remember to have one guy search out his whereabouts and stay in the open streets. Duck behind buildings if you need to avoid rocks. It can be really easy to be split up in the town so be extra careful and focus fire on it immediately. As you creep along, watch out for the possible Witch, which may appear either in the street or in the front lawn of the houses. Special Infected will begin to show up. Boomers and Hunters can approach you from the front or the back, so be extra careful. Smokers tend to get you on top of the buildings. Make your way into the "Flower Shop" and check the counter for goodies, if you need them. Creep back out into another parking lot and out onto the street. Make your way through another parking lot and jump up on the van and into the office. At this point, you may be running out of ammo, but don't hesitate to use it since you put yourself at greater risk with the pistols. Might as well add BE SUPER CAREFUL since you're entering a close quarters region that is very hard to escape from, thanks to the stupid railing blocking the entrance. A secondary pistol usually appears on the round table, if you need one. Hop down onto the awning and then on the street below and breathe a sigh of relief...for now. Get your ammo and guns if you need them. The best place to wait for this crescendo is near (not right next to) the chain fence down the road from the rubble. Have someone activate the lift and wait for the Horde to come. It should be easy pickings here. Watch out for the Horde and some Smokers, which may try to approach from the fence behind you. It's still very easy. Wait for the two waves of the Horde to come before attempting to move forward. Slowly creep up the ramp created by that fork lift you just hit. Generally, a few Special Infected spawn here. They all tend to either sit below in the pit and try to approach you either by climbing up onto the awning far away or up the hill of rubble. From far away, a team should take them out quite easily. Move along towards the bus. TANK WARNING: Sometimes, a Tank can be waiting down below by the bus, waiting for you to peek over. This is why it is important to wait for the Horde to die down. Take potshots over the hill from far away and be careful in case the Tank targets you with a rock. Don't stupidly run down in front of it or you'll be an easy target. Remember if you don't fall down like a moron, you can always retreat back towards the previous fence and use the space to make a clean kill. As you fall down and go past the bus and into the alleyway, BE VERY, VERY CAREFUL. This is one of the most dangerous and tedious places to be in the whole campaign. This alleyway is close quarters and if a Special Infected ambushes you, it is very difficult to deal with. Anyway, progress through the alleyway. If a Witch appears, it's a mixed blessing--it means no Tank, yet the Witch is usually right there in the middle of the alley. You know the drill, run past it and hide. Run up the stairs to your left, into the room, out the window onto the roof, across the alley on the plank, into the other room, past the fence and into the safe room. Special Infected tend to spawn in random locations and fall down from the rooftops below. Always keep an eye on each other. Even Boomers can present a problem here. TANK WARNING: If you fought a Tank early in this level, odds are you may fight another one at the end. A Tank can spawn in the alleyway, maybe past the fence you must get over. If a Tank appears, don't get suckered into running into the alleyway since you have NOWHERE to run if he throws a rock. Focus on retreating and giving yourself an easy escape route instead of taking the easy potshots. Keep backing up but keep tabs on him, since he can probably sneak around if you stupidly run back to the pile of rubble by the crescendo event, similar to the Drains level. Get inside the safe room. Sometimes a Special Infected spawns in the safe room, so shoot through the door to kill it. Shut the door. Mission complete! ------------------------------------ e. Level 5 - Boathouse Finale (4BHF) ------------------------------------ If you've made it this far, I congratulate you. This finale may be a bit easier than the previous level, but still, you cannot let your guard down. Good luck and don't get too nervous...at the end of the day, it's just an Achievement, not a ticket to monumental prestige, happiness, eternal life, or a lifetime of free candy, so take it easy. Prepare by getting your stuff together, healing, whatever, open the door, and bust through the garage. Go through the door, out the street, and into the house. If you go quickly enough, no Special Infected should appear in the mean time. TANK WARNING: Remember how I said you will fight about four Tanks outside of the finale crescendo earlier? Well, if you missed one Tank previously, you MAY run into it here. He may appear in the backyard of the house or farther off into the woods. Retreat into the wide-open street and deal with him. If you want to try the trick mentioned in the Church level about the safe house door, be my guest. Grab some munitions in the house and get moving out the backyard into the woods. As you move towards the boat house, remember to stay in the open passage. Don't run off into the woods since your obscured vision makes you an easier target. A Smoker may appear on the rocks around the band and attempt to constrict you, while a Boomer and Hunter can attack from below. Move towards the house and take the time to kill any Common Infected roaming about. When you're near the house, no Special Infected should spawn, but make sure to keep tabs on each in case a straggler still remains. Get your ammo, your medkits, pills, grenades, and secondary pistols and get ready for the big finale. The strategy I employed was to have the team stand on the dock, waiting for the boat to arrive. In this location, you have plenty of room to spot Special Infected and dodge the Tank's rocks when he comes. I recommend that you stay out of the water, although it should be used in a worst-case scenario since you move slower through the water and have to run back around to get back on the dock. Watch out for Smokers who appear in the water who will try to drag unattentive survivors into the water. There is another location that can only be utilized with an all-Human team--the "Jesus Rock." I believe it has not been patched since May 2009 since I have done it recently on an Expert run with friends. In the corner, along the water line as far away from the boat house as possible is a rock that, if you jump on the right angle, you can get on the rock and are invulnerable to most of the Infected's attacks. Best of all, there is a chance that the two Tanks will never spawn since they "can't track you down" while you're up there. However, this has its fair share of problems: * Someone still needs to signal the boat and if that person isn't good at jumping up on the rock, he can be vulnerable for the time of being. * Sometimes the Tanks will spawn. They will throw a few rocks at you and subsequently disappear. You have to make a run for it if this happens. * You're still vulnerable to Smokers in the water, so have the guy in the back devote himself to meleeing the others so they don't get dragged away. * Hopefully, Hunters won't be able to jump up there...I'm not 100% sure. If this works, all you have to do is wait for the boat to come, hop off the rock, and dance all the way to the boat with no Infected around...dodging whatever kitchen sink the Infected will throw at you as the boat pulls up, of course. But for the sake of simplicity...I'm going to use the dock in my walkthrough, especially since that's how I did it and it's legit too... Have someone signal the boat and run like hell to the dock. GET READY, IT'S ALMOST OVER!!! Everyone is waiting on the dock. Due to ammo constraints, if you are using the M16, use your pistols instead. When a Special Infected appears, temporarily use your M16 to kill it. If you have a Sniper Rifle, you should have enough ammo to use against the Horde as well. Anyway, the Hordes are usually not a problem. Smokers will appear in the water, either behind the rock to your left (if you are facing the from the sea) or by the house to your right. Pick them off when they appear. Hunters generally come from the front but can also approach from the sides. They can jump from the water (which conceals their location) onto the dock so be extra careful. During finales, everyone tends to face the same direction instead of covering each other, so don't let anyone get pounced for too long. Boomers are easy and usually never get close. If you are facing a lot of Common Infected and a Hunter appears, use a pipe bomb to get them off your back and deal with the Hunter. TANK WARNING: Here come the Tanks--hopefully the only thing separating you from the achievement if you've made it this far... Tanks will generally come from the forward-right region--the area you would be viewing if you were manning the turret by the boat house. They will typically throw a signal rock to get your attention. BE CAREFUL, the Tank can throw rocks very far and fast, so don't get hit while being idle! The Tank will take refuge in the forest before storming the dock. Recognize his location and alert your teammates. If he starts to throw a rock, alert your teammates and get ready to dodge it! Fill him full of lead. Don't let him get too close to one person, and, if he gets way too close, either use the box on the dock or jump into the water and use the dock itself as protection from the rocks. Remember, KILL THE TANKS QUICKLY LIKE YOUR LIFE DEPENDED ON IT!!!! You fight two Hordes and two Tanks before the boat arrives. When the second Tank is dead, breath a sigh of relief, although it's not over yet! The boat is here! Yet the Horde and some Special Infected will make one last ditch attempt to stop you. Use any pipe bombs or Molotovs you have on hand to block off entry to the dock. Be wary of any remaining Smokers who may try to pull you off the dock or any Tanks who will chuck any last-minute rocks. YOU CAN STILL GET HIT HERE SO LOOK FOR TANKS AND WATCH YOUR TEAMMATES! When the boat comes, everyone get on ASAP and cross your fingers. If you get the achievement, then congratulations, you've achieved something that only 2% of the population has been able to achieve! Celebrate good times, come on!! If not, then...learn from your mistakes, go back, and do better next time. If you are unlucky, keep trying, you will get it eventually. Or use glitches. *OBLIGATORY BAD ENDING TO THE GUIDE* =============================================================================== 5. Copyright Info/Contact/Goodbye's (5CON) =============================================================================== Left 4 Dead is produced and published by Turtle Rock Studios, Valve, Electronic Arts...all those good folks (how's this for official? haha). This guide is copyright of Eric Frichter (Eric43/Eric4372) and originally published on GameFAQs.com. You may refer to this guide for information, as long as you give me credit and don't steal my words, because that's plagiarism. If this guide helps AT LEAST one person GET MARGINALLY closer to getting the Nothing Special achievement, then I have accomplished my goal. However, due to the nature of writing guides and considering I am only a flawed Human being, I may miss out on important details or give erroneous information. If you want to contact me, either to give me thanks for the guide or to offer additional tips or insight on the guide, feel free to contact me in one of two places: E-mail: eric_4372 (at) hotmail (dot) com XBL: Eric4372 Please don't send me random friend requests or inflammatory messages. And
PLEASE DO NOT ask me to help you get the achievement--that's what this guide is
for!!  This guide was written during one night from 2 am to 6 am on a Monday
night on the spur of a moment.  If it ruined your life somehow, then I apologize
since that wasn't my intention.

Also, be sure to check out my previous guide, a comprehensive mishmash of
information on The Outfit for Xbox 360.  I'm a kickass writer!

Anyway, I would like to thank:

* Valve, especially for publishing the old classics Half-Life and Counter-Strike

* Turtle Rock Studios for making the game

* All the funny quotes in the game, especially Francis's "I hate vans."

* The guys at the OutRun 2 boards, who like Sega racers and have been my
consistent friends through the years

* All the guys on Xbox Live who helped me get the other achievements and gave me
support

* My parents, who gave birth to me and bought me the Xbox 360 in the first place

* My brother Ian who bought the game, so I played it for him

* Microsoft for making the Xbox 360 and making achievement points the newest
trend in games

* Forrest Gump, which was a great movie

* Civil servants in the armed forces, police, fire fighters, and paramedics who
protect use from harm, as well as other hard-working folks who make civilized
society work

* God and Jesus...okay, maybe you're not so religious, but after saying a couple
of prayers during the finale, maybe He helped the AI to dodge the Tank's rocks,
either way, gotta give credit to the Big Man Upstairs when no one else does
these days...

THE END

And here's some quotes.



"Son, we just crossed the street." - Bill

"This guy's nuttier than candy bar s***." - Bill

"I HOPE YOU ARE DEAD NOW" - Writing on the wall

"Into the cuhboose!" - Zoey

"Grabbin' peelz." - Louis

"Wow, this is just like Counter-Strike!" - Louis

"I hate vans." - Francis