Coal Freighter

Chapter 1 Coal Freighter
Campaign	Dam It
Dam It Chapter Chronology
Chapter 1 Coal Freighter Chapter 2 Highrise

Coal Freighter is a map featured exclusively in Survival Mode as part of the unfinished campaign, Dam It. The map does not appear in the main campaign itself. The map consists of the top deck of a coal freighter ship, with weapons, ammo and items such as pipe bombs available on the deck. For every couple of minutes that the team survives, a new hatch opens up on the main deck, which drops down into a cargo hold. It becomes increasingly difficult for Survivors to remain on the top deck without falling in as more hatches begin to open.

Gameplay

As with a map such as The Lighthouse, the only goal is to survive for as long as possible, rather than reaching a safe room or gathering gas cans as with Scavenge Mode. The Survivors have as much time as they want to set up before flipping a switch on the top deck to trigger the horde. As such, it is impossible to survive indefinitely, and the round must always end with the death of all Survivors.

Survival

See also: Survival Mode

The Survivors have found their way onto a large coal freighter in the hopes of getting it started. They flip the breaker switch, but it becomes very clear that the only thing they've managed to do is alert the endless horde. How long can they hold out?

Overall Tips

• Teamwork is essential to long-term survival.
• In this mode, most of the popular choke points, closets and easily defensible corners are removed. Even if you find one that has not been removed, it is not recommended that you fight from there as The Tank will quickly defeat you when he arrives.
• You have an infinite amount of time to prepare. Use this to your advantage. Take as much time as you need to set up gas cans, propane tanks, oxygen tanks, and to find a good place to fight from.
• When searching for a place to fight from, remember that you need a location that not only limits where the horde attacks from, but also gives you a fair chance against the Tank. You either need to be able to fall back and deal with the Tank easily, or have a good enough vantage point to kill him before he can get too close.
• Ammunition is a problem. Unless you are being overrun with Infected or fighting a Tank, try to use your pistols as much as possible. Conserving ammunition should be a priority, as trying to get more during a horde attack can often be fatal. When you do head out for ammunition, remember to take at least one teammate with you.

Gallery

"SOS" written on the top deck.

Other boats burning in the distance.

Zoey and Louis on deck.

The Survivors fighting on the top deck.

Graves in the cargo hold.

Corpse with a live flare

Training dummies and targets

Below deck

Side view of the ship

Notes

• This map, along with Highrise, does not appear anywhere in the main campaign, Dam It.
  • It is worth noting that the maps do not even seem to be related to the campaign, as neither a coal freighter nor a city skyscraper appears in the campaign.
• On the main deck, "SOS" is written. This is a universally acknowledged distress signal which stands for "save our souls".
• There are training dummies and targets towards the bow of the ship. Considering it's a coal freighter, it implies that some Survivors have been there long enough to set up a base of sorts.
  • There are also graves below deck, in the cargo hold.
• Beyond the training dummies, at the very front of the ship, is a dead body with a live flare.
  • The implication may be that the corpse was the original Survivor living on the ship, and the main Survivors were drawn in by the flare.
• Somehow, the map shared many resemblances or similarities to The Sacrifice, hinting its connection.
  • The map has inaccessible railroad access atop the freighter (which can be explored with NoClip). Inspecting the railroad further, you will find similarity to the railroad of The Docks.
  • The map shared similar assets of the coal freighter's itself, burning boats, and many ships which you may found at The Sacrifice.
    • Although, the coal freighter in The Barge lack of pulley contraptions unlike the one in this map.
  • You may find the half-sunken Saint Lidia II ship floated somewhere adjacent the coal freighter.
  • The sky box and lighting used in this map very similar to The Barge.
• By using Noclip, you may find undetailed view of a town when you are exploring the inaccessible railroad. Close inspection to the town structures you may find similarities to Dead Air especially The Greenhouse and The Crane chapters and The Sacrifice especially The Docks chapter.
• Community members have fixed and ported Coal Freighter to Left 4 Dead 2 via the Steam Workshop.