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Tactics Death Traps on the Maps

The_Heavy

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Dec 24, 2009
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Greetings


I just want to make some kind of "compilation" with the most evil death traps in KF.


I heard the House on kf_manor is a real death trap, because of...yeah...i dunno anyways, just read it in the sticky thread.


Any other "locations" where you shouldn't go in?
 
Anywhere 'inside' on Mountain pass.
Pretty much everywhere inside on Ice Breaker.
Some engine looking room on Waterworks.
Around the ambulance / starting point in Filths Cross. (But I found just inside the room to be a good spot)
Any sort of 'zig zag' corridor and 'operating room' in Hospital Horror.
Santa's Room in Santa's Evil Lair.
The 'maze desks' on Offices, 2nd floor.

You can survive these with a good team, but from experience you'll get overrun quickly; Mainly because the areas are too confined, and specimens can always spawn just around the corner.
 
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You can survive these with a good team, but from experience you'll get overrun quickly; Mainly because the areas are too confined, and specimens can always spawn just around the corner.
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Yeah normally the house is a death trap but i had a good group and we camped in the house and only 1 of us died on wave 10 due to 3 fleshpounds a siren and husk and 2 scrakes along with a few other crawlers all came pouring into the room at the same time.

Good thing all of us pretty much had tier 3 weps :).
 
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Anywhere 'inside' on Mountain pass.
Pretty much everywhere inside on Ice Breaker.
Some engine looking room on Waterworks.
Around the ambulance / starting point in Filths Cross. (But I found just inside the room to be a good spot)
Any sort of 'zig zag' corridor and 'operating room' in Hospital Horror.
Santa's Room in Santa's Evil Lair.
The 'maze desks' on Offices, 2nd floor.

You can survive these with a good team, but from experience you'll get overrun quickly; Mainly because the areas are too confined, and specimens can always spawn just around the corner.

Yep, those areas are bad because specimens can spawn anywhere "Out of sight", even when "Out of sight" is only behind a wall 2 feet away or inside a vent an inch above your head.

Deathtraps get bonus points if the enemies drop down on top of you (Very disorienting for a team, usually) or spawn in a way that you can't get out (Spawning outside the exit doors and pouring in). Rainbow mentioned a few of these already, but the ones that stand out to me:

-The house on Manor. Probably the most infamous "Deathtrap". You'll have enemies spawning outside of every exit door, dropping down on you, and it's a very confined place. Factor in that teammates LOVE to weld you in here and it gets even worse. What makes this one especially devious is the fact that you'd think in every zombie attack, that the house would be preferable to the open ground. You'd be wrong here.

-Room with the stairs near the long straight hallway in Biotics Lab. Looks like a nice, open room with a good few escape routes. But every one of 'em will be clogged, there are no less than 3 spawn points that pour directly into this room, and it's dark, making crawlers more of a threat. Few teams make it out of here if they get caught.

-As Rainbow said, ANYWHERE inside on Icebreaker. The doors WILL get clogged with enemies, you won't be able to get out, and you'll die. Simple as that.

-Ironically, OUTSIDE on Waterworks. The area will get flooded with zeds from every side, husks will roast you, and you'll usually be too pinned down to get inside.

-Likewise on Hospital Horrors. Filth made VERY sure that camping the parking lot is a bad idea. The winding, narrow corridors near the back are terrible too. Really, the entire map is a deathtrap.

-The "Desk Maze" in office only has 2 exits that are easily clogged, enough overhead vents to make the area flood with crawlers, poor lighting, and distracting papers flying around.

-Near the "Forge Cauldron" trader area on Foundry. About 2/3 of all wipes I see on this map are because people don't get to and LEAVE that trader fast enough in later waves. Tough enemies block almost every way out and can drop down on you while you're pinned in. Chances of getting out of there without casualties is almost nil.

-Surface compound on Wyre. Early waves, it's alright. In later waves, you just get too many enemies pouring in from all sides to be able to effectively hold. And from there, it's pretty difficult to get into the underground safely when you need to fall back. Not to mention that unless the Sharpshooters for the team are spot-on, you'll be taking a lot of damage from husks.

-Tunnels in the bunker on Wyre. Yeah, 2 deathtraps in the same map. While many underground rooms are defensible, the tunnels themselves area nightmare. You can easily get blocked in by a few large specimens, and the darkness makes it hard to see Crawlers/Stalkers. If you're alone down there, you're probably dead, and even with a team, it's very iffy. Special mention goes to the "Water Room", that features only 2 entrances and is, literally, a cesspool of mobs.

-Church in West London. 2 Exits. Nowhere to really run when you get out. Pews and pillars for enemies to hide behind. Very, very bad idea. Bonus points for being a trader area with only doors for entrances, and thus prone to "Oh crap, half the team welded us in and left!" moments

-Dark Basement in West London. Another map with 2 deathtraps. Probably the first deathtrap that people run into in the game. 2 exits (One of which is through winding, dark stairs and leads into the dangerous-on-it's-own Police Station!), both easily blocked, almost no light to see monsters, and tons of furnature cluttering the area. Due to the absence of good lighting, I've NEVER seen a team survive down there for long.

Generally, the closer an area is to the trader, the worse of a location it is to defend. Newbies would do well to remember this!
 
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Ah! I forgot my favourite map...
Bedlam.

Pretty much anywhere is a death trap there too. The place is very narrow, has plenty of turns and obstacles. It's also very, very easy to get lost.
Even the best spots to bunker in Bedlam are death traps themself.

- The garden on the top floor; There's like, 4~5 ways the specimens can come, they'll flood out of everywhere. And in each of those entrances/exits, there's usually one of those 'Forbidden junk pile' zones, where the specimes will spawn. One person at each entrance may seem like a good idea, but eventually a Scrake will come, a Fleshpound, a Screamer and difficulties will arise when the person will wail for help; And everyone will flock to that position, take it out, then go back to their posts; only to find they're surrounded because it takes no more than 5 seconds for zeds to get over the junk piles and through the door. I remember one of the entrances being weldable, too; So it's best to weld it rather than try fight them off. Get a support specialist to do that, so he can weld fast; Circle the place to fire a few shots of assistance and go back to that door.
Anyone who isn't guarding an entrance should be shooting the Specimens on the ground floor from above, just for that small bit of assistance.
However if the team is overrun, there's about 2~3 places where you can walk off the edge and onto the ground floor; But this is risky, because not only does it take a big chunk of HP off; You could be dropping right into a mob - With the HP loss from the drop and a mob? You're a goner.

There's two places that seem *alright* to bunker in, but they're truthfully not if you're on Hard+. One is a red room, close to the trader, which has this gigantic metal thing in the center of the room; If you have a person at each of the entrances you can do alright, until the usual hardies come along. Not to mention, if you ever bothered to look up; There's a giant hole in the cieling, the distance from the floor to that roof is so small they drop before you can shoot them. This spot is totally, confined. Worst room to bunker in, this whole map. (Not counting corridors)
There's a DJ Rave room, with a green and blue light laser show; This has served to be a more better approach to bunkering, but becomes awful because not only do you have only two ways to flee when trouble comes; But there's plenty of holes in the cieling. Also with its more open and tedious terrain of having to jump, crouch over the pool's ledges; It can be a screw around for a Medic trying to jab you with a syringe.
There's two rooms that seem fine to bunker in as well... Not a good spot. Both are connected to another by a tiny corridor (Where specimens spawn on each end of that corridor); You get up by going up a tiny ramp, in a purple room, to see a DJ set. Through the door, to the left, you find a similar room; Except it's corroded, it's grey and there's no ramps. If you fall off you're going to be going backwards; So the only way to get past is to take an corroded wall route on the right side, which is very narrow; And even a mob of gorefasts can clear your team in this tiny spot, unless you have a support specialist - Specimens also jump from across the gap to the top floor as well; But thankfully, they sometimes drop onto the bottom floor.

Best spot for Bedlam? The start of the map where you spawned.
I don't mean to stand right there, either; If you walked forward and take the left passage, you'll find a long corridor; Split your team in half. Half aim down the corridor, where you'd best hope Fleshpounds and Scrakes appear, because this corridor is easy pickings for a Sharpshooter; The other half aim towards the right passage way (From the start), so they should be in a 'tiny room' between two broken doors (Can't close them or weld them.) This area, much like everywhere in Bedlam is a no-escape zone; With only two spots to run out and away from, you're stuck between the specimens stuck in the tiny broken doors, or the specimens in the corridor.
"The corridor seems like the best bet. I'll run down it shooting them as I go"; Down that corridor half of your team was aiming down, half way is a junk pile spot; So it's a gamble to run down there, and also near the end of the door is a left passage way; Sometimes, they spawn in that area - But not usually, so that passage way can be a life saver if you make it to the end.. Unfortunately it's a more confusing place when you take that road.
The alternate is to take the right-side-of-the-spawn-path; You've got more open room to fight in... But, they can spawn just around the corner; And you only get two options when you're in the next room, that you have to decide quickly. The right one is normally not a good idea since it leads into that red room near the trader with the metal piece in the middle - The left side... I can't remember. But, I do remember there's also windows in that room; Stalkers love to pop out from them.

I find Bedlam to be the most death-trap map in the game; It's difficult to know where everywhere is, the Trader is at the most confined places, there's plenty of forbidden junk piles for Specimens to spawn through; And everytime you turn that corner, they're there.

Nanostrike said:
Filth made VERY sure that camping the parking lot is a bad idea. The winding, narrow corridors near the back are terrible too. Really, the entire map is a deathtrap.
Where those 'large rooms' are in the map; Despite being very appealing and open, I found the best spot to be where the trader sets up shop sometimes. It's a two way, very long corridor with plenty of bodies hanging from the cieling, and on the floor.
Split your team to guard each side (Just on top of the first set of stairs; Not on the bottom - They'll get too close) it can be very good. Support Specialist, Medic and Sharpshooter Haven.
For anyone who doesn't take 10 seconds to type "fp" can utilize this ability by quickly jumping down the stairs, typing FP and then watch most of the team flock to the other side of the corridor to take it out; Then go back to their designated posts.
Support Specialists are a must in this since it's pretty much a bottleneck area.
Sharpshooters have the long corridors to shoot before the team gets turned into mash potatoes.
The Medic doesn't have to run back and forth the long corridor if he has the Medigun. As long as you tell your team members not to go up that second flight of stairs...
Everytime I bunkered here (Even in hard; Which is an achievement for me.), we won the whole game.
 
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West london basement , even worst as zerker. Even if you are panicking , DON'T GO IN THERE.
I was once in there , I runned so slow with 9mm so I went katana , 4 gorefast came out and raped me ( Suicidal , after 2010 balance patch)

Dark cavern in wyre , specimens spawn behind you so , if you think you are safe , you aren't really safe.
 
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The Main Room in the Manor house is the most famous death trap, and probably the worst to be stuck in. Its a room with many doors with spawns directly outside of them, some obstacles allowing the zeds, once inevitably out of the doorway, to spread out, cover up, and prevent killing zones. But the worst is always that damnable hole in the ceiling; the zeds will flow in a massive tide onto your head, breaking whatever order your team had, and usually killing you. Especially once sirens come in, and bigguns. Hell, crawlers on your head usually are enough.

Second most famous: WestLondon Basements. They could be moderatley usable if you could see a foot in front of you. But no, you can't see anything, zeds pour through only 2 exits and generally make things near impossible. And there is that other door, near the back, which always mixes me up; I think I see a zed-free escape, only to realize I've found a nice little dead-end. Emphasis on the "dead".

Here's a few more: On top of the Wyre Bunker. Crawlers from behind, a wide flow of spread-out zeds cornering you. But probably the worst of it is the second zed attack route; the zeds climbing the side generally are difficult to get at, and are mostly covered in their ascent. And if you go too far trying to get at that FP behind the crate, you will fall into the moshpit.

You will mainly see repeats here for one reason: the thing that puts the "trap" in "deathtrap" is when it looks really good; people usually won't try and hold a position that holds zero strategic value. So really there are lots of deathtraps, but the real ones that we know for sure are actually bad are those which look attractive enough to lure you in, only to show their colors as graveyards.
 
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In Suburbia, pretty much any place that is not a rooftop is a deathtrap. Inside the buildings sometimes looks good but there are too many holes in the walls so they usually wind up bad, and most of the streets end up with attackers from all directions (especially husks). I've had the best success on top of the Piggy Bank (whatever it's actually called) but I've made it through on the larger rooftop as well.
 
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In Suburbia, pretty much any place that is not a rooftop is a deathtrap. Inside the buildings sometimes looks good but there are too many holes in the walls so they usually wind up bad, and most of the streets end up with attackers from all directions (especially husks). I've had the best success on top of the Piggy Bank (whatever it's actually called) but I've made it through on the larger rooftop as well.

That's a depressing map if your team doesn't know about the rooftops. There's not a single place on the ground that's survivable.

In Crash, most of the buildings on the ground are deathtraps too. There's a certain alleyway that me and my buddies have started fondly calling "Newbie Alley". It's the one between the two large buildings, with the fire escapes leading up. There's ALWAYS at least 1 or 2 poor newbies that decide it'd be a great idea to climb on the fire escapes and hold there. It's not. Enemies drop on you, forcing you to retreat...only you can't because they pour out of the two buildings.
 
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In Crash, most of the buildings on the ground are deathtraps too. There's a certain alleyway that me and my buddies have started fondly calling "Newbie Alley". It's the one between the two large buildings, with the fire escapes leading up. There's ALWAYS at least 1 or 2 poor newbies that decide it'd be a great idea to climb on the fire escapes and hold there. It's not. Enemies drop on you, forcing you to retreat...only you can't because they pour out of the two buildings.
Not sure if it was the Newbie Alley, but...

There's a part in one of the ground floor buildings where my team did really well. It's a grey room which, in front has a stair that leads up to this narrow corridor (Which has the Trader inside)
If you have two people on those stairs (one facing the door); A few in front of the stairs shooting the door, while someone (or two) weld the doors on the right side (To keep them from flooding in; If you don't weld these, you get overrun quickly.)

Demo on the stairs is best since they can use the height to aim at multiple mobs.
 
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Actually i find using all the ground on kf-suburbia better than the rooftops.

i.e. kiting rather than camping.

In fact, kiting seems the best strategy for 1016 IMO.

The tunnel directly opposite Santa's chair on ESL is simulataneously an awesome camping spot and a deathtrap.

Awesome right up until a scrake/FP pushes down and allows other specs to swarm in the breach.
 
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In fact, kiting seems the best strategy for 1016 IMO.

As of yet, I haven't really played with any groups that can kite effectively. The only exception is perhaps during Wave 1 out of necessity/simplicity. I'd be interested in trying this tactic out but it's hard to sway people, especially if I'm joining a game partway and there are established camping sites.
 
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Not sure if it was the Newbie Alley, but...

There's a part in one of the ground floor buildings where my team did really well. It's a grey room which, in front has a stair that leads up to this narrow corridor (Which has the Trader inside)
If you have two people on those stairs (one facing the door); A few in front of the stairs shooting the door, while someone (or two) weld the doors on the right side (To keep them from flooding in; If you don't weld these, you get overrun quickly.)

Demo on the stairs is best since they can use the height to aim at multiple mobs.

That is a different part of the map, one that I've recently started to favour myself. A lot of people like fighting from the elevated second floor ring of that building. I think it used to be a pretty good spot but eventually the mappers created a new crawler spawn next to the second floor trader and ever since that I've hated fighting up there; no one is interested in watching the crawler hole when there are so many other targets so we always wind up squeezed from within at the worst possible moments.

The last time I was playing Crash with a group that insisted on holding that second floor ring, I took one other player and the two of us held the room/staircase that you describe here. Most of the specimens went for the fire escape in Newbie Alley so we were never at risk of being over-run, but at the same time we supported the rest of the team by anchoring a flank. I was playing Firebug so I could even pick off some of the spawns that go through the fenced corridor underneath the trader or specimens crossing the floor of the large warehouse.
 
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-Anywhere indoors in IceBreaker
-Anywhere outdoors in WaterWorks
-The lower floors of HospitalHorrors
-The upper floor in BioHazard if you weld the floor exit doors
-Anywhere far from houses in Wyre
-Lowed floor near the steel cauldrin in Foundry
-The Church and dark rooms in WestLondon

And now my favourite map :

-The red lighted hallway on Bedlam or just anyplace with fewer light than usual (bare in mind the whole level is extremely dark)
 
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(re: KF-Crash)
That is a different part of the map, one that I've recently started to favour myself. A lot of people like fighting from the elevated second floor ring of that building. I think it used to be a pretty good spot but eventually the mappers created a new crawler spawn next to the second floor trader and ever since that I've hated fighting up there; no one is interested in watching the crawler hole when there are so many other targets so we always wind up squeezed from within at the worst possible moments.

I've found that if one stays in close proximity to that wall spawn, it seems to suppress any crawlers from emerging during most of the wave. There is generally an initial group of crawlers, but once dealt with, (not difficult when you're expecting them), hanging near that corner seems to keep that situation under control. From that corner, you're in good position to pour fire onto just about every hot spot except the other new spawn point, more or less diagonally across the room, which is blocked by the helicopter wreckage.

The top of the double staircase in KF-Bioticslab is my personal primary 'DON'T BE CAUGHT DEAD HERE' location. I keep warning the newbies, "Ya' know, you really don't want to hang out there." Generally, by the end of Wave 3, it starts sinking in. Generally...

I've actually had decent success on and around the main bunker in KF-Wyre, *if* you have a decent mix of perks in your squad, *and* people don't rambo too far. But, given those two parameters, you have a good chance of survival pretty much anywhere.

I don't think I've ever seen the 'barricaded man' mentality work out well in KF-Farm or KF-Manor. (And, I really don't understand the rational behind that technique in KF-Farm.)

I used to map for the original Tactical Ops. Nothing of any consequence made it out to the web; mostly just stuff for the household LAN. One of the axioms in that community was that there should always be at least a *little* light in every area. No entirely pitch-black regions. Not surprisingly, the basement of the Police station in KF-WestLondon, and several spots in KF-Bedlam came as a disconcerting surprise when first played. I'd be curious to learn if the KF community is mostly OK with that, or, would like to see that characteristic mostly disappear in future maps.
 
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I'd be curious to learn if the KF community is mostly OK with that, or, would like to see that characteristic mostly disappear in future maps.
I think zero light in some areas to be pretty good. You're capable of seeing most specimens quite easily (Since they can't blend in with various colored environments - Except Crawlers; Adding to their 'tricky' type class) as well as giving a reason to use the Flashlight when navigating the area.
Pretty much everytime I go through the Offices Stairs (The red colored set) I always, see someone light up their flashlights because they run into the wall.
 
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Not sure if it was the Newbie Alley, but...

There's a part in one of the ground floor buildings where my team did really well. It's a grey room which, in front has a stair that leads up to this narrow corridor (Which has the Trader inside)
If you have two people on those stairs (one facing the door); A few in front of the stairs shooting the door, while someone (or two) weld the doors on the right side (To keep them from flooding in; If you don't weld these, you get overrun quickly.)

Demo on the stairs is best since they can use the height to aim at multiple mobs.

That's near Newbie Alley, and that's the big irony of it; just beside Newbie Alley are tons of good, defensible spots. It's just that the newbies for some reason instinctively LEAVE the good spots and go into the deathtrap.

I think zero light in some areas to be pretty good. You're capable of seeing most specimens quite easily (Since they can't blend in with various colored environments - Except Crawlers; Adding to their 'tricky' type class) as well as giving a reason to use the Flashlight when navigating the area.
Pretty much everytime I go through the Offices Stairs (The red colored set) I always, see someone light up their flashlights because they run into the wall.

I actually hate the zero-light areas because there are only 2 weapons with flashlights in the entire game right now. Commandos have a slight edge due to being able to see health bars, but other classes are shooting at shadows and vague shapes.

Scary? Definitely. Intense? You bet! Fun? ...not so much. Just look at how often people camp out in that West London Basement or Office Stairwells... Having zero light is a surefire way to make sure people outright avoid an area of the map, especially if there's no reason to go there. If it wasn't for a Trader spot being there, NO ONE would go into the Westlondon Basement.
 
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I used to map... One of the axioms in that community was that there should always be at least a *little* light in every area. No entirely pitch-black regions. Not surprisingly, the basement of the Police station in KF-WestLondon, and several spots in KF-Bedlam came as a disconcerting surprise when first played. I'd be curious to learn if the KF community is mostly OK with that, or, would like to see that characteristic mostly disappear in future maps.

I was very surprised to come across pitch black areas when I was learning Killing Floor, and for the longest time I absolutely refused to play in Bedlam. As I've gotten to learn the maps, they don't bother me as much. Still, I do generally treat them as "off-limits" areas except during trader time, so they don't really add much to the gameplay and I wouldn't be upset to see them vanish.
 
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I was very surprised to come across pitch black areas when I was learning Killing Floor, and for the longest time I absolutely refused to play in Bedlam. As I've gotten to learn the maps, they don't bother me as much. Still, I do generally treat them as "off-limits" areas except during trader time, so they don't really add much to the gameplay and I wouldn't be upset to see them vanish.

Pretty much this. If they added more lights, then there'd be a split between people who like dark maps and people who don't. But with our current lighting situation, all dark areas are pretty much "Off limits" at best...and pretty viciously hated by a large portion of the community at worst.
 
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