Left 4 Dead Versus Preview – Smoker, Boomer, Tank
Smoker
The Smoker is the indirect fighter. His primary attack fires out his tongue and drags a Survivor towards him. He then proceeds to either hang the Survivor or, if he’s pulled in completely, he beats the crap out of them. When the Smoker is killed, he releases a cloud of smoke. The smoke is mostly just a namesake now, and is little more than an annoyance. Still, it may make the Survivors think twice about where they kill you.
The Smoker does best when on top of buildings, because he can choke Survivors while still keeping some cover from the rooftops. The Survivors will likely try to break the tongue first, rather than kill you, so you have a good chance to escape. His main role, however, is separation. Yanking one Survivor away from the others can create a great opening for your other teammates to strike. An easy strategy is to use the Smoker to pull a victim in towards an awaiting Boomer. The Smoker is less mobile than the Hunter, however, and his primary attack takes several seconds to begin doing damage. His attack can be broken by melee on the choked Survivor, shooting the Survivor, doing enough damage to the Smoker, killing the Smoker, or meleeing the Smoker.
Another tip for Smoker players – make sure you’re accurate. As many of you that tried out the boss Infected using cheats in the demo found out, the recharge time on the tongue is quite long.
Boomer
The Boomer has never done well in community polls, but I think players will warm up to him pretty quick. The Boomer’s primary attack is his projectile vomit, which has a surprisingly long range and acts like a disgusting fire hose. While spraying, you can change your aim and possibly cover all four Survivors. Once vomited on, the Survivor is nearly blind and a whole ton of Infected will be coming to rip into the poor sap. When the Boomer is killed, he explodes in a magnificent display of blood and bile, covering anyone nearby in the same vomit.
The Boomer is absolutely vital in the success of an Infected team. While the other two bosses wait for a good opening to strike, the Boomer makes that opening. The instant the Boomer lands his vomit, the Survivors are forced to cope with an onslaught of zombies. The Boomer can either lie in wait for the Survivors, catching them by surprise, or he can attack from above. In one playthrough, I was able to vomit three times in a row before I was finally killed, simply by sticking to a couple low rooftops.
Tank
When the Tank spawns, the Director assigns a player to the role based on their performance so far. You do not get to choose your spawn. The Tank is the greatest challenge for Survivors in Left 4 Dead, and can be either deadly or no problem at all depending on which player is controlling him. His primary attack is a massive punch that can send players flying. His secondary forces him to stop, rip out a hunk of ground, and lob it at some skulls. The Tank has a frustration meter that ticks down whenever a Survivor is not in view. When this meter goes down, the player loses control of the Tank.
The Tank is not Superman. He needs help from this Infected buddies to do well. Cause whatever distraction you can to let your Tank close in on someone. If the Tank dies and no Survivor has been killed, your team just missed their biggest opportunity.
