Zombicidal

Oh, so you’re too good for a normal zombocalypse, huh? Only the crème de la crème zombocalypse will do for you. Well, if you aim to be a zombicidal zealot with a penchant for pain, listen up! We’ll teach you how to grind through enough undead scourge to put a tear in dear ol’ Ted’s eye.

Expert for Dummies

Now that you’ve decided you’re going to venture into Expert, you should pay attention to what has changed and how those changes affect your gameplay. The major difference is that everything hurts a lot more, but you would be surprised how much this mathematical change should affect your strategies and mindset if you wish to survive (which I imagine you do).

Expert Strategies will start with some difficulty-specific gameplay concepts. Some of these will also be appropriate for Advanced difficulty.

You may also check the Campaigns section for detailed walkthroughs. These are targeted for Expert difficulty, since even your mother could get through many of them on easier difficulties. Please note that these strategies are designed to get you through the campaigns without the use of exploits, which may be fixed at any time. I may make note of known exploits, but you should use them at your own risk. Exploits are a crutch that will cripple you in the future.

Whoa, Slow Down, Ace! (An Appeal/Warning)

Ideally, you should be experienced with Normal/Advanced gameplay before proceeding to Expert. You are free to be adventurous and dive in, but remember that your teammates are relying on you to not only hold your own as a quarter of the team, but also to avoid fucking up. Left 4 Dead is unlike any other game in that the cooperative gameplay is truly reliant on every member. Even three veteran Experts will be wiped by one dumb, overeager player who doesn’t know how to shoot straight and when to throw Molotovs, at which point they will decide that the fratricidal member of the team is better off lying dead, lead-ridden, on the infertile earth.

So, please, be prepared before you start playing at this level. Many players will be glad to help you patiently when you’re truly ready. When you do start playing Expert, please try to learn from your teammates and adjust to the new playing style. Often, what makes you the star in the credits in Normal will get you and your friends killed in Expert.