Louis

Lore & Background

Louis is one of the four original survivors in Left 4 Dead, set during the aftermath of a zombie outbreak on the East Coast of the United States. In the game, Louis is a playable character in all four original campaigns: "No Mercy", "Death Toll", "Dead Air", and "Blood Harvest", as well as the DLC campaigns "Crash Course" (released September 29, 2009) and "The Sacrifice" (released October 5, 2010). Louis, like all survivors, can be incapacitated if health is depleted, and if incapacitated twice without healing, the third incapacitation kills him. In Campaign mode, if killed, he respawns in a closet or small room and must be freed by another survivor.

Reader's Guide

Louis is a playable survivor in Left 4 Dead. Players control him in first-person shooter gameplay, using weapons like a semiautomatic pistol (M1911, the only weapon with unlimited ammo), a submachine gun, a pump-action shotgun, an assault rifle, a semi-automatic shotgun, or a scoped hunting rifle. He can carry three items: improvised grenades (Molotov cocktail or pipe bomb), a first aid kit, or pain pills. He can also use environmental weapons like gas cans, propane cylinders, and oxygen tanks, which explode when shot.

Louis can perform a melee attack to shove infected away. He can see colored outlines of teammates through walls to coordinate movement. If his health is depleted, he becomes incapacitated and can be helped by another survivor; if incapacitated twice without healing, the third incapacitation kills him. In Campaign mode, if killed, he respawns in a closet and must be freed by another survivor.

The AI Director controls level pacing and item placements to create dynamic experiences. Louis does not have unique abilities; all survivors share the same mechanics.

Did You Know?

• Louis is one of four protagonists in Left 4 Dead, which was released for Windows and Xbox 360 in November 2008 and for Mac OS X in October 2010.
• The game uses Valve's Source engine and features an AI Director that controls level pacing and item placements to create dynamic experiences.
• The infected in Left 4 Dead are living humans infected with a rabies-like virus, not undead zombies, as stated in the game's manual.
• All original campaigns are divided into five levels connected by safehouses, with crescendo events and finales where players defend a position until rescue arrives.