Editor’s note: This is yet another in a long list of kick ass Sarcastic Gamer Survival Guides. If you want to check out the other ones in the series, click here for our list of guides for games like GTA IV, Call of Duty 4, Gears of War 2 and Far Cry 2, among others.

Ok, so you’ve picked up Left 4 Dead.  You’re ready to chew bubble gum and kick zombie ass, except you’re all out of bubble gum…. Right?  Or are you getting your ass handed to you on the normal difficult setting?

Left 4 Dead is an amazing, exhilirating experience that can also be frustrating on the higher difficulty levels.  I’ve got some answers for you.  I’ll give you five tips, after the jump to ease your way into Zombie Genocide.

While some may think that Left 4 Dead is a straight up shoot whatever moves kind of game, there is a bit of finesse involved, especially at the higher difficulty levels.  Here’s five things you can do to stay alive longer and get farther into the game faster.

1. Let the guys with the shotguns go first.  If you let the guys with the Uzi’s go first, you’ll inevitably get shot in the back by the guys with the shotguns, because of the larger spread of fire from the shottys.  Let the shottys go first, then snipe with the Uzis…

2. Don’t shoot the Hunter’s after they’ve taken a teammate down.  I know you want to get the guy off your buddy as fast as possible, but inevitably, you end up shooting the hunter and your teammate, hastening his death, instead of preventing it.  Shove the hunter then shoot it.  Shoving it will knock it off your buddy and then the Hunter will be stunned, allowing you to blast it in the face at point blank range.  There’s an achievement for shoving Hunters too, which is extra incentive to not shoot your teammate…

3. Boomers and Smokers work together.  Where there’s a Smoker, there will be a Boomer.  Keep your eyes peeled for the smoke or the guttoral sounds of the Boomer as signature tell-tale signs that they’re around.

4. When fending off a Horde attack, have two teammates kneel down and keep the other two standing.  First, this ensures less teamkilling, as you’ll shoot over your buddies head, instead of through it. Second, it allows you to concentrate more firepower in one immediate area when the rush begins.  Third, it keeps you from getting separated in the firefight.

5. With a four man team, one guy should always pick up a hunting rifle.  I know that they’re not really that effective against individual zombies, but they’re great weapons for picking off Smokers, Hunters and Boomers from a nice, safe distance.  The second benefit of the hunting rifle is that the bullet will travel through multiple zombies at once, which is perfect for the Horde rushes you’ll face throughout each scenario.  Finally, the hunting rifle is the BEST weapon against the Tank zombie.  Don’t take my word for it, this comes straight from Valve, who gave us this advice when playing the game at PAX and Quakecon.

Well, there you have it, now, get some buddies together and face the Zombie Apocalypse, from the comfort of your livingroom.

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