Left 4 Dead Versus Mode Beginner Guide Etiquette

L4D Multiplayer Game Guide for Newbies, Basic Rules for Teamwork

Apr 6, 2009

Left 4 Dead requires teamwork and cooperation perhaps more than any other FPS game that preceded it. If you're a noob to L4D, read this guide to learn the basics.

New to Left 4 Dead and keep getting kicked? Read these basic rules to prevent further kicks from happening in the future.

L4D Beginner Guide - Stick Together

Left 4 Dead depends on teamwork and cooperation for a truly competitive, fun experience. A cardinal sin of L4D, particularly when playing as the survivors, is to separate from the team.

Numerous reasons may compel a player to part from the team: attempting to sprint to the safe room, looking for med packs or weapons, finding a "safe" place to heal. None of these reasons are reason enough to separate.

A separated survivor is easy prey for any special infected. If this player gets pounced or smoked, or even boomed, the rest of the team must quickly react and put themselves in danger to make a rescue. If a rescue cannot be made, the survivor team is down to 3 guns at a time instead of 4, significantly reducing the likelihood of survival.

Talk in L4D - Silence is not Golden

Even if a player only says "Help me I'm dying here," a little communication goes a long way. Considering all the various threats that can occupy a survivor's attention, it's imperative to vocalize the need of rescuing ASAP.

Going beyond desperate cries for help also helps considerably. Find a health pack? Pills? Molotov? Let the team know. Spot a Smoker next to a witch? That's definitely helpful information your fellow survivors would benefit from knowing.

At the very least, players without mics can use the survivors' sound bites (click on left thumbstick) to convey basic information.

Don't hoard the med packs

If a survivor is high on health and a fellow survivor is low, the survivor with high health should only pick up the health pack to heal the survivor with little life. This rule is particularly golden for resuscitated survivors; survivors who were "downed" will slowly bleed away HP until down to 1 unless healed with a med pack.

In Left 4 Dead, your best interest is always your team's best interest. So heal the survivor with the most need.

Never backtrack in Versus

Aside from rare occasions, such as passing up a health pack your team now needs, or in the case of running away from a Tank, survivors should never backtrack.

Backtracking gives the infected team more time to set up more ambushes, which, obviously, gives them more opportunity to pick off survivors.

Ambush as the Infected don't solo-strike

As the infected side, perhaps the greatest sin is to try and attack the survivors solo. Unless one survivor is separated from the rest of the team, the infected team should always set up ambushes and attack all at once.

This rule holds up even when playing as The Tank. Even though The Tank is the most powerful infected in the game, teamwork will always win over the lone monster. The Tank should never hit a survivor that has been pounced or smoked, The Tank should attack the remaining survivors instead. If all other infected are dead and waiting to respawn, try and stay back and throw rocks as a distraction while they respawn and provide assistance.

Left 4 Dead's unique brand of team-based gameplay may take some getting used to, especially for gamers accustomed to the lone gunner style of play emphasized in most FPS games. Hopefully, this guide will help newcomers familiarize themselves with the basics, so games are more fun and competitive for all those involved.

The copyright of the article Left 4 Dead Versus Mode Beginner Guide Etiquette in Online Games is owned by Bradley Kairis. Permission to republish Left 4 Dead Versus Mode Beginner Guide Etiquette in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.