Achievement Guide for Left 4 Dead

StyLeZ- has put together an comprehensive guide that lists all of the achievements in Left 4 Dead and the easiest ways to achieve them. He has also included the gamerscore for all you Xbox 360 players. Keep in mind that only 2.3% of players have obtained Nothing Special. For the complete breakdown of the percentage of players that have earned the different achievements, check out Valve's website.

Helping Hand 20

Revive 50 incapacitated Survivors.

When your health drops to zero, you’ll be incapacitated (immobilized on the ground) until a teammate revives you. While incapped, you will have a “bleed out” Health Bar that will slowly count down. If no teammates come to revive you, you will die.

When you see this, run up and hold to revive them. Repeat until you reach 50 revives. This will be shorter than you think. Playing on Expert with computer controlled survivors will get you quite a few revives.

This can be done very easily. At the start of No Mercy, just have a teammate fall off the buildings ledge and then just pull them back up. Rinse & repeat. It counts as a revive and you will unlock the achievement a lot faster than friendly firing your teammates.

Field Medic 20

Heal 25 Survivors with a first aid kit.

First aid kits can be picked up either at the beginning of levels, or in safe rooms. You can only carry one at a time. When a fellow survivor is hurt, heal them with your first aid kits. It’s cumulative, so it doesn’t have to be in one campaign.

Pharm-assist 20

Give pain pills to 10 Survivors.

Pain pills can be found lying around if you look hard enough. If you are near some, a pop-up on your screen should point you to their exact location. When a fellow survivor is hurt, equip the pain pills, then give them to your partners. Playing through any campaign will easily get you this achievement.

My Bodyguard 15

Protect any Survivor from an attacking Infected 50 times.

When a survivor is being attacked from the Infected, this is your chance to protect them. This can also be achieved if a survivor is incapacitated and lying on the ground being attacked. So if another survivor is getting attacked and you shoot the Infected, this is counted as protecting. It will come eventually as you play through the campaign.

Dead Stop 10

Punch a Hunter as he is pouncing.

If you see a hunter, right when he is about to pounce, just use a melee attack on him. If you don’t succeed the first time, there is plenty of Hunters to try again. Start up the No Mercy campaign on Easy on the Apartments, and once you get outside, there should be more than a few.

Crownd 30

Kill a Witch with a single headshot.

You’ll know if there’s a Witch nearby if you start hearing creepy crying. A witch will be lying on the ground, weeping into her hands. You must get her attention first. Just walk up and turn on your flashlight, she will look at you before standing up. The second she looks at you, shoot her head with the semi-auto shotgun.

Untouchables 30

No Survivors take damage after contacting the rescue vehicle.

At the end of a campaign, you need to call for a rescue vehicle in order to get out alive. Once you do so, a hoard of Infected will attack. Try and fend them off as much as possible, without anyone getting injured. An easy way would be to use a pipe bomb which will cause the Infected to be attracted to it, thus making it easier for you get away.

Drag and Drop & No Smoking Section 20/15

Rescue a Survivor from a Smoker's tongue before he takes damage/Kill 10 Smokers as they are pulling helpless Survivors.

Start a No Mercy campaign on Easy and begin in the Apartments. Once you get outside, there should be at least one Smoker waiting for the Survivors. Let one of the other Survivors be attacked and dragged by the Smoker’s tongue. Once this happens, instantly start shooting the Smoker until he drops the Survivor. If you play through the campaign, it should come pretty fast.

101 Cremations 20

Set 101 Infected on fire.

To set Infected on fire, you must throw a Molotov cocktail or Pipe-bomb at them. Molotov cocktails are recommended because they have a larger blast radius so this makes the achievement pretty easy. Also, look for gas cans that you can pick up and throw. Shoot the gas can to produce a large fire.

If you see a horde of Infected heading towards you, equip the molotov or pipe-bomb, and once you see a large amount of Infected, toss it into the middle of them . They will run right through the fire at you, setting themselves on fire in the process. If you threw a pipe-bomb, the explosion should set 10+ Infected on fire. You can find Molotov cocktails and pipe-bombs lying around on shelves and floors.

Blind Luck 20

You or another Survivor take no damage after being vomited on by a Boomer.

Start a No Mercy campaign on Easy and begin in the Apartments. Find a pipe-bomb and equip it. Continue through the level until you find a Boomer, and when you do, get close enough for him to vomit on you. Once he dies, throw the pipe-bomb. The pipe-bomb should distract the Infected away from you with just enough time for you to regain your vision.

Akimbo Assassin 30

Survive an entire campaign using only pistols.

Start the No Mercy campaign on Easy, and when you start, just don’t pick up a weapon. Punching, pipe-bombs, and molotovs don’t cancel out the achievement, so go ahead. This must be done in one sitting. You can't quit out and then continue from where you left off. This can be done with 3 other people who can shoot any weapon they want, just as long as you only fire pistols. You cannot use the minigun.

Hero Closet 10

Rescue a Survivor trapped in a closet.

During a campaign, if one of the survivors dies, they can come back if you rescue them from a closet. You should see a pop-up on your screen to rescue someone nearby. They appear as an orange outline on your screen.

Tongue Twister 20

Free yourself from a Smoker who has grabbed you with his tongue.

Start a No Mercy campaign on Easy and begin in the Apartments. Once you get outside, there should be at least one Smoker waiting for the Survivors. The second you are grabbed by a Smoker, it marks the only time you can free yourself by shooting him. Smokers have a green mist that follows them around, so they can easily be spotted. Just watch him until he shoots his tongue at you, then shoot him immediately.

Hunter Punter 10

Shove a Hunter off of a pinned and helpless Survivor.

When a Hunter pounces on a survivor, you will be alerted to save your fallen comrade. Just run up to the attacking Hunter and melee him off the survivor.

Do Not Disturb 20

Sneak past all Witches in a campaign without disturbing one.

Doing this with 3 other people is best because the computer controlled characters always shoot at the witch. Start on the No Mercy campaign on Easy, and if you start to hear crying, there is a witch nearby. Turn off your flashlights, and don’t fire a weapon or throw pipe bombs. You should see her lying on the ground, weeping in her arms. You must pass behind her, because she will see you if you walk right in front of her. Also, try not look at her.

Man vs Tank 30

Single-handedly kill a Tank.

I recommend doing this with three other players because the computer controlled players WILL shoot the Tank, which can result in the ruining of your achievement chances. They appear very randomly and you will feel them coming. When you do run into a Tank, tell your fellow survivors to let you take him one on one. It should take a few shotgun shots, but if you are playing on Normal, it won’t take long. Throwing a molotov on him will make his health go down very quickly also.

Tankbusters 20

Kill a Tank without it dealing any damage to a Survivor.

I recommend doing this with three other players so you don’t have to worry about the computer controlled characters getting hurt. They appear very randomly and you will feel them coming. When you do run into a Tank, just stay as far back as possible, but continue to shoot him. He should go down quickly on Easy if you have all players shooting.

Red Mist 20

Kill 1000 Infected with a mounted machine gun.

Mounted machine guns are usually at the very end of missions to protect you from the final horde of Infected. It’s cumulative, so you don’t have to get this in one campaign.

Campaigns and chapters with mounted machine guns:

No Mercy
Half-way point of the Subways
End of the Finale

Death Toll
Half-way point of the 4th chapter
End of the Finale

Dead Air
End of the Finale

Unbreakable 30

Finish a campaign without ever being healed.

You must make it through the entire campaign without healing yourself or be healed with a med kit. You can use pain pills. Try and stay back while the other survivors kill all the Infected. Don’t worry if you become incapacitated or killed, it won’t count as being healed.

If you play with the AI, they might run up and heal you without you knowing. If you do start getting healed by them, just equip a medpack or pain pills and they will stop.

No-one Left Behind 20

Beat a campaign with all four Survivors.

Begin the No Mercy campaign on Easy. Everyone must survive the last horde of Infected and make it into the rescue vehicle to get this achievement. This must be done in one sitting. You can't quit out and then continue from where you left off.

Safety First 30

Play an entire campaign with no Survivors taking friendly fire damage.

This can easily be done on Easy in single player. Because the three other survivors are computer controlled, they will rarely shoot another survivor by accident. As long as you can control your own fire, you should be able to get this achievement with no trouble. This achievement can only be done on one go.

Witch Hunter 20

Kill a Witch without any Survivor taking damage from her.

See "Crowned." You should unlock this one also whilst doing that.

Pyrotechnician 20

Blow up 20 Infected in a single explosion.

This is easily achieved by starting up the No Mercy campaign and beginning in the Subway. If you look around, you should be able to find a pipe-bomb. Equip the pipe-bomb, and once you see a large amount of Infected, toss it into the middle of them. The noise from the pipe-bomb attracts the Infected, so it should draw a lot more after you throw it.

Zombie Genocidest 20

Kill 53,595 Infected.

Playing through the entire game on Easy should net you quite a few kills. Good thing it’s cumulative, so you don’t have to get this all in one sitting.

Stand Tall 20

Survive a campaign without being incapacitated.

When your health drops to zero, you’ll be incapacitated (immobilized on the ground) until a teammate revives you. While incapped, you will have a “bleed out” Health Bar that will slowly count down. If no teammates come to revive you, you will die. Start up the No Mercy campaign on Easy and try your best to kill off all the Infected. You can heal yourself as much as you want, so don’t worry. This must be done in one sitting, so you can't quit out and then continue from where you left off.

Nothing Special 30

Survive a campaign with no Survivors taking damage from Special Infected.

You will probably need four good players for this. Play any campaign, one that you all want to practice. I believe Blood Harvest to be easiest. Rush, and move swiftly whilst staying close together, especially when Hunters, Smokers, and Tanks are nearby. Spam melee attacks when Hunters and Smokers are nearby to hit the hunter or your ally to release them quick enough to avoid damage.

Smokers grabbing you will not do damage until he is next to you or traps you against an object. Hunters don't do damage until a little after they pounce you. Boomers can only damage you by melee attacks which doesn't happen often. Tanks damage you through melee attacks or thrown objects. Kill them by having everyone shoot at him quickly. Molotovs help. Make sure to use pipebombs and molotovs to keep infected away or else they will flank you and trap you so the tank will hit you. Witches can be avoided or killed with the shotgun, your parties choice. When they run past someone and stun them, it does not count.

Normal infected damage after being vomited/exploded on does not count against this achievement.

Burn the Witch 10

Light a Witch with a Molotov

Start the No Mercy campaign on Easy and choose the Subway.

A witch will be lying on the ground, weeping into her hands, which should be a good time throw the Molotov.

Equip the Molotov, then throw it at her. Once she is lit on fire, be prepared to be attacked by her afterword.

What Are You Trying to Prove? & Zombicidal Maniac 35/30

Survive all campaigns on Expert/Survive any campaign on Expert.

Get a good team of survivors up with three other players and try to go through each campaign. Don’t worry if you die. As long as one person gets into the last safe room of each chapter, you're good to go. Staying together is the best advice I can give. This does NOT have to be done in one sitting. Although, each individual campaign must be done in one sitting.

Towering Inferno 10

Light a Tank with a Molotov.

Start the No Mercy campaign on Easy and choose the Subway. Wait for him to stand still for a second, then equip the Molotov and throw it at him. Once he is lit on fire, the achievement will be unlocked.

Spinal Tap 10

Kill an Infected with a single blow from behind.

The Infected can be killed easily from behind by punching them. Just as long as they don’t know you’re there, of course. Start up the No Mercy campaign from the Apartments. It’s easier here because the first Infected you run into doesn't attack right away. Just run up behind one and use your melee attack right in the back of the head.

Stomach Upset 20

All Survivors complete a campaign without being vomited on.

Start the No Mercy campaign on Easy. I recommend doing this with three other players so you don’t have to worry about the computer controlled characters getting vomited on. You must be careful when turning corners as there may be a Boomer waiting for you. They only take one shot from a shotgun to kill, so use it wisely.

Brain Salad 15

Make 100 headshot kills.

At the beginning of a campaign, grab the Uzi. It will make it a lot easier to gain headshots over the shotgun. It’s cumulative, so you don’t have to get them all in one sitting.

Mercy Killer 15

Survive the No Mercy campaign.

Just complete the campaign. This can be done on any difficulty.

This must be done in one sitting. You can't quit out and then continue from where you left off.

Jump Shot 20

Headshot a Hunter while he's leaping.

If you see a hunter right when he is about to pounce, just shoot his head clean off with either the Uzi or Assault rifle. If you don’t succeed the first time, there is plenty of Hunters to try again. He doesn't have to be killed from the headshot. As long as one bullet hits him in mid-pounce, it will count. Start up the No Mercy campaign on the Apartments on Easy, and once you get outside, there should be more than a few.

Back 2 Help 20

Leave a safe room to save an incapped teammate and bring them back safely.

At the beginning/end of each chapter, there are safe houses. They are filled with ammo and first aid kits. This must be done at the end of a chapter. Start up the No Mercy campaign on Advanced and start in the Apartments. When you reach the safe house at the end, enter and then leave it. Then, just wait until someone becomes incapacitated. Once this happens, kill the remaining Infected, save them. Then, both of you need to return to the safe room and close the door behind you.

Dead Baron 15

Survive the Dead Air campaign.

Just complete the campaign. This can be done on any difficulty. This must be done in one try. You can't quit out and then continue from where you left off.

Ground Cover 30

Save another Survivor from a Special Infected while on the ground.

The easiest Special Infected that can be used to save a survivor while incapacitated is the Smoker. Once you are incapacitated, look around to see if any fellow survivors are being attacked by a Smoker, or any other Special Infected. Just continue shooting your pistol(s) until you know he’s dead.

Toll Collector 15

Survive the Death Toll campaign.

Just complete the campaign. This can be done on any difficulty. This must be done in one sitting. You can't quit out and then continue from where you left off.

Grim Reaper 15

Survive the Blood Harvest campaign.

Just complete the campaign. This can be done on any difficulty. This must be done in one sitting. You can't quit out and then continue from where you left off.

Clean Kill 10

Shove a Boomer and then kill him without him splashing on anyone.

Start a No Mercy campaign on Easy and begin in the Apartments. When you see a Boomer, run up to him and shove him, then shoot him once with a shotgun to kill him. Remember to make sure none of the other survivors are nearby to get splashed on.

Big Drag 20

Drag a Survivor 100 feet with your tongue.

In versus mode, you must be on the Special Infected team. The Director will randomly choose what Special Infected you spawn as, but you will be able to choose where to spawn. Once the Director chooses you as the Smoker, spawn as far away from the Survivors at that time. This will give you plenty of time to find the perfect spot to drag someone over 100 feet.

When you have found a good position and see the survivors are a good distance away, line up a shot and press to perform your Tongue Snare attack. Once you have caught someone, just try ti stay out of the line of fire long enough for your tongue to come back with a little treat at the end. This must be done on the same level as the survivors, because you can't drag the survivors up buildings.

Chain Smoker 20

Constrict two Survivors in one life as a Smoker.

In versus mode, you must be on the Special Infected team. The Director will randomly choose what Special Infected you spawn as, but you will be able to choose where to spawn. Once the Director chooses you as the Smoker, spawn as far away from the Survivors at that time. This will give you plenty of time to find a spot to constrict the two survivors. After you have grabbed a survivor, the survivor has to make it all the way back to you for you to completely constrict them, thus killing them.

When you have found a good position to attack, line up a shot and press to perform your Tongue Snare attack. Once you have caught someone, just try to stay out of the line of fire long enough for your tongue to come back with a little treat at the end.

Barf Bagged 20

Cover four Survivors with Boomer bile at once.

In versus mode, you must be on the Special Infected team and be selected as the Boomer. Try and hide right around a corner so that all four survivors are covered with your vomit once they turn the corner. Press to perform your Vomit Attack. This has to be in one shot so make it worth it.

Double Jump 20

Pounce two different Survivors in one life as a Hunter.

In versus mode, you must be on the Special Infected team and be selected as the Hunter. In order for you to pounce, you need to be in your primary attack position. Once you do this, you can pounce on an unsuspecting survivor. Then claw your survivor to death. Once the survivor is dead, you can pounce again.

All 4 Dead 30

Kill all four Survivors in one life while playing as a Tank.

In versus mode, you must be on the Special Infected team and selected as the Tank. The Tank is a very strong and powerful Infected. You can take many hits which should make it easy for you to kill the Survivors. You can throw and hit them, either way this should be a walk in the park. You only have to incapacitate all four survivors, and you don't have to completely kill each survivor. Knocking a car into the Survivors will incapacitate them usually in one hit.

Dead Wreckening 20

Dole out 5000 total Survivor damage as a Special Infected.

In versus mode, you must be on the Special Infected team. The Boomer doles out the most damage in the quickest time because every hoard you attract counts as damage from you. This is cumulative, so it doesn’t have to be in one match.

Lamb 2 Slaughter 20

As an Infected, incapacitate a Survivor who has entered and left a safe room. In versus mode, you must be on the Special Infected team. A survivor must enter a safe room, then leave it after for this to count. Once you spawn as the Special Infected, try and get to the very end of the level. This could only work if they entered and exited the safe room at the end of the chapter.