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C4m2 sugarmill a
Chapter 2
The Sugar Mill
Campaign Hard Rain
Hard Rain Chapter Chronology
Chapter 1
The Milltown
Chapter 2
The Sugar Mill
Chapter 3
Mill Escape
"Nick, have you ever seen this many Witches? Ho-lee shit."
Ellis
"Dang. Bitches must like sugar."
Coach
For the actual in-game sugar mill, see Ducatel Sugar Company.

The Sugar Mill is the second chapter in the Hard Rain campaign. After finding out that the Ducatel Gas Bar was out of fuel and a sign redirected the Survivors to another gas station, they arrive at the Ducatel Sugar Mill. With the road to the station blocked, they are forced to enter the sugar mill to reach the gas station.

This level is considered one of the hardest in Left 4 Dead 2, as many Witches appear on this level; rather than the typical 1-2 in other levels, anywhere from 10-15 can spawn in this level. This is due to the plentiful amount of sugar, to which the Witch is attracted. As a result, first aid kits and defibrillators are often used. The Director is also very picky when it comes to weapon choices, as it often hands out tier 1 weapons which are typically ineffective against Witches.

The Crescendo event in this chapter is calling the elevator to take you down to a sugar cane field.

Strategy[]

Also see: Tactics

All campaign walkthroughs are done on Normal difficulty in single player, and are meant to give tips on what to do and generally point out things that might otherwise be missed.

There are, of course, a few key things to always remember:

  • Stop, look, and listen.
    • Being observant might alert you to something nasty ahead of time, like a Witch, Special Infected or Tank, and allow you to prepare yourself.
  • Teamwork.
    • This cannot be stressed enough. Left 4 Dead is supposed to be a cooperative game. Communicate with your teammates, if you're playing with others, or if you're by yourself with the AI, point out things they might otherwise miss. In all cases, watch out for each other and take care of each other. You are not going to survive the zombie apocalypse by yourself.
  • Be ready for anything.
  • Don't panic.

Don't be deceived - it may be a sugar mill, but there's nothing sweet about it. Get through it with your limbs intact, and don't step on any Witches!


Campaign[]

C4m2 sugarmill a0001

Ducatel Sugar Co. entrance

You start in the safe room. Grab what the Director provides, but grab the Health packs in the cabinet first as those will respawn when you come back. On the table there is a scoped rifle (Hunting or Sniping). There is also a Tier 2 Automatic Rifle and Shotgun in the table. Nearby on the shelves are some throwables and temporary healing items (Pain pills or Adrenaline Shots). One random melee weapon spawns near the weapons.

Hordes spawn from behind the team rather than the front for balancing reasons.

If the team has not started from the previous level, the Director tends to spawn both an explosive and incendiary ammo pack in the small storage room that typically contains a single propane tank.

Clear the small yard and head into the first building. It has several rescue closets and often hides a few items. Make your way out of the building and continue along the main path; if a Witch does not appear here, then one will in the next area. Enter another small building; the table often contains an item to be used. Carefully fire your shots as several Witches are almost always guaranteed in this area. A safer way is to climb the ladders to the right and jump onto the sugar tanks on the other side via the railing. This cuts through any Witches below the team, though there is a risk of Smokers dragging Survivors off for heavy damage.

Near the second set of ladders is a door which contains a worker's locker room. This area houses another rescue closet and often various items in the two rooms.

At the other end of this area is a small office trailer containing several weapons, and occasionally several other items on the table across it.

Turn around the bend to encounter more Infected; a melee weapon is recommended here, as there tends to be several Witches on the other side. At that end of the area are two sheds; a ruined one containing a propane tank and another which serves as a rescue closet. Go up the ramp and drop down to another area.

Teams should be careful in this area, as there are more Witches and Smokers tend to be problematic by dragging players from mostly inaccessible areas. Another rescue closet can be found here along with an office trailer containing weapons. Both of these areas may have several items in them.

Once the area is sufficiently cleared, a large opening awaits Survivors along with more Witches. Creep your way towards the building to the left, as all of the Infected loiter around near the sugar tanks. Another office trailer can be found next to the run-down building which contains weapons, items and another rescue closet. Head into the building as quickly as possible and reach the top floor to prevent hordes from temporarily spawning. The Tank tends to idle about on the top floor, so if he is heard, remain on the middle and flush him out.

When the building is finally cleared, look at the sugar cane field and spot for any Witches. It's recommended to take them out now rather than later as the field greatly reduces accuracy and increases the chance of stray shots startling Witches. Only one half of the field can be seen, but that is fine as even just reducing the Witches by half is extremely helpful.

Search the two sheds for any items. Be careful of a Witch spawn here. Go up the ramp and then down to the final part of the building. Take the safest path as several Witches spawn here. Once you leave the building, you will end up in a sugar tank area where water is starting to pool. Get to the building on the other side, and climb up the three floors. Hordes come via the path you took to get in. A Tank may spawn in the building, though he is usually on the top floor.

Sugar Mill elevator

The elevator

Before starting the Crescendo, spot and startle any Witches in the field. This prevents you from startling them after the event where there is almost no chance of survival if one is startled when you are down on the field. There are three Infected "ladders"; the Witches climb the one closest to you, though they will use others if multiple Witches are startled. A scoped rifle is perfect for spotting and startling the Witches. If none can be seen, a Grenade Launcher, if one is in possession of the Survivors, can be used to startle Witches from the gas station, though they often aren't a threat.

C4m2 sugarmill a0009

Witches are very difficult to spot in the cane field

Once all Witches visible in the first part of the field are cleared, start the Crescendo. Infected attack from three areas; rushing from the field, the staircase the team used or a pipe nearby. If you stay near the elevator area, you won't have to worry with Infected attacking from behind if you've cleared the field already. Throw a Molotov at the stairway if the team has one; most of the Infected will burn, leaving you with those trying to climb up via the pipe. They can be easily gunned down. Most Special Infected will typically reach the team by climbing the pipe. Don't stray too far to the ledge though, or you risk having a Smoker drag you off the ledge.

Tip: The Crescendo can be skipped by using a propane or oxygen tank's explosion as soon as a Survivor jumps off and shoots the propane tank (or oxygen tank in advance) before they land down. This will result in explosive damage, but jumping straight off will result in instant death. Skilled players may opt to use the elevator frame to lower themselves down. Bots will automatically teleport to the lead Survivor after some time has passed.

Once the Crescendo ends, use the elevator to get back down. A final shed serves as a supply depot of sorts and sometimes as a rescue closet. Down in the field, make your way to the gas station which is at the other end of the field. Be wary that there will most likely be a few remaining Witches at the gas station in addition to a potential Tank if one has not spawned yet. Make your way into the safe room and close the door to start the next chapter, Mill Escape.

Tip: As a way to conserve health kits, if anyone is near death by the time they reach the safe room, kill them. When the next chapter starts they will return with 100 health, saving 1-3 health kits for later use if the team is struggling during the next chapter.

Versus[]

The Survivors[]

With humans controlling the Special Infected, things can only get harder. However, they can't spawn until you leave the safe room. That doesn't mean that you should let them form up and make a plan though! Hurry up and get your supplies, and get running!

The Infected[]

See also: The Special Infected

The Survivors are making their way through the Sugar Mill, it's time to take them down. Work together and make sure they succumb to this nasty infection, one way or the other.

Overall Tips

  • Survivors that have been separated from their teammates are significantly more vulnerable to attack than Survivors that are in groups. Make an effort to attack Survivors that are far from their teammates, as you will be able to deal significant damage before they are saved and you are killed.
  • The Survivors all have outlines around them, showing their status and location. Green means they're healthy. Yellow means they're hurt. Red means they're low on health. Purple means they've been covered in Boomer bile. You can probably discern which to seek out first, if possible.
  • Think like a Survivor. When you play as one, when are the worst times that something could come at you? Exploit that knowledge.
  • Teamwork, as aforementioned. Has a Boomer gotten its bile all over the Survivors? Jump one of them or a clean one. They can't see their teammates' aura until they're clean...and by then it might be too late.
  • As much as teamwork is a strength for you and your enemies, a lack of it will be their downfall. If you can focus all of your energy on killing one of the Survivors, the rest will be that much easier to take down. Not only will they have one less gun, but they will have three Survivors to your three incapacitating Infected.


Survival[]

See also: Survival Mode

The Survivors see a Gas Station that possibly contains the fuel they need, but their hopes are short-lived when the elevator they use gets stuck. With a large horde of never ending Infected coming their way, how long can they last?

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.


Achievements[]

Sob story
SOB STORY (30G)
Navigate the sugar mill and reach the safe room without killing any Witches.


Notes[]

  • The Witch music that lets you know that she's nearby usually gets glitched in this level. Often, the only way you can hear the music is if you are too close to one, rather than hearing the music that you are getting close to one and then hearing the intense music when you're too close. This is probably because the Witch music would be playing constantly otherwise. The music, however, will not glitch in Versus because of the lack of Witches.
  • For balancing reasons, there are fewer Witches (four to five) in Versus mode. However, Sob Story CANNOT be obtained in Versus, due to the fact players would be able to get the achievement faster.
  • The Sugar Mill was supposed to be demolished; however, there is no demolition equipment to be found in the area. There are, however, portable toilets and trucks suggesting at least that crews, the Worker Infected, had arrived and were setting up before being infected.
  • It is possible for a Charger to ram players into the sugar cane field. If the Charger is killed, the Crescendo event will start. Jockeys are also able to do this, but only if the player is not resisting. If a Jockey does manage to ride a player down, the player will die instantly. Rarely, a Smoker in the sugar cane field can pick and pull a player down into the field. If the player/bot gets incapacitated by the Charger, another bot will teleport to them to get them back up.
  • At the gas station, a Witch or two may get stuck at the car wreck. They will be unable to move unless they are startled.
    • If all players are in the safe room, Special Infected that spawn can get stuck behind the sign. This doesn't apply to all of them though.
  • This is the easiest way to get the The Quick and the Dead Achievement due to the many Witches and ease of getting bots to startle them.
  • Defibrillators spawn frequently on this level, due to the amount of Witches present on this level. This can help get the Shock Jock achievement, especially on Expert and Realism mode (except Realism Easy) since Witches will kill the person who startled them in one hit.
  • In the heavy machinery area (with the raised trailer), the upper level is blocked by an invisible wall preventing Survivors from utilizing them; Infected can still use them as normal.
  • If Nick or Rochelle spots the sugar cane field first, they will mistakenly call it a wheat farm. Ellis will correct them shortly afterwards.
  • If any players die and are not rescued when Mill Escape starts, they will return with 100 (full) health rather than the typical 50 (half). This is done due to the storm and flooding that occurs in the next levels.
  • Cars appears in this chapter, however cars strangely disappears when playing the next chapter Mill Escape. Maybe unknown survivors drove their cars to safety or a tank punched or thrown cars while the survivors where in the safe room inside Ducatel Diesel.
  • As of The Last Stand Community Update, the Survivors will whisper when reloading while within the Sugar Mill, due to the presence of multiple Witches.
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