L4d Tank Tactics

**WhiskeySix** · 12-30-2008 10:25 AM

Post your tank tips and tricks here!

The #1 rule is don't catch on fire! If you can stay flame-free, you can keep the tank around for a LONG time and very likely incap all 4 survivors if you play it right. If you get hit with a molatov though, you've got less than 30 seconds to do some damage.

There are two general play styles, depending on what weapons the survivors have. If they're still with the Uzi/Pump shotgun, you can be aggressive... If the survivors have tier 2 weapons, you'll get shredded really fast so you need to stay back! Again, the biggest thing is to not die and to do this you need to not get shot. Staying alive gives your teammates time to get in there and wreak havoc.

1) Be patient. If you loose control of the tank because you're not close, that's ok! A teammate will take control of the tank. 3 such 'tank respawns'.

2) Use cover. Throw a rock, and then take cover while you recharge.

3) Herd cats. By this I mean keep your target(s) in front of you... if you can "herd" them into a corner, you can incap them pretty quickly. On the other hand, if they get behind you they can run circles around you. Think like a boxer and cut-off angles to keep them moving the direction you want them to go.

4) Launch cars and logs. These fly far and instantly incap survivors when they hit them.

more tips:
[media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MEBovQUVVWY[/media]

got 1337 tank ski11z0rZ? post here!

**Spyder** · 12-30-2008 01:19 PM

Effectively use your teammates. When you're tanking, that means you've got a really big target on your back. That makes you one very big and easy distraction. Since survivors can easily outrun or kite you around, that means that the other infected are key to inflicting damage.

Try to split the group up so smokers/hutners can pick off individuals, and STAY AWAY from players already hung up by your teammates. Tank's can punt hunters too, and it's instant death. The best thing that can happen is a good boomer rush, even if he only hits one player. Regular infected slow survivors down, making it easy for you to catch them.

In short, Go towards the boomer and away from the other infected.

Edit: To add that it's a really, really good idea to wait for your teammates to spawn before rushing in. You won't lose control that fast.

**tuoply** · 12-30-2008 03:11 PM

Regarding stone tossing, you can launch the things *really* far, just need to aim above the survivors. I was playing the other day and knocking down the survivors from quite a distance just by aiming high and guesstimating where they were going to be, or just aiming high if they weren't moving. While punching them works well, throwing is underrated and works equally as good with practice.

Also another tip: On levels where there are cars (namely the first level with all the buildings), you can knock the cars down the stairway near the ending, effectively eliminating the exit path for the survivors. Then if they kill you, they can only get so far before the rest of the infected get them.

**WhiskeySix** · 12-30-2008 03:27 PM

another thing - don't throw when you're close - the wind-up takes too long and you get wasted by the close-range gunfire.

**Pistolfied** · 01-05-2009 01:38 AM

Originally Posted by tuoply

Also another tip: On levels where there are cars (namely the first level with all the buildings), you can knock the cars down the stairway near the ending, effectively eliminating the exit path for the survivors. Then if they kill you, they can only get so far before the rest of the infected get them.

The car will disappear in a certain amount of time so blocking a path isn't always the best thing to do.

**Boot** · 01-06-2009 03:03 AM

Originally Posted by WhiskeySix

another thing - don't throw when you're close - the wind-up takes too long and you get wasted by the close-range gunfire.

There may be exceptions to this. If 2 or more survivors are in line, say in a hall or alleyway, and you can hit more than one with the throw, it's worth it. Especially if they are retreating, you'll get cut up before you make it to more than one.

**Transcendant** · 01-06-2009 03:01 PM

All objects listed below do enough damage to incap survivors in one hit.

NM1:
All cars except cop car.
NM2:
Cars on street at end.
NM3:

NM4:

BH2:

BH3:

BH4:

BH5:

Be careful near the gas station when playing with cars/forklifts, by the way.

Additionally note that punching zombies or physics objects refills your rage bar. Break that safe room/vent/staircase camp. Wait them out.

**daithi1** · 01-06-2009 04:03 PM

You can hit through some thinner walls I don't know if this is a bug or not though.

**Razcsak** · 01-06-2009 05:44 PM

Originally Posted by WhiskeySix

4) Launch cars and logs. These fly far and instantly incap survivors when they hit them.

It also resets your aggression meter, so if you're in a good spot, bat a tree around while your teammates attack.

**Kebab-Kastike** · 01-07-2009 03:15 AM

Certain TG member disagrees with me about this one but:
If you got one survivor incapped and there's wall of flame between you and the rest of the healthy survivors, don't run through the flames, instead kill the guy who is incapped or do as much damage as you can while the flames are between you and the healthy ones.
This happened in No mercy 2nd stage when you leave the tracks and go up the stairs to that basement room with the pilars.

I had one guy incapped by the rails and the stairs and door were in fire. The rest of the survivor team was by the pilars, they couldn't help the poor chap because there was fire between me and them.

By the time the flame was out the survivor I was punching was knock knock knocking on heavens doors and boomer was about to finish him off while I head towards the living survivors.
Certain team member called me noob tank out of this, but I still think I did the right thing. Otherwise we might have had 4 survivors and dead tank. There's not much you can do in the basement when there's 3 loaded auto shotties staring at you and you are on fire. I didn't stand a chance up there. I think I managed to punch one of them and die.

Also we had talk during one Versus session that, if you are on fire and in open ground, your best bet would be killing a incapped guy instead of chasing the healthy ones and try to break their kneecaps.

**Boot** · 01-07-2009 08:47 AM

Originally Posted by daithi1

You can hit through some thinner walls I don't know if this is a bug or not though.

It is not a bug. You can see in the 4th picture Transcendant posted that an area of the wall at left is breakable (looks like a neuron). Any infected can break it down.

**Razcsak** · 01-07-2009 11:08 AM

Originally Posted by Kebab-Kastike

Also we had talk during one Versus session that, if you are on fire and in open ground, your best bet would be killing a incapped guy instead of chasing the healthy ones and try to break their kneecaps.

I think I'd agree. Instead of going for the wipe, which is a long shot, knock their multiplier down to three.

**RandomGuy** · 01-07-2009 11:17 AM

Originally Posted by Razcsak

I think I'd agree. Instead of going for the wipe, which is a long shot, knock their multiplier down to three.

I wonder why this isn't preferred whenever possible. Three survivors don't usually last long in versus.

Noobish question: Can you rescue survivors from closets in versus like you can in co-op?

**WhiskeySix** · 01-07-2009 11:30 AM

Originally Posted by RandomGuy

I wonder why this isn't preferred whenever possible. Three survivors don't usually last long in versus.

Noobish question: Can you rescue survivors from closets in versus like you can in co-op?

Good thinking about killing one at a time... think your onto something here! In probably 3 out of 4 games I see played, the tank/team incaps 3 survivors only to have that one remaining guy save all three and all 4 make it to the safe room!

So maybe the most important tank tactic is actually a special infected tactic! Once the tank incap's a survivor, instead of going for the one's still running, have the hunter/boomer/smoker attack and permanently kill the downed player!

**Iamthefallen** · 01-07-2009 11:57 AM

Also keep in mind that every survivor you incap is reduced to pistol(s). The more you knock down, the fewer people shooting at you with big guns as you go back to finishing one off.

Interesting with L4D is that it's difficult to expand on tactics for any one class as you depend so heavily on the others. For example, after you have one knocked down, get the boomer in there to obstruct the rescue.

To continue the discussion: How do you utilize the tank well when the survivors are all holed up in a closet/corner/whatever with auto shotties?

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