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I’ll admit it, then… the Hunter is my favorite Special Infected class. He’s the most awesome, most dangerous, most difficult (to play well), and most awesome. He rains death from above, leaping from rooftop to rooftop, focused on nothing but ripping out and eating the hearts, pancreas and livers of the survivors. I ain’t afraid of no gagging, burping Boomer, or sickly wheezing Smoker. They’re chumps. I may be afraid when I hear the the rumbling and growls of the Tank, or when I hear the creepy, mysterious sobs and shrieks of the Witch, but the thing that would run me into the ground is that growl. That feeling of unease, the bacteria sting cue, and horror as I frantically look around, searching for any open paths he could use to get to me. Then, that horrible scream, and then a pale hooded figure on me. On fire.
Oh yes, interesting fact; the Hunter’s attack music is called “Exenteration.” One of my favorite tracks and one of the best ones.

So, here’s a few fun facts about our local infected gangster wannabe.

#1. Spy ’round here.
Generally, you prefer to attack loners/rambos. Preferably one who is far far away, or where their teammates will no longer be able to reach. Such an example is the hole in the floor in No Mercy, if one person is far enough in. Obviously, this doesn’t happen much, if at all, amongst the best players, but it does occur somewhat regularly in pub games.
At all other times, you generally prefer to have the Survivors in a wide open area, with lots of different heights and obstacles. This increases survivability and gives you a whole lot of options.

#2. Prancin’ aboot wif yer head full ‘o eyeballs!
He has the most mobility of any Infected, and it is up to you to use that advantage to attack from where the Survivors least expect. I’ve climbed many a building lately to ridiculous heights, to pounce from somewhere so obscure and hard to see that they can’t possibly respond. Not without Carlos Hathcock or an aimbot, anyway. Sure, it takes a great skill, but this can be learned. And this is one of the most effective tactics employable.

So, here are some carelessly put together screenshots of some of my favorite pouncing places in No Mercy. These are not ALL the good attack spots there are. There are quite a few more, in fact, but I didn’t get an opportunity to shoot them. I’ll post the rest if people want them, though. Blood Harvest too.
1) Red denotes attack paths, although they’re certainly not the only possibilities.
2) Yellow would be the way I usually get there.
3) Notes are in green.
4) Whited out names are to protect the innocent and the retarded.
Also note some really high places have missing textures, non-colliding objects and invisible walls, which indicates that you were never meant to be there in the first place. >=D

As such, he is the only class that can guarantee you a chunk of damage (25 at most, unless you knock someone off a ledge, in which case it maxes out at 75) with one attack, before the Survivors can respond. Think about it. A Smoker can be denied anything if another Survivor merely melees his teammate; a Boomer horde can be fought off without any damage (especially people who hole up well); the Tank can be molotov’d and have the Survivors run away; the Witch isn’t controllable, and thus someone can just walk up behind her and shoot here in the head. I’m not saying these are all that happen, but they require response from the Survivors, and the really good Survivors will work it out without much trouble. With a powerful pounce, you’re guaranteed 25 damage at least, before they can even knock you off. And if they’re not as good as I’ve stated above, well, more for you to munch on, eh? Plus the bonus of being the ONLY class that can keep absolutely quiet. Just don’t crouch prematurely. You may be a little harder to hit, but unless you’re far away, you’re just giving the game away.

#3. Everyone, I am on fire!
More general Hunter strategies include setting yourself on fire, which does more damage when you’re on a Survivor. I’m not sure of the rate of damage, but it’s at least 1.5 times faster when compared to simple pounces. So, if a survivor just threw a molotov, take a look around for good positions. You may be able to pull off a trick or two.
If not, you can use background fire to light yourself! The damned city, countryside, airport, and small towns are sure to have some fire burning somewhere, whether caused by damage, natural, set-up to keep people warm, or otherwise. Jump into a trash can, a burning gas tanker, broken cables, whatever. Then go kill kill kill!

#4. W + M1 backburner ftw! Well, kinda.
Here’s a useful part of maps; the “climbing out of a hole” ladder. Available in No Mercy’s Level 3 - The Sewers and Finale - The Rooftop, pouncing people who are just about to come in and pushing them back in does some serious damage. You push them back in, which is considered “off a ledge,” and this could land you more than the usual 25 damage cap. Timing is important, but if you pull it off, you get the damage, plus whatever extra you have from pushing the survivors back. These chokepoints come highly recommended from your doctor with a dose of Boomer bile.

#5. Francis fell to a clumsy, painful death…
Here’s a big variant on the above. Remember in the gallery when I said that some spots could land you a hanging survivor off a ledge? Practice doing that. “But wait!” you say. “They could just kill me and pull them back up!”

Alright, then. Here’s an obscure tactic in Left 4 Dead. I don’t know how many of you know this, but it sure could help. Whenever a survivor has been pushed off a ledge, whether it be from a Boomer explosion, a Smoker drag, a Tank punch, or a Hunter pounce knockback, go and melee them. You see where I’m going with this, of course. And yes. This will immediately make them fall. Some will damage them, some will not. Some may incap them, but some are highly lethal, like in the construction zone of the interior of No Mercy.

Alright, perhaps it’s a little uncommon to get such an opportunity. That’s all the more reason to take it! In fact, planning an attack around this could prove very useful, and very fatal for the enemy team. I’ve only ever tried this twice, as Smoker, but it works, and it works well when effectively pulled off.

But most of all…

Just have fun! One thing I really hate about Left 4 Dead is the ragequitters. And really, I don’t get them completely. Sure, we’re losing, but I’m having fun! Pouncin’ about, exploding on people, snagging someone into fire. And then, shooting Boomers when they’re jumping from the roof, waiting 15 seconds for someone to knock the Hunter off me, and getting downed by a car in the alley of No Mercy Level 1 - The Apartments. It’s all good, win or lose, and I can honestly say that my performance improves the more I’m having a good time. Now go play some Left 4 Dead while we wait for these slackers to post another article. XD

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